Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings: Top 50 Flex Players for PPR Leagues

Now it’s getting real.

If you’re 3-0 in your fantasy league, visions of a championship are already dancing in your head. If you’re 0-3, desperation could be creeping in. Owners who are 2-1 or 1-2 are looking to separate themselves from the pack.

With Monday night’s shootout between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons behind us, it’s time to look ahead to Week 4.

Check out below for early PPR rankings for the top 50 flex players, as well as a few sleeper picks.

NFL Schedule

Away	Home	Time
Dolphins	Bengals	8:25 p.m. EST (Thursday)
Colts	Jaguars	9:30 a.m. EST
Titans	Texans	1 p.m. EST
Panthers	Falcons	1 p.m. EST
Raiders	Ravens	1 p.m. EST
Bills	Patriots	1 p.m. EST
Lions	Bears	1 p.m. EST
Seahawks	Jets	1 p.m. EST
Browns	Redskins	1 p.m. EST
Broncos	Buccaneers	4:05 p.m. EST
Rams	Cardinals	4:25 p.m. EST
Cowboys	49ers	4:25 p.m. EST
Saints	Chargers	4:25 p.m. EST
Chiefs	Steelers	8:30 p.m. EST
Giants	Vikings	8:30 p.m. EST (Monday)

Rankings

Ranking	Player	Team
1.	Antonio Brown	Steelers
2.	David Johnson	Cardinals
3.	Julio Jones	Falcons
4.	Le’Veon Bell	Steelers
5.	A.J. Green	Bengals
6.	Allen Robinson	Jaguars
7.	DeAndre Hopkins	Texans
8.	Odell Beckham Jr.	Giants
9.	Rob Gronkowski	Patriots
10.	Lamar Miller	Texans
11.	Ezekiel Elliott	Cowboys
12.	C.J. Anderson	Broncos
13.	LeSean McCoy	Bills
14.	Mike Evans	Buccaneers
15.	Jordy Nelson	Packers
16.	Marvin Jones	Lions
17.	DeMarco Murray	Titans
18.	Melvin Gordon	Chargers
19.	Brandin Cooks	Saints
20.	Amari Cooper	Raiders
21.	Jarvis Landry	Dolphins
22.	Matt Forte	Jets
23.	Todd Gurley	Rams
24.	Kelvin Benjamin	Panthers
25.	T.Y. Hilton	Colts
26.	Christine Michael	Seahawks
27.	LeGarrette Blount	Patriots
28.	Devonta Freeman	Falcons
29.	Dez Bryant	Cowboys
30.	Eddie Lacy	Packers
31.	Stefon Diggs	Vikings
32.	Brandon Marshall	Jets
33.	Larry Fitzgerald	Cardinals
34.	Charles Sims	Buccaneers
35.	Emmanuel Sanders	Broncos
36.	Jordan Reed	Redskins
37.	Latavius Murray	Raiders
38.	Doug Baldwin	Seahawks
39.	Spencer Ware	Chiefs
40.	Theo Riddick	Lions
41.	Demaryius Thomas	Broncos
42.	Julian Edelman	Patriots
43.	Jordan Matthews	Eagles
44.	Jerick McKinnon	Vikings
45.	DeSean Jackson	Redskins
46.	Delanie Walker	Titans
47.	Jeremy Hill	Bengals
48.	Mark Ingram	Saints
49.	Tevin Coleman	Falcons
50.	Eric Decker	Jets

Players to Watch

"Set and forget"

WR: Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 1 target is the consensus No. 1 receiver week in and week out. Don’t overthink it no matter how stacked your team is.

Some fantasy owners are occasionally scared of opposing corners. Chiefs star Marcus Peters is as scary as they come.

But again, it doesn’t matter. This is A.B. Start Brown and don’t think twice.

RB: David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

Jeffrey T. Barnes/Associated Press

The second-year man out of Northern Illinois is the undisputed top back in fantasy football. Le’Veon Bell is the only one in his league.

Check out some stats through three weeks:

The Elusive Rating was from Week 2, but these stats against the Buffalo Bills were from Week 3: 19 carries, 89 yards and two touchdowns to go along with three catches for 28 yards.

Arizona’s offense has struggled…outside of Johnson. He’s the Cardinals' superstar, and he’s yours in fantasy.

TE: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Put last week’s dud behind you, owners.

It’s done. Finished. Over with.

Now, it’s time for your sizable investment in Rob Gronkowski to pay off. Jimmy Garoppolo could be back for this week’s bout with the Bills. We saw Tom Brady’s backup dominate through two games, so it’s easy to foresee a vintage bounce-back performance from big, bad Gronk.

Sleeper picks

WR: Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

Jeff Gross/Getty Images

Last week, Tyler Lockett didn’t have a catch.

Actually, he didn’t even have a single target.

If you played him, you were burned. But that’s the twisted beauty of the second-year receiver who exploded onto the scene late last year.

He potentially lost this week, but he could easily win your next matchup.

Lockett is coming off a 99-yard performance in Week 2 and is always a threat to take one to the house as a return man. He’ll be two weeks removed from a minor knee tweak (which he played through against the 49ers), too.

Knock Lockett down a peg if Russell Wilson is out, but let him fly as a flex if his quarterback is in.

RB: Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The almighty Isaiah Crowell finally came back down to earth in Week 3.

After two uber-impressive games as the Cleveland Browns’ primary running back, Crowell was outplayed by the springier Duke Johnson against the Miami Dolphins.

Was it an anomaly? Johnson grew up in Florida and went to the University of Miami, so perhaps it was more of a shooting star return performance than a sign of things to come.

Possibly. Or maybe it was the beginning of a breakout.

Johnson rushed 10 times for 69 yards and snagged five passes for 12 yards. Crowell had 79 yards on 15 totes and didn’t record a catch.

If Johnson can find the end zone in Week 4, then he’ll be a strong play. Even without the score, he’s relatively safe.

TE: Hunter Henry, San Diego Chargers

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Did you watch Hunter Henry on Sunday?

The 21-year-old rookie out of Arkansas looked worlds quicker and more athletic than 36-year-old Antonio Gates, who sat with an injury.

Philip Rivers looked for Henry—the 2015 John Mackey Award winner—early and often. The big fella finished second in yards (76) and receptions (five) but blew a fumble late on a blindside strip.

That strong performance ended on a sour note, but things could get sweeter against the New Orleans Saints’ porous defense with Gates likely out another week. This could quickly turn into a high-scoring affair, and with San Diego’s top options sidelined, it’s easy to see Henry having his first big-time game.