Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings: Flex and PPR Outlook for Each Position

With Thursday Night Football in the books, it's time to take a look at the best fantasy options for the Sunday games and Monday Night Football.

As well, we'll break down a few players you should consider for your flex spot and dole out some PPR advice, too. There's a little something for everyone. 

May the fantasy points be with you.

Rank	Player	Team	Matchup
1	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons
2	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints	San Diego Chargers
3	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis Colts	Jacksonville Jaguars
4	Matt Stafford	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears
5	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kansas City Chiefs
6	Carson Palmer	Arizona Cardinals	St. Louis Rams
7	Matt Ryan	Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers
8	Kirk Cousins	Washington	Cleveland Browns
9	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers	New Orleans Saints
10	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks	New York Jets

Cam Newton slowed down a bit in Week 3 against a solid Minnesota Vikings defense, but he should have a field day against an Atlanta defense giving up 24.7 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, 31st in the NFL.

The Falcons are also giving up 120 yards rushing on the ground per game, so Newton should have success running the ball as well.

Kirk Cousins sneaks into the QB1 conversation this week against a Browns defense that has given up 19, 16 and 18 points in the first three weeks, respectively, to opposing quarterbacks. 

Rank	Player	Team	Matchup
1	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kansas City Chiefs
2	David Johnson	Arizona Cardinals	St. Louis Rams
3	Todd Gurley	St. Louis Rams	Arizona Cardinals
4	Melvin Gordon	San Diego Chargers	New Orleans Saints
5	C.J. Anderson	Denver Broncos	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6	LeGarrette Blount	New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills
7	DeMarco Murray	Tennessee Titans	Houston Texans
8	Matt Forte	New York Jets	Seattle Seahawks
9	Mark Ingram	New Orleans Saints	San Diego Chargers
10	Ezekiel Elliott	Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers
11	Carlos Hyde	San Francisco 49ers	Dallas Cowboys
12	Isaiah Crowell	Cleveland Browns	Washington
13	Latavius Murray	Oakland Raiders	Baltimore Ravens
14	LeSean McCoy	Buffalo Bills	New England Patriots
15	Lamar Miller	Houston Texans	Tennessee Titans
16	Frank Gore	Indianapolis Colts	Jacksonville Jaguars
17	Christine Michael	Seattle Seahawks	New York Jets
18	Tevin Coleman	Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers
19	Devonta Freeman	Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers
20	Charles Sims	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Denver Broncos
21	Spencer Ware	Kansas City Chiefs	Pittsburgh Steelers
22	Theo Riddick	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears
23	Matt Jones	Washington	Cleveland Browns
24	Cameron Artis-Payne	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons
25	Chris Ivory	Jacksonville Jaguars	Indianapolis Colts

Le'Veon Bell is back. Regardless of the matchup, he's an RB1 for the rest of the season. Don't believe me?

Per the NFL on ESPN, Bell has averaged 119 yards from scrimmage per game since 2013, which was the best in football coming into the 2016 campaign. That alone, minus touchdowns, means Bell will give you 11 fantasy points per week. 

Melvin Gordon could absolutely blow up this week. The New Orleans Saints are giving up 31.7 fantasy points per week to opposing running backs, by far the worst in the NFL. Gordon, meanwhile, is averaging 15.7 fantasy points per week. 

That's a recipe for a huge week.

RB Flex Advice

Dylan Buell/Getty Images

Theo Riddick is worth adding and starting in your flex this week. Chicago is giving up 20 fantasy points per week to opposing running backs, 24th in the NFL, and Riddick wound up with 17 touches last week.

The Bears defense isn't good, so Riddick should accumulate more than the 48 yards he posted last Sunday. 

RB PPR Notes

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

If Riddick is a solid option in standard leagues, he's a fantastic option in PPR formats. He's already caught 16 passes on the season, meaning he's a safe bet to haul in at least five passes just about every game. 

T.J. Yeldon doesn't make the list in standard formats—simply put, he hasn't been good this year and Chris Ivory is likely to see more carries—but the fact that he's registered 14 catches makes him a player to keep an eye on in PPR leagues.

Yeldon isn't an ideal option, but if you're in a pinch, you could do worse.

Rank	Player	Team	Matchup
1	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kansas City Chiefs
2	Marvin Jones	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears
3	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston Texans	Tennessee Titans
4	Kelvin Benjamin	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons
5	Doug Baldwin	Seattle Seahawks	New York Jets
6	Allen Robinson	Jacksonville Jaguars	Indianapolis Colts
7	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Denver Broncos
8	Odell Beckham Jr.	New York Giants	Minnesota Vikings
9	DeSean Jackson	Washington	Cleveland Browns
10	Mike Wallace	Baltimore Ravens	Oakland Raiders
11	Stefon Diggs	Minnesota Vikings	New York Giants
12	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers
13	Brandin Cooks	New Orleans Saints	San Diego Chargers
14	Larry Fitzgerald	Arizona Cardinals	St. Louis Rams
15	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis Colts	Jacksonville Jaguars
16	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
17	Emmanuel Sanders	Denver Broncos	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18	Eric Decker	New York Jets	Seattle Seahawks
19	Brandon Marshall	New York Jets	Seattle Seahawks
20	Alshon Jeffery	Chicago Bears	Detroit Lions
21	Amari Cooper	Oakland Raiders	Baltimore Ravens
22	Michael Crabtree	Oakland Raiders	Baltimore Ravens
23	Travis Benjamin	San Diego Chargers	New Orleans Saints
24	Jeremy Maclin	Kansas City Chiefs	Pittsburgh Steelers
25	Tavon Austin	St. Louis Rams	Arizona Cardinals

Mike Wallace has had an excellent start to the season (10 receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns) and is clearly Joe Flacco's preferred deep target. The Oakland Raiders, meanwhile, are giving up 30.3 fantasy points to opposing wideouts per week, tied for the worst in the NFL.

Wallace is a fantastic WR1 option this week.

It's hard not to like both Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, too, especially considering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have given up an NFL-worst seven touchdown passes to opposing wideouts. The pair combined for 37 fantasy points a week ago, suggesting an uptick in production from each player might be forthcoming. 

WR Flex Advice

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Travis Benjamin is a player worth starting in your flex this week, and perhaps every week going forward. In the past two weeks, he's registered 10 receptions for 197 yards and two scores. He's clearly the top option in the passing game in San Diego with Keenan Allen and Danny Woodhead out of the picture, and with the reliable Philip Rivers tossing him passes, he's a player who should have a very strong season.

Add in the fact that San Diego plays a Saints defense giving up 24.3 fantasy points to opposing wideouts per week, 22nd in the NFL, and there's no reason for Benjamin to be riding your pine.

WR PPR Notes

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Cole Beasley has been surprisingly good in standard leagues, but in PPR formats he's a stud. With Dez Bryant's status now up in the air, Beasley is a must-start option in all PPR formats.

Likewise, while Sanders has only had one excellent week in standard leagues, in PPR formats he's far more trustworthy. And, as always, no player has more value in PPR formats, at any position, than Antonio Brown. 

Rank	Player	Team	Matchup
1	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons
2	Rob Gronkowski	New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills
3	Jimmy Graham	Seattle Seahawks	New York Jets
4	Jordan Reed	Washington	Cleveland Browns
5	Travis Kelce	Kansas City Chiefs	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	Julius Thomas	Jacksonville Jaguars	Indianapolis Colts
7	Delanie Walker	Tennessee Titans	Houston Texans
8	Eric Ebron	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears
9	Kyle Rudolph	Minnesota Vikings	New York Giants
10	Coby Fleener	New Orleans Saints	San Diego Chargers

Tight end is such a position of unknowns at the moment. Will Julius Thomas play this week? Was Jimmy Graham's resurgence in Week 3 an outlier or is he truly back to his dominant ways? Will Rob Gronkowski actually be a major factor in Week 4? Will Jordan Reed finally have a breakout performance?

At this point, trust your preseason rankings at the position. Tight end has been too unpredictable to get cute this early in the season and give up on previously productive players. Hopefully, some of the better options at the position will begin producing. Players such as Gronk and Reed, at the very least, should have much brighter days ahead.

TE Flex Advice

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Honestly, even if your league allows tight ends in the flex positions, it isn't worth starting a tight end in that slot. They simply don't offer the type of upside that either a wideout or running back provides. Unless your team has been crushed by injuries, start a wideout or running back in your flex.

TE PPR Notes

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Dennis Pitta's 18 receptions are tied for the most among all tight ends, and his 24 targets are tied for third at the position, suggesting the veteran tight end has carved out a nice niche for himself in Baltimore's offense.

If he can escape injuries, Pitta should post very nice numbers for PPR owners. He certainly doesn't have the upside that the top options possess, but he's a player worth keeping a close eye on going forward in the PPR format given his nice start to the season.

Rank	Team	Matchup
1	Arizona Cardinals	St. Louis Rams
2	Seattle Seahawks	New York Jets
3	Denver Broncos	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4	Minnesota Vikings	New York Giants
5	Houston Texans	Tennessee Titans
6	New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills
7	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears
8	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons
9	St. Louis Rams	Arizona Cardinals
10	Indianapolis Colts	Jacksonville Jaguars

The Minnesota Vikings have been so dominant as a fantasy defense thus far this season (20 points per week), you have to start them no matter the matchup. Facing Eli Manning and the New York Giants isn't ideal—they've given up just 4.3 fantasy points to opposing defenses this year—but you simply can't sit the Vikings.

If they can post a combined 39 fantasy points against the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, they can produce against the Giants.

Rank	Player	Team	Matchup
1	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens	Oakland Raiders
2	Dustin Hopkins	Washington	Cleveland Browns
3	Dan Bailey	Dallas Cowboys	San Francisco 49ers
4	Adam Vinatieri	Indianapolis Colts	Jacksonville Jaguars
5	Cairo Santos	Kansas City Chiefs	Pittsburgh Steelers
6	Graham Gano	Carolina Panthers	Atlanta Falcons
7	Stephen Gostkowski	New England Patriots	Buffalo Bills
8	Matt Bryant	Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers
9	Matt Prater	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears
10	Josh Lambo	San Diego Chargers	New Orleans Saints

Never over-think the kicker position. Find a reliable option and start him every week. It's really that simple.

You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter. All points-against and fantasy stats via ESPN.com.