Fantasy Football Week 4: Latest Stat Predictions for the Top 50 Players

Things are about to get much tougher in fantasy leagues with the start of byes in Week 4.

With six teams getting the week off, it causes a scramble on the waiver wires just to fill a team. In this case, you have to make sure you are getting the right players in your lineup because you will not have many opportunities to make up for a mistake.

This could also be an opportunity to be more creative as you take advantage of easier matchups around the league.

Here is a look at the top 50 players in the league for Week 4 with predictions for what to expect at each position.

Rank	Pos. Rank	Player	Team	Opp.	Pass Yards	Rush Yards	Receiving Yards	TDs	Fantasy Pts
1	QB1	Drew Brees	NO	DAL	328	5	0	3	25
2	QB2	Andrew Luck	IND	TEN	351	23	0	2	24
3	QB3	Philip Rivers	SD	JAX	284	0	0	3	23
4	QB4	Aaron Rodgers	GB	CHI	267	8	0	2	22
5	QB5	Matthew Stafford	DET	NYJ	259	0	0	2	22
6	RB1	DeMarco Murray	DAL	NO	0	125	13	1	19
7	QB6	Matt Ryan	ATL	MIN	270	0	0	2	18
8	TE1	Jimmy Graham	NO	DAL	0	0	128	1	18
9	QB7	Colin Kaepernick	SF	PHI	233	36	0	2	18
10	RB2	Matt Forte	CHI	GB	0	94	31	1	18
11	QB8	Nick Foles	PHI	SF	242	0	0	2	17
12	WR1	Calvin Johnson	DET	NYJ	0	0	119	1	17
13	QB9	Kirk Cousins	WAS	NYG	285	0	0	2	17
14	WR2	Julio Jones	ATL	MIN	0	0	116	1	17
15	RB3	Le'Veon Bell	PIT	TB	0	91	27	1	17
16	RB4	LeSean McCoy	PHI	SF	0	82	23	1	16
17	QB10	Jay Cutler	CHI	GB	273	0	0	2	16
18	WR3	Antonio Brown	PIT	TB	0	0	107	1	16
19	WR4	Dez Bryant	DAL	NO	0	0	105	1	16
20	QB11	Cam Newton	CAR	BAL	255	24	0	1	16
21	RB5	Lamar Miller	MIA	OAK	0	71	33	1	16
22	WR5	Brandon Marshall	CHI	GB	0	0	102	1	16
23	RB6	Rashad Jennings	NYG	WAS	0	92	16	1	16
24	WR6	Jeremy Maclin	PHI	SF	0	0	98	1	15
25	QB12	Tony Romo	DAL	NO	279	6	0	1	15
26	RB7	Eddie Lacy	GB	CHI	0	87	11	1	15
27	WR7	Jordy Nelson	GB	CHI	0	0	95	1	15
28	WR8	Michael Crabtree	SF	PHI	0	0	92	1	15
29	WR8	Keenan Allen	SD	JAX	0	0	90	1	15
30	QB13	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	TB	231	0	0	2	15
31	RB8	Donald Brown	SD	JAX	0	83	15	1	15
32	WR9	Alshon Jeffery	CHI	GB	0	22	74	1	15
33	QB14	Teddy Bridgewater	MIN	ATL	191	17	0	2	14
34	TE2	Antonio Gates	SD	JAX	0	0	87	1	14
35	WR10	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR	BAL	0	0	85	1	14
36	QB15	Tom Brady	NE	KC	257	0	0	1	14
37	WR11	Brandin Cooks	NO	DAL	0	14	73	1	14
38	QB16	Eli Manning	NYG	WAS	306	0	0	1	14
39	WR12	Pierre Garcon	WAS	NYG	0	0	82	1	14
40	TE3	Rob Gronkowski	NE	KC	0	0	78	1	13
41	RB9	Alfred Morris	WAS	NYG	0	77	5	1	13
42	WR13	Mike Wallace	MIA	OAK	0	0	74	1	13
43	QB17	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	OAK	238	7	0	1	13
44	RB10	C.J. Spiller	BUF	HOU	0	85	53	0	13
45	WR14	Cordarrelle Patterson	MIN	ATL	0	18	61	1	13
46	WR15	Randall Cobb	GB	CHI	0	0	68	1	12
47	RB11	Joique Bell	DET	NYJ	0	37	36	1	12
48	WR16	Sammy Watkins	BUF	HOU	0	0	64	1	12
49	WR17	Victor Cruz	NYG	WAS	0	0	62	1	12
50	RB12	Doug Martin	TB	PIT	0	56	15	1	12

Quarterbacks

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

With Peyton Manning on a bye, the top of the projection board looks a little different. Drew Brees—although he has not put up huge numbers like usual—has a chance to be the top dog with a favorable matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford each struggled in a matchup against each other in Week 3, but look for them to once again put up big numbers in the upcoming week along with fellow NFC North quarterback Jay Cutler.

One big-name player you should start avoiding is Tom Brady, who has done very little against weaker defenses like the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings. ESPN's Matthew Berry made a bold statement regarding the future Hall of Famer:

Kirk Cousins certainly appears to be the better option going forward although I would recommend seeing if you can trade Brady before dropping him entirely because there is still value out there. Still, there are likely better options out there unless you are in a very deep league.

Running Backs

With top players like Marshawn Lynch, Giovani Bernard, Zac Stacy, Montee Ball and others on bye, the list of quality running backs gets much shorter.

Fortunately, this appears to be a good week for bounce-back performances from struggling performers like LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte and Eddie Lacy. Both Forte and Lacy have faced nothing but top-10 defenses against fantasy running backs this season, but things get easier from here on out.

Meanwhile, a few former backups have a chance to post big weeks as Lamar Miller and Donald Brown get both the opportunities and favorable matchups. Brown was relatively unproductive last week but got 36 touches, something that will become close to a trend in San Diego.

Quarterback Philip Rivers discussed Brown's impact going forward, via Ricky Henne of Chargers.com:

"

Thirty six touches is a lot, and Donald is a true pro. He takes care of his body, and he's going to get the load of it for the next while.  I think he's used to it.  He was pretty much the featured back in Indy there for some time, and he loves playing football.  I have a great deal of confidence with him back there. 

"

With this workload, he should have a big game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are allowing the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

There is less confidence in Jamaal Charles, who could play but is still dealing with an ankle injury. Charles and Knile Davis could split carries and ruin the chance of a big fantasy day for either player.

Wide Receivers

Julio Jones has put himself right next to Calvin Johnson as a top receiver option every week. Meanwhile, Antonio Brown is not far behind due to his incredible consistency, as noted by ESPN's John Buccigross:

After seeing what Jones did to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, Brown could be in line for another big day.

Beyond the usual names, this could be a good chance for some youngsters to add to their scoring totals. Kelvin Benjamin continues to impress everyone watching, including Knox Bardeen of Fox Sports South:

Keenan Allen and Brandin Cooks should also be ready for a lot of chances in Week 4.

In general, there are more high-upside plays at receiver this week than running back, which is rare in fantasy football.

Tight Ends

Jason Miller/Getty Images

Jimmy Graham is the top option going into every week, but this could be an even better performance than usual with the Dallas Cowboys allowing the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this year.

If you are facing Graham this week, be ready for a lot of yelling at your computer screen.

Beyond that, there are few players to trust. Veterans Antonio Gates and Rob Gronkowski have favorable matchups and will be solid plays, but the rest appears to be little more than a toss up.

Niles Paul should be a big pickup this week after a solid start to the year, and he might be the best sleeper option on the board.

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