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Week 4 was redemption week for a lot of players who needed it. It started with Justin Forsett on Thursday night against Pittsburgh and continued Sunday with Sam Bradford, Jeremy Hill, Chris Ivory, Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson and Martellus Bennett.

It wasn't all rosy as C.J. Anderson was again terrible, Arian Foster returned with little fanfare and several other players were busts like Peyton Manning, Latavius Murray and Julio Jones, among others. But two young running backs stole the Fantasy headlines in Week 4 with Devonta Freeman and Todd Gurley.

Freeman was dominant for the second game in a row against the Texans. He had 14 carries for 68 yards and three touchdowns and five catches for 81 yards, which was good for 32 Fantasy points in a standard league. He now has 69 Fantasy points in his past two games, and we hope Tevin Coleman (ribs) decides to rest for as long possible so Freeman can keep this up. The Falcons play the Redskins at home in Week 5.

Gurley was one of the biggest surprises in Week 4 at Arizona. Playing in just his second NFL game, he had 19 carries for 146 yards and two catches for 15 yards against one of the better defenses in the league. We hope this is the start of something special, and Gurley hopefully will become a must-start Fantasy option moving forward, starting in Week 5 at Green Bay.

As we get into the thick of the bye weeks, and injuries continue to plague our teams, it's good to see two running backs like Freeman and Gurley step up and play prominent roles. We hope this is just the beginning for them being standout Fantasy options for the rest of the season.

Quarterbacks

Player on the rise

I didn't expect Eli Manning to go into Buffalo and play well. He wasn't great on the road going back to last year, and the Bills defense had done a nice job against opposing quarterbacks not named Tom Brady this year, holding Andrew Luck and Ryan Tannehill to minimal production. But Manning was 20-of-35 passing for 212 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for 24 Fantasy points. He has now scored at least 23 Fantasy points in three games in a row, and he should have another big outing in Week 5 vs. San Francisco. Manning has lived up to his billing as a solid No. 1 Fantasy quarterback and should remain active in all leagues.

Player on the decline

Peyton Manning looked bad in Week 4 against the Vikings, which ended a two-game run when Fantasy owners were starting to feel good about him again. He was 17-of-27 passing for 213 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions for 10 Fantasy points after he scored 26 and 22 points the previous two weeks. He should bounce back in a big way in Week 5 at the Raiders, but you just have to realize Manning is going to have some bad games along the way, including his five-point outing in Week 1. Manning is probably not a Top 3 Fantasy quarterback moving forward, but he should continue to be a weekly starter in most leagues and offers Top 10 potential, especially in favorable matchups. The game at Oakland is one of those weeks, so look for Manning to rebound and play well.

Quarterback injuries: None

Quarterback waivers: Jay Cutler (44 percent ownership), Nick Foles (37 percent), Michael Vick (37 percent) and Blake Bortles (30 percent)

Of note: Philip Rivers was the No. 1 quarterback heading into Sunday night's game with 32 Fantasy points against the Browns. He overcame a shaky offensive line to take advantage of a great matchup, and he scored more than 20 points for the first time since Week 1. He has another favorable matchup in Week 5 against the Steelers, and Rivers should be considered a starter in the majority of leagues. ... Bradford finally looked like a legit Fantasy option at Washington with 29 Fantasy points, which was easily his best performance of the season, and he took advantage of a bad secondary. We hope this is something to build on, and he has another great matchup against the Saints at home in Week 5. ... Cutler came back from a one-game absence with his hamstring injury and had 21 Fantasy points against the Raiders. He did it without Alshon Jeffery (hamstring), and we hope he can return for Week 5 at Kansas City. That's a good matchup but a tough place to play, but Cutler would be a solid bye-week replacement for Cam Newton against the Chiefs. ... The Texans will almost certainly go with Brian Hoyer as their starter in Week 5 against the Colts on Thursday night. Hoyer replaced the ineffective Ryan Mallett against the Falcons and finished with 21 Fantasy points in garbage time. He'll be an option in two-quarterback leagues against the Colts. ... Bortles has scored at least 19 Fantasy points in three games in a row after he had 20 points in Week 4 at Indianapolis. The Jaguars will be playing their third road game in a row in Week 5 at Tampa Bay, but that's a good matchup to consider using Bortles as a bye-week replacement in two-quarterback leagues. ... Andy Dalton played well as our Start of the Week, but he failed to score multiple touchdowns for the first time this season. He finished with 19 Fantasy points, which should make him a Top 12 quarterback this week, but his stats were better than his Fantasy production with 321 passing yards and one touchdown and 16 rushing yards. Dalton lost out to Hill scoring three rushing touchdowns. ... The two main replacement options at quarterback this week were Derek Carr and Tyrod Taylor, and both were disappointments. Carr scored 17 Fantasy points at Chicago, and Taylor had 15 points against the Giants. There's no way to start Carr in Week 5 against Denver, and Taylor can be a two-quarterback option next week at Tennessee. But both quarterbacks were huge letdowns in Week 4 given the expectations in their respective matchups.

Running backs

Player on the rise

We already mentioned Freeman and Gurley, who both qualify for this spot, so let's focus on Ivory and his dominant performance against the Dolphins in London. Ivory, who didn't play in Week 3 against the Eagles with his quad injury, had 29 carries for 166 yards and one touchdown against Miami, and this is now two games on the season with at least 21 Fantasy points. The Jets are on a bye in Week 5, but when Ivory is healthy he should be considered a solid starting option in the majority of leagues. He's proven that when he gets the workload he should deliver.

Player on the decline

No player is more deserving of this spot than Anderson, who again struggled with 11 carries for 43 yards and one catch for 27 yards against Minnesota. His problems were magnified by Ronnie Hillman having 11 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 5 yards. Now, Hillman did the majority of his damage on a 72-yard touchdown run, but Anderson is still stuck with just 12 Fantasy points for the season in four games. He does get the Raiders in Week 5, which should be the cure to his woes, but it's hard for Fantasy owners to keep trusting him at this point. Please don't drop him, but you might consider benching him in Week 5 if you don't believe in the matchup at Oakland. He's looking more and more like a bust with each passing week.

Running back injuries: None

Running back waivers: Ronnie Hillman (64 percent ownership), David Johnson (61 percent), Charles Sims (52 percent), Duke Johnson (49 percent), Antonio Andrews (15 percent) and Robert Turbin (3 percent)

Of note: We told you not to give up on Hill after two down games the past two weeks, and he rewarded the owners who stuck with him in Week 4 against the Chiefs. He didn't have a great game running the ball with just nine carries for 40 yards, but he scored three touchdowns and a two-point conversion for 24 Fantasy points. Giovani Bernard is still a factor (13 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown), but Hill should continue to be a valuable Fantasy option moving forward. He'll be a starter in all leagues in Week 5 even with a tough matchup at home against the Seahawks. ... Martin had his first standout Fantasy performance in Week 4 against the Panthers with 20 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 37 yards. That was great, but Sims also played well with six carries for 23 yards and three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown, and this was the second game in a row he's scored. Martin is still the better Buccaneers running back, and he has a great matchup in Week 5 at home against the Jaguars. But with how bad Tampa Bay's defense is and how often the offense will be chasing points, don't discount adding Sims in deeper PPR leagues this week. ... The Browns took advantage of a good matchup at San Diego with Duke Johnson (17 Fantasy points) and Isaiah Crowell (12 points) both playing well. Turbin (ankle) is getting close to a return, which will make this an even messier backfield to trust, but it was good to see Johnson play at a high level, including getting goal-line carries late in the fourth quarter. Turbin might end up as the best Browns running back for the rest of the season. ... There was a report coming into Week 4 that the Giants were ready to bench Rashad Jennings in favor of Andre Williams, but both running backs shared playing time, along with Shane Vereen. Jennings had 11 touches (nine carries and two catches), Williams had 11 carries and Vereen had five carries, but Jennings had the play of the game with a 51-yard touchdown catch highlighted with a huge stiff-arm on Buffalo safety Bacarri Rambo. We'll see how the Giants split carries in Week 5 against the 49ers, but this is a backfield to avoid most weeks until one player emerges out of this timeshare. ... There was also a report that LeSean McCoy (hamstring) could miss 3-4 weeks, which would allow Karlos Williams to remain in a featured role for the Bills. Williams had 18 carries for 40 yards and three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown against the Giants, and he scored for the fourth game in a row. He'll remain a must-start option in Week 5 at Tennessee if McCoy is out as expected. ... The Chargers were expected to get Melvin Gordon going in Week 4 against the Browns, but once again Danny Woodhead had the better game. Woodhead had eight carries for 54 yards and four catches for 84 yards, while Gordon had 12 carries for 38 yards and two catches for 8 yards. Offensive line and game flow hurt Gordon, and we'll see if he can rebound on Week 5 against the Steelers. But Woodhead should remain a No. 2 running back in all formats until he proves otherwise. He has scored at least nine Fantasy points in a standard league in three of four games this season. ... The Cardinals kept Andre Ellington (knee) out in Week 4, which allowed Chris Johnson and David Johnson to carry the load against the Rams. Chris Johnson had 16 carries for 83 yards and three catches for 11 yards, and David Johnson had three carries for 18 yards and four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown. He also lost a fumble on special teams, and he dropped a touchdown as well. It's clear David Johnson is an exceptional talent, but he won't be able to maximize his skills when all three running backs are active. Ellington is likely to return in Week 5 at Detroit. ... Foster was active as expected at the Falcons, but his 2015 debut didn't go as expected after missing the first three games with a groin injury. He had eight carries for 10 yards and three catches for 25 yards, and he lost an unfortunate fumble when offensive lineman Derek Newton knocked the ball out his hands. Game flow limited his touches, and the Texans will likely give him a full workload in Week 5 against the Colts on Thursday night. This is your last window to buy low on Foster. ... Good luck trying to figure out the Redskins backfield each week. In Week 4, Alfred Morris was the leading rusher with 17 carries for 62 yards and two catches for 3 yards, Matt Jones had seven carries for 11 yards and Chris Thompson had six carries for 53 yards and two catches for 24 yards, but all three guys were given scoring chances. By default, Morris would be the one to consider as a potential No. 2 running back in Week 5 at Atlanta, but I'd stay away from this backfield if you can. ... Murray appeared to get benched against the Bears after losing a fumble in the fourth quarter. He struggled up to that point with 16 carries for 49 yards and three catches for 12 yards, and hopefully he won't be punished moving forward. He has a tough matchup in Week 5 against the Broncos. ... DeMarco Murray returned from his one-game absence from a hamstring injury at Washington and again struggled with eight carries for 36 yards. He complained about his workload after the game, and we'll see if the Eagles feed him in Week 5 against the Saints. It's been a disaster so far for Murray, and his return against the Redskins limited Ryan Mathews (five carries for 20 yards) and Darren Sproles (four carries for 17 yards).

Wide receivers

Player on the rise

I had minimal expectations for Jeremy Maclin this season with his move from the Eagles to the Chiefs, but the past two games show he can still be an outstanding Fantasy option, which is great to see. He had eight catches for 141 yards and a touchdown in Week 3 at Green Bay, and he followed that up with 11 catches for 148 yards at Cincinnati. This makes it easy to forget his first two games of nine catches for 109 yards combined against Houston and Denver. There will be plenty of inconsistent games moving forward, but it's clear you can feel comfortable starting Maclin most weeks as at least a No. 2 Fantasy receiver. He has 24 targets in his past two games, which is impressive.

Player on the decline

The Dolphins are obviously a disaster right now with three losses in a row after falling to the Jets in London, and Jarvis Landry isn't part of the problem. But he has been a problem for Fantasy owners in standard leagues with only one game with double digits in Fantasy points. He had four catches for 40 yards on 12 targets against the Jets and two carries for 29 yards, but he's still looking for his first offensive touchdown of the season. We hope the bye week will help the Dolphins, and maybe they will get Landry going at a high level. He does have eight catches in each of his first three games, which is great in PPR leagues, but the lack of downfield plays and touchdowns in his hurting his outcome in standard formats.

Wide receiver injuries: Nate Washington (hamstring), Cecil Shorts (shoulder) and Steve Johnson (hamstring)

Wide receiver waivers: Rueben Randle (42 percent ownership), Ted Ginn (41 percent), Eddie Royal (35 percent), Leonard Hankerson (30 percent), Allen Hurns (24 percent), Tavon Austin (22 percent), Kenny Stills (18 percent), Kamar Aiken (1 percent), Stefon Diggs (0 percent) and Jamison Crowder (0 percent)

Of note: Gurley will be the player most Fantasy owners are talking about from the Rams, and rightfully so, but Austin was awesome in the St. Louis victory at Arizona. He had six catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets and two carries for 20 yards. This is now his second game this season with a touchdown, but it's just his first game with double digits in Fantasy points. He's someone to add in deeper leagues, but it will be tough to trust him most weeks, including Week 5 at Green Bay. ... Josh Norman, as expected, made things difficult for Mike Evans, who finished with just three catches for 32 yards on eight targets. Meanwhile, Vincent Jackson exploded for 10 catches for 147 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets. We expect Evans to rebound in Week 5 against Jacksonville, but this should give Jackson owners reason for hope moving forward. He now has double digits in Fantasy points in two of his past three games. ... Julio Jones was a victim of game flow against the Texans when he was held to four catches for 38 yards on six targets, but Hankerson stepped up with six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. Meanwhile, Roddy White had just two catches for 8 yards on four targets. You can cut White for Hankerson in the majority of leagues since White has been removed as a vital part of this passing offense in favor of Hankerson. ... Thank goodness for garbage time, which helped DeAndre Hopkins in a big way at Atlanta with nine catches for 157 yards on 22 targets. Most of his production came with Hoyer, and we expect Hopkins to stay hot in Week 5 against the Colts, especially if Washington and Shorts are out. The Texans could start to use rookie Jaelen Strong (2 percent) now to help Hopkins. ... Don't panic on Jordan Matthews even though he had just three catches for 50 yards while Miles Austin, Riley Cooper and Brent Celek scored touchdowns. Matthews still led the Eagles with eight targets, and no other Philadelphia receiver had more than four at Washington. Matthews only has nine Fantasy points combined in his past two games, but he scored double digits in points in his first two games and should continue to play at a high level moving forward. ... It's time to buy into Ginn as a potential Fantasy option in more than just deeper leagues. He only had two catches for 18 yards on three targets against Tampa Bay, but he scored two touchdowns. This is now at least nine Fantasy points in three games in a row, and Cam Newton is relying on him with a weak receiving corps. He should remain relevant after Carolina's bye in Week 5. ... Hurns has scored 30 Fantasy points the past two games after his stellar performance in Week 4 at Indianapolis with 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown on 15 targets. I still like Allen Robinson better, and he played well against the Colts with four catches for 80 yards on 12 targets. But it's time to add Hurns where available because he is clearly the No. 2 receiver for Bortles moving forward. ... Don't worry about T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief yet because Luck (shoulder) should return in Week 5 against the Texans. But with Matt Hasselbeck, Hilton (seven catches for 67 yards on 13 targets) and Moncrief (six catches for 75 yards on nine targets) were good but not great against Jacksonville. Both are still viable options in all leagues heading into Week 5 if Luck returns as expected. As for Andre Johnson (no catches on two targets), he should be dropped in all formats.

Tight ends

Player on the rise

Charles Clay was exceptional against the Giants as expected, and he could have had a bigger game. Clay finished with nine catches for 111 yards on 13 targets, but he had a 32-yard touchdown called back because of a chop block. He now has 14 catches for 193 yards and a touchdown in his past two games, and he's scored two touchdowns on the season. He should remain a Top 10 tight end heading into Week 5 at the Titans.

Player on the decline

Kyle Rudolph struggled as expected in Week 4 at Denver with two catches for 7 yards on four targets. He now has just 21 yards in his past two games and has yet to hit double digits in Fantasy points on the season. It's safe to drop Rudolph in all leagues, especially with the Vikings on a bye in Week 5. We'll see if he can improve his production after the bye, but he's just not consistent enough to trust in the majority of leagues.

Tight end injuries: Jordan Reed (concussion)

Tight end waivers: Coby Fleener (55 percent ownership), Owen Daniels (41 percent), Richard Rodgers (20 percent) and Gary Barnidge (17 percent)

Of note: It was great to see Bennett take advantage of the dream matchup against the Raiders with 11 catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets. We hope this game, with the return of Cutler, helps Bennett continue to play at a high level for the rest of the season. ... Like clockwork, Fleener played well with Dwayne Allen (ankle) again out. He had nine catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets against the Jaguars after he had four catches for 51 yards in Week 3 at Tennessee with Allen out. If Allen is out in Week 5 against the Texans on Thursday then consider Fleener a Top 10 tight end. ... Daniels scored for the second game in a row against the Vikings, but he had just two catches for 9 yards on five targets. He gets the Raiders in Week 5, and they have now allowed six touchdowns to tight ends on the season. ... Rodgers has now scored in two of his past three games after he had five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown on six targets at San Francisco. With Davante Adams (ankle) hurt, Rodgers is the likely No. 3 receiving option behind Randall Cobb and James Jones. ... Barnidge, who I had as a sleeper in Week 3 with his matchup against the Raiders, delivered again in Week 4 at San Diego with six catches for 75 yards and a touchdown on six targets. He's worth buying into heading into Week 5 at Baltimore, although that will be a much tougher matchup than what he's faced the past two weeks. ... The Chargers got touchdowns from Ladarius Green and John Phillips against the Browns, and Green had four catches for 53 yards on six targets. I wouldn't recommend adding Green, however, since Antonio Gates (suspension) is eligible to return in Week 5 against the Steelers.