Fantasy Football Rankings: Week 4 Big Board

Your season might be looking bleak right now, whether you are 0-3 or 1-2, but there is still time to turn it around. Like a good game of poker, you don't necessarily need to be winning early in fantasy football anyway, even if it makes you feel good inside and makes things in your work week more tolerable.

You want to be winning late.

Down on the modest beginnings of quarterbacks Drew Brees and Tony Romo? Just wait until you see what each has in store for you in a Texas shootout this week. Their big points will be coming in droves and in a timely fashion.

The byes are starting, and they tend to level the playing field or separate the men from the boys. This is where the real fantasy football championships are built.

We present Bleacher Report's Week 4 Big Board, which is thinned out by the six teams that kick off the bye season. Setting your lineups gets more important now. 

You can use these rankings to weigh your starting options or gear up for your daily fantasy football lineups, drafts and rosters. These rankings represent our prediction for the highest scorers by position—relative to their use, game plan, health and matchup.

Top 100: Start of Bye Weeks Forces You to Stick with Struggling Starters

If you're like most of us (i.e., human) you cannot stand looking at the names LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles, Matt Forte and Eddie Lacy. Your struggling first-round picks cannot get out of their own way.

Have patience, my fantasy friend, as we wrote in Bleacher Report's Week 4 Insider Notebook.

We don't say this because it is easy to say. We want to sell them off for football tickets like the rest of you. We hate those who let us down, too, but with six teams on bye, you have to grin—grimace—and bear their slow starts. You likely don't have better options.

Even Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy is fed up with Lacy's act right now, telling Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"

Eddie needs to play better. I'm not going to do this anymore. I don’t correct individuals in the media. We've seen the film, corrections have been made, our running game wasn't nearly what it needed to be. Not even close. ...

... Offensively, really going through it the run game was nowhere close to what our plan going in (was). Giving up nine points, as far as the fumble returned for a touchdown and during the safety, it was obviously a critical factor during the game. The run game was disappointing.

"

Ouch. We have to wonder if even Lacy's mother has jumped off the bandwagon.

We cannot give up now. You have to keep running guys like Lacy, Charles (ankle)—if he plays next Monday night against the New England Patriots—and Forte out there. Their matchups are a lot more favorable this week, which is why we still give them prominent spots in this week's Top 100 fantasy options for Week 4:

Week 4 Top 100 Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Flex Rankings	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Drew Brees	NO	at Dal	1	0
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at Chi	2	0
3	Matt Ryan	ATL	at Min	4	+1
4	Andrew Luck	IND	vs. Ten	3	-1
5	Philip Rivers	SD	vs. Jac	6	+1
6	Matthew Stafford	DET	at NYJ	5	-1
7	DeMarco Murray	DAL	vs. NO	7	0
8	Tony Romo	DAL	vs. NO	12	+4
9	Jay Cutler	CHI	vs. GB	8	-1
10	Kirk Cousins	WAS	vs. NYG	14	+4
11	Nick Foles	PHI	at SF	9	-2
12	Matt Forte	CHI	vs. GB	11	-1
13	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	vs. TB	13	0
14	Colin Kaepernick	SF	vs. Phi	10	-4
15	Tom Brady	NE	at KC	19	+4
16	Calvin Johnson	DET	at NYJ	15	-1
17	Eddie Lacy	GB	at Chi	20	+3
18	Frank Gore	SF	vs. Phi	39	+21
19	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	vs. TB	16	-3
20	Alfred Morris	WAS	vs. NYG	21	+1
21	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at SF	17	-4
22	Cam Newton	CAR	at Bal	18	-4
23	Julio Jones	ATL	at Min	22	-1
24	Eli Manning	NYG	at Was	30	+6
25	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at Hou	52	+27
26	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	vs. Atl	35	+9
27	Dez Bryant	DAL	vs. NO	23	-4
28	Lamar Miller	MIA	at Oak	26	-2
29	Alex Smith	KC	vs. NE	46	+17
30	Brandon Marshall	CHI	vs. GB	31	+1
31	Antonio Brown	PIT	vs. TB	25	-6
32	Donald Brown	SD	vs. Jac	24	-8
33	Jordy Nelson	GB	at Chi	27	-6
34	Jimmy Graham	NO	at Dal	28	-6
35	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	vs. GB	32	-3
36	Randall Cobb	GB	at Chi	33	-3
37	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	at Oak	36	-1
38	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	vs. Ten	41	+3
39	Blake Bortles	JAC	at SD	54	+15
40	Pierre Garcon	WAS	vs. NYG	38	-2
41	Stevan Ridley	NE	at KC	53	+12
42	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at SF	37	-5
43	Keenan Allen	SD	vs. Jac	49	+6
44	Rashad Jennings	NYG	at Was	29	-15
45	Victor Cruz	NYG	at Was	50	+5
46	Mike Wallace	MIA	at Oak	42	-4
47	Joe Flacco	BAL	vs. Car	58	+11
48	Andre Johnson	HOU	vs. Buf	45	-3
49	Michael Crabtree	SF	vs. Phi	44	-5
50	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	vs. Atl	51	+1
51	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. NE	34	-17
52	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at KC	47	-5
53	Julian Edelman	NE	at KC	40	-13
54	DeSean Jackson	WAS	vs. NYG	57	+3
55	Arian Foster	HOU	vs. Buf	48	-7
56	Doug Martin	TB	at Pit	62	+6
57	EJ Manuel	BUF	at Hou	88	+31
58	Vincent Jackson	TB	at Pit	55	-3
59	Geno Smith	NYJ	vs. Det	43	-16
60	Pierre Thomas	NO	at Dal	73	+13
61	Roddy White	ATL	at Min	65	+4
62	Greg Olsen	CAR	at Bal	66	+4
63	Marques Colston	NO	at Dal	72	+9
64	Reggie Bush	DET	at NYJ	68	+4
65	Zach Ertz	PHI	at SF	83	+18
66	Jake Locker	TEN	at Ind	59	-7
67	T.Y. Hilton	IND	vs. Ten	80	+13
68	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	at Bal	60	-8
69	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	vs. Buf	67	-2
70	Khiry Robinson	NO	at Dal	61	-9
71	Matt Asiata	MIN	vs. Atl	69	-2
72	Antonio Gates	SD	vs. Jac	64	-8
73	Reggie Wayne	IND	vs. Ten	77	+4
74	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	vs. Buf	76	+2
75	Shane Vereen	NE	at KC	70	-5
76	Terrance Williams	DAL	vs. NO	86	+10
77	Jason Witten	DAL	vs. NO	98	+21
78	Brandin Cooks	NO	at Dal	56	-22
79	Knile Davis	KC	vs. NE	93	+14
80	Derek Carr	OAK	vs. Mia	96	+16
81	Steve Smith	BAL	vs. Car	63	-18
82	Kendall Wright	TEN	at Ind	87	+5
83	Fred Jackson	BUF	at Hou	74	-9
84	Joique Bell	DET	at NYJ	78	-6
85	Golden Tate	DET	at NYJ	75	-10
86	Niles Paul	WAS	vs. NYG	94	+8
87	Darren Sproles	PHI	at SF	81	-6
88	Mike Glennon	TB	at Pit	82	-6
89	Torrey Smith	BAL	vs. Car	104	+15
90	Delanie Walker	TEN	at Ind	84	-6
91	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at Hou	79	-12
92	Steven Jackson	ATL	at Min	85	-7
93	Eric Decker	NYJ	vs. Det	97	+4
94	Cecil Shorts	JAC	at SD	101	+7
95	Charlie Whitehurst	TEN	at Ind	176	+81
96	Carlos Hyde	SF	vs. Phi	127	+31
97	Hakeem Nicks	IND	vs. Ten	124	+27
98	Dwayne Bowe	KC	vs. NE	120	+22
99	Trent Richardson	IND	vs. Ten	92	-7
100	Martellus Bennett	CHI	vs. GB	71	-29

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Quarterbacks: Running Game Will Eventually Make Tony Romo Lethal

For those of you lamenting the slow start of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in fantasy, know this: A strong running game is going to eventually make him a statistical monster. You shouldn't blame the offseason back surgery on Romo's 21st ranking among fantasy quarterbacks right now (FFToday.com).

The Cowboys are just unveiling a different brand of football, and it is starting with running back DeMarco Murray. Dallas' productive offense has made Murray the No. 1 running back in fantasy through three weeks.

Consider that great news. It bodes very, very well for Romo's prospects down the road.

First, the play-action game is going to become a larger part of the game plan. Second, Murray is not going to keep up this pace as teams adjust to him and his workload wears him down. 

Jon Machota of Fox Sports Southwest referred to Romo as a mere "bus driver" amid this start. Romo told Machota he is getting better as the days tick further away from his offseason back procedure.

"

I felt stronger, felt as if everything was firing, activation sequence, blah, blah, blah, stuff like that. That wasn't necessarily as well as I wanted to probably play the first couple of weeks, but I've played through injury and stuff before. You just kind of manage it and play to the best of your ability. ...

... I think more than anything, you have to kind of figure out what's going to give everyone the best opportunity to play at your best. If you're just tired or sore, that's just part of football.

... It's mostly just you want to have the functional strength that you might have without as many torqued situations during the week. I think with me, that was the benefit this week and we'll see going forward how that reacts and everything. But it was a good week. We switched up to some more functional strength training, which was good and that helped. So we'll see.

"

Romo is a fantasy beast lying in the weeds.

We just might see Romo's beast mode this week against the fourth-worst pass defense in football, the New Orleans Saints. When you consider the expected weakness of the Cowboys defense, you have to expect a good, old Texas shootout in Dallas against Drew Brees.

Looking closer at Romo's slow start, he has played three pretty good secondaries through three weeks: the San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans (second against the pass and No. 1 in fantasy against quarterbacks, per FFToday.com) and St. Louis Rams (fifth). Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is going to eventually get the New Orleans Saints secondary going, but he has a lot to defend this week, starting with Murray, the NFL's leading rusher by a wide margin.

We have Romo as a must-start quarterback in all fantasy leagues, particularly with Peyton Manning, Andy Dalton and Russell Wilson on bye (with Brian Hoyer, Carson Palmer and Austin Davis). Then, you consider three rookies will be starting at quarterback (Blake Bortles, Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater), while Jake Locker and Josh McCown might be out. Your quarterback options are looking fairly thin.

Romo looks like a monster and at least the No. 7 quarterback on B/R's board for Week 4:

Week 4 Quarterback Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Quarterbacks	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Drew Brees	NO	at Dal	1	0
2	Aaron Rodgers	GB	at Chi	2	0
3	Matt Ryan	ATL	at Min	4	+1
4	Andrew Luck	IND	vs. Ten	3	-1
5	Philip Rivers	SD	vs. Jac	6	+1
6	Matthew Stafford	DET	at NYJ	5	-1
7	Tony Romo	DAL	vs. NO	10	+3
8	Jay Cutler	CHI	vs. GB	7	-1
9	Kirk Cousins	WAS	vs. NYG	11	+2
10	Nick Foles	PHI	at SF	8	-2
11	Colin Kaepernick	SF	vs. Phi	9	-2
12	Tom Brady	NE	at KC	13	+1
13	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	vs. TB	12	-1
14	Cam Newton	CAR	at Bal	14	0
15	Eli Manning	NYG	at Was	15	0
16	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	vs. Atl	16	0
17	Alex Smith	KC	vs. NE	17	0
18	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	at Oak	18	0
19	Blake Bortles	JAC	at SD	20	+1
20	Joe Flacco	BAL	vs. Car	21	+1
21	EJ Manuel	BUF	at Hou	25	+4
22	Geno Smith	NYJ	vs. Det	19	-3
23	Jake Locker	TEN	at Ind	22	-1
24	Ryan Fitzpatrick	HOU	vs. Buf	23	-1
25	Derek Carr	OAK	vs. Mia	26	+1
26	Mike Glennon	TB	at Pit	24	-2
27	Charlie Whitehurst	TEN	at Ind	27	0
28	Josh McCown	TB	at Pit	33	+5

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Running Backs: Injuries Mounting, but so Are the Replacement Options

It isn't all bad news at running back after those preseason top five that have proved to be early fantasy busts. DeMarco Murray looks headed for a career year playing for a contract next winter, while Le'Veon Bell has put preseason timeshare talk with LeGarrette Blount to bed with a strong start.

Once Jamaal Charles (ankle), Arian Foster (hamstring) and Doug Martin (knee) get healthy—if they do, we suppose—the running back picture is going to look a lot more promising. 

We sure need that through the bye season, particularly now with Marshawn Lynch, Giovani Bernard, Montee Ball, Andre Ellington, Ben Tate, Terrance West, Jeremy Hill and Isaiah Crowell wiped off the board during this six-team opening week of the byes.

The silver lining with injured running backs is the opportunities that are created for the backups and handcuffs. Knile Davis has emerged as a solid fantasy starter even once Charles returns, while Bobby Rainey, Matt Asiata, Pierre Thomas, Khiry Robinson, Lorenzo Taliaferro and even Alfred Blue have stepped forward.

Charles, Foster and Martin are the three most-viewed players at Rotoworld.com as of this writing, for good reasons. Their status impacts themselves and their backups as solid starting fantasy options. Charles and Martin are practicing this week, at least in a limited capacity, while Foster told the Houston Chronicle's Dale Robertson:

"

As soon as I feel 100 percent, I'll be out there. It's my hamstring's call. ... I've played through a lot in this league—knees, shoulders, broken bones—but hamstrings are the hardest thing to gauge, because you don't know how it's going to fatigue or react to a certain cut.

"

The NFL injury report is going to ultimately decide how things shake out week to week at the always injury-riddled running back position, but B/R gives you an early look at the Week 4 rankings here:

Week 4 Running Back Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Running Backs	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	DeMarco Murray	DAL	vs. NO	1	0
2	Matt Forte	CHI	vs. GB	2	0
3	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	vs. TB	3	0
4	Eddie Lacy	GB	at Chi	5	+1
5	Frank Gore	SF	vs. Phi	11	+6
6	Alfred Morris	WAS	vs. NYG	6	0
7	LeSean McCoy	PHI	at SF	4	-3
8	C.J. Spiller	BUF	at Hou	14	+6
9	Lamar Miller	MIA	at Oak	8	-1
10	Donald Brown	SD	vs. Jac	7	-3
11	Ahmad Bradshaw	IND	vs. Ten	12	+1
12	Stevan Ridley	NE	at KC	15	+3
13	Rashad Jennings	NYG	at Was	9	-4
14	Jamaal Charles	KC	vs. NE	10	-4
15	Arian Foster	HOU	vs. Buf	13	-2
16	Doug Martin	TB	at Pit	16	0
17	Pierre Thomas	NO	at Dal	22	+5
18	Reggie Bush	DET	at NYJ	19	+1
19	Khiry Robinson	NO	at Dal	17	-2
20	Matt Asiata	MIN	vs. Atl	18	-2
21	Shane Vereen	NE	at KC	21	0
22	Knile Davis	KC	vs. NE	27	+5
23	Fred Jackson	BUF	at Hou	20	-3
24	Joique Bell	DET	at NYJ	23	-1
25	Darren Sproles	PHI	at SF	24	-1
26	Steven Jackson	ATL	at Min	25	-1
27	Carlos Hyde	SF	vs. Phi	40	+13
28	Trent Richardson	IND	vs. Ten	28	0
29	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	at Bal	26	-3
30	Chris Ivory	NYJ	vs. Det	29	-1
31	Toby Gerhart	JAC	at SD	30	-1
32	Chris Johnson	NYJ	vs. Det	31	-1
33	Shonn Greene	TEN	at Ind	37	+4
34	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL	vs. Car	33	-1
35	Bernard Pierce	BAL	vs. Car	39	+4
36	Alfred Blue	HOU	vs. Buf	35	-1
37	Darren McFadden	OAK	vs. Mia	32	-5
38	Bobby Rainey	TB	at Pit	34	-4
39	Justin Forsett	BAL	vs. Car	36	-3
40	Bishop Sankey	TEN	at Ind	38	-2
41	Jerick McKinnon	MIN	vs. Atl	43	+2
42	LeGarrette Blount	PIT	vs. TB	41	-1
43	Roy Helu	WAS	vs. NYG	44	+1
44	Jacquizz Rodgers	ATL	at Min	46	+2
45	Andre Williams	NYG	at Was	61	+16
46	Latavius Murray	OAK	vs. Mia	52	+6
47	Maurice Jones-Drew	OAK	vs. Mia	42	-5
48	Joe McKnight	KC	vs. NE	55	+7
49	Jonathan Grimes	HOU	vs. Buf	58	+9
50	Devonta Freeman	ATL	at Min	59	+9
51	Dri Archer	PIT	vs. TB	54	+3
52	Marcel Reece	OAK	vs. Mia	63	+11
53	Jordan Todman	JAC	at SD	66	+13
54	Ka'Deem Carey	CHI	vs. GB	67	+13
55	Fozzy Whittaker	CAR	at Bal	68	+13
56	Damien Williams	MIA	at Oak	70	+14
57	Bryce Brown	BUF	at Hou	71	+14
58	Dexter McCluster	TEN	at Ind	47	-11
59	Brandon Bolden	NE	at KC	73	+14
60	Denard Robinson	JAC	at SD	48	-12

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Wide Receivers: Up and Down Numbers Are Frustrating, but Not Uncommon

Injuries might be frustrating, but at least a fantasy owner can blame those on fate. They are a part of the game and mostly unpredictable. The weekly variance at wide receiver is a lot more inexplicable. And maddening.

Sure, there are some star wideouts who always get their targets and fantasy numbers, but there are handfuls, if not dozens, of other options at this position that bounce from silent to superb without warning. It sure makes for some tough decisions when setting your lineups.

Do you stick with a struggling Keenan Allen or Torrey Smith, or go with a waiver-wire flavor of the week Jordan Matthews or an emerging Kelvin Benjamin?

We tend to err on the side of believing, if not trusting, that the cream eventually rises to the top. Benjamin and Matthews are two promising rookie wide receivers who have added depth to the position, but you have to figure Allen and Smith will get theirs.

Now, relying on injured players can hurt you, like it did Eric Decker's (hamstring) owners last Monday night. Decker was able to play, but he wasn't 100 percent and left the game with an aggravation of an injury. Decker told Brian Lewis of the New York Post:

"

[I ran] a few plays and decided it was best to step aside and pull myself out. I gradually tightened up. It was to the point where it wasn't loosening up, and instead of doing something stupid and really hurting something down the road, I decided to pull myself and give myself a chance.

"

We will say this: Use the waiver wire to plug the holes created by injury concerns or bye weeks. This week we will be without Demaryius Thomas, A.J. Green, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Percy Harvin and Wes Welker, among others. Decker is too risky to use until he can get through a week unscathed, particularly with the Jets' seemingly endless struggles at the quarterback position.

Here is B/R's ranking of your top options at wide receiver for Week 4:

Week 4 Wide Receiver Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Wide Receivers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Calvin Johnson	DET	at NYJ	1	0
2	Julio Jones	ATL	at Min	2	0
3	Dez Bryant	DAL	vs. NO	3	0
4	Brandon Marshall	CHI	vs. GB	6	+2
5	Antonio Brown	PIT	vs. TB	4	-1
6	Jordy Nelson	GB	at Chi	5	-1
7	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	vs. GB	7	0
8	Randall Cobb	GB	at Chi	8	0
9	Pierre Garcon	WAS	vs. NYG	10	+1
10	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	at SF	9	-1
11	Keenan Allen	SD	vs. Jac	15	+4
12	Victor Cruz	NYG	at Was	16	+4
13	Mike Wallace	MIA	at Oak	12	-1
14	Andre Johnson	HOU	vs. Buf	14	0
15	Michael Crabtree	SF	vs. Phi	13	-2
16	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	vs. Atl	17	+1
17	Julian Edelman	NE	at KC	11	-6
18	DeSean Jackson	WAS	vs. NYG	19	+1
19	Vincent Jackson	TB	at Pit	18	-1
20	Roddy White	ATL	at Min	23	+3
21	Marques Colston	NO	at Dal	24	+3
22	T.Y. Hilton	IND	vs. Ten	29	+7
23	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	at Bal	21	-2
24	Reggie Wayne	IND	vs. Ten	27	+3
25	DeAndre Hopkins	HOU	vs. Buf	25	0
26	Terrance Williams	DAL	vs. NO	30	+4
27	Brandin Cooks	NO	at Dal	20	-7
28	Steve Smith	BAL	vs. Car	22	-6
29	Kendall Wright	TEN	at Ind	31	+2
30	Golden Tate	DET	at NYJ	26	-4
31	Torrey Smith	BAL	vs. Car	37	+6
32	Sammy Watkins	BUF	at Hou	28	-4
33	Eric Decker	NYJ	vs. Det	34	+1
34	Cecil Shorts	JAC	at SD	36	+2
35	Hakeem Nicks	IND	vs. Ten	47	+12
36	Dwayne Bowe	KC	vs. NE	45	+9
37	Allen Hurns	JAC	at SD	46	+9
38	Jordan Matthews	PHI	at SF	42	+4
39	Markus Wheaton	PIT	vs. TB	32	-7
40	Anquan Boldin	SF	vs. Phi	33	-7
41	Greg Jennings	MIN	vs. Atl	35	-6
42	Rueben Randle	NYG	at Was	38	-4
43	Devin Hester	ATL	at Min	58	+15
44	Steve Johnson	SF	vs. Phi	52	+8
45	James Jones	OAK	vs. Mia	39	-6
46	Malcom Floyd	SD	vs. Jac	44	-2
47	Justin Hunter	TEN	at Ind	41	-6
48	Mike Evans	TB	at Pit	40	-8
49	Danny Amendola	NE	at KC	62	+13
50	Brian Hartline	MIA	at Oak	51	+1
51	Riley Cooper	PHI	at SF	53	+2
52	Kenny Stills	NO	at Dal	54	+2
53	Allen Robinson	JAC	at SD	43	-10
54	Jeremy Kerley	NYJ	vs. Det	48	-6
55	Harry Douglas	ATL	at Min	49	-6
56	Eddie Royal	SD	vs. Jac	50	-6
57	Andre Roberts	WAS	vs. NYG	70	+13
58	Santonio Holmes	CHI	vs. GB	68	+10
59	Davante Adams	GB	at Chi	55	-4
60	Robert Woods	BUF	at Hou	56	-4
61	Mike Williams	BUF	at Hou	69	+8
62	Brandon LaFell	NE	at KC	63	+1
63	Denarius Moore	OAK	vs. Mia	57	-6
64	Andre Holmes	OAK	vs. Mia	59	-5
65	Nate Washington	TEN	at Ind	60	-5
66	Kenbrell Thompkins	NE	at KC	64	-2
67	Aaron Dobson	NE	at KC	61	-6
68	Jarrett Boykin	GB	at Chi	65	-3
69	Marqise Lee	JAC	at SD	67	-2
70	Lance Moore	PIT	vs. TB	71	+1
71	Donnie Avery	KC	vs. NE	72	+1
72	Dexter McCluster	TEN	at Ind	73	+1
73	Jerricho Cotchery	CAR	at Bal	78	+5
74	Jason Avant	CAR	at Bal	81	+7
75	Marlon Brown	BAL	vs. Car	82	+7
76	Da'Rick Rogers	IND	vs. Ten	85	+9
77	Donte Moncrief	IND	vs. Ten	86	+9
78	Preston Parker	NYG	at Was	84	+6
79	Jarvis Landry	MIA	at Oak	66	-13
80	Rod Streater	OAK	vs. Mia	75	-5

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Tight Ends: Frustration, and Options, Abound Here Every Week

Steven Senne/Associated Press

You don't think the tight end position is an afterthought in fantasy? Look at the top scorers from Week 3 (via CBSSport.com).

Heck, look at any week in NFL history. Tight end is a crapshoot.

It is a position reliant on usually unpredictable goal-line touchdown receptions from week to week—unless six catches for 54 yards makes your socks go up and down.

There are myriad options that emerge in any given Sunday. Sure, that makes consistent studs like Jimmy Graham (those aforementioned numbers were his in Week 3) and Rob Gronkowski important (the Denver Broncos' Julius Thomas is regrettably on bye this week), but it also suggests you should not place much stock in the others.

Vernon Davis (ankle) have you frustrated? Meh, it might be just as likely he is shut out from nary a catch as it is he misses the game due to injury. (Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News tweets Davis feels "way better," by the way.)

A random start might be just as good as the options we rank at No. 3 through No. 15 or 20, like this week. Here is B/R's assessment of the mercurial tight ends for Week 4: 

Week 4 Tight End Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Tight Ends	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Jimmy Graham	NO	at Dal	1	0
2	Rob Gronkowski	NE	at KC	2	0
3	Greg Olsen	CAR	at Bal	4	+1
4	Zach Ertz	PHI	at SF	7	+3
5	Antonio Gates	SD	vs. Jac	3	-2
6	Jason Witten	DAL	vs. NO	11	+5
7	Niles Paul	WAS	vs. NYG	8	+1
8	Delanie Walker	TEN	at Ind	6	-2
9	Martellus Bennett	CHI	vs. GB	5	-4
10	Vernon Davis	SF	vs. Phi	9	-1
11	Larry Donnell	NYG	at Was	10	-1
12	Travis Kelce	KC	vs. NE	12	0
13	Dwayne Allen	IND	vs. Ten	13	0
14	Owen Daniels	BAL	vs. Car	15	+1
15	Ladarius Green	SD	vs. Jac	17	+2
16	Heath Miller	PIT	vs. TB	14	-2
17	Charles Clay	MIA	at Oak	16	-1
18	Coby Fleener	IND	vs. Ten	20	+2
19	Brandon Myers	TB	at Pit	21	+2
20	Garrett Graham	HOU	vs. Buf	18	-2
21	Andrew Quarless	GB	at Chi	22	+1
22	Levine Toilolo	ATL	at Min	28	+6
23	Rhett Ellison	MIN	vs. Atl	19	-4
24	Scott Chandler	BUF	at Hou	24	0
25	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TB	at Pit	29	+4
26	Jace Amaro	NYJ	vs. Det	31	+5
27	Eric Ebron	DET	at NYJ	32	+5
28	Mychal Rivera	OAK	vs. Mia	26	-2
29	Derek Carrier	SF	vs. Phi	23	-6
30	Jeff Cumberland	NYJ	vs. Det	27	-3

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Defense/Special Teams: Favorable Matchups Give Us Ample Streaming Plays

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

We say it fairly frequently, but there is arguably no more position in fantasy that hinges on matchup than that of defense/special teams. With the safest D/ST play around, the Seattle Seahawks, on bye, we have to be thankful there are waiver options available to us based on matchups.

Preseason runner-ups like the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers haven't played that well, but a team like the Detroit Lions looks like world-beaters right now.

The flavors of the week this Sunday are those emerging Lions, the Houston Texans and any unit potentially facing a low-end quarterback, like the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs were so bad last time out, the shaky Atlanta Falcons defense is No. 1 in fantasy right now, per FFToday.com.

Hey, those Falcons are in the bottom quarter of the league against the pass, but they are facing the Adrian Peterson-less Vikings in rookie Teddy Bridgewater's first NFL start. Even they are a fringe fantasy option as a streaming play if you don't like your No. 1 defense's matchup this week.

B/R breaks down the best of the D/ST plays with these Week 4 rankings: 

Week 4 Defenses and Special Teams Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Defenses and Special Teams	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Detroit Lions	Det	at NYJ	7	+6
2	New England Patriots	NE	at KC	2	0
3	Houston Texans	Hou	vs. Buf	3	0
4	Carolina Panthers	Car	at Bal	4	0
5	Miami Dolphins	Mia	at Oak	5	0
6	Baltimore Ravens	Bal	vs. Car	6	0
7	Pittsburgh Steelers	Pit	vs. TB	9	+2
8	San Diego Chargers	SD	vs. Jac	1	-7
9	Indianapolis Colts	Ind	vs. Ten	8	-1
10	San Francisco 49ers	SF	vs. Phi	12	+2
11	New Orleans Saints	NO	at Dal	13	+2
12	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB	at Pit	19	+7
13	Atlanta Falcons	Atl	at Min	17	+4
14	Buffalo Bills	Buf	at Hou	10	-4
15	Washington Redskins	Was	vs. NYG	11	-4
16	Green Bay Packers	GB	at Chi	21	+5
17	New York Giants	NYG	at Was	15	-2
18	New York Jets	NYJ	vs. Det	14	-4
19	Kansas City Chiefs	KC	vs. NE	18	-1
20	Chicago Bears	Chi	vs. GB	16	-4

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Kickers: Sorting Through the Victims, Beneficiaries of Circumstance

USA TODAY Sports

Adam Vinatieri's Week 3-leading, 14-point performance (via CBSSports.com) might make it seem like kickers matter, but those weeks are not quite predictable occurrences. Vinatieri is just as likely to kick a mere five extra points in a given week as he is to nail double digits in fantasy.

Here is what you want out of a kicker: a matchup and a quarterback (or at least a strong running game providing him field position).

The bye weeks take Steven Hauschka, Mike Nugent, Brandon McManus (actually, Matt Prater come Week 6) and Greg Zuerlein, among others, out of play, but consider those kickers with their bye week intriguing.

You have more important things to do with your free time than agonize over who your starting fantasy kicker is. Pick one and let it ride.

If you want to dive into the fantasy minutia, here are B/R's top plays for Week 4: 

Week 4 Kicker Rankings - Eric Mack

Rank	Kickers	Team	Opponent	ECR	vs. ECR
1	Adam Vinatieri	IND	vs. Ten	4	+3
2	Stephen Gostkowski	NE	at KC	1	-1
3	Dan Bailey	DAL	vs. NO	2	-1
4	Justin Tucker	BAL	vs. Car	3	-1
5	Phil Dawson	SF	vs. Phi	7	+2
6	Mason Crosby	GB	at Chi	5	-1
7	Matt Bryant	ATL	at Min	8	+1
8	Shayne Graham	NO	at Dal	9	+1
9	Nick Novak	SD	vs. Jac	6	-3
10	Blair Walsh	MIN	vs. Atl	11	+1
11	Caleb Sturgis	MIA	at Oak	16	+5
12	Robbie Gould	CHI	vs. GB	12	0
13	Cody Parkey	PHI	at SF	10	-3
14	Graham Gano	CAR	at Bal	23	+9
15	Dan Carpenter	BUF	at Hou	13	-2
16	Shaun Suisham	PIT	vs. TB	14	-2
17	Kai Forbath	WAS	vs. NYG	15	-2
18	Josh Brown	NYG	at Was	20	+2
19	Nick Folk	NYJ	vs. Det	17	-2
20	Sebastian Janikowski	OAK	vs. Mia	18	-2

Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) from over 100 experts provided by FantasyPros

Follow @EricMackFantasy

Eric Mack, one of the giants among fantasy writers, is the Fantasy Football Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, where you can ask him endless questions about your team, rip him for his content and even challenge him to a head-to-head fantasy game.