Week 4: Fantasy Football Pickups

Week 3 saw a lot of highs and a lot of lows. Teams are dealing with slumping superstars and injured players. Oh and bye weeks are starting now. Here are some pickups for this week.

QB Michael Vick, ---

Yes, he's polarizing. Yes he was out of the league for a while. And yes, he's far past his prime. That being said, Vick is a guy to target, especially for owners of Ben Roethlisberger. Likely Vick and maybe the McCown brothers are the only QBs left on the waiver wire. So, beggars can't be choosers either. Vick is not the mobile threat he used to be. He rushed for -2 yards in Sunday's action. He only threw for 38 yards as well.

But Vick will get more opportunities with more practice reps now that Big Ben is out for at least four weeks with a knee injury. If Big Ben owner's drafted a good backup (and I hope you did), you'll likely use that backup, but regardless Vick is someone to grab too. Non Big Ben owners may also want to target Vick as an option or bye week replacement because the Steelers offense is too good and has too many weapons. But watch what he does this Thursday to see what Vick has left in the tank.

RB Lance Dunbar, ---

Dunbar is quietly becoming a PPR stud. He grabbed 10 passes for 100 yards on Sunday. On the flip side he only rushed for five yards, so Dunbar's role is clearly defined. He's the pass catching back for the Cowboys. Dunbar is a solid play in PPR leagues, but an absolute non-factor in standard scoring leagues. With Romo out, Brandon Weeden is dinking and dunking his way down the field and Dunbar is a safety blanket for Weeden. Expect more targets and lots of receptions for Dunbar, but don't expect many TDs from him. Our own Jack Delaney provided this fantastic stat about Weeden and throwing to running backs: In 2012 when Trent Richardson of the Cleveland Browns had 70 passing targets, guess who his QB was? That's right Weeden. So it's not out of the realm of possibility that Dunbar will see seven or more targets every week with Weeden under center.

WR Ted Ginn Jr., ---

When dealing with bye weeks and injuries, it's wise to target consistent players; even if those players aren't ones to put up huge numbers. Ginn is one of those players. He's good for about 10-12 Fantasy points every week and is integrating himself into the playbook for the Panthers. He's gotten seven, nine, and six targets, respectively, and put up double-digit Fantasy points over the last two weeks. As defenses key in on Greg Olsen in the middle of the field, Ginn is using his speed to stretch the field. But, he's also running crisper routes and creating enough separation so that Cam Newton can progress through his reads and find him. Ginn is not the first option for the Panthers, but he's an option and should be an option for your team if you lack depth or are injury depleted.

WR Seth Roberts, ---

The domino effect of Amari Cooper's early season domination is that other Raiders WRs are virtually wide open. Seth Roberts is a perfect example. Roberts has two TDs through three weeks. And in Week 3 he was targeted five times and caught three passes for 56 yards, including one of those TDs. That's back-to-back weeks of a red zone TD. Roberts is still clearly the third receiver option behind Cooper and Crabtree, but the Raiders used a lot more three-WR sets last week and Roberts was on the field more than he had been previously. It's also important to note that he had six targets in Week 1, so this seems to be a trend. Should anything happen to Crabtree (a possibility considering his injury history), Roberts' value will skyrocket. This week, the Raiders play Chicago, a team that has already surrendered eight passing TDs, the most in the league, so Roberts could easily find the end zone again.

TE Gary Barnidge, ---

Jordan Cameron was a stud for the Cleveland Browns. Is Gary Barnidge the next Jordan Cameron? Well, let's not go crazy here, but you can't ignore 10 targets, six receptions, 105 yards and a touchdown, which is what he did in Week 3 against the Raiders. This smells like a flukey stat line for Barnidge, but with so much uncertainty at the tight end position, as well as the byes and injuries going on, Barnidge makes for a great grab in the short term. His long-term value is undetermined, but against San Diego in Week 4, you could do worse.

TE Owen Daniels, ---

Peyton Manning increases many players' value and Daniels is in a nice situation in Denver. With Manning no longer under center, but functioning in the shotgun, the Broncos offense is starting to fire. Daniels got his first TD of the year in Week 3, when Manning hit him with a jump ball, that Daniels showed off his hands and veteran savvy to grab. The pass was thrown where only Daniels could get it, and he managed to score en route to a five-catch, 28-yard night. Daniels was targeted nine times. With all the attention on the Bronco wide receivers, Manning will look Daniels' way more often. Our preseason prediction for him seems spot on at this point: If he can stay healthy, he could be in for a 60-catch, 650-yard season with half a dozen TDs. The Broncos have a very friendly schedule over the next couple of weeks, so the veteran tight end is someone to keep an eye on, especially owners of Gronkowski, who is on bye this week.

Remember to read all our columns for this week and use our Who To Start Rankings