Four games into the 2026 NFL season, fantasy football managers are starting to get a better feel for their rosters. We see scheme trends developing that impact player upside and usage (both positively and negatively), which can lead to smarter decisions when setting our weekly lineups.
It’s also a reminder that the summer hype — and talk of breakout players — doesn’t always hit once the games are played. Those players we had up high on our draft boards? Some of them are barely hanging on in the lineup, while there are also players emerging at an accelerated rate who need to be in starting slots.
Below are four ascending players and four more who are trending in the opposite direction heading into the Week 5 slate of games.
Stock rising
Denzel Boston, WR, Cleveland Browns
I’d have Boston locked into my lineup as a high-ceiling WR3/flex given his route deployment and explosive-play potential. Boston has scored 12 or more points in three of four games, with a touchdown reception in two. Plus, he’s seeing 5.5 targets per game with a route tree that is expanding.
The deep shots from quarterback Deshaun Watson show up on the tape, as Boston has seen eight targets on throws of 15 or more air yards, but the rookie can also uncover on slants, out routes and comebacks. Looking at his play speed and ball-tracking ability, I see big upside for Boston, with the Jets, Ravens and Titans up next.
Deebo Samuel Sr., WR, San Francisco 49ers
Samuel has scored at least 15 points in three of four games, and he is being used exactly how we thought he would be in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
In a tough Week 4 matchup versus the Denver defense, Samuel caught five passes for 26 yards and a touchdown and added 44 yards rushing on three carries, good for 18 fantasy points. Backfield alignments (and carries), screens, crossers and unders. Shanahan will use Samuel, who is a power strider, on concepts that give him a long runway and space to display his vision and physical play style.
Now, the Week 5 matchup versus the Seattle defense isn’t ideal, but Samuel gets the Commanders and Falcons, who both rank in the bottom five against opposing wide receivers, in Weeks 6 and 7, respectively. Samuel is a WR3 in 12-team leagues, and the arrow is pointing up for the veteran in this offense.
Kyle Monangai, RB, Chicago Bears
The Bears’ ability to dominate game flow and time of possession in the Week 4 win over the Jets boosted the totals for Monangai, who scored a career-high 28 fantasy points, rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. He was really decisive with the ball.
Monangai saw seven goal-to-go carries in the game (converting two for touchdowns), while D’Andre Swift struggled in the low red zone. In addition, a second-half Swift fumble prompted coach Ben Johnson to roll with Monangai to close out the game.
With the Packers up next (a team allowing 29 PPG to opposing running backs), and a Bears system that features the run game as a foundational element, both Swift and Monangai should be viewed asing forward, depending on weekly matchups
Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
We need to talk more about Washington as a potential WR3 in deeper leagues. He has scored 11 or more points in back-to-back games, and he’s averaging seven targets per game. Pretty good numbers. And Washington’s versatility in the Miami offense creates opportunities within the game plan.
Washington will see targets as an outlet for quarterback Malik Willis on boots and checkdowns, and he can separate from both slot and perimeter alignments. Plus, he is playing that “Deebo” role in Miami, aligning as an I-back to handle rushing attempts. Washington has at least one carry in each of his last three games, and Miami will also get him the ball on fly sweeps and swing screens.
The lack of touchdowns (zero on the season) lowers the upside for Washington, but the usage (27% team target share) and overall deployment give him a stable floor in his upcoming schedule (CIN, BYE, @NYJ).
Stock falling
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
It has been a subpar start to the season for Hurts, who is scoring 16.8 fantasy PPG and averaging 178.3 passing yards. The lack of touchdown production as a runner is really lowering his fantasy ceiling. Hurts is rushing for 26.3 yards per game, but he has just one score on the ground and only two carries inside the 5-yard line. That’s rough for managers who drafted Hurts based on his touchdown upside as a dual-threat player.
It doesn’t help that the Eagles are banged up right now at critical skill spots, with DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley dealing with hamstring injuries. Starting right tackle Lane Johnson retired this week, center Cam Jurgens was traded, and the Eagles’ offensive line currently ranks in the bottom five in both pass and run block win rate. Given these factors, in addition to the matchup against the tough Jaguars defense this Sunday in London, Hurts will be outside my top 10 QBs for Week 5.
Omarion Hampton, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
This one is tough for me because I was all-in on Hampton this summer as the lead back in Mike McDaniel’s offense. However, Hampton is scoring 11.2 fantasy PPG, and we saw L.A. move to a true committee approach this past week in the loss to the Seahawks.
Hampton managed to save his day with a late touchdown in that one, finishing with 13.3 points on 11 touches, but it was Keaton Mitchell who saw the most action (15 touches), with Kimani Vidal also getting in the mix (seven touches). And that’s my concern moving forward with Hampton, as his nine carries versus Seattle were a season low.
I understand the Chargers’ coaches here, too. This team is off to a 0-4 start, which leads to personnel changes. I’ve seen it firsthand in the league. Hampton is averaging only 4.0 YPC this season, and he hasn’t impacted the offense as a receiver (7.3 yards per game).
With another tough matchup in Week 5 versus the Broncos, managers should play Hampton only as a touchdown-dependent flex, and this Chargers backfield rotation could keep him there for a while.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Jones was a candidate this summer as a possible matchup-based QB1 in 12-team leagues or as a starter in superflex formats. But Jones is scoring just 9.1 fantasy PPG, down from the 17.4 he posted in 2025. The movement traits (and rushing totals) are limited because of his recovery from the Achilles injury he suffered last season. Plus, without Alec Pierce (IR/heel), the Colts are missing that vertical element in the pass game, which squeezes the field for the quarterback.
Through four games, Jones is averaging 188.5 passing yards per game, and he’s 1-for-5 on throws of 20 or more air yards. Plus, Jones has rushed for one score while averaging just 5.3 yards per game on the ground, and he has managed only three touchdown passes (compared with four interceptions).
Pierce is eligible to return from IR in Week 7, which would give this pass game a lift. But I still don’t see enough here for Jones to be played as anything more than a bye-week fill-in in deeper superflex formats.
David Montgomery, RB, Houston Texans
I really wanted this Texans run game to go this season. The team traded for Montgomery and they also addressed the offensive line. Get the running back with the contact balance and the lateral agility to play downhill behind an upgraded front.
It’s not happening here.
Montgomery did score 28.9 fantasy points in Week 1, but he had three touchdowns in that game versus Buffalo, while producing only 79 total yards on 23 touches. And the numbers have really declined over his last three games, with Montgomery averaging 2.5 YPC and only 38.3 yards from scrimmage. More importantly, Montgomery hasn’t found the end zone since Week 1. The result? He scored just 5.2 fantasy PPG in Weeks 2-4.
I don’t see enough movement up front from a Houston offensive line with a run block win rate of 70.9% (28th in the league), and Montgomery has seen only 10.3 touches per game over his last three. With his upcoming schedule (@TEN, @JAX, NYG), Montgomery is (at best) a touchdown-dependent flex option.
Source: www.espn.com
