NFL Predictions Week 4: Final Odds Projections and Fantasy Stars to Watch

We're beginning to see quite a trend on Thursday Night Football. A 45-14 rout by the New York Giants over the Washington Redskins brought the total margin of victory through four weeks of action to a whopping 113 points. Luckily, we've seen some better competition on Sundays this season.

Week 4 features plenty of enticing contests. While some teams will attempt to ride newfound momentum to another win, others will aim to right the ship after dreadful losses, and a couple will continue to jockey for position during important divisional matchups.

Picking some of these contests based on sheer face value can be a formidable task. However, with Vegas oddsmakers throwing challenging game lines into the mix, we must take plenty into consideration before making any kind of wager.

While we wait for Sunday's drama to unfold, let's take a look at the updated odds for each game, predict their final scores and overview some fantasy football studs to watch in Week 4.

Matchup	Odds	Prediction
Detroit Lions at New York Jets	DET -2	DET, 26-20
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts	IND -8	IND, 31-17
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans	HOU -3	BUF, 18-15
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears	GB -1.5	CHI, 30-27
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -9	PIT, 27-13
Carolina Panthers at Baltimore Ravens	BAL -3	BAL, 23-20
Miami Dolphins vs. Oakland Raiders	MIA -4	MIA, 26-17
Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers	SD -14	SD, 35-20
Philadelphia Eagles at San Francisco 49ers	SF -4.5	SF, 27-26
Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings	ATL -3	ATL, 28-22
New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys	NO -3	NO, 31-27
New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs	NE -3.5	NE, 20-17

All game lines courtesy of Bovada, via Odds Shark, and current as of September 26.

Fantasy Stars Poised for Big Games

Now that each game's outcome has been predicted, we can look at players who should be instrumental to their teams' success. Based on current tendencies, matchups and recent play, here's a look at a projected stud for every major fantasy position.

Quarterback

Philip Rivers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

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Rivers has been on a hot streak ever since head coach Mike McCoy joined the San Diego Chargers in 2013. After putting up resurgent numbers and leading his team to the playoffs, he's on track for another big season in 2014. The quarterback has already put up respectable numbers against some of the league's best defenses, and now he has the privilege of facing the Jaguars.

Bleacher Report's Ryan Riddle had some high praise for the quarterback:

Think of it this way: Rivers threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks. Now, he will go up against the Jaguars' 32nd-ranked pass defense without a viable running game at his disposal. Expect Rivers to light up the scoreboard early and often on his way to a huge fantasy week.

Running Back

Matt Forte vs. Green Bay Packers

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Remember Matt Forte? He was electrifying in 2013, but due to a few difficult matchups, the running back hasn't really done anything this season. Well, expect that to change on Sunday when he faces the Packers' 30th-ranked run defense.

Despite his recent struggles, Forte's unselfish attitude shone though during a recent interview, via the Bears' official Twitter account:

Forte is a dual-threat back capable of producing yards on the ground and through the air. In Week 3, Reggie Bush rushed 12 times for 61 yards and a score, adding six receptions for 38 yards against Green Bay. Luckily, Forte isn't serving in a timeshare, so we can expect that same kind of efficiency—in bulk.

Wide Receiver

Dez Bryant vs. New Orleans Saints

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While the Dallas Cowboys have been relying on DeMarco Murray and the running game more recently, expect Bryant to put up some big numbers against a Saints secondary that can't seem to cover much of anything recently. New Orleans is ranked 29th in the league against the pass, and the only time it faced a viable wide receiver this season, Julio Jones racked up 116 yards.

We should expect more tweets like this one from NFL on ESPN in the near future:

Bryant has found the end zone in his last two contests, racking up 192 yards in the process. At the very least, he should be able to duplicate his recent production in Week 4, finishing with a stat line hovering around 100 yards and a score.

Tight End

Jimmy Graham vs. Dallas Cowboys

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It's easy to pick Graham as the top fantasy football tight end on any given week. He's a freak athlete who can be near uncoverable for most defenses. Now, he's set to face a Cowboys secondary that allowed St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis to pass for 327 yards and three scores in Week 3. Just imagine what Drew Brees will do.

Fantasy guru John Paulsen of 4for4.com noted how heavily Brees relies on his tight end:

Graham is Brees' favorite target, and Dallas' secondary hasn't shown the capability to cover any player remotely close to the tight end's talent level. While Graham is able to go off against practically any defense, a favorable matchup against the Cowboys only increases that possibility.