Fantasy Football Week 4: PPR Rankings, Sleepers, Studs and Duds

Thursdays have become the official start of the week for fantasy football and NFL fans, and it’s already time to talk about the points-per-reception rankings and the projected sleepers, studs and duds for Week 4.

Injuries have been a huge concern for fantasy owners, and the issues for many teams are only becoming worse as the bye weeks begin. With top stars like Demaryius Thomas, Marshawn Lynch and A.J. Green all off this week, it’s time to reach to the bench and find the ideal stopgap.

Here are the points per reception rankings and the players all owners must be aware of in Week 4.

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	Jamaal Charles, 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

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Sleepers

The key to success any week is finding the players not expected to have breakout games who have the ideal workload and matchup to explode. That is exactly what fantasy owners should expect from Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin.

After missing Week 3’s game with a knee injury, Martin has returned to full practice this week and should be able to play Sunday, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times:

Martin should be considered the workhorse as soon as he returns due to the three fumbles last week from Bobby Rainey. While Martin was not overly impressive before his injury (nine carries for nine yards), a matchup against the depleted defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers is exactly what the doctor ordered. Fantasy owners should expect 20 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

Another sleeper is Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings. Rookie Teddy Bridgewater is the new starting quarterback now that Matt Cassel has been moved to the injured reserve, per Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, and that is good news for Jennings owners. The two players have developed a rapport on the fly, with Jennings catching five of the eight passes thrown his way in Week 3.

With Bridgewater leaning on the veteran experience of Jennings, fantasy owners should expect at least 10 targets for Jennings. Seven receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown is not out of the realm of possibility.

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Studs

One player all fantasy owners must have in their lineup this week is Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. After catching only four passes in Week 1, Bryant has exploded for 16 catches, 192 yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks.

Quarterback Tony Romo has shown a dependence on the pass-catcher, and that will continue in Week 4 against a lackluster New Orleans secondary. Fantasy owners should be looking for eight receptions, 100 yards and a touchdown.

When asked during a conference call about being covered by the Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis, Bryant told NewOrleansSaints.com, “He’s a great cornerback. He is one of those guys that you have to be on top of your game. You are not just going to beat him. He is a physical corner. This is a game where you have to be well-prepared because if you are not you are going to get beat.”

Bryant should be a lock in every starting lineup regardless of the scoring format, but another perennial stud is also back on this list. Fantasy owners must start New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski with confidence moving forward.

Owners have been frustrated by Gronkowski early in the season. The two touchdowns he has scored have saved his weekly totals, but 11 catches for 116 yards is not overly impressive for a player most owners drafted early. According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Gronkowski says he is feeling healthy and is ready for an increased workload.

With Kansas City suffering injuries at linebacker and safety, owners should be banking on seven receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown.

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Duds

Fantasy owners have been jumping at the opportunity to get Oakland Raiders wide receiver James Jones in the lineup now that Rod Streater is out injured, via Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, but don’t fall into this trap.

Jones will undoubtedly be the top target for rookie quarterback Derek Carr, but there is no doubt the Miami Dolphins will have a healthy dosage of double coverage featuring cornerback Cortland Finnegan and safety Louis Delmas. After Jones racked up just three receptions for 43 yards in Week 3, fantasy owners should expect five catches at the most on Sunday.

If you’re looking for a running back dud, the player to avoid in Week 4 is Shane Vereen of the New England Patriots. Not only is he seeing fewer touches than Stevan Ridley on the ground, but his role in the pass offense has also diminished.

After running the ball seven times for 20 yards and adding four receptions for 17 yards, fantasy owners should be looking to start Ridley over Vereen in both PPR and standard leagues. Vereen would be lucky to amass 50 all-purpose yards against Kansas City Monday night.

*Stats via NFL.com.

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