Week 4 always represents an interesting time in the world of fantasy football.

Three things that occur by Week 4 every year:

1. Most owners have dealt with an injury or two.
2. We begin to get a clearer picture of who is good and who is not.
3.  Bye weeks begin.

For some, bye weeks, injuries and the like are the most frustrating part of this game. It would be so easy to draft a team, set it and forget it. This outlook is exactly what the strong fantasy player preys on. This is the greatest time of the year. It is when the strong player can identify match-ups and take advantage of his or her supreme knowledge. If you are unsure of your ability to find these diamonds in the rough, not a problem, I have done it for you.

As always, these “sneaky” players are intentionally off-the-wall and under the radar.  Please do not take these recommendations to mean that these players merit a start in all leagues and all formats. They do not. This is simply a list of players that for some identified reason should outperform their usual level of production and, therefore, could be a potential bye week fill-in or injury replacement.

1. Brandon Bolden, Running Back, New England Patriots

Week 3 marked the beginning of a full-blown running back by committee in New England. Stevan Ridley, LeGarrette Blount and Bolden played basically the same amount of snaps (26, 21 and 26 respectively).  Normally, saying someone is in a running back by committee situation is tantamount to insulting their mother, but Bolden possesses something the others do not. He has the ability to catch the football. From Kevin Faulk to Danny Woodhead, there have always been touches in the New England offense for a running back who can catch the ball. Bolden can be what Shane Vereen was going to be before the injury. Now granted, the match-up for a running back against the Falcons does not look tremendously promising at first glance. Atlanta is fourth in the league in rush yards per game (195). Bolden’s value, however, is not solely in rushing (even though he broke a long run last week). His value is in the passing game. And Atlanta has given up the third most receiving yards to running backs this season (185). If you are need of a solid flex play, this is your guy.

Prediction: 110 total yards, 1 touchdown

2. Jason Avant, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles

Last week, Avant had a great game. He finished with five receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown, and that was against a Kansas City defense that is ranked fifth in the league allowing only 185 passing yards per game. But, we see this from wide receivers all the time. Some guy has one great week, everyone runs to the waiver wire to pick him up and, then, he lays an egg the rest of the way. In fact, I’m pretty sure that Jason Avant has done this in the past. But there are some signs that this week could be different. For one, Avant is the second most targeted receiver in Philadelphia with a total of 17. Also, he has a 64.7% catch rate and zero drops. Avant is getting looks and gaining trust with his quarterback so far.  Plus, it is a good match-up. Denver is ranked 30th in the league in passing yards per game at 327 per. Whether it is garbage-time production or Philly can actually hang with the Broncos, doesn’t matter to fantasy owners. This game will have tons of plays, tons of points and tons of fantasy-relevant players.

Prediction: Seven receptions, 78 yards, one touchdown

3. Heath Miller, Tight End, Pittsburgh Steelers

It has been a terrible start to the 2013 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are simply not a good football team. But, there is a little cause for optimism. Their highly touted rookie running back is set to return soon and their former pro bowl tight end, Heath Miller, is back. Miller was limited in his return last week, finishing the game with just three receptions for 35 yards. This week, however, should be a different story. The Steelers travel across the pond to take on the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings defense is allowing the second most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends (17.17), including a touchdown by the tight end in every game this year. Miller is a solid top 12 tight end this week.

Prediction: Six receptions, 66 yards, one touchdown

Honorable Mention:

Mohamed Sanu, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals

-Sanu has the pleasure of being the Cincy receiver not covered by Joe Haden

Denarius Moore, Wide Receiver, Oakland Raiders

-He faces Washington. Until further notice, that’s enough.