Top five FLEX plays for fantasy football Week 4

Recognize you not the beast we’ve created? It’s the month of franken-constructions, spiritually and spookily, and indeed, I’m staring at a team—starters and bench included—that is perhaps 20% source material from the actual draft, and 80% crudely-attached appendages like Rocket Sanders, Tyquan Thornton, Ted Hurst III, and Kenyon Sadiq. Victor Frankenstein was a boob in Shelley’s novel and even more so in Guillermo Del Toro’s adaptation (Oscar Isaac played him so well!), but I find myself channeling his scientific ambition to make gorgeous, cohesive monster out of the fractured limbs (not here referring, of course, to the 3,476 season-ending injuries through three weeks of the season) of fantasy production. I do not remember an October which—beyond the teams who drafted Gibbs and Ken Walker, or whatever—the entire fantasy board was so ripe for the taking, if only you’re sharp and willing to take ugly risks.

Happy Fantasy Friday once more—and happy season of shadows to all, now that the calendar’s turned to October. I’m here with the Five Lists of Five: Week 4 edition. Franken-lineup edition. May we maintain our humanity during this monstrous time.

For the newly-ordained: Soundbite-length blurbs with advanced analysis on my favorite plays of the week. We begin now with my Top five FLEX plays for fantasy football Week 4. Here are my other offerings in this edition:

• Top five must-start WRs for fantasy football Week 4
• Top five must-start RBs for fantasy football Week 4
• Top five fantasy football players to stash ahead of NFL Week 4 (TK)
• Top five fantasy defenses to start for NFL Week 4 (TK)

All data provided by Fantasy Points Data Suite 2.0, unless otherwise noted.

Fantasy football Week 4: Top five FLEX plays to start

Stefon Diggs, WAS (at Colts [London])

David Blough keeps moving Diggs around the formation, and I bet the veteran will get some good inside work against Indianapolis. The Colts have conceded seven catches and 115.3 yards per game to slot receivers, both league highs. Outside, they’ve limited receivers to three catches and 45.7 yards, both league lows. Terry McLaurin draws the harder assignment; Diggs can attack the middle with more room to operate.

Washington expanded his route share from 52% to 77% last week. Diggs caught four of seven targets for 33 yards against Seattle, extending his streak to three games with at least four catches and six targets. Blough kept putting him on the field as the Seahawks defense squeezed on those completions, and it looks like Diggs is set to be a staple in this offense at least while Jayden Daniels is out.

Indianapolis plays Cover 1 or Cover 3 on 56.3% of opposing dropbacks. Diggs has averaged 2.31 YPRR against those coverages, attracting a target on 31% of his 35 routes. Marcus Mariota just threw three TDs against Seattle, a reassuring performance as Jayden Daniels works back from his elbow injury. I’m starting Diggs in a PPR FLEX and projecting five or six catches. Indianapolis is soft enough over the middle that they’ve surrendered substantial yardage, and I expect Diggs to clear 75.

Keenan Allen, IND (vs. Commanders [London])

Daniel Jones has completed 14% of his throws traveling at least 20 air yards this season, down from 43% last year. With Alec Pierce on IR, Shane Steichen has good reason to shorten the passing game. Keenan Allen can oblige. Against Houston, he worked over the backup linebackers, caught six of nine targets for 63 yards and scored on a shallow cross. Allen, Josh Downs and Tyler Warren absorbed 30 of Indianapolis’ 35 targets that afternoon. I like the concentration, especially with Allen collecting consecutive red-zone looks on the touchdown drive. Jones kept returning to the same three receivers, and Allen supplied the scoring catch.

Washington aligns two safeties high on a league-leading 81.9% of dropbacks. Allen has attracted targets on 31% of his 39 routes against those shells, and the Commanders concede an NFL-high 12 catches per game to receivers aligned outside. He’ll work both inside and out as Steichen arranges those shorter throws. His 71% route share leaves Downs with the larger assignment, but Allen belongs in my PPR FLEX. Washington has struggled to cover the same areas where Jones found him against Houston.

RJ Harvey, DEN (at 49ers)

Bo Nix targeted Harvey seven times against the Rams, same as both Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton. Denver designed several of those throws, including a first-read pass to the flat near the goal line. Harvey caught six for 41 yards. And that’s what we love to see. I’m starting Harvey in a PPR FLEX against San Francisco, which allows 5.3 RB receptions per game, fifth-most.

Harvey ran routes on 46% of Denver’s dropbacks last week; J.K. Dobbins was out there for only 14%. Across Harvey’s two appearances, he leads the Broncos’ skill players in target share (17.7%) and YPRR (2.13). Nix has completed 10 throws to him during that stretch, while struggling to connect downfield with Waddle and Sutton. The Niners defense should force Nix to look Harvey’s way quite a bit.

Dobbins still takes the carries near the goal line, including both attempts inside the 10 last week. Defenders contacted him in the backfield on all five of his attempts there this season. Harvey’s on this list for his work in the passing game. With Jonah Coleman on IR and Brock Purdy directing a productive San Francisco offense opposite the Broncos, I expect Bo Nix to keep sending his receiving back into productive routes throughout the afternoon.

Jameson Williams, DET (at Panthers)

Carolina sent Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson to IR, and I’m starting Williams against their replacements hoping that, finally, Jamo can break out this year. Jared Goff can attack a depleted secondary from behind Penei Sewell, who surrendered zero pressures across 37 pass-blocking snaps last week. Detroit should take their chances downfield against corners suddenly handling much larger assignments.

Williams caught all four of his targets for 49 yards against the Jets. Detroit found him twice on the opening drive, then largely abandoned him until he made a difficult sideline catch and followed it with a reception on a drag. Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown consumed plenty of it instead.

Sam LaPorta also cuts into Williams’ opportunities. Since 2025, Williams’ target share drops from 21% to 16% with LaPorta playing, and his expected half-PPR production falls from WR16 to WR55. I’m keeping him in the FLEX tier for that reason. Four or five targets remain a plausible afternoon; against Carolina’s replacement corners, I expect Goff to find Williams for a substantial gain on one of them.

Rashee Rice, KC (at Raiders)

Patrick Mahomes targeted Rice on nine of his 18 routes against Miami, feeding him seven completions for 88 yards. I especially liked the accompanying 8.3-yard aDOT, second-highest of Rice’s career. Kansas City supplemented its designed touches with throws farther downfield, expanding the assignment for a receiver who ranks third among WRs in YAC/reception.

Las Vegas has surrendered the third-fewest FPG to receivers overall, but slot receivers have caught 5.3 passes for 87.7 yards per game against the Raiders, fourth-most and second-most, respectively. It’s their one weak spot. Rice also has averaged 3.11 YPRR across 37 routes against Cover 3 and Cover 6, the two coverages Las Vegas combines on 48.6% of its defensive snaps. He’s seeing more success against the precise shells he’ll see on Sunday.

Rice’s targets have climbed from two to six to nine, though his 19% season target share still trails the volume I’d demand from a weekly WR1. For this FLEX decision, I’ll trust Mahomes to keep attacking underneath and Rice to punish the first defender who reaches him.