Three players who scored last weekend are the subjects of this week’s TD picks.
The pregame narrative: Jayden Daniels, who scampered to the end zone on Monday Night Football, is a logical touchdown scorer with one of his tailbacks ruled out. I’m also backing a Carolina Panther for the second time in as many weeks, plus Kyren Williams after a massive performance last Sunday.
Check out the best NFL Week 4 TD picks for the upcoming games.
NFL Week 4 TD picks
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Best bet: Diontae Johnson anytime TD (+148)
Last week, I called my shot with Adam Thielen to score for the Panthers as the Andy Dalton regime began anew. Thielen cashed and then promptly landed on the injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
That’s bad news for Carolina, but it’s good news for Johnson’s production potential.
Even with Thielen on the field for half of last week’s game, Johnson put up huge numbers with Dalton: eight catches on 14 targets for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Johnson had already established a healthy target share with Bryce Young under centre, commanding more than 22.0% of targets in Weeks 1 and 2, per Rotowire. But that target share spiked to 35.0% last Sunday.
With Thielen out of the picture for now, Johnson should continue to see a huge target volume. He’s a reliable veteran presence in a WR room that’s otherwise very inexperienced.
It’s important to note that Johnson (groin) did pop up on the injury report Thursday as a non-participant in practice. But Steve Reed of the AP reported that Johnson’s absence was “precautionary” due to slick field conditions and he was expected to be back in the mix on Friday.
As long as Johnson is on the field, I like his chances to perform against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In Week 3, Cincinnati couldn’t get off the field against rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders. Daniels threw for a pair of TD passes and the team never punted.
Johnson has seven red zone targets so far and no one else on the Panthers has more than two.
Key stat: Johnson has been targeted in the red zone all three weeks. That includes a season-high four red zone targets last Sunday.
Quick picks
Williams anytime TD (-129): This isn’t a very flashy pick given the price, but Williams has been a ball hog for the Rams in the red zone.
The starting tailback saw a whopping 10 red zone carries last week and now has an NFL-high 19 on the season. He also has five red zone targets, turning that into 31 yards and a score.
Williams posted a hat trick of touchdowns last week to cash this ticket for the third consecutive game.
The Chicago Bears’ defence looks tough, but it has allowed four rushing touchdowns already and seems to be extra potent in the passing game. Chicago has the third-best defensive EPA per dropback, per RBSDM.com.
Daniels anytime TD (-110): At 50 points, the Commanders/Cardinals matchup has the highest projected total of the week. I think this is a good way to get a piece of that.
Daniels already has three rushing touchdowns through three weeks, and he’s carried the ball 10-plus times in each game. With Austin Ekeler (concussion) ruled out, those rushing opportunities for the rookie quarterback aren’t going anywhere.
Though he’s a bit slight of build for a 6-foot-4 QB, Daniels is remarkably fearless about running in open space and between the tackles. His rushing TD last week came on a read option from the four-yard line.
Picks made at 10:20 a.m. ET on 09/27/2024.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.