Fantasy Football 2012: Position Rankings for Week 4

Week 4 of the 2012 NFL season is almost here, and with the Thursday night contest just around the corner, it’s time to rank and project the top fantasy football performers.

Our scale is based on fantasy consistency, matchups, recent history of a player against a specific defense and gut feeling.

Keep reading to see how the rankings shake out for the top 10 quarterbacks, top 15 running backs and wide receivers, top 10 kickers and top 10 team defenses.

We’ve put some explanations in for certain players, which should hopefully address any concerns you have about why they were placed in that position.

Feel free to comment if you don’t agree with the rankings, have any questions or need some advice. 

Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers, GB (NO)

Rodgers has started the 2012 season off slow. He’s yet to have more than 300 yards passing in a game or even thrown two touchdowns since a Week 1 loss to San Francisco.

He’s due for a major breakout performance against a terrible Saints defense that has been getting shelled by the likes of Washington, St. Louis and Carolina. 

Expect Rodgers to reach at least 350 yards and toss up three touchdowns in this contest. The Packers signal-caller torched a better New Orleans D for 312 yards and three TDs in 2011.

2. Tom Brady, NE (BUF)

3. Drew Brees, NO (GB)

4. Cam Newton, CAR (ATL)

5. Robert Griffin III, WAS (TB)

6. Matt Ryan, ATL (CAR)

7. Eli Manning, NYG (PHI)

8. Peyton Manning, DEN (OAK)

9. Matthew Stafford, DET (MIN)

10. Michael Vick, PHI (NYG) 

Running Backs

1. Arian Foster, HOU (TEN)

2. Ray Rice, BAL (CLE)

3. LeSean McCoy, PHI (NYG)

4. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX (CIN)

5. Adrian Peterson, MIN (DET)

6. Darren McFadden, OAK (DEN)

7. DeMarco Murray, DAL (CHI)

8. Jamaal Charles, KC (SD)

Charles finally returned to his 2010 form during a breakout Week 3 performance against the Saints.

The Chiefs running back picked up 233 yards on 33 attempts, scoring a TD in the process. He also added six receptions for 55 yards, quite a nice boost in PPR leagues. 

Considering Charles had just 22 carries for 90 yards in two previous outings this year, it’s safe to say it’s his best performance in a long while. 

While he may not be able to top that one against San Diego, Charles is going to get the bulk of the carries and has the confidence to make an impact against the Bolts. 

9. Marshawn Lynch, SEA (STL)

10. Ryan Mathews, SD (KC)

11. Doug Martin, WAS (TB)

12. Mikel Leshoure, DET (MIN)

13. Darren Sproles, NO (GB)

14. Stevan Ridley, NE (BUF)

15. Steven Jackson, STL (SEA)

Wide Receivers

1. A.J. Green, CIN (JAX)

Everyone knew Green would be a solid receiver in 2012, but not many projected he’d be one of the best in the league.

The Bengals wideout has already racked up 21 receptions for 311 yards and two touchdowns, with a whopping nine catches, 183 yards and a TD stemming from a Week 3 meeting with the Redskins.

Jacksonville is one of the more mediocre defenses in the league and gave up 90 yards and a TD on five receptions to Green during his rookie season. 

Don't be surprised to see the second-year receiver absolutely torch the Jags this weekend. 
 

2. Calvin Johnson, DET (MIN)

3. Andre Johnson, HOU (TEN)

4. Julio Jones, ATL (CAR)

5. Hakeem Nicks, NYG (PHI)*

6. Larry Fitzgerald, ARI (MIA)

7. Percy Harvin, MIN (DET)

8. Roddy White, ATL (CAR)

9. Brandon Marshall, CHI (DAL)

10. Victor Cruz, NYG (PHI)

11. Demaryius Thomas, DEN (OAK)

12. Wes Welker, NE (BUF)

13. Dwayne Bowe, KC (SD)

14. Vincent Jackson, TB (WAS)

15. Steve Smith, CAR (ATL)

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski, NE (BUF)

2. Jimmy Graham, NO (GB)

3. Vernon Davis, SF (NYJ)

4. Dennis Pitta, BAL (CLE)

5. Tony Gonzalez, ATL (CAR)

6. Brandon Pettigrew, DET (MIN)

7. Kyle Rudolph, MIN (DET)

Rudolph had a nice breakout performance against the 49ers in Week 3, hauling in just five receptions for 36 yards but scoring the ball twice.  

He’s a major red-zone threat, as his 6’6”, 260-pound frame would suggest. He’s also got Gronkowski-like athleticism and has become a favorite target for his young QB, Christian Ponder.

Considering no team other than the lowly Tennessee Titans are giving up more fantasy points to TEs than the Lions, Rudolph could easily have a second-straight productive week.

8. Martellus Bennett, NYG (PHI)

9. Jermichael Finley, GB (NO)

10. Antonio Gates, SD (KC)

Kickers

While kickers are tough to rank, due to the random nature of field goal attempts and PATs, grabbing a guy via free agency that falls on this list should be better than any of your other options in Week 4.

1. David Akers, SF (NYJ)

2. Justin Tucker, BAL (CLE)

3. Stephen Gostkowski, NE (BUF)

4. Jason Hanson, DET (MIN)

5. Blair Walsh, MIN (DET)

6. Matt Bryant, ATL (CAR)

7. Garrett Hartley, NO (GB)

8. Sebastian Janikowski, OAK (DEN)

9. Mason Crosby, GB (NO)

10. Nate Kaeding, SD (KC)

Team Defense

Team defense is another category that can vary significantly from week to week, but playing matchups and favoring those that create turnovers will generally score you more consistent points.

These are the projected top 10 defenses that will score you some decent fantasy points in Week 4.

1. San Francisco 49ers, (NYJ)

2. Baltimore Ravens, (CLE)

3. New England Patriots, (BUF)

4. Houston Texans, (TEN)

5. Arizona Cardinals, (MIA)

6. New York Giants, (PHI)

7. Chicago Bears, (DAL)

8. Seattle Seahawks, (STL)

9. Cincinnati Bengals, (JAX)

10. Philadelphia Eagles, (NYG)