Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings: Breaking Down the Wide Receivers

Week 4 of the 2013 fantasy football season is already upon us and the focus on which wide receivers will be guaranteed studs this week has owners on the edge of their collective seat.

This is how the wide receiver position will shake out in Week 4.

Week 4 Fantasy Wide Receiver Rankings

Rank	Name	Team	Opponent	Projected Points
1	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys	San Diego Chargers	29
2	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions	Chicago Bears	26
3	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals	Cleveland Browns	25
4	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons	New England Patriots	25
5	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears	Detroit Lions	24
6	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos	Philadelphia Eagles	23
7	Wes Welker	Denver Broncos	Philadelphia Eagles	22
8	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns	Cincinnati Bengals	22
9	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers	Minnesota Vikings	20
10	DeSean Jackson	Philadelphia Eagles	Denver Broncos	19

Biggest Stud: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are facing off with the San Diego Chargers in a game that has the potential to be a shootout, and the biggest beneficiary will be wide receiver Dez Bryant.

After a mediocre showing against the St. Louis Rams (four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown), expect Bryant to be targeted early and often by quarterback Tony Romo against the league’s worst pass defense (allowing 340.7 yards per game).

San Diego QB Philip Rivers will keep the Chargers in this matchup throughout the game and fantasy owners should expect the combination of Romo and Bryant to be just as effective in all four quarters.

That will be reflected with a monster stat line.

Predicted Week 4 Stat Line: 10 catches for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Biggest Dud: Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Fantasy owners depending on Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson this week are in serious trouble.

Tampa Bay has made the move to start rookie Mike Glennon in place of Josh Freeman, and that will not bode well for Jackson’s statistics.

Not only is the team facing controversy at quarterback, but Jackson himself is also dealing with an injury. According to Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times, Jackson missed practice on Wednesday due to a rib issue. That could limit his productivity even further.

Add in a tough matchup with Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals, and this is the perfect storm of bad circumstances for Jackson and his owners.

While it’s never easy to sit one of your top picks, there should be a better option on your bench this week.

Predicted Week 4 Stat Line: 4 catches for 40 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Surprise Stud: Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was suspended for the first two weeks of the season, but owners that took this educated risk in the draft were rewarded in Week 3, as the young star hauled in 10 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown.

The Browns will square off with the Cincinnati Bengals and the league’s 14th-best pass defense, but with the inexperienced Brian Hoyer under center, expect Cleveland to feed the ball to Gordon deep.

The Bengals are likely to build a healthy lead on the Browns in Week 4, but fantasy owners will reap the reward of Cleveland trying to mount a comeback. That will help Gordon amass a monster statistical day.

Predicted Week 4 Stat Line: 8 catches for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns.

All projected points based on standard scoring leagues.

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