Week 4 in the NFL revealed more in the realm of the fantasy world. Usually, I learn that I suck at fantasy football; this week was no exception. Here are some thoughts on the winners and losers this week.

PEYTON MANNING — Guess who’s the No. 1 quarterback in fantasy leagues? Yeah, two weeks ago, and for the entire offseason, it was Drew Brees. Not anymore. Manning has thrown for 300-plus yards in all four games and nine passing touchdowns (just as many as Brees) this season to lead the Colts, who are the only 4-0 team that no one is talking about.

PIERRE THOMAS — One of the reasons Brees hasn’t put up huge stats in the past two games is because, well, he hasn’t had to. Thomas has been the offensive workhorse that we were all hoping he’d be this year with 212 yards rushing and three touchdowns. The freaky thing is that he is averaging 6.4 yards per carry, which, among running backs with 30-plus carries, is second in the league only to …

CORRELL BUCKHALTER — We all thought rookie Knowshon Moreno would carry the entire load in Denver, but Buckhalter’s lengthy runs have given him consistent fantasy value. The downside is that he only has one touchdown, but to average 7.2 yards per carry is not something you can overlook. Denver’s running game has been productive for as long as I can remember, and Buckhalter is turning out to be a great fantasy option when bye weeks begin ravaging starting lineups.

TERRELL OWENS — Sometimes a great football player can accumulate great fantasy stats no matter where he plays. But that just is not working out for the Bills’ receiver right now. After Owens posted his first game without catches since his rookie season, he caught just three passes on Sunday. However, he was targeted seven times, thus highlighting his proficiency in dropping passes. This one’s not all the fault of the Bills’ offense; T.O. needs to haul in those passes if he wants to be the impact player that he believes himself to be.

JASON WITTEN — Witten was a fantasy force last year, but this season, the numbers are modest at best. He is getting a lot of receptions, but has only one touchdown and his highest yardage output is 77 yards in Week 3. I didn’t expect him to be a single-digit fantasy point producer every week, but that’s what he’s turned out to be so far. Romo is often at his best in the beginning of a season, so what does that say for Witten’s value down the line?

STEELERS D/ST — Oh, this is painful. For all those who made a ridiculous reach to grab this unit early in your fantasy draft, I feel your pain. Yes, the squad is without my favorite freak of nature in Troy Polamalu, but to give me five total fantasy points over a three-week span is horrible for any defense, let alone last year’s top unit. I know that Polamalu is not the only stud on that defense, so where did this defense go?

VERNON DAVIS — Finally! Fantasy owners have been writing over Davis not living up to his potential, and now he has shown us what he’s made of. He has 139 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games. Be careful; he is more often the kind of TE who will give you gold for a couple weeks and then give you low numbers for long stretches.

PIERRE GARCON — Before you jump on the Garcon bandwagon, beware: He has had pretty good fantasy numbers the past three weeks, but he hasn’t caught more than three passes in any single game yet. With his speed, he’s a decent flex play, but he hasn’t shown incredible start-worthy stats just yet.

STEVE SMITH (NYG) — Who’d have thought the OTHER Steve Smith would be the fantasy stud? Smith is playing incredibly well, compiling 411 receiving yards and four touchdowns, both NFL-highs. While almost no one would say he’s the best WR in the league, how can you doubt it with stats like that?

DONALD BROWN — The gamble paid off! Last year, Joseph Addai screwed me over with an early pick worth nothing, so this year, I preached that Brown would quickly make an impact and hopefully overtake Addai soon. All of the sudden, he has three consecutive weeks of double-digit fantasy points. But on a passing team, he’s not getting gaudy numbers. Still, I like his upside.