Fantasy Football Week 4: Mike Vick and 3 Stars You Can't Depend On

You drafted your fantasy studs highly for a reason. You were hoping and expecting that they would be among the highest-scoring players in the league.

The following three players were drafted very highly in most—if not all—fantasy drafts, but you won't be able to count on them in Week 4. I'm not advocating benching them, since they are your studs, but I'd be prepared to get underwhelming results from them.

Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

Vick is dealing with two different ailments. Two weeks ago, he was shaken up and suffered a concussion. He recovered from that enough to play last week. During that game, though, he was slowed by a hand injury. It was thought to be broken at the time, but now we know that it was "only" bruised.

Vick, for what it's worth, says that he is certain that he will play. I'm betting that what he says is correct, but I'm not willing to bet that he'll be effective. Given how beaten up he is, he will certainly be dreading that first hit. Even as aggressive as Vick normally is, it wouldn't surprise me if he were a little timid.

Then there's the risk of re-injury. Based on the fact that he bruised his hand so badly that it forced him out of last week's game, one can assume that it was a bad bruise. If that was indeed the case, it wouldn't be hard to re-injure that hand. 

Arian Foster, Houston Texans

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Arian Foster has been working his way back from a tight hamstring all week and he is confident that he'll play this Sunday. If you've heard that one before, it's because it's what we've been hearing all season.

Each time Foster has tried to come back, he has played effectively for a stretch, but is then sidelined again after his hamstring tightens up. What evidence is there that this time will be different?

Even if Foster is back on the field and healthy, he won't be the focal point of the offense. The Texans' passing game is among the best in the league and Ben Tate is too good to bench upon Foster's return. 

Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Johnson is the only person on this list that doesn't have an injury concern. Johnson just simply hasn't been any good this season. Through three games, the Titans running back has yet to crack 100 yards. I'm not saying that he is yet to run for 100 yards in one game—although that is true as well—I'm saying that he is yet to run for 100 yards in total.

You have to think that this is a product of his holdout. With no organized team activities or mini-camps, preparation for the players were already cut short. Johnson's contract holdout cut it even shorter. Thankfully for the Titans, Matt Hasselbeck has been better than advertised.

Johnson has a good matchup this week, as the Titans take on the Cleveland Browns, but I'm not sure he will be able to take advantage. So far, he is averaging just a shade over two yards per rush. He has a long way to go before he is back to his old form.