2014 Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings

Since the Redskins and Ravens both played at 1:00 on Sunday, my wife and I decided to go to Buffalo Wild Wings so we could watch both.  Of course I was also interested in trying to watch every 1:00 game at the same time, so win-win-win.   There were all sorts of fans there, but not nearly enough Redskins fans for our location.  Actually, that's not true.  There were plenty of Redskins fans.  It just seemed like there were more Eagles and Cowboys fans because the few that were there were so...damn...loud.

And if you're an Eagles or Cowboys fan and reading this, no, it wasn't in a good way.  We had a whole family of Eagles fans next to us, and they were yelling and screaming at every play (good or bad for Philly).  I gave them a break because a lot of them were kids.  I mean, they were rooting along with the Browns fans making barking noises on the other side us (albeit a little premature since the game wasn't quite over, guys).  But kids get a pass.  The mom does not.  She got up and celebrated a touchdown with her oldest and ultimately fell down and hurt her knee in the middle of the restaurant.  People were rushing over and she seemed legitimately hurt, but I think she was probably more embarrassed than anything because she seemed fine ten minutes later.  And no, I wasn't happy to see someone get hurt (even an Eagles fan).  But if you saw what I saw, you would have been holding back your laughter too.

And then there were the Dallas fans.  I'd say in the whole place there might have been 8 or 10 of them, but when Tony Romo made any sort of positive play the whole place erupted in screams that would make you think we were watching The Conjuring.  Actually it was more like the people were literally in the situations in that movie, not just watching it in a theater.  Touchdown pass to Dez?  Lose their $&%#.  Four yard completion to Witten?  Lose their $&%#.  I don't get rooting for mediocrity...and I'm a REDSKINS FAN!

But I guess I'll never understand the psyche of certain people when it comes to how they root for their team.  And I don't want to group all Dallas and Philly fans together with those people on Sunday because I have friends who root for both of those teams (and others I won't speak of here).   And you guys aren't that bad...seriously.  :)

So I don't think we'll be going back there on Sundays...

Pettine needs the week off for Storage Wars.

Anyway, let's get to the rankings.  The byes start this week, and in a big way.  There are 6 teams with the week off, so these lists might get a little thin at the bottom.  But with all of the injuries (and now byes), you might be starting someone way down the lists.  Let's see, shall we?

BYES: Arizona, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, Seattle, St. Louis

QBs 1.Drew Brees 2.Philip Rivers 3.Aaron Rodgers 4.Jay Cutler 5.Matthew Stafford 6.Matt Ryan 7.Andrew Luck 8.Colin Kaepernick 9.Nick Foles 10.Tony Romo 11.Ben Roethlisberger 12.Kirk Cousins 13.Cam Newton 14.Tom Brady 15.Eli Manning 16.Teddy Bridgewater 17.Ryan Fitzpatrick 18.Alex Smith 19.Joe Flacco 20.Blake Bortles 21.Ryan Tannehill  22.EJ Manuel 23.Geno Smith 24.Mike Glennon 25.Derek Carr So Drew Brees wasn't the top fantasy QB in Week 3 (that was Andrew Luck), but my picks of Foles and Rodgers looked pretty good.  Foles went off against my Redskins and was a top-5 fantasy QB.  Cousins was too, but he was on the losing end (which means nothing in fantasy but meant everything to me in reality).  I also was down on Aaron Rodgers and didn't agree with the consensus top-3 from the ESPN experts.  He struggled against Detroit and finished as one of the worst starting QBs in fantasy for Week 3.  As for this week, I have faith that he'll bounce back this in Chicago, as I'm ranking him just behind Brees and Rivers.  In fact, you'll notice that I have 3 of the 4 NFC North QBs in my top-5, and the other one I kind of like too... I'm high on: Teddy Bridgewater (ESPN #21, ME #16)  It's Teddy Time! If you've been starting someone like Peyton Manning or Russell Wilson (maybe even Andy Dalton), then you're looking for a bye week fill-in already.  If you look at my top-15, you're likely to only be able to pick up Eli...or maybe Cousins if you were quick to the waiver wire like I was!  The next guy on my list is a rookie looking to make a big impression in his first NFL start.  Lucky for Teddy, he gets a home game against the Falcons (one of the worst-looking defenses in the league).  It's a risky start, but I think his running ability gives him top-10 upside, and he could be this year's Terrelle Pryor.  And that's not a knock on Bridgewater because with his wheels, Pryor was a serviceable fantasy QB in 2013.  Time will tell on Teddy. I'm down on: Andrew Luck (ESPN #2, ME #7)  It's déjà vu all over again.  As with Rodgers last week, I don't agree with the consensus top-3 and average ranking of #2 from the ESPN experts (this time for Luck).  The only difference this week is this: I get it.  Andrew Luck at least has been the #1 fantasy QB through 3 weeks, but I think that ends against the Titans on Sunday.  So far, Luck has faced the Broncos, Eagles, and Jags.  Do you know who the bottom 3 pass defenses in the league are right now?  You guessed it: the Broncos, Eagles, and Jags.  Of course Luck had something to do with that, and it's only Week 4...but still.  Now he faces a Tennessee team that ranks only behind the Patriots in pass defense (and fantasy points given up to opposing QBs).  It's the first division game for the Titans (and the second for Indy if you count the Jags...I kind of don't), and I think it'll be physical and potentially lower scoring than people think.  Of course I could be completely wrong here, but I don't think Luck throws for over 250 yards, and it would really surprise me this week if he had more than 2 TDs. RBs 1.DeMarco Murray 2.Le'Veon Bell 3.Matt Forte 4.LeSean McCoy 5.Eddie Lacy 6.Jamaal Charles 7.Lamar Miller 8.Alfred Morris 9.Donald Brown 10.Rashad Jennings 11.Frank Gore 12.CJ Spiller 13.Khiry Robinson 14.Matt Asiata 15.Stevan Ridley 16.Ahmad Bradshaw 17.Fred Jackson  18.Doug Martin 19.Alfred Blue 20.Pierre Thomas 21.Reggie Bush 22.Chris Ivory 23.Shane Vereen 24.Darren Sproles 25.Steven Jackson 26.Joique Bell 27.DeAngelo Williams  28.Toby Gerhart 29.Trent Richardson 30.Darren McFadden 31.Lorenzo Taliaferro 32.Shonn Greene 33.Chris Johnson 34.Bernard Pierce 35.Maurice Jones-Drew 36.Carlos Hyde  37.LeGarrette Blount 38.Branden Oliver 39.Bobby Rainey 40.Bishop Sankey 41.Jacquizz Rodgers 42.Roy Helu 43.James Starks 44.Justin Forsett  45.Andre Williams 46.Daniel Thomas  47.Dexter McCluster 48.Jerick McKinnon  49.Knile Davis 50.Denard Robinson  Don't act surprised, Arian Foster owners... For the 2nd week in a row, one of my top-3 ranked RBs didn't even play.  This time it was Arian Foster, who tested his hammy in pregame warmups only to be a late scratch against the Giants.  This week he'll likely be a game time decision again and I think Alfred Blue gets another start.  But if Foster plays, Blue barely stays in the top-50 and Arian is a must-start in the top-12.  For now, Blue seems to be in the same category as a guy like Matt Asiata.  They're getting the bulk of their team's touches, but they're not doing a ton with it.  Still, with the byes and their matchups, I can't keep them but so low.   On the other hand, Knile Davis looks like the real deal.  I'd imagine he could be a starter on a lot of teams (in real life), and he should be a starter on your fantasy team as long as Jamaal Charles isn't playing.  But Charles has been practicing, and the Chiefs don't play until Monday night in Week 4 so this one could be tricky.  If you have both Charles and Davis, you can obviously wait until Monday.  If not, you want to make sure you have another option.  As always, just keep an eye on all of the injured players, especially within an hour before kickoff. As for my Week 3 picks, I was spot on with the Cleveland RBs and dead wrong about Reggie Bush.  If you can figure out the Lion RB situation, maybe you could let me know.  I think it must come down to matchups because it's baffling me.  I feel like Joique is the better back, but maybe last week the game plan just fit Bush more.  Anyway, I was right in thinking the Browns would continue to run the ball a lot, as Crowell got 11 carries and West ran it 12 times.  Both scored rushing TDs and both should have value as long as Tate is sidelined. I'm high on: Lorenzo Taliaferro (ESPN #37, ME #31)  All of the ESPN experts have Bernard Pierce ranked higher than Taliaferro this week, and I think that makes the assumption that Pierce gets the start.  While I completely agree with that assumption, I disagree that it means Pierce will end up with more fantasy points.  He didn't look great against the Bengals or Steelers, and he sat out Week 3 with a thigh injury.  Meanwhile, the rookie out of Coastal Carolina stole the show against the Browns and likely has earned more carries in Baltimore's offense.  I think Taliaferro will out-play Pierce (and Forsett for that matter) and end up with either more fantasy points, more touches, or both against Carolina.  I also think he'll end up getting goal line carries, and as much as Baltimore has been in the red zone so far this season, I think that at least translates into a TD for Taliaferro. That being said, I still have him ranked at #31, so you may have better options.  But hey, this also gave me a chance to talk up the guy who I was saying (in the preseason!) could be this year's Zac Stacy... I'm down on: Chris Johnson (ESPN #28, ME #33)  On Tuesday, Rex Ryan suggested that "maybe Chris Ivory will get more time".  Well, he's averaging 5.7 yards/carry versus CJ?K's 3.5.  Seems like a no-brainer to me too, Rex.  This isn't a great matchup against a tough Detroit rushing defense anyway, but now it sounds like Chris Johnson might be giving up touches to Ivory.  I'd much rather start a guy like Shonn Greene or DeAngelo Williams, both of whom are expected to get the majority of their team's touches out of the backfield.  The Jets will definitely continue to run the ball a lot, but Johnson might be the #2 RB in this offense as long as Ivory stays healthy. WRs 1.Calvin Johnson 2.Dez Bryant  3.Julio Jones 4.Antonio Brown 5.Jordy Nelson 6.Brandon Marshall 7.Jeremy Maclin 8.Alshon Jeffery 9.Michael Crabtree 10.Julian Edelman 11.Mike Wallace 12.Victor Cruz 13.Randall Cobb 14.Andre Johnson 15.Pierre Garcon 16.Keenan Allen 17.Brandin Cooks 18.Steve Smith 19.Cordarrelle Patterson 20.Vincent Jackson  21.DeSean Jackson 22.Roddy White 23.Kelvin Benjamin 24.Marques Colston 25.DeAndre Hopkins 26.Reggie Wayne 27.Golden Tate  28.T.Y. Hilton 29.Sammy Watkins 30.Markus Wheaton 31.James Jones 32.Kendall Wright 33.Terrance Williams 34.Cecil Shorts 35.Greg Jennings 36.Eric Decker 37.Anquan Boldin 38.Malcolm Floyd 39.Torrey Smith 40.Allen Robinson 41.Jordan Matthews 42.Eddie Royal 43.Rueben Randle 44.Dwayne Bowe 45.Mike Evans 46.Jeremy Kerley   47.Justin Hunter 48.Allen Hurns 49.Riley Cooper 50.Hakeem Nicks Last week, my pick of T.Y. Hilton (ESPN #32, ME #22) was looking pretty good until he left the game with an ankle injury just before halftime.  In fewer than 2 quarters, Hilton had five catches for 80 yards.  It's too bad he wasn't able to play the whole game and get one of Luck's 4 TD passes (and make my pick look good in the process).  Oh well.  As for the guy I was down on, Michael Floyd actually ended up right around where the ESPN experts predicted (21st).  Now it sounds like Carson Palmer may be back after Arizona's Week 4 bye, so I doubt I'll have Floyd ranked that low moving forward. I'm high on: Brandin Cooks (ESPN #24, ME #17)  People seem to have no problem ranking Steve Smith well above Torrey Smith, but for the most part they are still ranking Colston over Cooks.  Maybe the experts are more comfortable ranking the veteran higher, but Cooks appears to be more of a favorite of Brees these days.  I think New Orleans will score plenty of points in Dallas this weekend, and I like for Cooks to go for over 100 total yards and find the endzone.  With so many targets going to Graham, the rookie is likely to be up and down this year.  But for now, he's getting plenty of targets too.  I'd start him on Sunday night. I'm down on: Justin Hunter (ESPN #39, ME #47)  Not only do the ESPN experts have Justin Hunter at an average ranking of #39, but Matthew Berry has him all the way up at #33!  Maybe he knows something I don't, but I know that Hunter is averaging fewer than 3 catches in each of his first 3 games.  I suppose he has that big play ability, and Indy's pass D would appear susceptible to that.  But he hasn't shown it yet, and Charlie Whitehurst is likely to get the start this week with Locker banged up.  There are just too many guys I'd take a chance on above him to have Hunter anywhere near my top-40.  If he proves me wrong this week, I'll move him slightly back up my rankings.  For now, the preseason sleeper will have to continue his slumber. TEs 1.Jimmy Graham 2.Rob Gronkowski 3.Antonio Gates 4.Greg Olsen 5.Martellus Bennett 6.Delanie Walker 7.Niles Paul  8.Vernon Davis 9.Zach Ertz  10.Travis Kelce 11.Larry Donnell 12.Jason Witten 13.Ladarius Green 14.Owen Daniels 15.Heath Miller After dropping the easy TD, Cook proceeded to shove his QB... A couple of guys who had better fantasy days than even Jimmy Graham in Week 3 were those who I talked up and liked more than the experts: Niles Paul and Jared Cook.  Kirk Cousins continued to look to his tight end quite a bit, and Paul turned 9 targets into 6 catches for 68 yards.  The only other TE to get that many targets was Jared Cook, who actually had 7 catches for 75 yards and nearly a TD. Anyway, I also suggested last week that you consider hot hands like Larry Donnell and Travis Kelce over a guy struggling to get targets like veteran Jason Witten.  Donnell lost a fumble against the Texans, so he only ended up with 2-3 fantasy points, but Kelce had 36 yards and a TD.  Meanwhile, Witten had his best game of the season so far.  However, that was still only 4 catches for 49 yards.  We'll see if he can get a few more looks under the lights against the Saints this week, but Witten could be on the waiver wire in a lot of leagues if he can't get things going. Dennis Pitta injured the same hip that kept him out most of last season, and now he's out again.  Insert Owen Daniels, who now cracks my top-15.  I considered ranking Indy's TEs (both of whom scored TDs last week), but it's hard to rank one or the other and I'm not comfortable ranking both that high.  However, with San Diego's nice home matchup against the Jags, I am ranking both Charger TEs.  If this one is a blowout like everyone thinks, you could see Green getting more 2nd half snaps than Gates. DEF 1.Texans 2.Chargers 3.Patriots 4.Lions 5.Panthers 6.Dolphins 7.Ravens 8.Colts 9.Bills 10.49ers 11.Steelers 12.Redskins 13.Raiders 14.Bears 15.Saints Week 3 was a pretty good week for defenses in general, as more than half of the teams got double-digit points based on my Yahoo league's scoring.  Of course the scoring may be different in your league, but compared to Week 2 it's a lot (only 12 teams with double digit fantasy points in Week 2 compared to 18 last week).  That being said, my picks weren't great because I was high on the Saints (10 points) and down on the Broncos (12 points).  Denver was able to get a lot of their points late into the 4th quarter.  But hey, it still counts.  Meanwhile, the Saints held the Vikings to just three FGs, but they weren't able to get to the QB or force turnovers.  I still think they were good picks, but they just didn't quite work out! I'm high on: Houston Texans (ESPN #5, ME #1)  This week I'm talking up my #1 pick in this category, and no expert seems to like Houston to be the best in Week 4.  Maybe I'm biased because I saw a game there in Week 1, but that crowd is loud at NRG Stadium and I think the Texans have a nice little home field advantage with their own 12 man.  Look, I was as surprised as anyone to see the Bills win at Soldier Field in Week 1, but they looked more like what I was expecting as they were dominated by the Chargers last week.   EJ Manuel hasn't been playing great, and he's on a short leash with the veteran Kyle Orton waiting to take over if needed.  I think the Texans will force a couple of turnovers in this one and keep the score low.  I'm down on: Pittsburgh Steelers (ESPN #4, #11)  What is this, the mafia? I realize this is a nice home matchup against a struggling Tampa Bay team, but the Steelers are decimated on the defensive side of the ball.  In the game against Carolina, they lost Ike Taylor and Jarvis Jones for months due to arm injuries, and they've already ruled out Ryan Shazier for this week's game against Tampa Bay.  Speaking of the Bucs, they're coming off an embarrassing loss to the Falcons and will now be led once again by Mike Glennon.  Some may see this as a downgrade, but he looked decent in Atlanta once McCown went out with the injury, and he'll likely be trying to show he can be the starting QB for the rest of the season.  I still like Pittsburgh to win this game, but I think it could be something like 31-27, and I'm not sure the Steelers are able to put up a ton of points as a fantasy defense in this one. That's it for Week 4.  Good luck everyone (except you, Billy). Cheers, Bart