Fantasy Football Week 4: Top 50 Players for Flex and PPR Rankings

Fantasy football managers are finally getting a feel for their teams, identifying their top contributors and lineup mainstays going forward.

But now they have to deal with bye weeks.

Although it feels like the season just started yesterday, the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans must already take their mandatory break. Gamers can live a week without Marcus Mariota, Kendall Wright and Delanie Walker, but New England's absence deals a major blow to several lineups.

In addition to losing Tom Brady, the flex pool gets drained without Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount. Opposing defenses are relieved to see those guys resting at home, but their fantasy managers must dig through their reinforcements before the competition begins.

For a helping hand during these trying times, let's take an early look at Week 4's flex rankings for standard and point-per-reception leagues.

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
2	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
3	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
4	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
5	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
6	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC
7	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
8	Arian Foster, RB, HOU	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
9	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
10	Matt Forte, RB, CHI	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
11	Randall Cobb, WR, GB	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
12	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	Arian Foster, RB, HOU
13	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	Matt Forte, RB, CHI
14	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
15	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
16	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
17	Frank Gore, RB, IND	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
18	Joseph Randle, RB, DAL	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
19	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
20	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF	Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL
21	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
22	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
23	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD	Frank Gore, RB, IND
24	Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA	Joseph Randle, RB, DAL
25	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI
26	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
27	Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD
28	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
29	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Mike Evans, WR, TB
30	Karlos Williams, RB, BUF	Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA
31	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
32	Keenan Allen, WR, SD	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI
33	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
34	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC
35	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
36	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
37	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO
38	Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI	Karlos Williams, RB, BUF
39	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE	Jimmy Graham, TE, SEA
40	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND
41	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC	Pierre Garcon, WR, WAS
42	Martellus Bennett, TE, CHI	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
43	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND	James Jones, WR, GB
44	Matt Jones, RB, WAS	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
45	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	Greg Olsen, TE, CAR
46	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN	Martellus Bennett, TE, CHI
47	Travis Kelce, TE, KC	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
48	T.J. Yeldon, RB, JAC	Travis Kelce, TE, KC
49	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC
50	James Jones, WR, GB	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ

So much for the Dallas Cowboys running back timeshare. While Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar remain active participants in the offense, Joseph Randle has ran away with the leading role.

In Week 3's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the 23-year-old recorded 87 yards on 14 carries. To the delight of his owners and dismay of his adversaries, he also earned a touchdown hat trick, his first three of the young season.

However, he also faded down the stretch. NFL.com's Matt Harmon broke down Randle's carry-by-carry production:

"

Joseph Randle's yards gained on each of his 14 carries from yesterday: 28, 37, 20, 1, -1, 1, 4, 1, 0, 1, -1, -4, 2, -2

— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) September 28, 2015"

Pump the brakes on Randle's ascendance to stardom, but he's certainly a viable play among a drought of reliable rushers. He's averaging 4.2 yards per run behind a stout offensive line, and Dallas will run plenty without Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. His 48 carries may not seem like much, but only eight backs have received more.

The New Orleans Saints rank No. 26 against the run while yielding 4.2 yards per rush, so use Randle comfortably as a No. 2 running back. 

Gail Burton/Associated Press

For an old man who's about to hang up his cleats, Steve Smith Sr. can still rack up fantasy points. Over the past two weeks, the 36-year-old wide receiver has compiled 23 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns.

With Breshad Perriman injured and the running game floundering, the Baltimore Ravens are leaning heavily on Smith, who was given 17 targets in Week 3 after receiving 16 the previous game. He has accounted for 40.4 percent of Baltimore's passing offense, with Kamar Aiken's six catches and 88 yards rating second among the team's wideouts.

“The issue is, when we have Steve, you can’t not find ways to get him the ball,” Joe Flacco told BaltimoreRavens.com's Ryan Mink regarding his efforts to spread the wealth. “A lot of the plays in our game plan, you say ‘OK, let’s make them for Steve because he’s really good.'"

Yet it's not merely a buffet of short plays. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith has accumulated 168 yards after the catch, good for third behind Oakland's Amari Cooper and Atlanta's Julio Jones. Against the Cincinnati Bengals, he did all the work on a highlight-reel 50-yard touchdown: 

Before anointing him the year's biggest steal, he amassed three of last season's four 100-yard outings in September. The same relentless tenacity that endears him to onlookers will also take its toll on the undersized receiver. That regression, however, probably won't come on Thursday night.

Opponents have completed 72 percent of their passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who enjoyed a reprieve against the middling St. Louis Rams. This could become a throwback 13-10 grind without Ben Roethlisberger, but Smith will get plenty of opportunities to dissect a shaky secondary.

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The Philadelphia Eagles have hemorrhaged massive gains to opposing No. 1 wide receivers this month. It's one thing to get shredded by Julio Jones, but Terrance Williams and Brandon Marshall also shined as de facto top targets.

If DeSean Jackson misses his third straight game, Pierre Garcon finds himself in a similar situation for Washington. But according the team's Twitter account, head coach Jay Gruden isn't ruling Jackson out yet:

As Kirk Cousins' go-to wideout, Garcon has caught 17 yards for 161 yards. He'll never go bonkers and single-handedly win a matchup, but PPR owners should take solace in a safe choice for five or six catches and decent yardage.

Without Jackson, he's a golden play. Should the former Eagle return to face his old squad, he's a standard-scoring starter with immense upside. Although his presence would hurt Garcon's stock, he'd remain a playable flex option against a team he roughed up for 15 catches and 199 yards through two meetings last year.