We're onto Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season, and insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have been making calls to sources around the league for the latest news and notable buzz.

Drake Maye and the Patriots had an ugly game Sunday, but Maye is hardly the only quarterback with a concerning start to the season. Dan and Jeremy asked around the league to get a sense of which QBs land on the early-season panic meter. And after J.J. McCarthy kicked off trading season Monday in going to the Giants, our insiders poked around on more QB trades that could be on deck. Any other passers potentially switching teams?

Additionally, is the league buying the 3-0 start from the Raiders, who have already matched their win total from 2025? Can Las Vegas keep this up? And which teams -- 3-0 or otherwise -- are getting hit particularly hard with injuries? It's all here, as Jeremy and Dan answer big questions, hand out useful fantasy football nuggets and empty their reporting notebooks heading into Week 4.

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QB panic meter | QB trades
Raiders' start | Injury impact
Fantasy football advice

Which QB currently sits atop the league's panic meter?

Fowler: Three come to mind here -- Drake Maye, Cam Ward and Justin Herbert. All three garner varying degrees of panic, but I'm putting Maye on top for now. The Year 3 regression is startling. He looks shaken right now. Mike Vrabel's comment after the 35-6 loss to Jacksonville was blunt: "My concern level is very high for this football team." Maye is a big part of that after six interceptions in three games. The next day, Vrabel questioned whether the Patriots' offense needs to scale back its game plans a bit, essentially to do less but do it better.

Still, the notion that Maye's play can improve is there. He was considered one of the cleanest quarterback prospects of the past half-decade when he entered the 2024 draft. He played at an MVP level less than a calendar year ago. And to be sure, the Patriots have not played well around Maye and have not adequately protected him, and wide receiver A.J. Brown's absence is deeply felt. The passing game was designed to feed him the ball often. Josh McDaniels' scheme is also considered to be complex for young passers.

But dating to last year's playoffs, Maye's seven-game production line is 120-of-200 passing for 1,413 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Those are 1970s QB numbers -- and jarring for a quarterback seemingly on the door of superstardom (to be fair, four of those seven were playoff games against top-shelf defenses).

So, I'm leaving the door open for Maye to fix it, but the panic can be found in Vrabel's voice right now. I mean, this team was in the Super Bowl last season, so the expectations couldn't have been higher. Perhaps last season's soft schedule masked a quarterback who was still very much in development.

Graziano: It went largely unnoticed during their run to the Super Bowl, but Maye did not play well during the playoffs last season. And many of the issues that surfaced then have carried into this season. What I'm hearing is that it's not that Maye is a consistently poor decision-maker, it's that he's an occasionally disastrous one, and the mistakes are exceedingly harmful. Through three quarters of the season opener in Seattle, you'd have said Maye was playing well, demonstrating poise in difficult circumstances and putting his team in position to win. Then he fell apart completely in the fourth quarter.

There are ups and downs with young players, but Maye's downs have been way too far down. And without Brown, the Patriots don't have enough around Maye to overcome the errors. His protection also hasn't been consistent. But while I don't get the sense that people think Maye has regressed, there is concern that we aren't seeing advancement in some of the young-player areas that should be improving for a quarterback who finished second in MVP voting and played in the Super Bowl.

Fowler: After some conversations this week, I feel certain that Tennessee wants to give Ward more time despite his 3-17 record as a starter. Accuracy and decision-making are issues, but the Titans hope he will build off the late-game growing pains. He also isn't turning the ball over at a high clip (one interception through three games) and the team values his makeup and work ethic. Adjusting to Brian Daboll's offense has taken time, but averaging 12 points can test a front office's -- and locker room's -- patience only for so long.

Graziano: The sense I get from Tennessee is that things are out of whack there and haven't gotten on track at all. I'm talking about the overall environment around the team, not just Ward. There's an obvious disconnect between Ward and the coaching staff, or at least the scheme, and the time to address and adjust those things was the spring and summer. How do the Titans fix lingering structural issues with their offense and with Ward's development during the season? There's still widespread belief that Ward has the character and the ability to weather early-career struggles and come out stronger for it. But there's also a sense around the league that it should look better than it does right now, and there's curiosity about what's preventing the improvement from happening.

Fowler: Jumping to Herbert, his play is inexcusably bad, but he's in Year 7 with 98 career starts, with most of those played at a high level. He has proof of concept more so than Maye or Ward. The jumbled offense under offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel hasn't helped. And I'm not exactly sure where they turn next.

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Jim Harbaugh calls on Justin Herbert to 'be better'

Graziano: Yikes. Talk about disconnect between player and scheme. Everything looks "difficult and exhausting" for Herbert, using the words of one evaluator I spoke to last week. There was so much talk in the offseason about how Herbert and his immense natural talent would flourish under McDaniel, but it's clearly not clicking. A fresh wave of offensive line injuries that happened as the season was getting underway certainly didn't help. But the run game can't get going, the receivers haven't taken the jumps we were promised, and Herbert has looked confused and overwhelmed by whatever it is he's being asked to do out there.

A lot of people have theories on what the Chargers need to do in terms of simplifying things so they can just start having success to build on. But there's also concern that the personnel doesn't fit what the offense is built to do, which might be difficult to overcome.

Fowler: Next up for the Chargers: at Seattle, vs. Denver, at Kansas City, then a much-needed bye before the Rams, Texans and Ravens await. Oof. Not many get-right games on that schedule.

Look, Herbert has excelled as a true pocket passer, whereas McDaniel thrived having Tua Tagovailoa throw with anticipation to spots. Either Herbert struggles to do both or McDaniel isn't putting him in a position to show that he can. I still think Herbert has good football in him, but that's harder to sell by the week. And your point about mismatched personnel is a good one.

True or false: J.J. McCarthy won't be the only QB traded before the deadline.

Graziano: True! A lot of these situations are going to change drastically by midseason. Jacoby Brissett could struggle and prompt the Cardinals to want to see third-round rookie Carson Beck, which could lead to Brissett or veteran backup Gardner Minshew II being dealt. We heard talk in the offseason about the Bears looking into trading Tyson Bagent, and maybe someone gets interested if he gets a start or two during Caleb Williams' absence and looks good.

We also heard about the Eagles dealing Tanner McKee, and they could still do so if they're comfortable with Andy Dalton as QB2. They could also deal Dalton. Joe Flacco is still in the league and always seems to appeal to someone, though I believe Cincinnati values him highly as a fallback should something happen to Joe Burrow. Could someone ask Jacksonville about Quinn Ewers or Nick Mullens?

Quarterbacks get hurt all the time and teams are always looking for them. The Giants just traded a fifth-round pick for a guy who couldn't beat out Kyler Murray or Carson Wentz in camp. Quarterbacks will definitely be moved.

Fowler: Brissett could be a valuable trade asset if the Cardinals want to look at Beck later in the season. And the Jaguars like Ewers, so perhaps Mullens is expendable. These are hardly slam dunks, but the landscape could foster movement. So, I'll set the over-under on the number of quarterbacks dealt at 2.5.

Three teams -- the Eagles, Browns and Steelers -- are carrying four quarterbacks and probably would welcome a deal at the right price. And more injuries at the position will cause more trade talk. We've already seen six established starters go down through the first three weeks. Kansas City sees QB2 upside with Garrett Nussmeier, so if there are trade inquiries for Justin Fields, perhaps the Chiefs take a look. Spencer Rattler (Saints) and Stetson Bennett IV (Rams) elicited trade interest in the preseason.

Graziano: A guy we don't hear much about anymore is Anthony Richardson Sr., and I still wonder if someone will throw a late-round pick at the Colts for a chance to salvage his talent. There was the whole kerfuffle in the offseason about him demanding a trade, but we never heard much about teams being interested in acquiring him. As the season goes on and the Colts get closer to the end of his rookie contract, maybe they're willing to take less to move on.

Fowler: The Giants never called Indianapolis about Richardson's availability, but my sense is that the Colts don't want to trade him right now. Perhaps that changes, but Richardson is QB2 despite neither he nor third-stringer Riley Leonard having particularly good camps. Richardson would welcome the chance to learn behind the scenes in the McVay or Shanahan trees, but that doesn't feel feasible, at least this season.

Graziano: I also wonder whether the Steelers will try to get something for Will Howard or Drew Allar, since it's hard to see them needing both moving forward. And the big one is probably Mac Jones. The 49ers have said they aren't interested in dealing him, and I believe it would take a lot to change their minds. But if someone gets desperate enough, who knows?

Fowler: It would take real draft capital -- perhaps a Day 2 pick -- to get in the door on Jones. Brock Purdy is playing at an MVP level, but he also sat out seven games last season, with Jones filling in admirably. San Francisco could be there at the end if its aging roster holds up, so it makes little sense to deal Jones right now.

Are people around the league buying the Raiders' 3-0 start?

Fowler: Yes ... to a point. The evaluators I've spoken with see an offense that's humming. "I have no reason to believe it is a fluke right now," one AFC executive said. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes (nine). Tight end Brock Bowers looked unguardable Sunday in New Orleans, wide receiver Tre Tucker is emerging and the 1-2 rushing combo of Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. is promising. A once-maligned offensive line looks more cohesive.

On defense, new additions such as free agent linebacker Nakobe Dean and rookie defensive backs Treydan Stukes and Hezekiah Masses are paying off. So, the vibes are high in Vegas and the plan to develop Fernando Mendoza behind the scenes looks like a good one. But the early schedule was soft, and the Raiders knew they needed to start fast. Kansas City (Week 4), Buffalo (Week 6) and the L.A. Rams (Week 7) await. The next month will illustrate where the Raiders really are in their rebuild.

Graziano: Knowing Steve Spagnuolo the way we do, my anticipation is that the Chiefs will do whatever they can to take Bowers out of the game plan this week and force the Raiders to beat them with their wide receivers, which remain the question of the offense. Coach Klint Kubiak and the Raiders want to lean into two-tight-end and two-running-back sets because those positions are the strengths of the offense. We'll see what happens if a defense succeeds in making Las Vegas play left-handed, so to speak. But that's almost nitpicky in the big picture. The Raiders entered this season with no expectations, so to be 3-0 indicates that Kubiak has quickly succeeded in establishing some sort of culture on which to build.

Kubiak is doing an outstanding job. The offensive line is better than most people expected it to be (which probably highlights the failures of last season's Raiders coaching staff as much as anything), and the team is getting contributions from young guys on defense. Fifth-round rookie Masses was AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 2. Even if they can't continue the win streak, there has been enough good stuff for the Raiders to earn respect of people around the league, and it indicates they might be onto something long term. If nothing else, the goal of having a good-enough roster to support Mendoza when he's deemed ready seems very attainable.

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Are the 3-0 Raiders for real?

Fowler: In hiring Kubiak, the Raiders were getting, at minimum, an improved offense with a skilled playcaller. It turns out his message is resonating, too. Word is Kubiak and minority owner Tom Brady really hit it off in the interview process over their love of football, talking about scheme and football life in detail. Kubiak's love for the game runs deep and is evident. He will face challenges in the future, like all coaches, but he seems to be pressing the right buttons so far.

It's no surprise that the Raiders have struck a true run-pass balance (93 carries to 92 passing attempts). That showed up with Kubiak's 2025 Seattle offense (507 rushes to 481 passes). I'm still not wholly convinced the Raiders' offensive line will hold up over 17 games, but a solid run game will improve its chances.

Graziano: Quite a turnaround for an organization that agreed to trade its best defensive player, Maxx Crosby, to the Ravens in March before Baltimore pulled out over concerns about Crosby's knee. Not only is Crosby playing like his old self, but he also sounds as if he's completely with the Kubiak program and has no desire to play anywhere else. What a benefit to a defense that's figuring out who its long-term contributors are going to be. It has been a fun start to Las Vegas' rebuild.

Which team's injury issues are most concerning?

Graziano: The easy answer is the 49ers, but they're 3-0 and deal with this every year, so I don't think it's them. Maybe the Giants? They've lost their starting quarterback and their top veteran edge rusher to season-ending injuries. It's hard to bounce back from that, especially when your roster wasn't exactly all the way filled out to begin with. I also don't know that people are sufficiently concerned about the Ravens already being down their top three preseason options at center and talking about rookie guard Olaivavega Ioane as a potential solution at the position after he had to finish Sunday's game there. Those jump immediately to mind.

Fowler: If San Francisco can survive the season with its core players remotely healthy, there's no reason why it can't be in the thick of the playoff race in January. The same probably goes for Baltimore.

As for other teams, the Panthers are down their top two corners, including Pro Bowl player Jaycee Horn for a significant portion of the season. Guard Damien Lewis is out because of an elbow issue. They lost pass rusher Nic Scourton in the preseason. Wide receiver Jalen Coker has been banged up. Both starting tackles from a year ago, Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, haven't played because of injury. Star linebacker Devin Lloyd sat out Week 3. Running back Jonathon Brooks is out six weeks. And, oh yeah, Bryce Young has lower-body soreness that he's getting checked out via a second opinion. The Panthers rebuilt the roster with a 2026 breakout in mind, but attrition is affecting that plan.

Graziano: I don't think the Patriots can match these teams for volume, and they seem to have plenty of issues right now independent of health. But it bears mentioning here that they're playing without top wide receiver A.J. Brown and the long-term injury to right guard Mike Onwenu, who's on IR because of a broken ankle, was the last thing this struggling offensive line needed.

Fowler: The NFC East is battered as a whole. The Giants and Commanders are without their starting quarterbacks, though Jayden Daniels will be back. As you pointed out, Dan, the Giants have lost two of their best players in quarterback Jaxson Dart and edge rusher Brian Burns. And injuries are mounting for Dallas, which is without linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, cornerback Cobie Durant, defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard and three safeties (P.J. Locke, Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker). Dallas has the offensive firepower to contend, but its defense is ranked 30th in the NFL and has several holes that need to be backfilled.

The entire NFL injury scene seems out of whack, and perhaps it's no coincidence that lighter offseason practice schedules and lack of preseason reps are leading to more players being hurt, but that's a conversation for another time.

What is your best piece of fantasy football advice for this week?

Graziano: I'm trying to trade for Titans running back Tony Pollard in some leagues. A few people who've watched Tennessee play have singled out Pollard as someone who seems more explosive this season and is running well. The Titans are such a mess that it's possible Pollard's managers aren't considering him as a real week-to-week option.

He gets the Ravens this week, which sounds intimidating, but Baltimore has been middle-of-the-pack in rushing yards allowed and only two teams have given up more rushing touchdowns. Pollard's value might be lower than it should be, and in a league in which RB committees are all the rage, you could do worse as a weekly, set-and-forget RB2 option.

Fowler: Continuing on the running back front, I'd roster either Miami running back -- Ollie Gordon II or Jaylen Wright -- in the aftermath of the De'Von Achane injury. My sense is that Gordon and Wright will share the load in the short term, and Wright is expected to return from injury this week. One of the two could emerge over the next few weeks, but for now Miami plans to use both. Wright has big-play potential, while Gordon projects as more of an every-down back.

What else are you hearing this week?

Fowler: The Broncos offense is slowly finding its footing after a sluggish Week 1, and how head coach Sean Payton handled that first week -- and his first-time playcaller, Davis Webb -- behind the scenes was crucial from a tone-setting standpoint. Payton can be harsh after wins, something he sees as a way to avoid complacency. But that 31-10 loss to Kansas City on "Monday Night Football" required something else. The Broncos had produced nine first downs for 176 yards in Webb's debut. Payton, one of the league's best playcallers over decades who had relinquished duties to Webb over the offseason, did not sound thrilled during his halftime interview. But word is that Payton was highly supportive in meetings that following week, for both his coaching staff and his slow-starting team. "He was awesome," one source said. "He never wavered." Now, the Broncos offense is improving -- at least in the second halves, posting 47 points in the past two games after halftime.

Graziano: The Steelers' offense looked completely different in Sunday's victory over the Bengals than it did seven days earlier in a loss to the Patriots, and in good ways. Mike McCarthy designed an aggressive and effective game plan to attack the Bengals' linebackers with quick-hitters as a means of keeping the Cincinnati defensive line from harassing Aaron Rodgers all day. It worked, in large part because of a heroic effort from running back Jaylen Warren, who had 176 scrimmage yards with Rico Dowdle sidelined due to injury, and improved blocking overall.

The Steelers made two changes on the offensive line for Sunday's game, swapping out right guard Spencer Anderson and right tackle Dylan Cook, who had started the first two games, for Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor, respectively. Iheanachor was the Steelers' first-round pick this year, so he was always going to play eventually. The coaching staff just felt he needed a little more seasoning and practice time once training camp ended, and Sunday presented a chance to see what he could do.

Overall, though, it was a week of offensive soul-searching in Pittsburgh. The day after the Patriots loss, there was an offensive meeting in which the offensive linemen and running backs went through individual plays and discussed why the linemen and the backs seemed to have different aiming points in the run game. "It just wasn't all connected," center Zach Frazier told me. "So just going through and talking it through was really helpful, we thought. We didn't feel like we were all necessarily on the same page. But it's really just little details. All it takes is one play, one person not doing their job to kill a play. But just look at the people we have in that room. We have the people we need to have a great offense."

Pittsburgh faces 2-1 Cleveland on Thursday night.

On another note, the Joey Porter Jr. situation is still hanging over Pittsburgh's head, with no one there seeming certain about how it will play out. The team didn't know as of last weekend whether Porter would play in Sunday's game against the Bengals (he did not), and while they've expressed hope that he could suit up Thursday night against the Browns, his unresolved contract situation still makes that uncertain. Teams have been calling but, as of yet, aren't willing to offer enough in return to convince the Steelers to part with Porter AND also sign him to the contract he wants. The consensus around the league seems to be that Porter is a good cornerback but not among the elites at the position. If he wants to be paid north of $30 million per year, it may be hard to find a team desperate enough to offer him that and the Steelers the compensation they're looking for. Detroit, for example, is desperate for help in the secondary but has extended so many of its own stars over the past couple of years that there may not be room for another big long-term contract commitment, especially from outside the organization for a player they don't already know.

Fowler: Teams are continuing to watch the Marvin Harrison Jr. situation closely, wondering if he would become available, as Dan pointed out last week. He would have a market, though not for a high pick (possibly a quality Day 3 pick, as one team forecasted). Harrison, the former No. 4 overall pick who has struggled in Arizona, showed a slight uptick last week vs. San Francisco with three catches for 43 yards on five targets. But tight end Trey McBride and wide receiver Michael Wilson are clearly the Cardinals' primary options. Harrison is a player to monitor closer to the deadline. Teams are still trying to assess what has happened with someone who seemed like a slam dunk out of Ohio State. "I don't think one scout expected this. I didn't see all the drops and lack of competing [in college]," one team evaluator pointed out. "Very weird. Probably needs a fresh start. Looks too big for him right now."

Fowler: One contract issue that could come to a head next offseason is that of Buffalo running back James Cook III. Since signing a four-year, $46 million extension before the 2025 season, Cook has a rushing title and ranks third this year with 346 rushing yards through three games. But due to a major spike in the tailback market this summer, he's now 13th in positional pay. Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs, Atlanta's Bijan Robinson and Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor all surpassed the threshold of $20 million per year over the summer. Cook is in his prime (turned 27 last week) and is under contract through 2029 at a below market clip, due $9.7 million in 2027. If the Bills make a deep run and Cook is a big part of it, I could see his contract becoming a sticking point. The Bills opened up contract talks early for their star quarterback, Josh Allen. Whether they would do so for a running back remains to be seen, but there's no denying Cook is crucial to what they do.

Graziano: The Vikings got good news on Justin Jefferson's ankle injury and are saying they don't believe it's serious and that he even has a chance to play this week. We'll see once they get out on the practice field how much he's able to do and how realistic that is, but it's definitely possible. The more significant injury in Minnesota may be the biceps injury that will keep tight end Josh Oliver out for a significant period of time. Oliver is vital to the Vikings as a blocker in the run game, and the team still has plans to lean on a newly evolved run game on offense. Those plans have been hampered by injuries to running back Jordan Mason, mobile starting quarterback Kyler Murray and now Oliver. Mason should be back from his injury in a couple of weeks, and Murray started and finished Sunday's game, but it could take a while before we see the Minnesota run game work the way they hoped it would when they brought in former Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith to help redesign it.

Graziano: The Texans getting top wide receiver Nico Collins and starting guard Ed Ingram back (possibly as early as this week) should help the offense, but Houston continues to look for answers in the run game. My sense of it is still that they'll give more work to Woody Marks, as he has generally been running better and looking more explosive than offseason addition David Montgomery. They brought back Dare Ogunbowale, but he's there to help their special teams and be a blocker in the passing game, not a ball carrier. Houston has long believed a more reliable run game would be the best way to protect and support C.J. Stroud. They just haven't been able to assemble one.

Fowler: The Cowboys are trying to regroup on defense despite a slow start to the season and a rash of injuries to role players (see above). They held a Tuesday workout for veterans, and they also explored signing Eagles cornerback Kenny Moore off that team's practice squad. (Philly conveniently elevated Moore to the active roster that same day, possibly because the NFC East rival was sniffing around.) Dallas believes splash plays from star players are coming. The defense has two sacks, none from big-money players Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary. The Week 4 opponent could be right on time -- Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud has been sacked 10 times.

Also on the Dallas front, yes, the Cowboys have inquired about Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. But there was no movement as of Wednesday morning, and Dallas doesn't seem eager to relinquish major capital to secure Porter just yet. (It owns just six picks in 2027, due to previous trades for key players.) Porter hasn't played yet this season, but the team is optimistic that he could suit up Thursday night in Cleveland. Dallas believes it could use Porter as a prolific boundary corner. Porter has a trade market, but his desire for a new contract -- and the rising costs of a position that's now well above $30 million per year -- complicates matters.

Graziano: Teams are curious to see what, if anything, the Jaguars plan to do with 2024 first-round wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. This has been the case since the offseason, though the Jaguars were telling teams then that they weren't interested in moving Thomas. That may continue to be the case. But the team has clearly moved toward Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers as the top passing-game targets for Trevor Lawrence, and while they're using Travis Hunter almost exclusively on defense, they have not given up plans for him to contribute on offense in some way this season. So teams will continue to inquire about Thomas, who's perceived as a No. 1 wide receiver talent who may not be a great fit with Lawrence's strengths. I think it would take a strong offer to get the Jags to move Thomas, but he's another name worth watching in the coming weeks ahead of what could be a very interesting trade deadline at the WR position. San Francisco, Kansas City and even Las Vegas -- if the Raiders believe they can hang in contention this season -- could be spots to watch for potential wide receiver acquisitions in-season.

Fowler: Injury updates: Jets running back Breece Hall, who is week-to-week with a quad issue, is hoping to avoid short-term injured reserve. Injuries like this are often fluid over the first 72 hours, but it appears this might not be a long-term issue.

Early indications are that Ravens starting center Jovaughn Gwyn is expected to miss much of the season after an injury Sunday. He's dealing with a fibula issue and the team is still gathering information. The Ravens are down three centers from the preseason and will need to make a move of some sort. Baltimore worked out veteran Graham Glasgow on Tuesday.

The Titans will be looking for right guard help due to injury. Fernando Carmona is expected to miss multiple weeks with an ankle issue, and backup Jackson Slater is hurt, too.

The Rams are short on tight ends. Colby Parkinson was a candidate to sit out Sunday night vs. Denver due to a shoulder injury but tried to play through it. He could still opt to do that, but he's far from 100%. Terrance Ferguson had a low ankle sprain that worsened to a medial sprain Sunday. He could be out at least a week, but that hasn't been determined yet.