Fantasy Football Week 4: 3 Shootouts That Will Produce Big Fantasy Numbers

Shootouts are a fantasy football owner's heaven. Unless of course, your defense/special teams units are on the field. In every other case, if you have two or more players involved in a contest like this, it can win the week for you.

There are a few games on the Week 4 schedule that should produce that type of a opportunity. Here are Week 4's potential fantasy explosion games.

Buffalo at Cincinnati

One of the NFL's most explosive offenses also has allowed been near the bottom when it comes to defense as well. The Buffalo Bills and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick have torched teams through the first three games.

I don't see the Cincinnati Bengals being capable of slowing this attack which also features the NFL's fourth-leading rusher in Fred Jackson.

On the other side, rookie QB Andy Dalton has been steady and the Bills defense has given up plenty of passing yardage all season. This could be the day Dalton to AJ Green becomes a major connection.

Likely Beneficiaries: Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson, Bernard Scott, Andy Dalton and AJ Green  

Pittsburgh at Houston

There was once a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers' participation in a shootout would be one-sided. The Steelers D is still formidable but it is aging, and the Texans offense is serious.

Houston RB Arian Foster will be returning but I don't expect him to log a ton of carries. Ben Tate has been too good in his stead to limit him under 10 touches. Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter and Owen Daniels should be popular.

The Steeler attack has had to do it without major contributions from RB Rashard Mendenhall. I don't seem him having a bust-out performance here either. 

The Texans should score early at home and the Steelers will have to throw it to stay close. That is where the points will come. This one will probably be in the high-20s to mid-30s for both teams.

Likely Beneficiaries: Schaub, Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Johnson, Walter and Daniels

New England at Oakland

The Patriots secondary has been nearly as bad as Tom Brady and the offense has been good. The Pats will always score points and the Raider running game has been explosive. Oakland RB Darren McFadden is leading the league in rushing with a smoking 393 yards.

That production has opened opportunities for signal-caller Jason Campbell and his athletic receivers—the Raiders just haven't taken advantage of them.

They'll attempt to take the air out of the ball, but Oakland will force their hand against the vulnerable New England secondary. This one probably says shootout as much as any game on the schedule.

The Raiders probably can't keep up the pace, but it should fun to watch and full of fantasy points.

Likely Beneficiaries: Brady, Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski, Campbell, Denarius Moore, McFadden and Marcel Reece.