Week 4 RB Rankings: Omarion Hampton, Trey Benson, Cam Skattebo and More
Matthew Freedman reveals some favorite running back plays for fantasy football heading into Week 4, including Omarion Hampton, Trey Benson and Cam Skattebo.
It's Week 4, and that means for each team we now have three games to analyze—three distinct data points to consider.
One point is almost meaningless. It exists by itself in the infinite nothingness of space and time.
But two points form a line. They give us directionality.
And three points form a triangle. They give us dimensionality.
In other words: The season is truly starting to take shape.
Let's get into the Week 4 RB edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of:
- Favorable betting factors and situational spots
- Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
- Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)
For process notes regarding this series, my weekly rankings, and my weekly projections, see the end of this piece. Also, check out the rest of my favorite Week 4 fantasy football plays.
To see our full rankings and projections, use the promo code FREEDMAN for 20% off the FantasyLife+ package.
Week 4 Running Back Rankings
Omarion Hampton Charges Up the Week 4 RB Ranks
First-round rookie Omarion Hampton entered the season as Matthew Berry's "Ride or Die"—and after doing little in Weeks 1-2 (86 yards, zero TDs), he went off in Week 3 with 129 total yards and a TD on 19 carries and 7 targets.
In terms of playing time, he's already a top-12 RB (76% snap rate, 147 snaps), and his opportunities are only likely to increase from here without No. 2 RB Najee Harris (Achilles, IR).
The Chargers are on the road traveling east for an early 1 p.m. ET game, but they have a soft away matchup against the Giants, who have the league's worst all-time home-field advantage at MetLife Stadium (+0.06, per NFElo).
As six-point favorites, the Chargers could run the ball more than they usually do, and the Giants are No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to RBs (+6.1). On top of that, they're significantly injured in their front seven.
- DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (foot): Out Weeks 2-3
- EDGE Chauncey Golston (ankle): Out Week 3
- LB Micah McFadden (leg, IR)
- LB Darius Muasau (concussion, eye): Ex W2 -> Out Week 3
- LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (calf): Out Weeks 2-3
- LB Chris Board (chest, IR)
If Hampton happens to be available in Guillotine Leagues, I would probably be willing to spend $500+ on him.
Trey Benson Upgrades to RB2 in Week 3
Somehow, Trey Benson is available in 50% of Yahoo leagues. You're probably not in any of those leagues … but if you are, you'll want to bid aggressively on Benson.
Without No. 1 RB James Conner (ankle, IR), Benson is now a mid-range RB2.
Even before Conner's injury, the second-year Benson was pushing the veteran for playing time. Now, it looks as if the backfield almost entirely belongs to him, given that backups Emari Demercado and Bam Knight are primarily special-teams players.
For the season, Demercado has 2 carries and 1 target; Knight, none.
The matchup against the Seahawks isn't especially exploitable, but the Cards are at State Farm Stadium, where they've had a significant home-field advantage over the past year (+11.4), and they could have a run-leaning game script as 1.5-point favorites.
The sample is small, but with career marks of 5.0 yards per carry and 6.1 yards per target, Benson has an outside chance to surpass the 1,508 yards and 9 TDs that Conner got in this offense last year.
Cam Skattebo Has RB1 Upside in Week 3
Over his past two games, rookie Cam Skattebo has compiled 180 yards and 2 TDs on 21 carries and 11 targets—and last week specifically he was almost the entirety of the Giants offense with 121 scrimmage yards and TD on 10 carries and 8 targets.
RB Tyrone Tracy (shoulder) is expected to miss time, so Skattebo could once again dominate the backfield in his absence, and with his three-down skill set—even in a negative game script—he could have another 100-yard performance.
The Chargers lost DT Poona Ford this offseason in free agency, and without him they now have a mid-tier run defense (No. 16 with a -11.9% defensive rush DVOA, per FTN), and with LT Andrew Thomas (foot) returning to game action, the Giants might be desirous to attack the Chargers on the ground.
And that might especially be the case now that the team has made the QB change to first-round rookie Jaxson Dart.
As noted earlier, the Giants have almost no home-field advantage … but at least they're playing at home for the second straight week, and they're hosting a West Coast team traveling east for an early game. Situationally, that's something.
The Checkdown
James Cook (Bills) vs. Saints: In 2023, Cook had 1,567 scrimmage yards but only six TDs, and then in 2024 he had only 1,267 yards but 18 TDs. This offseason, I asked this question: "Why couldn't he shoot the moon in 2025 with 1,567 yards and 18 TDs while playing alongside MVP QB Josh Allen?" So far, Cook has 355 yards and an NFL-high 4 TDs. He and Christian McCaffrey are the only RBs this year with 18+ fantasy points in every game (per our Fantasy Life Scoring Matrix). The Bills have three extra days off after TNF, they're massive 16.5-point home favorites and they're easily No. 1 in implied team total (32). Cook is -195 to score a TD this week (DraftKings, per our Fantasy Life Prop Bet Finder).
De'Von Achane (Dolphins) vs. Jets: Achane could see a heavy workload as a home favorite with 11 days between games. Since last year, he has 1,439 yards and 13 TDs in his 14 games with QB Tua Tagovailoa, and this year he's the No. 4 RB in Utilization Score (90, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report). The Jets are significantly weakened in their front seven with injuries to EDGE Jermaine Johnson (ankle), DT Jay Tufele (illness), and LBs Quincy Williams and Marcelino McCrary-Ball (hamstring). While the total for this game is only 44.5, the over is a five-star bet (per our Fantasy Life Game Model).
J.K. Dobbins (Broncos) vs. Bengals: You might not like it, but Dobbins is the clear No. 1 RB for the Broncos with 236 yards and 3 TDs on 41 carries and 5 targets. The Broncos are seven-point home favorites, and the Bengals are No. 2 in most fantasy points allowed to RBs (28.3). Bang a gong.
Jaylen Warren (Steelers) vs. Vikings (in Ireland): Warren is the No. 1 rusher (132 yards) and No. 1 receiver (142 yards) for the Steelers with 43 carries and 12 targets. The Steelers are 2.5-point underdogs in Dublin, but Warren should stay active with his three-down skill set, and with HC Mike Tomlin, the Steelers as dogs are an elite 65-39-4 ATS (21.3% ROI, per Action Network). The Vikings could be without DT Javon Hargrave (chest).
Nick Chubb (Texans) vs. Titans: The Texans are 0-3, and Chubb is in danger of losing the backfield to rookie RB Woody Marks … but this week I think he'll have one more performance worthy of recognition. The Texans are big seven-point home favorites, the Titans are missing NT T'Vondre Sweat (ankle, IR), and they're No. 32 in defensive rush EPA (0.189, per RBs Don't Matter).
Notes
Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings and projections. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.
Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings and projections schedule.
- Tue AM: Publish rankings and projections
- Thu AM: Refresh rankings and projections
- Thu PM: Make necessary TNF rankings changes
- Sat PM: Update rankings and projections
- Sun AM: Revise rankings
- Sun PM: Finalize rankings based on news prior to 1 p.m. ET kickoff
Accuracy: I'm a six-time top-20 ranker in accuracy and a long-time profitable player prop better.
Scoring: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated.
Cohesion: My positional breakdowns are published separately, but I think of them as comprising one whole, so check out the rest of my favorite Week 4 fantasy football plays (via my Fantasy Life author page).
Abbreviations: Here are some abbreviations I might have used in the piece.
- Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
- Against the Spread (ATS)
- Over/Under (O/U)
- Team Total (TT)
- Moneyline (ML)
- Return on Investment (ROI)
- Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
- Expected Points Added (EPA)
- Success Rate (SR)
- Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
- Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
- AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
- Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
- Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
- Short Down and Distance (SDD)
- Long Down and Distance (LDD)
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