As the calendar turns to October, the Week 4 fantasy football 0.5 PPR rankings see a bit of a shake-up due to injuries, matchups, and some players failing to meet expectations thus far. Whether you are 3-0 or 0-3, the season is not even a quarter of the way over, meaning there is no time to let off the gas pedal. With kickoff around the globe (literally) looming, here are the fantasy football Week 4 0.5 PPR rankings.
2022 Week 4 0.5 PPR rankings
The PPR rankings below are from Senior Fantasy Analyst Tommy Garrett. If you want to ask Tommy or any other team member about running back rankings for Week 4, then be sure to sign up for the PFN Pass, which includes daily personalized fantasy advice through the PFN Discord server.
The table is best viewed in landscape on mobile devices and can be sorted using the filters above the table. Within the table are rankings for PPR, half-PPR, and non-PPR. In order to select your scoring system, use the filters above the table. The overall ranking is based on Superflex leagues.
Five intriguing players in the Week 4 0.5 PPR rankings
Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions
Some weeks, the waiver wire might as well not exist, as there are no worthwhile additions to be found. This was not one of those weeks. While a handful of players could lay claim to the top waiver wire priority, right up there in the mix was Jamaal Williams.
With D’Andre Swift sustaining a shoulder injury, Williams toated the rock 20 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings, adding two receptions for 20 yards in relief of Swift. Williams gashed the defense with four rushes of ten or more yards and is tied with Nick Chubb for the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL.
While Seattle is sixth in fantasy points allowed to running backs this year, they’re 26th in DVOA vs. pass receiving backs, allowing the sixth-most receptions and fourth-most yards. Throw in a missing Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Williams is a must-start RB1 in 0.5 PPR fantasy football rankings for Week 4.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers
Is anyone else already sick of seeing Christian McCaffrey’s name on the injury report? I mean, I knew what I was getting into by drafting him, but man, this life ain’t easy. McCaffrey is officially listed as questionable for Week 4 as he deals with a quad issue that has prevented him from participating in practices.
Odds are McCaffrey will suit up against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, and he enters the week on a roll with back-to-back weeks of 100-plus yards. He also amassed 27 touches in Week 3. With that said, RBs in their first game back from a quad issue tend not to live up to expectations, usually landing in the ballpark of -2.5 to -3.0 xFPS.
With that said, there is only one CMC walking this planet, and I refuse to bet against him. The only thing missing, if I am nitpicking, is his receiving utilization. Such usage has been a staple of years past, and McCaffrey has failed to surpass 30 receiving yards in a game this year. Prior to this season, McCaffrey hadn’t fallen short of 30 yards in a non-injury shortened game since the middle of 2019.
I’m trusting McCaffrey, quad and all, as an upper-end RB1 against a Cardinals defense that allowed over 5.0 yards per carry to Cam Akers last week and has given up the second-most touchdowns to RBs this year (5).
Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
I’ll admit it. I was down on Cordarrelle Patterson all summer. I felt last year was an outlier and that how he ran down toward the end of last year would lead to fewer opportunities. At best, I figured Atlanta would save him for high-leverage opportunities and let Damien Williams and Tyler Allgeier handle the bulk of the carries.
I was also wrong. Outside of his disappointing Week 2 outing, Patterson has averaged 21.5 touches and 144.5 total yards as the RB5 in fantasy points per game (15.7). If you aren’t moving Patterson up, it’s because your head is buried in the sand. While Cleveland has done a decent job against RBs (12th against the position), Patterson is an RB2 with RB1 upside. At this rate, he’s on the short-list of the best draft day values.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Like many, I was just happy to see J.K. Dobbins back on the field last week. Dobbins tore his ACL, LCL, meniscus, and hamstring in his left leg in last year’s preseason finale and hadn’t played a meaningful snap since January of 2021. I was concerned Baltimore would limit his touches, and that’s what we saw last week with Dobbins rushing seven times for 23 yards and catching both of his targets for 17 yards.
I know fantasy managers are ready to put Dobbins in their starting lineup and use him like the starter he was drafted to be roughly a month ago. Unfortunately, I would suggest waiting a bit longer. For one, we need to see Dobbins look like himself and receive starting RB usage.
Also, this is a matchup to avoid. Buffalo is No. 4 in fantasy points allowed (14.1 PPR) and sits No. 2 in overall EPA and No. 7 vs. rushers. Dobbins is a low-end RB3/high-end RB4 in Week 4 0.5 PPR fantasy rankings.
Gabe Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills
Gabriel Davis enters the week questionable as he deals with an ankle injury that prevented him from playing in Week 2 and limited his impact against Miami last week. Davis had an impact against the Dolphins but left some meat on the bone.
Recording three receptions on his six targets for 37 yards, Davis should have scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, which would have salvaged his outing for fantasy. Buffalo’s No. 2 wideout was a limited participant on Friday and is currently listed as questionable. For me, if Davis is active, he’s a starter. While he was fourth on the team in targets last week, Davis led the Bills in air yards which is the calling card of his game.
This is a get-right game for Davis and the Bills offense. Baltimore has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers (56.1 PPR), and in this potential shootout, I want as much exposure to Buffalo’s offense as possible. Davis is a conservative WR3 but is realistically a WR2 if he sees typical volume.
