2025 Fantasy Football: Week 4 Flex Rankings

Things can change in the blink of an eye in the NFL. A player whose path to fantasy success is blocked by another player can quickly become a must-start when that roadblock is removed. We saw such an example last week with Jordan Mason of the Minnesota Vikings. I mentioned in last week’s flex rankings column that I considered Mason an RB1 in the wake of the Aaron Jones injury.

Mason did not disappoint, finishing as the overall RB4 in Week 3. There are multiple running backs who now find themselves in a similar position to the one Mason was in last week. Can these backs thrive when thrust into the spotlight? The answers lie within my Week 4 Flex rankings. As always, these are based on Half-PPR scoring. Feel free to adjust according to your league specifications.

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Running Back Notes

Most fantasy managers were already starting Los Angeles Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton. I ranked him as an RB2 in 12-team leagues last week. Hampton exceeded expectations, posting 129 total yards and a touchdown against a tough Denver defense.

Meanwhile, backfield mate Najee Harris suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. The injury to Harris means that Hampton should get all the work he can handle going forward. He has not been the most efficient running back to date, but he is going to get a ton of work in a potent offense. I view Hampton as an RB1 in Week 4. He faces a New York Giants defense that has allowed 5.18 yards per carry and four rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs.

On the other side of the field in that game will be another rookie running back, Cam Skattebo. Skattebo had been on the short end of a timeshare with Tyrone Tracy Jr. through the team’s first two games, but Tracy dislocated his shoulder in New York’s Sunday night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He is expected to miss multiple games. That leaves Skattebo in the catbird’s seat.

Skattebo is not exactly walking into an ideal situation regarding his Week 4 outlook. The Los Angeles Chargers have given up the second-fewest total yards to opposing running backs this season. New York is also going with Jaxson Dart at quarterback, who will be making his NFL debut. However, I still think Skattebo will get enough work to be considered starter-worthy in this matchup.

Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner suffered a gruesome injury on Sunday, which will end his season. Hopefully, he can return to the field at 100 percent next season. In his stead will be second-year running back Trey Benson.

There was talk during the offseason that Benson would be more involved in 2025 than he was as a rookie. That was somewhat true. Benson averaged 5.3 touches per game as a rookie, a number that increased to 8.0 through two games.

Now he should be in the 15-20 touch range, which makes him a solid starting candidate. His Week 4 matchup is a bit of a mixed bag. Seattle has only ceded 3.16 yards per carry to opposing backs through three weeks. However, they have given up the most receiving yards in the NFL to the position. Benson is an RB2 for me in Week 4.

In Week 2, the Cleveland Browns activated rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. The team implemented a three-way split in touches between Judkins, Jerome Ford, and Dylan Sampson. Judkins led the way with 13 touches, while Ford had 11 and Sampson had seven.

Last week, the Browns seemed to hand Judkins the keys. Judkins accounted for 19 of the team’s 24 running back touches in their upset victory over Green Bay. I currently have Judkins ranked right at 50th overall in my Week 4 rankings.

I am not in love with the matchup against the Detroit Lions in a game Cleveland is unlikely to win. However, I certainly would not argue against starting Judkins depending on your other options. Judkins should continue to climb the ranks among running backs as he gets more comfortable in the offense.

Wide Receiver Notes

There are a couple of situations where a second-year wide receiver has emerged as a potential breakout candidate. Let’s start with Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Odunze leads the Bears’ wideouts in all major categories through three games, and it is not particularly close. Odunze has been targeted 27 times so far this season. No other Bear has earned more than 16 targets. Odunze has responded with 16 catches for 227 yards and four touchdowns.

In San Francisco, Ricky Pearsall has 16 grabs for 281 yards, though he has yet to find the end zone. Pearsall’s situation is a bit tougher to read, as Jauan Jennings has missed time, and Brandon Aiyuk remains out. But both Odunze and Pearsall should be treated as weekly starters in all formats until further notice.

As for what this means for the veteran teammates Odunze and Pearsall have seemingly supplanted as their team’s top options, it may be more difficult to define.

Chicago has veteran DJ Moore, whose weekly results have been somewhat underwhelming. Moore has finished outside the top-40 among fantasy wide receivers in two of three weeks. Even scoring a touchdown last week could not help Moore crack the top 24. I still think Moore is worth starting in leagues with three starting receiver spots, but that may be more based on a favorable matchup against Las Vegas than anything.

The 49ers also get a favorable Week 4 draw versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jennings and quarterback Brock Purdy may return for this matchup. I would start Jennings as well, provided there are no setbacks. I currently have DJ Moore and Jauan Jennings back-to-back in my Week 4 Flex rankings.

Speaking of Las Vegas, what in the world got into Tre Tucker last week? And more importantly, was his performance for real? Well, I surely would not go expecting 8-145-3 ever again. But I think there might be something here. Tucker was thought to be an afterthought in the Raiders’ passing attack after Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers, and even Dont’e Thornton Jr., but Tucker has earned 20 targets through three games.

Bowers has 21 targets and has been slightly hampered by an injury. Meyers currently leads the club with 26 targets. Thornton has 12 targets. Tucker is certainly earning the trust of quarterback Geno Smith, as he has caught all four of the veteran’s touchdown passes. I believe Tre Tucker is a viable Flex in Week 4 against a Chicago Bears defense that has given up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers thus far.

Tight End Notes

There are only a dozen tight ends whom I have ranked among the top-100 overall in my Week 4 Flex rankings. Compare that to 34 running backs and 54 wide receivers. That disparity means it would take a lot for me to consider any tight end a standalone Flex play. However, there are scenarios where it could make sense depending on your roster and league settings.

If you are down a running back or two without a replacement like a Cam Skattebo or Trey Benson, you may opt to start a player like Juwan Johnson or Zach Ertz in the Flex spot. You may have also drafted a potential stud such as Tyler Warren or Tucker Kraft as a backup to Brock Bowers or Trey McBride. In such a scenario, I would be fine starting both tight ends in Week 4.

Keep in mind that bye weeks begin in Week 5. There are several relevant fantasy tight ends who will be out of action next week. They include Kraft, Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, Cole Kmet, Pat Freiermuth, and Colston Loveland. Some tough roster decisions may have to be made. Personally, I would not drop Kraft or Pitts under any circumstances. We have been fooled by Pitts before, but he is still young and talented enough to put it together. I do not have an issue cutting either tight end on Pittsburgh or Chicago. They cannibalize each other enough to make it difficult to trust any of them as a starter. If you are considering cutting any or all of them, you might as well get ahead of it and do it now. You may be able to stash a player who could be the next in line at another position.

Check out all of our Week 4 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

Week 4 Flex Rankings

Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!