by Ray Kuhn

When it comes to wide receivers there is a lot to look at. Targets, actual on field production, the skill of the offense around them, game flow, and their defensive match-up are just some of the factors that need to be factored in. There is also a high degree of variability, as one play in either direction could swing the results on any given day. With that in mind let’s take a look at how our options rank for this week:

1. Antonio Brown – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Baltimore
2. Odell Beckham – New York Giants – at Tampa Bay
3. A.J. Green – Cincinnati Bengals – at Cleveland
4. Jordy Nelson – Green Bay Packers – vs. Chicago Bears
5. Keenan Allen – San Diego Chargers – vs. Philadelphia
6. Michael Thomas – New Orleans Saints – at Miami
7. Mike Evans – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New York Giants
8. Julio Jones – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Buffalo
9. DeAndre Hopkins – Houston Texans – vs. Tennesee
10. Doug Baldwin – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Indianapolis
11. Larry Fitzgerald – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco
12. Brandin Cooks – New England Patriots – vs. Carolina
13. Jarvis Landry – Miami Dolphins – vs. New Orleans
14. Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Washington
15. Demaryius Thomas- Denver Broncos – vs. Oakland
16. Dez Bryant – Dallas Cowboys – vs. LA Rams
17. Stefon Diggs – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Detroit
18. Golden Tate – Detroit Lions – at Minnesota
19. Alshon Jeffrey – Philadephia Eagles – at LA Chargers
20. Devante Parker – Miami Dolphins – vs. New Orleans
21. Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers – vs. Chicago
22. Sammy Watkins – Los Angeles Rams – at Dallas
23. Rishard Matthews – Tennessee Titans – at Houston
24. T.Y. Hilton – Indianapolis Colts – at Seattle
25. Kelvin Benjamin – Carolina Panthers – at New England
26. Amari Cooper – Oakland Raiders – at Denver
27. Pierre Garcon – San Francisco 49ers – at Arizona
28. Emmanuel Sanders – Denver Broncos – vs. Oakland
29. Randall Cobb – Green Bay Packers – vs. Chicago
30. Chris Hogan – New England Patriots – vs. Carolina
31. Jamison Crowder – Washington Redskins – at Kansas City
32. Adam Thielen – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Detroit
33. Marquise Lee – Jacksonville Jaguars – at New York Jets
34. Michael Crabtree – Oakland Raiders – at Denver
35. Tyrell Williams – San Diego Chargers – vs. Philadelphia
36. Terrelle Pryor – Washington Redskins – at Kansas City
37. Martavis Bryant – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Baltimore
38. Jeremy Maclin – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Pittsburgh
39. Sterling Shepard – New York Giants – at Tampa Bay
40. DeSean Jackson – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New York Giants
41. Willie Snead – New Orleans Saints – at Miami
42. Brandon Marshall – New York Giants – at Tampa Bay
43. Jermaine Kearse – New York Jets – vs. Jacksonville
44. Devin Funchess – Carolina Panthers – at New England
45. J.J. Nelson – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco
46. Allen Hurns – Jacksonville Jaguars – at New York Jets
47. Kenny Golladay – Detroit Lions – at Minnesota
48. Nelson Agholor – Philadelphia Eagles – at LA Chargers
49. Mohamed Sanu – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Buffalo
50. Jordan Matthews – Buffalo Bills – at Atlanta

Notes:

• With the acquisition of Jay Cutler a greater emphasis was placed on DeVante Parker due to his big play ability. To start the season Jarvis Landry has been valuable, and I would expect to see that continue this week. Cutler has targeted Landry 26 times over the past two weeks, and the slot receiver has been a PPR machine. After catching 13 passes for 78 yards to begin the season, Landry had a down week against the Jets as he caught just six passes for 48 yards. While that is not going to win your league, it is still a solid floor. In Week 1 the Saints (Landry’s opponent) allowed 157 yards to Adam Thielen. who happens to be Landry’s counterpart. New Orleans also allows the 10th most points to opposing wide receivers, so it should be a good week for Landry owners.
• It took three weeks, but Julio Jones is already nursing an injury. Currently it is a lower back injury we have to monitor, and while Atlanta is not concerned I wouldn’t be surprised to see him miss a day of practice this week. Jones had his best week of the season against Detroit with seven receptions, and so far this year he has 265 yards on 16 catches. What is holding Jones’ value back is that he has yet to find the end zone. As we enter Week 4 the problem is that Jones’ opponent (Buffalo) hasn’t allowed a receiving touchdown this year. By no means would I think about benching Jones, or not considering him a WR1, but he wouldn’t be my first choice when filling out my DFS lineup.
• Last season DeAndre Hopkins was one of the bigger disappointments of the season, and with a rookie quarterback he wasn’t really on my radar all that much for this season. Houston has not wasted any time in looking Hopkins’ way so far this season, and in three games he has been targeted 37 times which he has turned that into 21 receptions, 204 yards and 1 TD. With DeShaun Watson eclipsing 300 yards passing yards last week, Houston’s offense isn’t a complete liability and that helps Hopkins’ value. This week you also have to like Watson’s match-up as he faces the Titans who have allowed five touchdowns and the fourth most points to opposing receivers so far.
• One top receiver who doesn’t have as good of a match-up this week is Mike Evans. Evans has caught seven passes in each of his two games for a combined 160 yards and a touchdown, but this week he has to face a tough Giants’ defense. Last week New York held Philadelphia’s receivers to just 105 yards, and they have the fourth best defense against wide receivers in the league. This isn’t enough to keep me from playing Evans this week in every seasonal format, especially since he did pick up 67 receiving yards on Xavier Rhodes last week, but it is enough to downgrade him.
• After missing the first three weeks of the season due to his suspension, Willie Snead returns to action this week. He is joining a New Orleans’ offense that seemed to show some life against Carolina last week, and the Saints get to face Miami and their scuffling defense. The sample size is small, just two weeks, but the Dolphins are in the bottom five of the league in net passing yards allowed. Last season Snead caught 72 passes for 895 yards and 4 TD, and I would expect him to jump right back into New Orleans’ offense, though you might want to exercise a little patience just in case it takes him a week to work off the rust.
• One of the bigger disappointments so far this season is Terrelle Pryor. Pryor wasn’t a first or second round pick, but he was taken early enough that he began the season cemented into your starting lineup. Instead it has taken a little longer than expected for Pryor to develop chemistry with Kirk Cousins. After being targeted 11 times in Week 1, Pryor has four targets in each of the next two weeks, and overall he has 10 catches for 116 yards. While I ultimately think Pryor will regain his value, it might be better if he does it this week on the bench instead of in your starting lineup against the Chiefs.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 rankings: