Thursday Fantasy Fliers, Week 4: Maxx Williams and Mike Vick

If you're hoping for a classic defensive battle between AFC North rivals on Thursday night ... well, maybe you should just find an archived game from 2005. So far this season, the Ds in Pittsburgh and Baltimore have been something less than stellar. These teams rank No. 19 and 29 against the pass, allowing the tenth-most and fifth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs. If we get a 16-13 final score tonight, it will probably have more to do with offensive incompetence than with defensive dominance.

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Still, if you feel compelled to make a small fantasy investment in this game, we have a pair of lightly owned options...

Maxx Williams, TE, Baltimore Ravens (7 percent owned, $10 in Yahoo daily)

Williams was targeted seven times in Week 3, hauling in three balls for 44 yards. He shouldn't lack for opportunities on Thursday, because Crockett Gillmore will be sidelined with a calf injury. The rookie lacks Gillmore's freakish size, but Williams is plenty capable of making highlight-quality catches — here's a sample from his collegiate tape. Just ridiculous. Baltimore tight ends have combined for 25 targets through three games, catching 17 for 237 yards and two scores. This week, the full workload should fall to Williams. Don't be surprised if he delivers a top-12 positional finish.

[Week 4 rankings: Quarterback | Running Back | Receiver | Flex | All Positions]

Mike Vick, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (17 percent owned, $30 in Yahoo daily)

Yeah, OK, this reeks of desperation. To be clear, we do not recommend starting Vick over waiver gems like Tyrod Taylor or Derek Carr (or Andy Dalton or Joe Flacco or various others. Check the ranks.) But if you're involved in, say, a 14-team league or a two-quarterback format, then Vick certainly belongs on the radar. He won't be running the full playbook, necessarily, but he obviously has some dangerous weapons at his disposal. He's surely still an effective runner (if also a volume fumbler), so that boosts his fantasy profile.

I'm preparing to start him in a 16-teamer as a Roethlisberger replacement, so I feel compelled to endorse him here. Carr and Dalton have delivered huge performances against the Ravens over the past two weeks — both topped 300 yards and tossed three TD passes — so Vick may not be a complete fantasy disaster.