Fantasy Football Week 4 Cheat Sheet: Waiver, Rankings, Projections and More

In the real world, a bye week is a welcome chance for players to rest and get treatment on some nagging injuries. In the world of fantasy football, however, bye weeks are headaches that cause lineup-juggling and an even greater emphasis on working the waiver wire.

Byes return this week, highlighted by the absence of the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, teams with numerous fantasy assets. A total of six teams won't take the field this week, leaving fantasy owners with far less depth to choose from when making lineup decisions.

With that in mind, let's check out some different sections of information to help with the construction of a winning group for Week 4. Amazingly, most leagues will be about one-third of the way through the regular season after this week. Time flies.

Top 5 Skill-Position Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Drew Brees	DeMarco Murray	Julio Jones	Jimmy Graham
2	Nick Foles	Matt Forte	Jordy Nelson	Antonio Gates
3	Philip Rivers	LeSean McCoy	Dez Bryant	Rob Gronkowski
4	Matthew Stafford	Ahmad Bradshaw	Calvin Johnson	Martellus Bennett
5	Matt Ryan	Le'Veon Bell	Jeremy Maclin	Greg Olsen

Philip Rivers doesn't get nearly enough credit. He doesn't have an elite group of targets around him, but he still puts up solid fantasy numbers on a weekly basis. That should continue against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that's struggling mightily.

Le'Veon Bell will need to start finding the end zone more if he's going to remain a top-five fantasy running back all season. That said, his other numbers are very encouraging as he's averaging 22 touches and over 150 total yards per week.

Bob Pompeani of KDKA TV notes he will continue to get a vast majority of the backfield work, too:

Calvin Johnson has been relatively quiet, at least by his standards, since his monster output in Week 1. Look for him to get back on track against a New York Jets defense that's allowed 571 yards and five touchdowns through the air over the past two games.

Don't give up on Antonio Gates after a poor Week 3. The San Diego Chargers found a matchup problem with Ladarius Green and utilized it against the Buffalo Bills. The veteran should climb back up Rivers' target list against the Jags.

Sleeper Projections

Position	Player	Team	Projection
QB	Ben Roethlisberger	PIT	18
RB	Matt Asiata	MIN	17
WR	Steve Smith	BAL	15
TE	Travis Kelce	KC	12
D/ST	Chargers	SD	13
K	Shaun Suisham	PIT	12

Ben Roethlisberger doesn't put up big enough numbers to warrant starting on a weekly basis. But the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback remains a strong matchup play, especially now that byes have begun. He should shine against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which are giving up nearly 32 points per game.

Although Matt Asiata hasn't exactly set the world on fire since moving into a starting role, the Minnesota Vikings lack backfield depth. That means he should be in line for plenty of touches against the 27th-ranked Atlanta Falcons defense.

It looked like Steve Smith's years as a reliable fantasy receiver were a thing of the past last season with the Carolina Panthers. He's been seemingly rejuvenated by his move to the Baltimore Ravens, though, as he's put up 34 points through three weeks.

His strong run should continue as he goes up against his former team, just in case he needed any added motivation. A comment passed along by the team shows his continued confidence in himself:

Travis Kelce found the end zone for the first time this season last week. He's slowly but surely carving out a role for himself in the Kansas City Chiefs offense. It makes him a low-end No. 1 TE given the overall lack of depth at the position.

The Chargers are a middling defensive option overall. It's starting to seem like any group going up against the Jaguars is going to be worth starting, though. San Diego should reach a double-digit total for the second straight week after reaching that mark against the Bills.

Shaun Suisham is the most intriguing kicking option to stream for Week 4. He ranks second among all kickers so far, has an offense facing the struggling Tampa Bay defense and is still available in a majority of fantasy leagues.

Waiver-Wire Targets

Position	Player	Team
QB	Kirk Cousins	WSH
RB	Lorenzo Taliaferro	BAL
WR	Kelvin Benjamin	CAR
TE	Larry Donnell	NYG

Any concerns about Kirk Cousins' ability to become a strong fantasy asset were quickly answered in his first start of the season. He put up 27 fantasy points after scoring 18 in relief of Robert Griffin III last week. He should put up starter-caliber numbers for as long as he remains the starter.

The Baltimore backfield is unsettled, but Lorenzo Taliaferro made his case for a bigger role moving forward by posting 91 yards and a score in Week 3. At a position with so many uncertainties, he's worth taking a chance on in case he becomes the main man for the Ravens.

It's hard to believe how many leagues where Kelvin Benjamin is still on the free-agent market. He's the No. 6 fantasy receiver so far and the clear big-play target for the Panthers. He should be owned—and, in most cases, started—in all formats.

Larry Donnell has caught at least five passes in every game. While that's not a groundbreaking accomplishment by any means, it's a notable achievement at a weak fantasy position. He's built a rapport with Eli Manning and is worth a roster spot, especially in PPR leagues.