Fantasy Football Outlook: Week 4

(The Verge) – After a crazy week 3 in the NFL season, I’m sure there are many of you out there who are scratching your heads wondering, “Am I ever going to win in my fantasy football league?” I can tell you from my own experience, I am one of those people. This year, nothing is a given. If you are one of those people who drafted a big name quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady, you must be disappointed. Heading into this week, Brees, despite playing poorly, was ranked as the number 3 quarterback, while Rodgers and Brady were ranked 14 and 15 respectfully. On the other hand, rookie Robert Griffin III and Matt Ryan, typically quarterbacks drafted after the 7th or 8th round, are ranked number 1 and 2. Quarterbacks are not the only issues surrounding fantasy football owners, however. Key players such as Matt Forte, Fred Jackson, CJ Spiller, Reggie Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw, and Steven Jackson are all battling injuries. How are you going to replace big time players like that? Let’s take a look at the running back rankings: Heading into week 3, CJ Spiller was the top back followed by the former underachiever, Reggie Bush. Are you kidding me? Now that I’m done ranting about rankings; let’s take a look at my fantasy outlook for Week 4 Quarterback and Running Backs:

Quarterbacks:
Look for these quarterbacks to steal the headlines in week 4: Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, and Robert Griffin III. Aaron Rodgers is still the best quarterback in the league hands down. Do not panic despite a lackluster performance against the Bears. Next week, he’s got the 0-3 Saints with their 31st ranked fantasy defense. Look for Rodgers to light it up for 300+ yards in a shootout with Brees. Matt Ryan draws the Carolina Panthers defense, a defense that just gave up 36 points to the Giants who were missing Ahmad Bradshaw, and Hakeem Nicks on offense. If you own Matt Ryan in fantasy, you better start him next week. Lastly, you have Robert Griffin III, the number 1 ranked quarterback in fantasy. He will go up against the Buccaneers who recently allowed 510 passing yards from Eli Manning. You know what to do.
Running Backs:
Jamaal Charles looked like a monster this past week. He gained 233 yards on 33 carries with an 80 yard touchdown run. Now the back-up Peyton Hillis has an ankle injury. Expect Charles to be force-fed next week with rewarding results for fantasy owners. On another note, Michael Turner looked back in form. Despite a poor 2.7 yards per carry in his first two contests, he piled up 80 yards and a touchdown yesterday against the Chargers. Now he gets to go up against Carolina’s 30th ranked rushing defense who just allowed the Giants back-up Andre Brown to torch them for over 100 yards.
Other sleepers include Detroit’s Mikel Leshoure (100 yards rushing in his NFL debut), New Orleans’ Darren Sproles, and Washington’s Alfred Morris (at least 17 carries each game).
Look for these players to help propel you to a win in your fantasy leagues. And please don’t panic if your players aren’t producing right away. Trust me, I learned the hard way. I traded Jamaal Charles for Chris Johnson last week. See how that worked out?
That’s all folks, good luck!