Fantasy Football Week 4 Cheat Sheet: Flex Rankings, Projections for Waiver Adds

Prior to Week 3, we talked about how injuries can wreck any fantasy football roster.

While the number of injuries was not as high in Week 3 as it was the previous week, fantasy players constantly have to go to the waiver wire if they want to upgrade their roster or provide major overhauls.

That's the majority of players. Even if you were happy with what you did on draft day, the likelihood that you remain thrilled after the first three weeks is quite unlikely. If 5 percent of the players out there are not tinkering with their roster, we would be surprised.

The biggest injury development of Week 3 was the MCL injury suffered by Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Big Ben will be out of action for "probably six weeks," per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Mike Tomlin has handed over the quarterback reins to to Mike Vick, and it's hard to believe that move will have positive fantasy ramifications. 

While Vick is working with an extremely talented duo of superstars in Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown and a productive group of secondary contributors including tight end Heath Miller, there is no guarantee that Vick will step in and deliver. He has had severe turnover problems in recent years and that could remain an issue as he lines up under center in Pittsburgh.

In this piece, we offer our projections for the best waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 4, as well as our flex projections.

Position	Player	Team	Week 4 Opponent
QB	Derek Carr	Oakland Raiders	Chicago Bears
QB	Mike Vick	Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens
QB	Tyrod Taylor	Buffalo Bills	N.Y. Giants
QB	Andy Dalton	Cincinnati Bengals	Kansas City Chiefs
RB	Joseph Randle	Dallas Cowboys	Atlanta Falcons
RB	Karlos Williams	Buffalo Bills	N.Y. Giants
RB	Thomas Rawls	Seattle Seahawks	Detroit Lions
RB	Ryan Mathews	Philadelphia Eagles	Washington Redskins
WR	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Carolina Panthers
WR	Rishard Matthews	Miami Dolphins	N.Y. Jets
WR	Donte Moncrief	Indianapolis Colts	Jacksonville Jaguars
WR	Marvin Jones	Cincinnati Bengals	Kansas City Chiefs
TE	Jordan Reed	Washington Redskins	Philadelphia Eagles
TE	Gary Barnidge	Cleveland Browns	San Diego Chargers
TE	Eric Ebron	Detroit Lions	Seattle Seahawks

QB Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

It's time to start paying attention to the Oakland Raiders, and this appears to be the season that they can turn things around.

The Raiders have lost 10 games or more in 10 of the last 12 seasons, and one of the primary reasons for this has been the dearth of talent at the skill positions. That's no longer the case as the Raiders have their own version of the triplets with Derek Carr, running back Latavius Murray and wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Carr paid his dues as a rookie as he hung in for a full season, took a massive number of hits and made mistakes, but managed to survive and learn. He is a much better quarterback this year, and that's the result of greater confidence and his ability to read defenses and make the correct decision. It also results from having a stud receiver like Cooper getting open.

Carr has completed 57-of-90 passes for 726 yards with five TDs and just one interception. Carr has a chance to have his best game of the season this week as the Raiders travel to Chicago to take on the listless Bears, who are starting to unload their players and build for the future.

The 3-1 Raiders? Get ready for it.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

RB Joseph Randle, Dallas Cowboys

It looked like it took Joseph Randle a couple of weeks to realize he was the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys, but the message came across loud and clear prior to their Week 3 game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Perhaps it was the injuries to Tony Romo and Dez Bryant that drove the realization home for Randle. Without those two stars, he has to find a way to carry the Dallas offense as much as he can. He certainly did as he ran for 87 yards on 14 carries while scoring three touchdowns. 

While the Cowboys' offense was bogged down in the second half, head coach Jason Garrett realizes that Randle has the speed and breakaway ability to become a huge factor in Week 4 against New Orleans. The Saints rank 27th in overall defense and 25th against the run, so look for the Cowboys to attack with the hard-running Randle for 60 minutes. He should get at least 20 carries in this game.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

WR Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Those of you who drafted Mike Evans and held on to him even though he didn't play in Week 1 and was used in limited fashion in Week 2 got their reward as he was targeted 17 times in Week 3 against the Houston Texans.

Evans caught seven of those passes for 101 yards, and it should get a lot better for him in Week 4 as the Bucs take on the undefeated Carolina Panthers.

Full credit to Ron Rivera for getting the most out of his team in the first three weeks of the season, but the Panthers are vulnerable. While they rank seventh in overall defense, they are 14th against the pass. The 6'5", 231-pound Evans has the size and strength to put on a show against the Panthers. 

Look for Evans to have double-digit catches at home against the Panthers.

TE Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins

The Redskins may be catching the Philadelphia Eagles at the wrong time, because the Eagles managed to get their first victory in Week 3 against the New York Jets.

However, while the Eagles scored a 24-17 victory, quarterback Sam Bradford still has not found his stride, and that means the Eagles have had a tough time moving the ball and scoring. They are giving the ball back to their opponents after three-and-outs or short possessions with regularity. That should play right into the hands of Washington tight end Jordan Reed.

Reed is the Redskins' leading receiver through the first three weeks of the season with 19 receptions for 241 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles pass defense should give him a solid opportunity to add to those totals, as they rank 22nd against the pass. 

The Eagles will find a way to win this game, but Reed will have at least six catches and find his way into the end zone.

Position	Player	Team
WR	Julio Jones	Atlanta Falcons
RB	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
WR	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	N.Y. Giants
RB	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh Steelers
WR	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals
RB	Latavius Murray	Oakland Raiders
WR	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos
TE	Greg Olsen	Carolina Panthers
RB	Devonta Freeman	Atlanta Falcons