Quarterback
MVP: Phillip Rivers (Chargers)
It was a pretty unspectacular week for QB's in the world of fantasy football this week with Tom Brady on bye and early-season studs Aaron Rodgers, Andy Dalton and Cam Newton having pretty modest games. Rivers took advantage of the soft competition and emerged as the best fantasy play of the week with his excellent performance (358 YDS, season-high 3 TD's, 0 turnovers) in a shootout against the Browns on Sunday afternoon. Rivers' tendency to turn the ball over and the horrible play of his o-line so far this year makes him a less-than-stellar QB1 choice most weeks, but he'll be worth a look in Week 5 as he goes up against the Steelers porous secondary.
Honorable Mentions: Sam Bradford (Eagles), Drew Brees (Saints), Eli Manning (Giants)
LVP: Joe Flacco (Ravens)
Flacco seemed to be trending in the right direction after 2 consecutive strong outings, but instead threw up a vintage Flacco stinker in Week 4. Flacco was sloppy all game long and aside from a couple drives, failed to get anything going against a horrid Steelers secondary, finishing the game with 189 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT and a fumble. With Steve Smith- his lone viable receiving target-out indefinitely with microfractures in his back, Flacco is now officially a mid-tier QB2.
Dishonorable Mentions: Peyton Manning (Broncos), Matt Ryan (Falcons), Derek Carr (Raiders)
Running Back
MVP: Devonta Freeman (Falcons)
Fantasy owners (myself included) are likely wondering the same right thing right: Where the hell did this version of Devonta Freeman come from? Freeman proved his stellar Week 3 performance against the Cowboys wasn't a fluke by putting up his 2nd straight 3-TD, 100+ yard performance against The Texans this week. Freeman touched the ball 19 times (14 carries, 5 receptions) and kept the offense afloat during the rare off-day from star wideout Julio Jones. Now that there's basically no chance Tevin Coleman gets his job back when he returns from his rib injury, Freeman appears to have the makings of a top-flight weekly RB1 .
Honorable Mentions: Jeremy Hill (Bengals), Chris Ivory (Jets), Le'Veon Bell (Steelers)
LVP: Arian Foster (Texans)
While Freeman made a whole lot of noise for their opponent on Sunday, the star Texans back faceplanted in his 1st game of 2015. Foster put up a mere 35 total yards (10 rushing, 25 receiving) and a fumble in the Texans blowout loss against the Falcons on Sunday. The Texans' poor performance forced them to abandon the running game in the early stages of the game and subsequently prevented Foster from having the opportunity to redeem himself after his early fumble. I fully expect Foster to have a much better outing in Week 5 against the Colts weak run defense.
Dishonorable Mentions: Frank Gore (Colts), Latavius Murray (Raiders), Carlos Hyde (49ers)
Wide Receiver
MVP: Vincent Jackson (Buccaneers)
The underwhelming fantasy week that was Week 4 hit wide receivers especially hard. Case in point is Vincent Jackson's garbage time theatrics in the Buccaneers lopsided loss to the Panthers being good enough to win him the crown of the week's top fantasy WR. Jackson got the brunt of the targets as the Panthers underrated top corner Josh Norman pretty much eliminated Mike Evans from the game and ended up making the most of them as he put up 147 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions. Despite his strong performance in Week 4, Jameis Winston's erratic play and the presence of a rising star in Evans makes Jackson a weekly boom-or-bust WR3 option.
Honorable Mentions: DeAndre Hopkins (Texans), Jeremy Maclin (Chiefs), Mike Wallace (Vikings)
LVP: Randall Cobb (Packers)
It was a depressing week to own a top-tier WR1 as Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., Calvin Johnson and Emmanuel Sanders all put up underwhelming numbers. However, the most disappointing showing of any star wideout came from Randall Cobb. The Packers top dog only generated 44 yards on 5 receptions against a 49ers secondary that had allowed 329 YDS and 3 TD's to the past 2 top wideouts (Brown and Larry Fitzgerald) they faced. Cobb is a longshot for a rebound in Week 5 as the Packers go against a stingy Rams secondary that has only allowed 1 WR TD this season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Julio Jones (Falcons), Antonio Brown (Steelers), Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)
Tight End
MVP: Martellus Bennett (Bears)
The Black Unicorn took advantage of the return of Jay Cutler and continued absence of top WR Alshon Jeffrey to have his first dominant performance of 2015. Bennett was targeted early and often against the Raiders weak pass defense, picking up 83 yards and a TD on 11 receptions. Bennett is one of the handful of reliable weekly TE1 options in fantasy and will remain that way as long as Cutler doesn't suffer another injury.
Honorable Mentions: Coby Fleener (Colts), Ladarius Green (Chargers), Charles Clay (Bills)
LVP: Jimmy Graham (Seahawks)
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Jimmy Graham was mysteriously absent from the Seahawks passing attack this week. Graham reeled in just 4 passes for 29 yards against a Lions defense that has gotten crucified by tight ends all season long. So far, Graham has been as inconsistent as most expected he would be in Seattle's middling passing game and unless their offensive philosophy suddenly changes, he's going to continue to be hit-or-miss all season long.
Dishonorable Mentions: Kyle Rudolph (Vikings), Larry Donnell (Giants), Greg Olsen (Panthers)
Defense
MVP: Carolina Panthers
After 2 straight underwhelming performances, the Panthers defense came up big in Week 4. The Panthers assaulted the Buccaneers offense on Sunday afternoon, picking up 5 takeaways (4 INT's and a fumble recovery), 2 sacks and a touchdown. The Panthers are a rock solid option moving forward and will only get better after star inside linebacker Luke Kuechly returns from a concussion following their Week 5 bye.
Honorable Mentions: Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos
LVP: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals streak of defensive dominance is officially over. The red-hot defense fizzled out majorly in Week 4, registering just 1 sack, generating 0 turnovers and allowing 24 points to the below-average offense of the Rams. The Cardinals have a good shot of returning to their elite form in Week 5 against the Lions struggling offense.
Dishonorable Mentions: Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills
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