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Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide receivers for Week 4

Ranking the best wide receivers by matchup and opportunity for Week 4 of the 2018 NFL Season.

By Matias Wodner
NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at New York Giants Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Week 3 was an interesting and exciting time for the wide receivers of the NFL. Calvin Ridley went bonkers. Jordy Nelson turned back the clock. Stefon Diggs and Tyreek Hill flopped in prime matchups. Lord knows what the next few weeks will have in store for us.

What we do know is who we can safely bench after weeks of treading water and hoping the situation gets better. The likes of Randall Cobb, Larry Fitzgerald and Chris Hogan can’t be trusted. Semi-high draft picks like Robby Anderson and Pierre Garcon are cuttable. Don’t stress yourself out with receivers who aren’t performing. Either trade them or let loose. You’ll feel better for it and ease your fantasy football mind.

We’re on to Week 4.

WR Rankings - Week 4

Rank Player Team Opponent Notes
Rank Player Team Opponent Notes
1 Odell Beckham Jr. NYG NO NO has given up the most fantasy points to WRs by a massive margin. This is the week OBJ truly explodes.
2 DeAndre Hopkins HOU @IND IND has somehow been the second-best defense against WRs, but AJG hit them for 6/92/1 in W1 and they faced WAS/PHI after.
3 Michael Thomas NO @NYG Is on a literally historic pace in terms of catches and has caught 38 of 40 targets for 398/3. Not even Janoris Jenkins can cover him.
4 Mike Evans TB @CHI Doesn't matter who's behind center because Evans is uncoverable at the moment and CHI gave up 4 TDs to WRs before facing ARI.
5 Keenan Allen LAC SF SF gives up the 7th-most points to WRs and are very vulnerable on the backend, especially now with Richard Sherman out.
6 Davante Adams GB BUF Tre White may shadow him, but it really doesn't matter. He's 3rd in the league in RZ targets and is Rodgers' top option.
7 Julio Jones ATL CIN Supremely overshadowed by Ridley and will be covered by stellar William Jackson, but he's at home with Ryan running hot.
8 Antonio Brown PIT BAL Tough to downgrade a player like AB, especially at home, but BAL hasn't allowed a 100 yard WR to this point.
9 Stefon Diggs MIN @LAR This might seem aggressive considering last week, but LAR is missing Peters and Talib and Shields hasn't started since W1 of 2016.
10 Tyreek Hill KC @DEN Similar downfield threats like Lockett/Amari/J. Brown have all scored double digit points against DEN this year.
11 Jarvis Landry CLE @OAK Was Baker's favorite target on TNF and Landry is snagging everything in his path, going up against a mediocre secondary.
12 Emmanuel Sanders DEN KC Saved an unspectacular receiving line with a rushing TD last week, but this is a prime matchup to get back to W1 form.
13 Adam Thielen MIN @LAR Owns the toughest matchup against Robey-Coleman in the slot, but he's getting peppered with 12+ targets every week.
14 JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT BAL 116+ receiving yards in every game and a whopping 27 catches. This game sets up more for AB to get fed.
15 Allen Robinson CHI TB TB has given up a league-high 56 receptions to WRs and have no CB who can match up with A-Rob's size and speed.
16 John Brown BAL @PIT PIT gives up the 3rd-most points to WRs and Brown is Flacco's preferred target down the field. Has hit double digits in each game.
17 A.J. Green CIN @ATL Dealing with a groin injury and Trufant/Alford are tough CBs to beat over the top.
18 T.Y. Hilton IND HOU Shoo-in for double digit targets against HOU CBs that just got torched by OBJ/Shepard. Even with Luck limited, Hilton is 8th in RZ targets.
19 Kenny Golladay DET @DAL Very clearly looks like DET's best WR and Stafford has noticed, giving him 5 more targets than Marvin.
20 Will Fuller HOU @IND IND's CBs have played out of their minds, but haven't faced a WR as explosive as Fuller yet. Fuller has gone 13/214/2 since coming back.
21 Sterling Shepard NYG NO The matchup can't be better and Shepard should vacuum up some of the MOF targets with Engram sidelined.
22 Brandin Cooks LAR MIN Should have an easier time getting open against a bigger Rhodes and inconsistent Waynes.
23 Tyler Boyd CIN @ATL Has the best individual matchup in the slot vs. an ATL defense that has been decimated by injuries through 3 weeks.
24 Sammy Watkins KC @DEN Boundary CB Bradley Roby has been terrible to start the year and Watkins has finally been incorporated into the offense.
25 Demaryius Thomas DEN KC KC is in the bottom 10 in points given up to WRs and DEN will have to throw all game in order to match KC's explosive offense.
26 Golden Tate DET @DAL Has the best matchup in the slot with Jones/Awuzie on the outside and is the safest option in their passing game every week (36 targets).
27 Calvin Ridley ATL CIN At home and coming off a monster performance, he can keep it up if Ryan stays hot and he gets 8 or so targets in an unimposing matchup.
28 Chris Godwin TB @CHI His 7 RZ targets is tied for 6th-most in the league and the passing offense is flying high. Is seeing way more looks than D-Jax.
29 Robert Woods LAR MIN Finally exploded after a disappointing W1 and solid W2. Has gotten 9/9/11 targets through 3 weeks and looks as good as last year.
30 Josh Gordon NE MIA NE badly needs a WR to step up and Gordon should be active to fix their problems, but a tough matchup against Xavien Howard awaits.
31 Quincy Enunwa NYJ JAX Should soak up targets in the slot, where D.J. Hayden is exploitable and Darnold can avoid Ramsey and Bouye.
32 Marvin Jones Jr. DET @DAL Stafford's preferred target on deep routes also leads DET with 6 RZ targets, but DAL is very tough on opposing WRs.
33 Michael Crabtree BAL @PIT Role is secure and he's playing a soft secondary, but he has just 1 RZ target and hasn't cleared 61 yards all season.
34 Nelson Agholor PHI @TEN Hopefully will go back to his natural home in the slot this week and return to his efficient self against an underrated secondary.
35 Larry Fitzgerald ARI SEA Rookie QB Josh Rosen should lean on Fitz often, but it's fair to wonder if Fitz's hamstring is healthy. Plus SEA is playing great defense.
36 Randall Cobb GB BUF BUF is more exploitable in the slot than outside, but Cobb has been brutally inefficient over the past two weeks and isn't reliable.
37 Cooper Kupp LAR MIN 3rd in the NFL in RZ targets and will have the best draw against a stout defense in the slot.
38 Kenny Stills MIA NE Good luck guessing which of MIA's 5 WR will be reliable on a weekly basis, but Stills is the big-play threat is hemorrhaging points to WRs.
39 Geronimo Allison GB BUF GB's long-play threat has been much better than Cobb, but will likely face Tre White more often than not on the outside.
40 Tyler Lockett SEA @ARI Has used TD deodorant to cover up just 17 targets through 3 weeks. Long plays will cease and a trip to Peterson Island might do it.
41 Amari Cooper OAK CLE Who freaking knows anymore.
42 Corey Davis TEN PHI Has looked genuinely explosive and owns a huge share of team targets, but with Mariota limited, he can't reach any ceiling.
43 Mike Williams LAC SF Growing as a part of the offense, but LAC could get up big early in this one and sit on the ball, unlike in Weeks 1 and 3.
44 DeSean Jackson TB @CHI Came crashing down to earth and once again received an uncomfortably low number of targets. Godwin and Howard are stealing looks.
45 Keelan Cole JAX @NYJ Despite Bortles actively stinking it up, Cole still delivered a respectable 5/40 line. Tough sledding this week against Johnson/Claiborne.
46 Antonio Callaway CLE @OAK Coming off of a 10-target game and should receiver better deep looks with Baker in. Tyrod couldn't hit him deep on TNF, but he was open.
47 Christian Kirk ARI SEA Was Rosen's favorite option when he came in and the connection could pay dividends against SEA CBs that got flamed in Weeks 1 and 2.
48 Albert Wilson MIA @NE NE looks like one of the worst defenses in the league and Wilson's speed could cause some problems.
49 Cole Beasley DAL DET The most reliable option on the worst passing offense in the league facing a weak secondary.
50 Chris Hogan NE MIA Hasn't topped 5 targets in a game and NE's offense is in shambles. He also can't get open, but they still are short on WRs.

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