Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings: Targets for This Week's Injured Stars

It wouldn't be professional football without a litany of developing injuries for fans and fantasy football owners to exhaust themselves speculating over. We're not even a quarter of the way through the season, and the NFL has already seen an assortment of established and upcoming stars go down.

Big names like Saquon Barkley (high-ankle sprain, four to eight weeks) and Drew Brees (torn thumb ligament, six weeks) are out for extended periods. Upcoming names like Terry McLaurin (hamstring injury) and Taylor Gabriel (concussion) are questionable for Week 4.

Some guys who were limited in practice but are expected to play include Devin Singletary, Case Keenum and Mark Andrews. As for the stars who are injured for Week 4, here are who fantasy owners should be targeting as possible replacements. Ownership percentages are based on Yahoo's fantasy leagues.

Drew Brees, QB, NO; Ben Roethlisberger, QB, PIT

Brees is out for around six weeks with a ligament issue in his thumb. Ben Roethlisberger, meanwhile, had elbow surgery and is out for the season. This leaves at least two owners in each fantasy football league in need of replacements. 

Fortunately, Week 4 has a variety of quarterbacks who might be available to get picked up and started in fantasy.

Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts, 33 percent owned) faces the Oakland Raiders, whose already weak secondary is without rookie first-rounder Johnathan Abram. Matt Stafford (Detroit Lions, 56 percent owned) faces the Kansas City Chiefs at home in a game with major shootout potential.

Finally, both Case Keenum (Washington Redskins, 14 percent owned) and Daniel Jones (New York Giants, 63 percent owned) are viable starts, as they face off in a matchup between two porous secondaries.

Saquon Barkley, RB, NYG

The best running back in the NFL, Barkley, is out for at least four weeks with a high-ankle sprain. The obvious replacement is his literal replacement, Wayne Gallman (New York Giants, 76 percent owned), who is in line for a huge workload as the team's only other viable back.

If you weren't able to snag Gallman, then backs like Darrel Williams (Kansas City Chiefs, 49 percent owned), Rex Burkhead (New England Patriots, 41 percent owned) and Ronald Jones (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41 percent owned) can be acquired on a budget and have legitimate upside.

Damien Williams, RB, KC

Speaking of Williams in the Kansas City backfield, starting running back Damien Williams hasn't practiced after missing the Chiefs' Week 3 game and is likely out for Sunday's matchup against the Detroit Lions. This puts the aforementioned Darrel Williams, who turned nine carries and five targets into 109 yards in Week 3, in line for another sizable workload (especially with LeSean McCoy also somewhat banged up). 

Burkhead earned more opportunities than Sony Michel in Week 3, and Ronald Jones out-produced Peyton Barber, so each remains a viable option if you are struggling at RB.

Michael Gallup, WR, DAL

Michael Gallup is going to miss Week 4 as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery on his knee. The Dallas Stars' other starter, Amari Cooper, underwent a precautionary MRI for an ankle injury and may also be hobbled Sunday.

That means Devin Smith (8 percent owned) could get the opportunity to capitalize against a disappointing New Orleans secondary in Week 4. Smith is 6'1", has second-round pedigree and has turned eight targets over the past two games into 113 yards and one touchdown. 

Tyreek Hill, WR, KC

As Tyreek Hill continues to recover from a sternoclavicular joint injury, Mecole Hardman (64 percent owned) and DeMarcus Robinson (74 percent owned) are the obvious replacements who should have been taken off of waivers weeks ago. For Hill owners who are continuing to struggle at the position, two intriguing options for Week 4, depending on McLaurin's status, are Paul Richardson Jr. (15 percent owned) and Trey Quinn (1 percent owned). 

If McLaurin is out for Week 4, then eight targets are up for grabs. Quinn is already averaging 6.7 targets per game, and Richardson is averaging 6.3, so the additional volume could turn them into viable starters.