B/R's Week 4 PPR Fantasy Football 2025 Player Rankings
We're three weeks into the 2025 fantasy football campaign, and things have gone exactly as we expected.
Just kidding. It would be super-nice if that happened—but it never will.
Sure, some things have followed the script. Players like Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown have met the lofty expectations placed on them entering the season.
But there have been surprises galore, both good and bad. Injuries are starting to pile up—including several at the quarterback position that have rippled across entire offenses. For every fantasy manager who is rolling, there's another that's reeling and trying to keep the season from falling apart before the calendar even hits October.
We're here to help rollers rolling and get those reelers back on track in Week 4, with position-by-position PPR rankings, breakout and bust candidates, sleeper picks, and top overall flex options.
Quarterbacks
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It's still early, the biggest surprise among fantasy quarterbacks so far has to be Chicago's Caleb Williams.
After an uneven rookie season, Williams has come out firing in Year 2—after roasting the Dallas Cowboys for 298 passing yards and four touchdowns in Week 3, Williams sits third in fantasy points at his position, trailing only Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.
Apparently improved passing-game weapons and coaching can have an effect on quarterbacks, after all.
Week 4 Quarterback Rankings
Players to Watch in Week 4
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (at NYG) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300]
Herbert is playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL right now, and this week he and the surging Chargers take on a struggling Giants team that ranks 28th in the league in pass defense so far this season.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (at DAL) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200]
Love and the Packers laid a big fat egg last week in Cleveland, but no team makes an offense look good like the Cowboys this year—Dallas is dead last in pass defense and has surrendered the most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Players to Avoid in Week 4
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (vs. CLE) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,400]
So far this season, Goff has had one huge game against the Chicago Bears and two mediocre ones against the Packers and Ravens. Now he faces a Browns defense that's fourth in the league in passing, allowing just 147 yards per game through the air.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals (vs. SEA) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800]
Murray's numbers have been decidedly pedestrian so far this season—he's 15th in fantasy points among quarterbacks after three weeks. Seattle has been solid defensively, giving up the sixth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Week 4 Sleeper
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. CHI) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,400]
Smith and the Raiders offense haven't looked good this season, but neither have the Bears defensively—Chicago is 27th in the NFL in pass defense and has surrendered the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year.
Running Backs
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The Indianapolis Colts are one of the most surprising success stories of 2025, and much of the credit for that success can be laid at the feet of running back Jonathan Taylor.
After roasting the Tennessee Titans for 102 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 17 carries, Taylor has eclipsed the century mark in back-to-back games. The sixth-year veteran's 338 yards on the ground leads the NFL. Taylor is averaging a gaudy 5.6 yards per carry and 20 totes per contest.
Most importantly, three weeks in Taylor is fantasy football's highest scoring running back, although in news that should surprise exactly no one Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers is hot on his heels.
Week 4 Running Back Rankings
Players to Watch in Week 4
J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos (vs. CIN) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800]
Dobbins has been solid this season, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and finding the end zone in all three games this season. Only the Baltimore Ravens are allowing more PPR points to running backs this season than the Bengals.
TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots (vs. CAR) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,200]
After fumbling twice in last week's loss to the Steelers, Rhamondre Stevenson is firmly in Mike Vrabel's doghouse in New England. That should mean a big role for Henderson Sunday against a shaky Panthers run defense.
Players to Avoid in Week 4
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions (vs. CLE) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,700]
Montgomery gouged the Ravens for over 150 rushing yards and two scores on Monday night. But the Cleveland defense has put the clamps on the likes of Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs, giving up just 57.3 yards per game.
Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys (vs. GB) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900]
If you predicted that Williams would be seventh in PPR points among running backs after three games, go buy Powerball tickets—now. But there will be no jackpot for Williams Sunday against a Packers team surrendering the eighth-fewest PPR points to running backs.
Week 4 Sleeper
Nick Chubb, Houston Texans (vs. TEN) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,100]
The entire Houston offense has been in a coma to open the 2025 season, including a ground game that ranks 23rd in league. But the Texans are beyond desperate for a win, and the Titans are 29th in the NFL in run defense.
Wide Receivers
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Injuries are a sad fact of life in the NFL and fantasy football, and there were a couple of wide receivers who went down in Week 3 that have left a massive hole in fantasy lineups.
The biggest happened in Chicago, where Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb left early in Sunday's loss to the Bears with a high-ankle sprain. Lamb will be sidelined indefinitely, and team owner Jerry Jones hasn't ruled out a stint on injured reserve.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved to 3-0 with a wild win over the New York Jets last week, but that win came at a cost—Mike Evans strained his hamstring in the win and is expected to miss 3-4 weeks. With Chris Godwin also on the shelf, the Bucs are suddenly precariously thin at wide receiver.
Week 4 Wide Receiver Rankings
Players to Watch in Week 4
Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers (at NE) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900]
The Panthers aren't as good as the team that trounced the Atlanta Falcons 30-0 last week. But McMillan is clearly Bryce Young's No. 1 target in the passing game, and the Patriots are 29th in the league in pass defense.
Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears (at LV) [DraftKings DFS Value: $6,300]
Odunze has seized the role of No. 1 wide receiver in the Windy City, finding the end zone in all three games this season. The second-year pro will keep rolling Sunday in Las Vegas—the Raiders have allowed the fourth-most PPR points to wideouts in 2025.
Players to Avoid in Week 4
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (at DEN) [DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800]
Higgins is off to slow start to the season—he hasn't had 60 receiving yards or caught more than three passes in a game this season. It's not likely to improve much against a Denver defense giving up the eighth-fewest PPR points to wide receivers this year.
Malik Nabers, New York Giants (vs. LAC) [DraftKings DFS Value: $7,000]
Nabers is an awfully hard player to sit. But he's coming off a miserable game against the Chiefs, draws a tough matchup with a stout Chargers secondary and will be catching passes from a rookie quarterback making his first career start.
Week 4 Sleeper
Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns (at DET) [DraftKings DFS Value: $4,900]
That Jeudy can even be considered a "sleeper" speaks to the sad state of the Cleveland offense in 2025. But the Browns will be playing catch-up Sunday in Motown, and the Lions have been a top-10 fantasy matchup for opposing receivers this season.
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Tight Ends
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The leaderboard at the tight end position after three weeks is a perfect analogy for the position as a whole this season—because it looks nothing like we expected it to.
The leader in the clubhouse after three games? Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys, who was the 15th tight end drafted on average this year. In second place is Juwan Johnson of the New Orleans Saints, who was undrafted in the majority of fantasy leagues. He's followed by Hunter Henry of the New England Patriots, who was a late-round dart-throw at best.
Will that hold throughout the season? Probably not. But it's enough to give fantasy managers a migraine—unless you fell over backwards into one of these surprise starters.
Some days it's better to be lucky than good.
Week 4 Tight End Rankings
Players to Watch in Week 4
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys (vs. GB) [DraftKings DFS Value: $4,300]
With CeeDee Lamb out for multiple games, Ferguson should see an increased target share moving forward. That should equate to solid stats Sunday night against a Packers defense allowing the sixth-most PPR points to tight ends in 2025.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (vs. BAL) [DraftKings DFS Value: $4,800]
After a quiet game against the New York Giants, Kelce ranks outside the top-10 for the season. But he should receive a hefty target share Sunday in a must-win game against a Ravens defense that has been lousy this year.
Players to Avoid in Week 4
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders (at ATL) [DraftKings DFS Value: $4,100]
Ertz has been productive this year for fantasy managers—he's seventh in PPR points among tight ends to this point in the season. But the veteran is coming off his worst game of the season and draws a Falcons team in Week 4 giving up the fewest PPR points to tight ends this year.
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles (at TB) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,900]
Goedert caught just one pass in last week's win over the Los Angeles Rams, but that lone-catch was a 33-yard touchdown. The Buccaneers have been stingy to opposing tight ends this season, surrendering the sixth-fewest PPR points to the position.
Week 4 Sleeper
Brenton Strange, Jacksonville Jaguars (at SF) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,200]
Strange is lurking around the fringes of fantasy relevance, sitting at 15th in fantasy points among tight ends after three games. The 49ers are fifth in the league in pass defense, but they have been kinder to tight ends than wide receivers three weeks in.
Team Defenses and Kickers
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Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season was a wild one defensively—the wildest in years, as a matter of fact. There were nine non-offensive touchdowns last Sunday alone—the most in a single week since 2020.
Per Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports, it was the first time in NFL history that that there were multiple interception return touchdowns, multiple fumble blocked field goal return touchdowns and multiple punt return touchdowns in the same week.
The headliners were the Minnesota Vikings. In their blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Vikings piled up four sacks, five takeaways and returned both a fumble and an interception for a touchdown.
Only two players (Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker and Colts running back Jonathan Taylor) had more fantasy points last week than the Vikings defense.
Week 4 Team Defense Rankings
Week 4 Kicker Rankings
Players to Watch in Week 4
Denver Broncos Defense (vs. CIN) [DraftKings DFS Value: $3,200]
The Denver defense has been something of a letdown in losses to the Chargers and Colts the past two Weeks, but a visit from Jake "Turnover Machine" Browning and the Bengals should fix that in a hurry.
Cameron Dicker, Los Angeles Chargers (at NYG)
Three weeks into the season, Dicker ranks a respectable sixth in fantasy points among kickers. Now he heads east to face a New York Giants team giving up the third-most fantasy points to kickers.
Players to Avoid in Week 4
Los Angeles Rams Defense (vs. IND) [DraftKings DFS Value: $2,900]
The Rams are a quietly solid defensive football team—especially in the front-seven. But this week the Rams host the Golden God that is Indiana Jones and the unstoppable juggernaut that is the Indianapolis Colts.
Joshua Karty, Los Angeles Rams (vs. IND)
Few players crave redemption more right now than Karty after his blocked field goal last week against the Eagles. But he won't get it this week against an Indianapolis Colts team giving up the second-fewest fantasy points to kickers.
Week 4 Sleeper
Carolina Panthers Defense (at NE) [DraftKings DFS Value: $2,500]
It takes a brave soul to roll out the Panthers defensively—Carolina is not good on that side of the ball. But the New England Patriots have been inconsistent offensively, prone to turnovers and have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to defenses this season.
Overall Rankings
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These rankings of the top players overall can be of assistance with "flex" lineup decisions. It does not, however, include quarterbacks—if you play in a "superflex" league and have a serviceable second quarterback, flex him.
Jake Browning is not a serviceable quarterback.
There is no shortage of struggling fantasy teams right now, but they are not created equally. If your team is 0-3, 11th in the league in points and beset by injuries, then there's real cause for concern and it's time to shake things up. Make a trade. Get bold when setting the lineup.
However, if your team is 1-2 but third in points (as one of mine is), then odds are good things are going to even out. It's a good squad that has just been unlucky. Take a deep breath, shake it off and stay the course.
Week 4 Overall Rankings
Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow Gary on X at @IDPGodfather.
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