Fantasy Football Week 4: Flex and PPR Rankings

The third week of the 2014 NFL regular season is in the books, and fantasy football owners have already turned their focus to the flex and PPR rankings for Week 4 matchups.

Fantasy owners have had it relatively easy through the first three weeks, but bye weeks officially begin in Week 4. Teams like Cincinnati, Denver, Arizona and Seattle are all off, and owners will have to utilize bench players to earn wins.

Here are the overall flex and PPR rankings to help you avoid the bye week blues.

Flex Rankings

Rank	Player	Week 4 Opponent
1	Calvin Johnson, Det, WR	New York Jets
2	LeSean McCoy, Phi, RB	San Francisco
3	Julio Jones, Atl, WR	Minnesota
4	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE	Dallas
5	Dez Bryant, Dal, WR	New Orleans
6	Matt Forte, Chi, RB	Green Bay
7	Antonio Brown, Pit, WR	Tampa Bay
8	Brandon Marshall, Chi, WR	Green Bay
9	DeMarco Murray, Dal, RB	New Orleans
10	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE	Kansas City
11	Le'Veon Bell, Pit, RB	Tampa Bay
12	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR	Chicago
13	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB	Washington
14	Alfred Morris, Wsh, RB	New York Giants
15	Keenan Allen, SD, WR	Jacksonville
16	Andre Johnson, Hou, WR	Buffalo
17	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB	Chicago
18	Knile Davis, KC, RB	New England
19	Arian Foster, Hou, RB	Buffalo
20	Victor Cruz, NYG, WR	Washington
21	Kelvin Benjamin, Car, WR	Baltimore
22	Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR	Green Bay
23	Cordarrelle Patterson, Min, WR	Atlanta
24	Reggie Bush, Det, RB	New York Jets
25	Doug Martin, TB, RB	Pittsburgh
26	Reggie Wayne, Ind, WR	Tennessee
27	Joique Bell, DET, RB	New York Jets
28	Roddy White, Atl, WR	Minnesota
29	Mike Wallace, Mia, WR	Oakland
30	C.J. Spiller, Buf, RB	Houston
31	Greg Olsen, Car, TE	Baltimore
32	Stevan Ridley, NE, RB	Kansas City
33	Jeremy Maclin, Phi, WR	San Francisco
34	Donald Brown, SD, RB	Jacksonville
35	Pierre Garcon, Wsh, WR	New York Giants
36	Antonio Gates, SD, TE	Jacksonville
37	Steve Smith, Bal, WR	Carolina
38	Michael Crabtree, SF, WR	Philadelphia
39	Julian Edelman, NE, WR	Kansas City
40	Darren Sproles, Phi, RB	San Francisco
41	Sammy Watkins, Buf, WR	Houston
42	Trent Richardson, Ind, RB	Tennessee
43	Vincent Jackson, TB, WR	Pittsburgh
44	Frank Gore, SF, RB	Philadelphia
45	Randall Cobb, GB, WR	Chicago
46	DeSean Jackson, Was, WR	New York Giants
47	Vernon Davis, SF, TE	Philadelphia
48	Marques Colston, NO, WR	Dallas
49	Pierre Thomas, NO, RB	Dallas
50	Greg Jennings, Min, WR	Atlanta

The flex rankings this week are imperative. With several top names like A.J. Green, Marshawn Lynch and Julius Thomas on bye, replacing them in your lineup with the right player could make or break your season.

One player who is ready for a monster game is Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith. The veteran already has 18 receptions for 290 yards and a touchdown this season, but it will be the Week 4 matchup that makes the biggest difference. Smith is going up against his former team, the Carolina Panthers.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Before Smith even signed with a new team, he spoke to Frank Garcia and Mark Yarbro of WFNZ, via ProFootballTalk's Josh Alper, about potentially playing Carolina:

"

I want to make sure that whatever team I go to, they’re going to get the best, in shape 35-year-old guy they can get. If that happens to run through Bank of America Stadium, put your goggles on cause there’s going to be blood and guts everywhere.

"

Fantasy owners should start Smith in every formatted league. Expect eight receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown. At least.

Another player shining when given the opportunity is Kansas City Chiefs running back Knile Davis. Fantasy owners hopefully handcuffed Davis when they picked injured starter Jamaal Charles because he is dominating in his role as lead back.

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

After rushing 32 times for 132 yards and a touchdown, Davis should be started in every fantasy league as long as Charles is not playing. Once Charles returns to the lineup, though, he should be plugged in as Kansas City’s No. 1 back. Keep an eye on the inactives in Week 4 before making your final decision.

Fantasy owners are always looking for a sleeper who could be filled in as a flex and explode. In Week 4, there is no better answer than Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings.

Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater leaned on Jennings and his crisp route running more often than any other receiver on the team, and the two look to have a rapport. With a favorable matchup against a lackluster Atlanta secondary, Jennings owners should expect seven receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.

PPR Rankings

Rank	Player	Week 4 Opponent
1	Calvin Johnson, Det, WR	New York Jets
2	LeSean McCoy, Phi, RB	San Francisco
3	Dez Bryant, Dal, WR	New Orleans
4	Jimmy Graham, NO, TE	Dallas
5	Julio Jones, Atl, WR	Minnesota
6	Brandon Marshall, Chi, WR	Green Bay
7	Antonio Brown, Pit, WR	Tampa Bay
8	Matt Forte, Chi, RB	Green Bay
9	Jordy Nelson, GB, WR	Chicago
10	Knile Davis, KC, RB	New England
11	Le'Veon Bell, Pit, RB	Tampa Bay
12	DeMarco Murray, Dal, RB	New Orleans
13	Rob Gronkowski, NE, TE	Kansas City
14	Doug Martin, TB, RB	Pittsburgh
15	Keenan Allen, SD, WR	Jacksonville
16	Reggie Bush, Det, RB	New York Jets
17	Eddie Lacy, GB, RB	Chicago
18	Kelvin Benjamin, Car, WR	Baltimore
19	C.J. Spiller, Buf, RB	Houston
20	Victor Cruz, NYG, WR	Washington
21	Reggie Wayne, Ind, WR	Tennessee
22	Steve Smith, Bal, WR	Carolina
23	Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB	Washington
24	Andre Johnson, Hou, WR	Buffalo
25	Pierre Garcon, Wsh, WR	New York Giants
26	Alfred Morris, Wsh, RB	New York Giants
27	Cordarrelle Patterson, Min, WR	Atlanta
28	Roddy White, Atl, WR	Minnesota
29	Stevan Ridley, NE, RB	Kansas City
30	Alshon Jeffery, Chi, WR	Green Bay
31	Greg Olsen, Car, TE	Baltimore
32	Arian Foster, Hou, RB	Buffalo
33	Julian Edelman, NE, WR	Kansas City
34	DeSean Jackson, Was, WR	New York Giants
35	Golden Tate, Det, WR	New York Jets
36	Randall Cobb, GB, WR	Chicago
37	Darren Sproles, Phi, RB	San Francisco
38	Mike Wallace, Mia, WR	Oakland
39	Sammy Watkins, Buf, WR	Houston
40	Antonio Gates, SD, TE	Jacksonville
41	Michael Crabtree, SF, WR	Philadelphia
42	Jeremy Maclin, Phi, WR	San Francisco
43	Greg Jennings, Min, WR	Atlanta
44	Ahmad Bradshaw, Ind, RB	Tennessee
45	Pierre Thomas, NO, RB	Dallas
46	Brandin Cooks, NO, WR	Dallas
47	Trent Richardson, Ind, RB	Tennessee
48	Marques Colston, NO, WR	Dallas
49	James Jones, Oak, WR	Miami
50	Shane Vereen, NE, RB	Kansas City

After a wild Week 3, the king of the PPR leagues for this Sunday will be Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones. As Matt Ryan’s clear No. 1 target and relatively healthy, the huge stat line of nine receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns could be more than an anomaly.

Amber Theoharis talked about how much more dangerous Jones is in PPR leagues:

Atlanta has a favorable matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, and the team has shown no wavering when it comes to racking up a high score. If Ryan and Jones find chemistry early, expect eight receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown.

One player not getting enough love this week is Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin. He missed Week 3’s game with a knee injury, but he will be coming off extra days of rest following a Thursday night game. According to Rotoworld.com, the team is confident he’ll play Sunday against a battered Pittsburgh Steelers defense.

In case you missed it, Adam Schefter of ESPN explains all of the injuries suffered by Pittsburgh:

If Martin is cleared to play, expect a hefty workload if he can find a rhythm against a depleted Steelers defense. After a terrible performance from Bobby Rainey, 20 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown is not out of the question.

A player who should be deemed a PPR sleeper in Week 4 is James Jones of the Oakland Raiders. After only racking up three receptions for 43 yards, Jones should expect even more action with Rod Streater out for a while with a fractured foot, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com.

Plug Jones in as a viable flex play or WR3 in PPR formats and expect six receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown against a beatable Miami secondary in Week 4. 

*Stats via NFL.com.