We are four weeks down, and we're already a quarter of the way through the season. When you consider that fantasy football playoffs often start in Week 15, we're moving fast. For those of you who are 4-0, congratulations. Keep it rolling, but this week's column is more for the teams fighting to turn things around at 0-4, 1-3, or 2-2. I’ll break down a struggling player from each position and discuss the best steps to take with them. We're keeping this strictly to players who have been active and haven't missed multiple games due to injury.
Quarterback
Kyler Murray, Arizona
- Current rank: QB16
- Opponents played: at NO, CAR, at SF, SEA
- Record: 2-2
- Upcoming schedule: TEN, at IND, GB, BYE
Kyler Murray is viewed as a potential Top-10 fantasy quarterback. He has dual-threat talent and has three top-10 finishes and four top-15 finishes in his six-year career. His most notable skill is his rushing ability, where he routinely has exceeded 400 yards rushing every year except 2023, when he played only eight games due to a season-ending ACL tear. He has a solid group of complementary players around him, led by Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr., with a strong supporting cast. Why is he the QB16 after four games, and can we expect a bounce-back?
Fantasy managers are counting on Kyler Murray to provide strong, consistent numbers, but he has struggled this season, mostly from a yardage standpoint. In four games, he has exceeded 200 yards passing once. That was a home game win in Week 2 against Carolina, where he threw for 220 yards with 1 touchdown and one interception. In his four games this season, he has passed for 163, 220, 159, and 200 yards. That averages to 164.8 per game, which is fourth-lowest in the league. His rushing numbers have been adequate, but not noteworthy. Never rushing lower than 32 yards, but not higher than 41 yards. Another reason why he is outside of the top 10 is that he has yet to score a rushing touchdown. In his six-year career, he averages five per season.
He is sitting at QB16 after Week 4 despite having low passing yardage totals, average touchdown production (6 touchdown passes), mediocre rushing totals, and zero rushing touchdowns. In layman's terms, he is having an average to below-average season compared to what we've seen from him in the past. One spike for him in several different areas (passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns) would elevate his totals. He currently has 62.5 fantasy points, and the QB10 (Justin Herbert) has 73.8. One good game could propel him back into the Top 10 fold.
Losing top running back James Conner hurts the offense, but perhaps that will help Murray's rushing totals. He had 41 yards rushing in his last game, which was his season-high to this point. Arizona is not a bad team. Trey Benson is a capable backup running back, and their defense can make big plays and turn a game around. There is room for improvement for Murray, and the potential is there for him to see a spike in production in the coming weeks. The next three opponents (Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Green Bay) all allow 1.50 passing touchdowns per game or higher. In fact, they don't play another team until Week 11 (vs San Francisco) that has allowed less than 1.50 touchdown passes per game.
Result: Murray has the opportunity to increase his ranking from QB16, and it might take one good game to do it. His production has been unexpectedly quiet this season, yet he is still in striking range of a Top-10 rank. There is optimism that he can find his groove and elevate his ranking.
Running Back
Chase Brown, Cincinnati
- Current rank: RB31 (PPR)
- Opponents played: at CLE, JAC, at MIN, at DEN
- Record: 2-2
- Upcoming schedule: DET, at GB, PIT, NYJ
Chase Brown (age 25) is playing in his third NFL season. He finished RB10 (PPR) in 2024 and, like his team, he appeared to be trending in the right direction. Then the foot injury to Joe Burrow in Week 2 derailed the team, and the ripple effect made its way through the offense. Jake Browning took over at quarterback and has struggled to establish success, albeit two road games (at MIN, at DEN) where the Bengals have been outscored 76-13. After averaging over 300 yards per game in seven games in 2023 (also replacing Joe Burrow), Browning has not topped 140 yards in the two games he started. The team, in general, has not performed well either. The defense was already a liability, but penalties and mistakes have led the way to an even 2-2 record after starting the year 2-0.
When the offense fails to move the ball consistently, there are fewer plays per drive, resulting in fewer chances for the offense to establish a rhythm, which is paramount for any running back. Throw in unnecessary penalties, and it is the makings of a disaster. That is essentially a sum of the last two games for the Bengals. Their third-down conversion percentage has dropped from 47% in 2024 to 30% in 2025. Multiple All-Pro receivers, a capable running back, and a coach who has performed well in the past aren't enough to stop the negative express that left the station after Burrow's unfortunate injury.
The good news: Four of their next five games are at home. It's not a favorable schedule (DET, at GB, PIT, NYJ, CHI), but it could help, especially if they can build some momentum.
As for Brown, he is far and away the Bengals' primary rusher, totaling 57 rushes compared to 5 each by Samaje Perine and Tahj Brooks. Brown also has 11 receptions, which is second only to Ja'Marr Chase on the team. As long as Cincinnati doesn't label Brown as the problem, which they shouldn't, he should continue to be a high-volume piece of the offense, which is the main driver of fantasy success.
Result: Cincinnati has a lot of problems, but Chase Brown isn't one. His 2.3 YPC is a result of failed drives, penalties, and game script not being in his favor. The Bengals will have to put in the work, but this situation can change even with one healthy scoring drive. They have the personnel to turn it around, and Brown can be a part of that solution.