NFL Week 4 Fantasy Football Recap: Green Bay Packers vs. New England Patriots

• Damien Harris: 18 carries, 86 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 reception, -2 receiving yards

• Allen Lazard: 6 receptions, 116 yards

• For all fantasy football game recaps from Week 4, click here.

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MIA@CIN | MIN@NO | CLE@ATL | BUF@BAL | SEA@DET
LAC@HOU | TEN@IND | CHI@NYG | JAX@PHI | NYJ@PIT | ARZ@CAR
DEN@LVR | KC@TB |

Monitor the Jonnu Smith ankle injury: Smith suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and didn’t return.

• • The Patriots stayed in 11 personnel for every snap during the rest of the game, with Hunter Henry never leaving the field.
  • Henry would be worth at least picking up again if the Smith injury is serious.
  • Part of Henry’s problem has been not as much playing time the previous two weeks compared to most games last season.
  • He also hasn’t seen as many targets per route run, but this would at least solve some of those problems.

Patriots mix up their RB usage: The Patriots remain a two-man backfield with Ty Montgomery on injured reserve but changed how they were using their two backs.

• • The Patriots had used a strict rotation by drive, with Damien Harris playing one drive and Rhamondre Stevenson the next.
  • The main exception had been Stevenson playing in two-minute drills.
  • New England rotated its backs much more frequently this week.
  • This allowed the Patriots to use Stevenson on every third down.
  • Stevenson has played six or more snaps on third downs just three times in his career, and those have been the past three weeks.
  • Both backs remain borderline fantasy starters depending on the matchup, but Stevenson is becoming more valuable in passing situations because of this.
  • Stevenson had graded out better as a rusher and receiver this season, so he could see an even larger majority of snaps over time.

Add and consider starting Romeo Doubs: Doubs went from leading a rotation at wide receiver to being one of the two clear starters in Green Bay.

• • Both he and Allen Lazard were tied in both offensive snaps and targets. Lazard had more receiving yards, but Doubs had the touchdown.
  • His 24 targets are good for 30th-best on the season despite him having a rotational role earlier in the season.
  • His playing time doesn’t have any higher to go, but he could become a clear leader in targets on the team sooner rather than later, catching passes from the former MVP.
  • Both Randall Cobb and Christian Watson shared time in the slot when Green Bay ran three-receiver sets. Watson’s percentage of offensive snaps has declined each week since he started playing.