Week 4: Pickups of the Week

QB Kevin Kolb, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

Kevin Kolb has almost certainly cemented his role as starter after leading his team to victory against the Eagles on Sunday. Since relieving injured starter John Skelton in Week 1, Kolb has posted one rushing and four passing touchdowns against zero interceptions en route to consecutive wins against three favored opponents. He faces the Dolphins on Sunday and will have a great shot at keeping the streak alive. Skelton isn't completely out of the picture yet, but he'll return as a clipboard holder when his ankle heals.

QB Jake Locker, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

In what may go down as the wildest game of the season, Jake Locker completed nearly 70 percent of his passes and set a new career high with 378 yards through the air. He connected on long touchdown throws to Nate Washington and Jared Cook, distributed the ball well among his various receivers and made things happen with his legs when he needed to. The Lions were kind enough to stay off his back most of the game, with no sacks and only one QB hit by Ndamukong Suh. Don't expect the Texans to be as kind -- in fact, best not to test them at all right now. Locker is worth rostering and will have some more big games before the season is out. But if you pick him up, make sure to hold him out of action this Sunday. Minnesota, Buffalo and Indianapolis will offer him better opportunities for production in the coming weeks.

QB Christian Ponder, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

Christian Ponder remained interception-free on the season and showcased his versatility by adding a rushing score to the two touchdown passes he threw to Kyle Rudolph. Ponder hasn't lit up the stat sheet with big yardage totals so far, but he's been clinically efficient in posting the fifth best passer rating in the league through the first three games. He next faces the Lions, who made Jake Locker look like a vintage Steve McNair on Sunday (29-for-42, 378 yards, two touchdowns). Ponder is a sneaky good play and someone Ben Roethlisberger owners should take a long look at going into the bye week.

RB Tashard Choice, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

C.J. Spiller led the league in rushing through the first two games and was looking like the breakthrough fantasy player of the year before he suffered a should injury on Sunday in Cleveland. It's being called a sprain rigt now and Spiller is likely to miss a game or two. He was off to a brisk start, ripping off big yards and a receiving touchdown early against the Browns before his untimely exit. Tashard Choice filled in well in his absence. The former Cowboy posted 91 yards on 20 carries and is in line to start next Sunday in New England unless, as has been suggested by some news outlets, Fred Jackson pushes to dramatically abbreviate his recovery from a sprained knee. He was originally projected to miss between three and eight weeks, so Choice is the safer bet right now. And it's a bet worth placing. Whoever starts against the Patriots this week will be an especially solid play in PPR leagues.

RB Daniel Thomas, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

Reggie Bush suffered an injury to the same knee he tore up during his shortened 2007 and 2008 seasons. The Palm Beach Post speculates he could be held out until after Miami's Week 7 bye. If so, Daniel Thomas figures to get the lion's share of carries over Lamar Miller. The rookie Miller is an intriguing alternative option and we caution that Thomas didn't look great in Bush's absence, fumbling once and averaging only 3.6 yards per carry. But the good news for the plodding Thomas, whose longest run of the season went for only nine yards, is that Miller may still be too green to merit substantial playing time. The Dolphins face some shoddy run defenses leading up to their bye. The Cardinals (four yards per carry), Bengals (5.8 yards per carry) and Rams (4.5 yards per carry) would give Thomas a solid chance of boosting his own per carry average and limiting Miller to a simple change of pace role.

WR Jon Baldwin, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

Baldwin narrowly missed what would have been a highlight reel touchdown grab on Sunday. It was an otherwise quiet performance for the 2011 first-rounder who has languished under-the-radar since coming into the league. He could get an overdue opportunity to shine in the coming weeks. Dexter McCluster, who had been experiencing a mini breakout of his own, suffered a nasty looking injury to his elbow against the Saints and might be on the shelf for a while. Baldwin should absorb some of McCluster's opportunities in the passing game and, with more snaps under his belt, will have a chance to showcase his playmaking abilities.

WR Leonard Hankerson, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

Hankerson paced tight end Fred Davis for the team lead in targets on Sunday as both players benefitted from Pierre Garcon's absence. With Garcon's status for Week 4 very much up in the air, Hankerson remains a solid fantasy play against Tampa Bay's league-worst pass defense. And his long term value is trending upwards as well. According to the official Redskins twitter account, coach Shanahan has said Hankerson played "well enough to earn a starting job." He seems already to have pushed past Santana Moss and Josh Morgan.

WR Golden Tate, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

Tate had one or two touchdowns Monday night (depending on who you ask) and will continue to be a fantasy stud as long as the league continues to lockout the referees. All kidding aside, provided you're not a bitter Green Bay fan, you can swallow your disbelief about how Week 3 ended and look objectively at the fact that Tate led his team in targets and was Russell Wilson's go to guy on multiple end zone tosses. The Seahawks' passing game was stymied most of the night against Green Bay, though Seattle and Tate should have an easier time next Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.

TE Kyle Rudolph, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

We'll spare you the reindeer references that have suddenly become such a favorite of TV analysts and say simply that Rudolph the redzone favorite has a very shiny future in Minnesota. What's that? Oh right. Sorry. Rudolph has three touchdowns in three games and is right up there with Jared Cook, Dennis Pitta and Martellus Bennett representing the new breed of dominant young tight ends who can outrun linebackers, outmuscle defensive backs and outcatch their wide receiver teammates.

PK Lawrence Tynes, ---

FANTASY PROFILE / STATS & MORE

The only Scottish NFLer went five-for-five on field goal attempts on Sunday and is a perfect 10-for-10 on the season. He leads the league in scoring and could hold on to that lead with PATs alone based on New York's current prolific touchdown output. A reliable week-to-week scorer like this shouldn't be overlooked -- especially while widely owned kickers like Bailey, Bironas and Prater are struggling.