Fantasy Football Week 4 Stats: The Biggest Duds of the Week

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Week 4 of the NFL brought some interesting performances from superstars. Players who normally put up huge numbers were held in check during Week 4. Fantasy football players had to deal with many of their starters putting up mediocre numbers.

Most fantasy owners take into account their own knowledge and expert advice when setting their lineups. Unfortunately, several players from the early games who were expected to perform at high levels left their fantasy owners wishing they had made a different decision. The worst part about these performances was that they came from most guys who are regular fantasy starters.

The following slides take a look at players from Week 4 who did not live up to expectations.

Note: The projections and points used come from ESPN standard scoring.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew

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ESPN Week 4 Projection: 123 yards and a touchdown (19 points)

Fantasy owners of MJD have spent the early part of 2012 being upset with the running back. the back had only scored 20 points in the first tow games of the year. Jones-Drew did finally have a big game in Week 3 against the Colts. MJD ran for 177 yards and ended up getting his owners a stellar 24 points.

Against Cincinnati in Week 4 it was a different story. Jones-Drew carried the ball 13 times for 38 yards and caught five passes for 42 yards.

All of that adds up to a miserable day for fantasy owners, gaining just seven points from a projected top back.

TE Vernon Davis

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ESPN Week 4 Projection: 44 yards and a touchdown (10 points)

San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis has been a fantasy stud among tight ends for 2012. Davis has put up games of 10 points, 19 points and 11 points. The Week 5 matchup against the Vikings was expected to be a solid game for Davis.

Things didn't work out in Minnesota. Davis caught only two passes for 28 yards for a minuscule two fantasy points.

QB Mark Sanchez

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ESPN Week 4 Projection: 220 yards and two touchdowns yards (18 points)

It's likely that Mark Sanchez wasn't started by many owners unless they needed to fill a hole left by a bye week or an injury. Still, Sanchez was predicted to have a decent day against the 49ers.

However, Sanchez failed to deliver, not even coming close to what was expected.

The New York quarterback threw for just 103 yards and added an interception and a fumble. Anyone who started Sanchez is definitely kicking themselves now.

WR Calvin Johnson

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ESPN Week 4 Projection: 103 yards and a touchdown (16 points)

Calvin Johnson owners have come to expect double-digit points each week from the receiver.

He was a first-round pick in most fantasy drafts. Therefore, owners do not handle bad weeks very well.

Johnson, who was coming off of a 22-point game in Week 3, was the No.1 projected wide receiver by ESPN for Week 4. However, he gave his owners a bad week against Minnesota. Johnson received 12 targets, but had only five catches for just 54 yards. That was worth five fantasy points.

There's no doubt that Johnson's Week 4 performance earns him the title of "dud."

RB Ray Rice

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ESPN Week 4 Projection: 101 yards and a touchdown (19 points)

Ray Rice is a regular fantasy stud. Owners are typically rewarded with double-digit fantasy days by the Baltimore running back.

Rice was a part of the Thursday night game this week, which means that owners had an opportunity to get a good jump on their competition.

But Rice must not have gotten that memo. He only rushed for 49 yards and had eight receptions for 47 yards. That only earned his fantasy owners a un-Rice like eight points in ESPN standard-scoring leagues.

Rice doesn't end up on the "dud" list very often, so let's hope that this week was just a fluke and a result of playing two night games in just five days.

WR Steve Johnson

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ESPN Week 4 Projection: 93 yards and a touchdown (15 points)

After three straight weeks of double-digit production, the Buffalo receiver was projected to have a big day against the New England Patriots. But owners who inserted him into their starting lineups were rewarded with just one point on the day.

Johnson was limited to just two catches for 23 yards—good enough for only two fantasy points.