Shakir, Reed among 5 must-start Week 4 fantasy football wide receivers

MIAMI, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Khalil Shakir and Jayden Reed are among my five must-start wide receivers for Week 4 of the fantasy football campaign.

Ja'Marr Chase leads my weekly Top 50 rankings, which are listed below. Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and Marvin Harrison Jr. also land inside the Top 5 of my rankings.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Davante Adams, Nico Collins, Rashee Rice and Chris Godwin join those pass catchers in my Top 10. Metcalf, Godwin and Jakobi Meyers join Shakir and Reed as my five must-start plays.

Those who roster Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and other players dealing with injuries should monitor their status before plugging them into starting lineups.

My running back, quarterback and tight end rankings also are available and will be updated throughout the week. Players also will be removed from or adjusted within the rankings based on injuries. My top free agent targets for Week 4 are available here.

Players from Thursday's Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants game were removed from my rankings.

D.K. Metcalf

Metcalf is my No. 4 wide receiver for Week 4. The Seattle Seahawks playmaker is a Top-5 fantasy football producer so far this season. He eclipsed 100 receiving yards and scored in each of his last two games.

This week, the Seahawks will face a Detroit Lions defense that allowed the most catches and receiving yards and third-most fantasy points to wide receivers through three weeks. They allowed a touchdown to the position in each of those games. They also just surrendered 64 yards apiece to Arizona Cardinals wide receivers Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. in Week 3.

I expect Metcalf to find the end zone once again. He also should eclipse 100 receiving yards for the third-consecutive week. Metcalf should never leave starting lineups in redraft leagues with at least 10 teams, but could be a primary reason for your success this week, and is a stellar option in daily formats.

Chris Godwin

Godwin is another WR1 play for Week 4. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass catcher, who sits at No. 10 in my rankings, found the end zone in each of his three appearances this season. He also logged at least eight targets and six catches in each of those games.

Godwin's 25 targets lead the Buccaneers and are 10 more than teammate Mike Evans. Look for that trend to continue when the Buccaneers host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

The Eagles tied for allowing the third-most touchdown catches and surrendered the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers through three weeks. They also gave up more than 85 yards and a score to at least one wide receiver in each of those appearances, including scores from four wide receivers through their first two games.

Godwin and Evans should find the end zone in what will likely be a high-scoring matchup, but I expect the former to provide better fantasy football production.

Khalil Shakir

Like Godwin, Shakir is off to a hot start, with scores in two of his first three games. Shakir also secured each of his first 14 targets. The Buffalo Bills playmaker -- my No. 11 option for the week -- totaled a season-high six catches for 72 yards and a score in Week 3.

This week, Shakir will face a Baltimore Ravens defense that allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to wide receivers through three weeks. That stretch included allowing scores in Week 3 to Dallas Cowboys wide receivers Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin.

The Ravens also allowed 100-yard performances from Rashee Rice and Davante Adams in their first two games. Look for Shakir, the Bills' most-targeted player, to see a ton of looks in what should be another high-scoring matchup.

He can be plugged in as a low-end WR1/high-end WR2.

Jayden Reed

Reed is the No. 19 player in my Week 4 wide receiver rankings. The Green Bay Packers weapon led all wide receivers in fantasy points in Week 1, when he caught four passes for 138 yards and a score and found the end zone on a 33-yard run. He didn't find the end zone over his last two appearances, but continues to get opportunities as a pass catcher and ball carrier.

Reed, who logged 69 yards from scrimmage on six touches in Week 3, should find more room to operate in Week 4 against a Minnesota Vikings defense that allowed the second-most receiving yards -- 196.7 per game -- to wide receivers through three weeks.

The Vikings have yet to allow a touchdown to the position, but this is as good of a week as any for that to change. Reed can be plugged in as a WR2 in most leagues.

Jakobi Meyers

Starting Meyers is a bit of a risk, but I would throw him in your lineup if you are desperate and in a league with at least 12 teams. The Las Vegas Raiders veteran registered season-highs in targets (nine), catches (seven) and receiving yards (62), while finding the end zone for his first score in Week 3.

Meyers, who drew 14 targets over the last two weeks, should continue to see looks as teams focus most of their attention on fellow Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.

This week, the Raiders also will face a Cleveland Browns defense that just allowed eight catches for 78 yards and two scores from Malik Nabers and seven catches for 61 yards from Wan'Dale Robinson in Week 3.

Look for Meyers to catch at least five passes for 60 yards. He could find himself in high-end WR2 territory if he reaches the end zone for the second-consecutive week. He is my No. 23 option.

Week 4 wide receiver rankings

1. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals at CAR

2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings at GB

3. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles at TB

4. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks at DET

5. Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals vs. WAS

6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions vs. SEA

7. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders vs. CLE

8. Nico Collins, Houston Texans vs. JAX

9. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs at LAC

10. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. PHI

11. Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills at BAL

12. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals at CAR

13. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers vs. NE

14. Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers vs. CIN

15. Drake London, Atlanta Falcons vs. NO

16. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens vs. BUF

17. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins vs. TEN

18. D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears vs. LAR

19. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers vs. MIN

20. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets vs. DEN

21. George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers at IND

22. Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans vs. JAX

23. Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders vs. CLE

24. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. PHI

25. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns at LV

26. Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints at ATL

27. Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions vs. SEA

28. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts vs. PIT

29. Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders at ARI

30. DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans at MIA

31. Tank Dell, Houston Texans vs. JAX

32. Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars at HOU

33. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints at ATL

34. Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings at GB

35. Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars at HOU

36. Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans at MIA

37. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins vs. TEN

38. Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns at LV

39. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks at DET

40. Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs at LAC

41. Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers vs. CIN

42. Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers vs. NE

43. Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers vs. KC

44. Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears vs. LAR

45. Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams at CHI

46. Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati Bengals at CAR

47. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos at NYJ

48. Allen Lazard, New York Jets vs. DEN

49. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks at DET

50. Tyler Johnson, Los Angeles Rams at CHI