Fantasy Football Usage Week 4: Targets, touches, snap counts utilization trends

Fantasy Football Usage Week 4: Targets, touches, snap counts utilization trends originally appeared on The Sporting News

Spike weeks are going to happen, and when they do, they will help propel you to a win in fantasy football. However, it's nearly impossible to predict when these games are going to happen. 

You can, of course, target good matchups and look at past big performances to try to predict one of these boom weeks, but it is still not reliable. 

Usage is the best thing to look for; it shows us how teams value which player with the ball in their hands. 

Touches and snap count/share are both just as notable as targets. PPR leagues are simply more popular, so that's why targets get more recognition. 

Touches are virtually the same as targetes, besides the fact that you don't get a full point for the touch. Snap share is also a huge indicator of whether the team trusts a player to contribute on offense. 

Here is the usage report for Week 4. 

Fantasy targets Week 4 news & trends

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys: 11 targets 

In his first full game without CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens was an absolute stud on SNF. He finished with 8 catches for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

Pickens, of course, led the team in receptions and targets. It's impossible to say whether Pickens will have this level of fantasy production again, but the targets are here to stay while Lamb is out. 

Even with Lamb in Week 2, Pickens was targeted 9 times by Dak Prescott. So no, it's not hard to say that the targets will remain above double digits with Lamb out.

George Pickens this year
300 Receiving Yards (9th)
4 Receiving Touchdowns (4th)
21 Receptions (16th)

Breaking out as a Dallas Cowboy ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/5EFOsUgBjs

— DivaD4k (@D4DDYD4K) September 29, 2025

In fact, I believe the target share will increase even more after this performance. Only 2 more targets with Lamb out, compared to when No. 88 was active, feels like a floor for Pickens. 

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10 targets 

While the fantasy performance was not quite there in Chris Godwin's season debut, there were still plenty of positives to take away from it. 

First and foremost, Godwin played 81% of the snaps in his first game back from his gruesome ankle injury he sustained in 2024. There were no limitations for him despite the fact that he returned sooner than expected. 

Chris Godwin ran 40/44 routes (90.9%) & saw 10 targets in his first game back from injury.

Can put him back into lineups.

— David J. Gautieri (@GuruFantasyWrld) September 29, 2025

Godwin was also targeted 10 times by Baker Mayfield in Week 4, showing that the chemistry is still very much present. 

The only true downfall of the game was the fact that Godwin caught just 3 of his 10 looks. However, it was still a majority positive return for the veteran WR. 

Fantasy touches Week 4 news & trends

Cam Skattebo, RB, New York Giants: 27 touches 

In the first game in which Cam Skattebo was the RB1 for the Giants, he led the NFL in touches. That's a pretty good indication for fantasy football. 

Skattebo had 25 rush attempts for 79 yards, alongside 2 catches for 11 yards. He was also able to get in for a 2-point conversion. 

Skattebo finished as the RB19 on the week with no touchdown, which is extremely noteworthy for him the rest of the way. 

Also, with Malik Nabers out for the season and Jaxson Dart starting, a large portion of the targets that Nabers demanded are feed up. Skattebo could see an increase in the receiving game. 

Kenneth Gainwell. RB, Pittsburgh Steelers: 25 touches 

We knew that Kenneth Gainwell was playing excellently as the RB2, but we had no idea how good he'd be as the RB1. 

With Jaylen Warren being a Sunday morning before the game in Dublin, Gainwell was given full rein over that backfield. He had 25 total touches, 6 of which were receptions, which led all RBs. 

Kenneth Gainwell rushing chart is a thing of beauty. 🔥@NextGenStatspic.twitter.com/VbTTWFM0Wx

— Portersburgh (@PortersBurgh) September 28, 2025

Gainwell finished as the RB3 overall in Week 4 after 134 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns. 

If Warren misses more time after their bye week, Gainwell is a must-start. 

Fantasy snap count Week 4 news & trends

Cole Kmet, TE, Chicago Bears: 100% snap share

The fantasy performance was not there, but if Colston Loveland (hip) misses more time, Cole Kmet becomes a fascinating option for your TE. 

Kmet played 100% of the offensive snaps and was also targeted 9 times, which led the team. Kmet just caught 3 of the targets for 46 yards, but that volume and snap rate are promising.

While you should not expect Kmet to out-target Rome Odunze again, it's notable that it happened in the absence of Loveland. 

Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers: 90% snap share 

With Jayden Reed injured, we knew that Jordan Love needed to find a WR1 to trust. After Week 4, it seems to be Romeo Doubs. 

Doubs led the team in targets and led the WR room in snaps. Matthew Golden, who many expected to be the WR1, played fewer snaps than Dontayvion Wicks. 

Doubs finished Sunday as the WR3 overall after catching 3 touchdowns. While that might be repetitive, his usage and snaps are a huge tell that he's the guy until Reed can return.