Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top Available QBs Set to Shine on Sunday

Reliable fantasy quarterbacks are hard to come by. In 2013, only a few have been able to dominate week in and week out. 

Take Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, for example. Just one week after throwing for 480 yards and four touchdowns against the Washington Redskins—a performance that earned fantasy owners in standard leagues 35 points—he tossed just one touchdown and two interceptions in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

That effort was only good enough for 11 fantasy points and proved that fantasy owners don't always know what they'll get from their starting quarterback.

Below, I'll rank the top 10 fantasy quarterbacks heading into Sunday's Week 4 action and highlight a trio of top available passers you should consider starting this weekend. 

*All availability stats according to ESPN.com. 

Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City veteran Alex Smith didn't throw any touchdowns in Week 3's win over the Philadelphia Eagles, but he did throw for a season-high 273 yards. Not to mention he doesn't have a single interception through three games.

On Sunday, Smith and the Chiefs will play host to the reeling New York Giants. That means fantasy owners can expect another big day from Smith, who will be going up against the league's 17th-ranked pass defense.

In addition to giving up more than 250 yards per game through the air, the Giants have surrendered seven passing touchdowns. Only three other teams have allowed more through three weeks.

Smith, who is the 12th highest-scoring quarterback in standard leagues this season, is only owned in 43 percent of all ESPN fantasy leagues this season and should be available in most leagues around the country. 

EJ Manuel, Buffalo Bills

For many football fans outside of Buffalo, it may be hard to believe that Bills rookie EJ Manuel has scored just one fewer fantasy point than Alex Smith through three games in 2013.

But it's true.

Even better, Manuel, who is averaging slightly more than 16 fantasy points per week in standard leagues, is only owned in 23 percent of all ESPN leagues. That's great news for fantasy owners out there in search of a reliable option at quarterback.

Like Smith, Manuel should have a favorable matchup in Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Although the defending Super Bowl champions have been stout defensively over the past two weeks, they still rank 22nd against the pass and will be on the road for the first time since Week 1, when they gave up 462 yards and seven touchdowns to Peyton Manning. 

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger will be much harder to find on waivers than Smith or Manuel this weekend as he's owned in 91 percent of all ESPN fantasy leagues heading into Week 4. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give Big Ben a look on Sunday.

After all, he and the Steelers will be going up against one of the worst secondaries in the NFL across the pond on Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings rank 28th against the pass this season and have given up a league-high nine touchdowns through the air.

Plus, Roethlisberger has been heating up with each game. After struggling against the Titans, the veteran has bounced back in a big way over the past two weeks, racking up more than 650 passing yards and three touchdowns. 

Considering that Cleveland's Brian Hoyer was able to throw for more than 320 yards and three touchdowns (18 fantasy points) against this Vikings defense in Week 3, expect Roethlisberger to post monster numbers for fantasy owners on Sunday. 

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter.