Empty the Bench

Plugging the studs at running back, quarterback and wide receiver into your starting lineup is easy, but fantasy championships are won with the smart decisions on fringe starters every week. We agonize over these spots until 5 minutes before kickoff, then kick ourselves about our choices 5 minutes after kickoff; we’re talking about the RB2, WR3, WR/TE Flex, and WR/RB Flex plays.

Unless you’re prepared to carefully groom the fringes of your roster–both in the draft and through waivers–and make the right decisions with those players occupying tertiary roles every week, your team will underwhelm. These decisions are rarely easy or clear-cut, but fortunately there’s a ton of info out there at your disposal to help you settle on the players you’re most comfortable with. If you’re right, you deserve to win. If you’re wrong, well, you wasted all kinds of time.

Every week for the 2007 NFL season, in addition to players by position in our Matchups and our Rankings, we’ll also the guys likely causing you some consternation, and give you a quick thought on what to expect from each one. Unlike the Rankings, these names are not drawn from the entire player pool.

It’s Week Four of Empty the Bench’s Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet.

Week Four Rankings

Week Four Wide Receiver #3 Ranks

1. Deion Branch, Seattle Seahawks @ SF
2. Bernard Berrian, Chicago Bears @ DET
3. Wes Welker, New England Patriots @ CIN
4. Nate Burleson, Seattle Seahawks @ SF
5. Brandon Marshall, Denver Broncos @ IND
6. Santonio Holmes, Pittsburgh Steelers @ ARZ
7. Ronald Curry, Oakland Raiders @ MIA
8. Jerricho Cotchery, New York Jets @ BUF
9. Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens @ CLE
10. Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers vs. KC

Fortune Cookies: He’s no household name, but the ‘Niners are hurting from the loss of Manny Lawson, and Deion Branch will prove it… The Lions secondary can be exploited–no secret there–and Bernard Berrian figures to benefit from the change at quarterback… There could be a lot of points on the board in Monday night’s Patriots/Bengals clash, and Wes Welker should at least reach his season averages of 6.6 receptions and 73.6 yards… After his disappearing act in ‘06, Nate Burleson is getting back in the groove and has scored two weeks straight… Javon Walker is hobbled, Denver will need to throw, and we don’t think the smallish Indy corners can hold Brandon Marshall out of the endzone if he’s the #1 guy and they get inside the 20… It doesn’t look like Hines Ward will play this week, which makes Santonio Holmes the top target for Big Ben down the field… Ronald Curry has a nose for the endzone and is coming off a strong effort against the Browns… Just about any decent WR2 should excel against the Buffalo Bills, who are fielding the worst secondary in the NFL; it’s Jerricho Cotchery’s turn this week… Despite the unclear situation behind center in Baltimore, 11-year vet Derrick Mason has been a very pleasant surprise in catching 23 balls for 209 yards and a touch… Philip Rivers looked better against the Pack last week, and Vincent Jackson benefited from it to the tune of 6 receptions, 98 yards, and a visit to the endzone…

Week Four Running Back #2 Ranks

1. Marion Barber III, Dallas Cowboys vs. STL
2. LaMont Jordan, Oakland Raiders @ MIA
3. Willis McGahee, Baltimore Ravens @ CLE
4. Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills vs. NYJ
5. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings vs. GB
6. Thomas Jones, New York Jets @ BUF
7. Edgerrin James, Arizona Cardinals vs. PIT
8. Cedric Benson, Chicago Bears @ DET
9. Jamal Lewis, Cleveland Browns vs. BAL
10. Carnell Williams, Tampa Bay Bucs @ CAR

Fortune Cookies: Julius Jones is becoming increasingly irrelevant in the Cowboys backfield timeshare with Marion Barber III, who figures to carry a heavy load against the poor Rams D with Jones battling a concussion… Against the third-worst rushing D in football (166 rushing yards/per), LaMont Jordan posts 160 total yards and another score… Speaking of awful rush defenses, the Browns also have one, which should mean a big day for Willis McGahee; hey, maybe he’ll even score twice and post a decent YPC… Regular ETB readers know about our crush on Marshawn Lynch, who should be asked to carry the Bills’ offense against the swiss-cheese Jets rushing D as fellow rookie Trent Edwards fills in for QB J.P. Losman… The Packers can stop the run, but Adrian Peterson is very hard to stop all four quarters and is at home… We’re no Thomas Jones fans, and if he can’t put up big numbers against the worst rushing defense in the NFL, you shouldn’t be a fan either… Second straight week that Edgerrin James draws a tough matchup, but he’s been a workhorse… On paper this looks like a cake walk for Cedric Benson, but his 63 yards/per, 3.2 YPC, and failure to break off long runs hardly inspires confidence… The Baltimore Ravens are the league’s best at stopping the run (61.7 yards), so Jamal Lewis will have his work cut out for him… We don’t buy all this Earnest Graham talk, but Carnell Williams still isn’t 100% and–honesty time–we just don’t especially buy into him, either…

Week Four Wide Receiver/Tight End Flex Plays

1. Nate Burleson, Seattle Seahawks @ SF
2. Ronald Curry, Oakland Raiders @ MIA
3. Shaun McDonald, Detroit Lions vs. CHI
4. Alge Crumpler, Atlanta Falcons vs. HOU
5. Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens @ CLE
6. James Jones, Green Bay Packers @ MIN
7. Greg Jennings, Green Bay Packers @ MIN
8. Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers @ SF
9. Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions vs. CHI
10. Owen Daniels, Houston Texans @ ATL

Fortune Cookies: Through the first three weeks of the season, Shaun McDonald has more fantasy points than Torry Holt, Marvin Harrison, Javon Walker, Reggie Wayne, and Marques Colston… The Texans are allowing opposing TEs an average of 5 receptions, .3 TDs and nearly 50 yards; we think Alge Crumpler will exceed on all counts… As we mentioned in our Week Four Quick Hits, the Packers are throwing a ton and the Vikings struggle defending the pass, which adds up to James Jones and Greg Jennings both being strong plays this week… With Hines Ward out, Heath Miller figures to see more looks than usual against a suspect 49ers pass defense… The only reason Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson is ranked this low is because of the uncertainty surrounding his status (bruised back). He seems a bit rattled after experiencing his first NFL injury, so it might take him a week or so to get back up to full speed… Some people don’t like him, while others do; ETB falls in the latter Owen Daniels camp and thinks he has an excellent chance to score against the Falcons…

Week Four Wide Receiver/Running Back Flex Plays

1. Cedric Benson, Chicago Bears @ DET
2. DeShaun Foster, Carolina Panthers vs. TB
3. Derrick Ward, New York Giants vs. PHI
4. Jerry Porter, Oakland Raiders @ MIA
5. Ron Dayne, Houston Texans @ ATL
6. Brian Leonard, St. Louis Rams @ DAL
7. Sammy Morris, New England Patriots @ CIN
8. Kevin Jones, Detroit Lions vs. CHI
9. Warrick Dunn, Atlanta Falcons vs. HOU
10. Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons vs. HOU

Fortune Cookies: We’d rather see DeAngelo Williams get a shot, but DeShaun Foster is running hard, is healthy, and has the favor of HC John Fox. He should find some holes in the Bucs’ front seven… With the return of Brandon Jacobs looming, Derrick Ward will be motivated to prove he should stay in the rotation for good… You never know when Jerry Porter might explode, but so far he hasn’t caught more than 2 balls or registered more than 46 yards in a game… He’s a great flex play this week against the struggling Falcons rush defense, but Ron Dayne might be even more valuable in the weeks ahead if Ahman Green misses significant time… Rookie Brian Leonard is the man in the Rams’ backfield for the foreseeable future with Steven Jackson out with a torn-up groin; this offense wasn’t doing much with SJax on the field though… The man Laurence Maroney owners love to hate, backup Sammy Morris, is getting the goal-line carries and the Bengals prefer not to tackle running backs until they’ve picked up solid yardage… Kevin Jones will be a strong weekly flex play by the time the Lions return from their Week 6 bye… Warrick Dunn is holding off second-year man Jerious Norwood for now, but Houston isn’t easy to run on… Roddy White had a career day in Week 2, catching 7 passes for 129 yards and 1 TD, but we question whether he can follow that up with another strong performance.