If a wide receiver was struggling or coming back from an injury, there was a high chance he either caught two touchdowns, had 100 receiving yards, or both last week. Odell Beckham Jr., Jordy Nelson, A.J. Green, Brandin Cooks, Sammy Watkins, T.Y. Hilton and others finally broke out of their rut with big days, and as you can see in our Week 4 WR rankings, we expect some of these players to pick up off where they left off.
Last week, we mentioned that three straight poor or good performances could cause some major shifts, and it has happened. Terrelle Pryor can't seem to mesh with Kirk Cousins, and the Giants held Alshon Jeffrey to a meager 5.6 fantasy points. On the good side, Stefon Diggs makes a jump into the top 20 after going off with Case Keenum still under center. Allen Hurns has scored a touchdown and received plenty of targets in two straight weeks since Allen Robinson's injury. Three straight weeks might turn this trend into a habit.
Like usual, we are still waiting on injury updates on several players, including Sammy Watkins (concussion), Michael Crabtree (chest), Doug Baldwin (groin), Kelvin Benjamin (knee), Julio Jones (back), and more, and we'll changed our analysis and rankings accordingly.
WEEK 4 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Willie Snead returns to the Saints from his suspension, and if you're worried he'll steal looks from Michael Thomas, put those worries to rest. He'll likely make Brandon Coleman and Ted Ginn Jr. less relevant. Despite some big-name matchups against strong passing defenses, we believe that the big-name receivers will get their fair share of points like, Julio Jones vs. Bills, Brandin Cooks vs. Panthers, and Tyreek Hill vs. Redskins.
Reminder: We'll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often.
WEEK 4 DFS:
DraftKings cash lineup | DK GPP | FD GPP | FD cash | Yahoo GPP | Top values | Top stacks | DFS lineup builder
Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings: WRs
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| 1 | Jordy Nelson, Packers vs. Bears |
| 2 | Odell Beckham Jr., Giants @ Bucs. Beckham came back in a big way against the Eagles, and he should continue that against a Bucs defense that made Stefon Diggs the highest scoring WR in Week 3. |
| 3 | A.J. Green, Bengals @ Browns |
| 4 | Antonio Brown, Steelers @ Ravens |
| 5 | Julio Jones, Falcons vs. Bills |
| 6 | Dez Bryant, Cowboys vs. Rams. Other than that touchdown catch, run, and push by the offensive lineman, Bryant was quiet vs.the Cardinals. The Rams struggled on the road last week, and Bryant could get a ton of targets behind a Cowboys team that seems to throw the ball more lately. |
| 7 | Doug Baldwin, Seahawks vs. Colts. Where Russell Wilson goes, Baldwin follows. The Colts is a savory matchup, and Wilson should shine, which means Baldwin does as well. |
| 8 | Michael Thomas, Saints vs. Dolphins (in London) |
| 9 | DeAndre Hopkins, Texans vs. Titans |
| 10 | Brandin Cooks, Patriots vs. Panthers |
| 11 | Keenan Allen, Chargers vs. Eagles |
| 12 | Tyreek Hill, Chiefs vs. Redskins |
| 13 | DeVante Parker, Dolphins vs. Saints (in London) |
| 14 | Alshon Jeffery, Eagles @ Chargers |
| 15 | Mike Evans, Bucs vs. Giants |
| 16 | Stefon Diggs, Vikings vs. Lions. Case Keenum or Sam Bradford, it doesn't matter. Diggs is a big play machine, and he'll continue to be whoever is at quarterback. |
| 17 | Davante Adams, Packers vs. Bears |
| 18 | Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals vs. 49ers |
| 19 | Demaryius Thomas, Broncos vs. Raiders. Thomas has at least five receptions and 60-plus yards each week so far this season, but he has yet to find the end zone. Expect Thomas to break that this week along with his usual line against a weak Raiders secondary. |
| 20 | Michael Crabtree, Raiders @ Broncos. Much of this ranking will depend on his status for Week 4, but if Crabtree (chest) plays, he's a sure bet for a ton of targets and red-zone looks. |
| 21 | Golden Tate, Lions @ Vikings |
| 22 | Terrelle Pryor Sr., Redskins @ Chiefs. He hasn't led the team in targets since Week 1, and the Chiefs have given up a touchdown to a WR once in three weeks. Chiefs are solid at stopping opposing QBs, and Cousins could struggle, making life even tougher for Pryor. |
| 23 | Jarvis Landry, Dolphins vs. Saints (in London) Despite the dreary preseason outlook, Landry is leading the team in receptions and targets, and it should continue against a weak Saints pass-defense. |
| 24 | Amari Cooper, Raiders @ Broncos. It was a baffling show by Cooper Sunday night vs. the Redskins, and his performance against the Jets in Week 2 was also questionable. This week, the Raiders have a tough road game against the Broncos, where Derek Carr has struggled in the past. Cooper may continue this slide. |
| 25 | Sammy Watkins, Rams @ Cowboys |
| 26 | Martavis Bryant, Steelers @ Ravens |
| 27 | Adam Thielen, Vikings vs. Lions |
| 28 | Emmanuel Sanders, Broncos vs. Raiders. Sanders had 15 targets in Week 3, leading the team in targets now. Trevor Siemian is throwing the ball much more this year, and Sanders is benefitting from it. The Raiders secondary is still weak, and Sanders will rack up the targets. |
| 29 | T.Y. Hilton, Colts @ Seahawks. Hilton finally broke out in Week 3, but it was against the Browns. The Seahawks' defense is a tad bit better, and they're even better at home. Hilton should still get a respectable amount of points, but his ceiling is pretty limited. |
| 30 | Chris Hogan, Patriots vs. Panthers |
| 31 | Allen Hurns, Jaguars @ Jets. Back-to-back TDs for Hurns since Allen Robinson's injury boosts his stock, and the Jets are the eighth-worst in FPPG to opposing WRs. The Jets did come off a near shutout, but do you believe they can do it in back-to-back weeks after that showing in London by the Jaguars? |
| 32 | Rishard Matthews, Titans @ Texans |
| 33 | J.J. Nelson, Cardinals vs. 49ers. Don't be discouraged by zero catches on three targets on Monday night. He nearly came away with two catches for over 30 yards, including one for a touchdown. Palmer is looking to him for the big plays, and the 49ers have given up a good amount of those so far this season. |
| 34 | Pierre Garcon, 49ers @ Cardinals |
| 35 | Devin Funchess, Panthers @ Patriots. The Panthers lost Greg Olsen and now Kelvin Benjamin might be missing some time with an injury. After Benjamin's injury vs. the Saints, Funchess had double the targets than any other Panthers receiver. The Patriots are seventh-worst in fantasy vs. |
| 36 | DeSean Jackson, Bucs vs. Giants |
| 37 | Marvin Jones Jr., Lions @ Vikings |
| 38 | Marqise Lee, Jaguars @ Jets. Since the Allen Robinson injury, Lee has led the team in targets and receiving yards. As stated with Hurns, the Jets struggle to stop WRs, so if QB Blake Bortles has a good day, Lee will as well. |
| 39 | Jeremy Maclin, Ravens vs. Steelers. It was a disaster in London, and Maclin managed one catch for eight yards, even with basically an entire second half of garbage time. The Steelers have given up 15.5 FPPG to WRs in three games, making this week even bleaker. |
| 40 | Kenny Britt, Browns vs. Bengals |
| 41 | Rashard Higgins, Browns vs. Bengals |
| 42 | Robby Anderson, Jets vs. Jaguars |
| 43 | Jamison Crowder, Redskins @ Chiefs |
| 44 | Tyrell Williams, Chargers vs. Eagles |
| 46 | Jaron Brown, Cardinals vs. 49ers |
| 47 | Kenny Stills, Dolphins vs. Saints (in London) Don't call it a revenge game for Kenny Stills, but to think he won't be targeted for one or two deep plays would be silly. He got an unusual 10 targets last week, but like usual, Stills is a boom-or-bust play that feels closer to a boom than bust. |
| 48 | Will Fuller V, Texans vs. Titans. He's baaack. It's an unexpected, but pleasant surprise for the Texans to beat him original timetable between Week 5 to 8. Like Snead, it's wait and see, but he'll be heavily used in the gameplan. |
| 49 | Cooper Kupp, Rams @ Cowboys |
| 50 | Randall Cobb, Packers vs. Bears |
| 51 | Danny Amendola, Patriots vs. Panthers |
| 52 | Jermaine Kearse, Jets vs. Jaguars |
| 53 | Brandon Marshall, Giants vs. Bucs |
| 54 | Paul Richardson, Seahawks vs. Colts |
| 55 | Jordan Matthews, Bills @ Falcons. The Falcons struggled against the pass, excluding the one week they faced Mike Glennon, this season, Matthews has over 100 yards more than any other Bills WR and is one target shy of the team-lead among WRs. |
| 56 | Kenny Golladay, Lions @ Vikings. Golladay has been virtually shut down after the Week 1 outburst of two touchdowns. The Vikings average the second-most points to opposing WRs so far this year, so Golladay might reappear this week. |
| 57 | Tyler Lockett, Seahawks vs. Colts |
| 58 | Mohamed Sanu, Falcons vs. Bills |
| 59 | Sterling Shepard, Giants @ Bucs |
| 60 | Taylor Gabriel, Falcons vs. Bills |
| 61 | Cole Beasley, Cowboys vs. Rams |
| 62 | Nelson Agholor, Eagles @ Chargers |
| 63 | Ted Ginn Jr., Saints vs. Dolphins (in London) |
| 64 | Eric Decker, Titans @ Texans |
| 65 | Donte Moncrief, Colts @ Seahawks |
| 66 | Kendall Wright, Bears @ Packers |
| 67 | Zay Jones, Bills @ Falcons |
| 68 | Marquise Goodwin, 49ers @ Cardinals |
| 69 | Mike Wallace, Ravens vs. Steelers |
| 70 | Brandon LaFell, Bengals @ Browns |
| 71 | Phillip Dorsett, Patriots vs. Panthers |
| 72 | Kendall Wright, Bears @ Packers |
| 73 | Deonte Thompson, Bears @ Packers |
| 74 | Brandon Coleman, Saints vs. Dolphins (in London) |
| 75 | Russell Shepard, Panthers @ Patriots |