After Week 4 began with an offensive explosion on Thursday night, many fantasy owners had some catching up to do on Sunday.

What they might not have expected was a wealth of scoring from tight ends.

The much-maligned position produced 13 touchdowns - from 12 different players. Leading the way was the Oakland Raiders' Jared Cook, who grabbed eight passes for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

George Kittle (six receptions, 125 yards), Jimmy Graham (3-50), Trey Burton (2-86) and Eric Ebron (5-40) were likely fantasy starters who all found the end zone.

But several others stole touchdowns from other, more fantasy-relevant players. Congratulations to anyone who started Cameron Brate, Geoff Swaim, Logan Paulsen, Antonio Gates or Darren Fells. Heck, even a Jets tight end (Jordan Leggett) had a TD catch.

And then ... there was Tyler Eifert.

The Bengals tight end caught a first-quarter touchdown pass, but suffered a gruesome right ankle injury in the third and was carted off the field. It's highly likely he's out for the rest of the season.

Other injuries with impact

Eifert was the most serious of Sunday's injuries, but several others were damaging to fantasy teams' fortunes.

-Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette was questionable this week with a hamstring injury. He started, but was ineffective as the hamstring flared up. He left early with 30 rushing yards on 11 carries and one catch for 5 yards.

-Will Fuller of the Houston Texans is an explosive receiver when he's on the field, but his injury history is a major drawback. Fantasy owners got a taste of both against the Colts. Fuller had four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown early, but injured his hamstring and didn't return, even as the game went into overtime.

-In that same game, the Colts lost wide receiver T.Y. Hilton to a hamstring injury, but not before he'd racked up 115 yards on four catches. He was also dealing with a chest injury -- which could be an issue with the Colts playing in the Thursday night game to kick off Week 5.

-New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski wasn't part of the tight end scoring-fest because he left the game after reinjuring an ankle that had him questionable entering the game. Gronk finished with four receptions for 44 yards.

FitzMagic disappears

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trailing 38-3 at halftime, Ryan Fitzpatrick, who entered the game as the NFL's leading passer through three weeks, headed to the bench.

Jameis Winston, fresh off a three-game suspension, started the second half and completed 16 of 20 passes for 145 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The Bucs will have plenty of time to decide on their starter since they have a bye in Week 5.

Early waiver wire

The week's biggest surprise has to be the Bears' blowout of the Bucs. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had the game of his life, throwing for 354 yards and six touchdowns and rushing for 53 more yards. He won't get to face the Tampa Bay defense every week, but this might be the first time the former No. 1 overall draft pick's immense physical talent has translated onto the field.

Taylor Gabriel was the main beneficiary of Trubisky's big game. The fifth-year wide receiver caught all seven of his targets for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately for fantasy owners who need immediate help, the Bears also have a bye in Week 5.

In shallower leagues, the Bears' Tarik Cohen could still be available. He ran the ball more often than starter Jordan Howard, gaining 53 yards on 13 carries. However, the majority of his fantasy value comes in the receiving department -- and he caught seven passes for 121 yards and a TD.

With starting running back Chris Carson inactive, Seattle's Mike Davis became an unexpected star. After logging a total of three carries all season, Davis had 21 attempts for 101 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Carson was a game-time decision with a hip injury, so Davis' time in the spotlight might be short-lived.

In their first action of the season, veteran Alshon Jeffery and rookie Keke Coutee put up impressive numbers. The Eagles' Jeffery caught eight of his nine targets for 105 yards and a TD. He was an excellent injury stash on draft day, but has been sidelined by a shoulder injury. Looks like he's fine now in case he's somehow available.

Meanwhile, Coutee moved seamlessly into the slot role in Houston with 11 receptions and 109 yards (and a pair of rushing attempts for minus-2 yards). If Fuller's injuries linger, Coutee could be an extremely valuable pickup.

Known mostly as a kick returner, Zach Pascal was pressed into duty as a receiver when the Colts lost Hilton. The inevitable "wager" and "triangle" references cropped up on social media as Pascal was targeted 10 times, catching six of those for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Broad Shoulders Award

Our weekly honor for the player who singlehandedly carried his fantasy owners to victory goes to Detroit Lions wideout Golden Tate.

He didn't lead all receivers in fantasy points this week (that would have been Cooper Kupp of the Rams on Thursday), but Tate did come up with a huge performance that topped Sunday's pass-catchers.

He hauled in eight passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns -- totaling 33.2 fantasy points in leagues that award points for receptions. Not bad for a low-end WR2 who wasn't expected to do much after being added to the injury report on Friday with a sore hip.

Follow Gardner on Twitter @SteveAGardner