Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings: Top Players, Sleepers and Positional Guide

The nature of the NFL attracts rankings in countless forms, but perhaps none are more important than fantasy football positional rankings.

Power rankings provide a nice summary of the league, and draft rankings provide a look at the collegiate level for those who don't indulge, but fantasy rankings help fans on a personal level in any and all formats.

Such rankings would be especially important going into Week 4. It's a confusing time in fantasy football when Tyrod Taylor continues to light things up and Gary Barnidge outscores Rob Gronkowski.

Below, let's outline rankings at each position based on player performance, matchup, injuries and more, with a focus on the must-have starters and sleepers in standard scoring formats.

Week 4 Schedule

Thursday, Sep. 24	Time (ET)
Sunday, Oct. 04	Time (ET)
Monday, Oct. 05	Time (ET)
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	8:25 pm
N.Y. Jets at Miami	9:30 am
Oakland at Chicago	1:00 pm
Houston at Atlanta	1:00 pm
N.Y. Giants at Buffalo	1:00 pm
Jacksonville at Indianapolis	1:00 pm
Kansas City at Cincinnati	1:00 pm
Philadelphia at Washington	1:00 pm
Carolina at Tampa Bay	1:00 pm
Cleveland at San Diego	4:05 pm
Green Bay at San Francisco	4:25 pm
St. Louis at Arizona	4:25 pm
Minnesota at Denver	4:25 pm
Dallas at New Orleans	8:30 pm
Detroit at Seattle	8:30 pm

Quarterbacks

Rank	Player
1	Aaron Rodgers
2	Andrew Luck
3	Peyton Manning
4	Carson Palmer
5	Derek Carr
6	Russell Wilson
7	Cam Newton
8	Drew Brees*
9	Tyrod Taylor
10	Matt Ryan
11	Colin Kaepernick
12	Philip Rivers
13	Blake Bortles
14	Michael Vick
15	Ryan Tannehill

It's not hard to figure out the top quarterbacks this week.

Andrew Luck hasn't broken the 20-point barrier this year, but there's no better remedy than a matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Really, it has been a struggle for Peyton Manning, too, but a visit from Minnesota should secure him a second 20-point outing.

Aaron Rodgers hasn't scored less than 20 points so far, a streak almost sure to continue against a slumping San Francisco team. Also among the must-start options is Cam Newton, who continues to churn out major scores despite a lack of weapons.

When it comes to sleeper quarterbacks, few look better than Oakland's Derek Carr this week. He's scored 26 and 20 points over the last two weeks thanks to smart decisions and rookie Amari Cooper, so a matchup against a Chicago team that has allowed eight passing touchdowns already screams value.

As Scott Bair of CSNCalifornia.com pointed out, the sophomore quarterback looks great even under pressure:

Joining Carr in the sleeper category would be Pittsburgh's Michael Vick, who gets a favorable matchup against a Baltimore defense that continues to struggle.

Don't forget about Cincinnati's Andy Dalton, either, who continues to excel with a loaded roster around him. He gets Kansas City in town this week, the unit allowing the most points to quarterbacks so far.

Running Backs

Rank	Player
1	Matt Forte
2	Jamaal Charles
3	Adrian Peterson
4	Arian Foster*
5	Le'Veon Bell
6	Marshawn Lynch*
7	Eddie Lacy
8	Devonta Freeman
9	Melvin Gordon
10	Joseph Randle
11	Latavius Murray
12	Carlos Hyde
13	DeMarco Murray*
14	Chris Johnson
15	C.J. Spiller
16	Jonathan Stewart
17	Lamar Miller
18	Justin Forsett
19	Jeremy Hill
20	Frank Gore
21	LeSean McCoy*
22	C.J. Anderson
23	Mark Ingram
24	T.J. Yeldon
25	Chris Ivory*
26	Giovani Bernard
27	Danny Woodhead
28	Matt Jones
29	Doug Martin
30	David Johnson

Running back isn't as straightforward, with recognizable names such as DeMarco Murray, LeSean McCoy and Marshawn Lynch struggling with injuries and iffy production.

There are old faces still churning out production, though. Chicago's Matt Forte sits on a miserable team, but a game against Oakland will see him score well. Jamaal Charles still looks like his usual self in Kansas City, and Cincinnati's first two opponents scored at least 18 points.

Then there's Arian Foster. Houston's star hasn't suited up yet, but based on a comment by coach Bill O'Brien, per Drew Dougherty, Week 4 is the week:

Considering Atlanta's defense allows the most points to backs so far this year, Foster owners better hope he can give it a go.

Despite his age and years upon years of proven production, Frank Gore headlines the list of sleepers this week. The Colts' lead back exploded for 20 points a week ago and next gets Jacksonville, which writes itself.

The hapless New Orleans Saints need some sort of spark and might look to get it with change-of-pace back C.J. Spiller, per comments from coach Sean Payton recorded by Around the NFL:

Buffalo rookie Karlos Williams is another sleeper to consider with Shady hobbled and the fact the rookie has scored in all three games so far.

Also keep a close eye on Houston's situation. If Foster can't go, Alfred Blue might be the biggest sleeper of all, one week removed from dominating the touches in Houston en route to 19 points.

Wide Receivers

Rank	Player
1	Julio Jones
2	Demaryius Thomas
3	Emmanuel Sanders
4	Randall Cobb
5	Odell Beckham Jr.
6	Larry Fitzgerald
7	Antonio Brown
8	A.J. Green
9	Mike Evans
10	Amari Cooper
11	Steve Smith Sr.
12	DeAndre Hopkins
13	Calvin Johnson
14	Alshon Jeffery*
15	Brandon Marshall
16	Keenan Allen
17	Sammy Watkins*
18	Donte Moncrief
19	Allen Robinson
20	Michael Crabtree
21	Jordan Matthews
22	Jarvis Landry
23	Brandin Cooks
24	Jeremy Maclin
25	Vincent Jackson
26	T.Y. Hilton
27	Pierre Garcon
28	DeSean Jackson*
29	Davante Adams*
30	John Brown
31	Ted Ginn Jr.
32	Marques Colston
33	Doug Baldwin
34	Andre Johnson
35	Nate Washington

It isn't hard to see where to start there.

Cincinnati's A.J. Green gets Kansas City, the team surrendering the most points to wideouts. Atlanta's Julio Jones? His date would be Houston, the team that has surrendered 43 points over two weeks against the position.

Matt Ludtke/Associated Press

Also of note would be Green Bay's Randall Cobb, who gets a San Francisco unit with 78 points allowed in two weeks.

When it comes to sleepers, Indianapolis' Donte Moncrief continues to stick out. He's scored 37 points so far, and his playing time isn't taking a hit. Maybe this is beating a dead horse, but he's going to produce well against Jacksonville.

Perhaps the most notable sleeper, though, would be the returning Victor Cruz for the New York Giants. He sounds ready to go, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Considering Cruz's past production and the fact Buffalo surrenders the third-most points to wideouts so far, he's a somewhat safe sleeper play, if there ever was a thing.

He's far from the most attractive name on the board, but keep a close eye on Carolina's Ted Ginn. Carolina's stunning lack of weapons has the former Ohio State star sitting around as a No. 1 option against a weak Tampa Bay defense, and the opportunity for big splash plays seems high.

Tight Ends

Rank	Player
1	Martellus Bennett
2	Jimmy Graham
3	Greg Olsen
4	Tyler Eifert
5	Eric Ebron
6	Jason Witten
7	Travis Kelce
8	Jordan Reed
9	Ladarius Green*
10	Jordan Cameron
11	Zach Ertz

A week without Gronkowski screams difficulty for owners.

Except the Oakland Raiders will play this weekend, so rejoice. So far this year, Oakland surrenders a full 5.3 more points on average than any other team to tight ends, meaning Martellus Bennett needs to be in all lineups.

David Banks/Associated Press

So does Greg Olsen against an iffy Tampa Bay defense. Jimmy Graham looks like a given, too, thanks to his expanding role in the Seattle offense and a matchup with Detroit, which has already allowed two groups of tight ends to reach double digits and one to score in every game to date.

Just stick with the Detroit-Seattle matchup, because Eric Ebron looks like a smooth play. The Seahawks surrendered a score in each of their first two games to the position before playing Chicago. 

Buffalo's Charles Clay also has the look of a sleeper considering he's owned in just 36.5 percent of leagues. He's coming off a 14-point outing and gets the Giants, the fourth-worst team against the position on average.

Defense/Special Teams

Rank	Unit
1	Broncos
2	Seahawks
3	Bills
4	Colts
5	Panthers
6	Jets
7	Eagles
8	Rams
9	Cardinals
10	Dolphins

Pretty self-explanatory stuff here, folks.

Denver might have the top defense in the league, which will show with Minnesota in town. Indianapolis doesn't look like anything too special, but it will against Jacksonville. Seattle figures to fluster Detroit Monday night, especially considering the Lions haven't even found a way to work in Calvin Johnson on a consistent basis yet.

Philadelphia heads the under-the-radar plays coming off a 16-point outburst. Next up is Washington, an easy matchup.

It would also be wise to consider Dallas. The Cowboys posted negative production in Week 3, but a 20-point explosion in Week 2 isn't easy to ignore, nor is a matchup against a struggling New Orleans team that may or may not have Drew Brees under center.

Kickers

Rank	Player
1	Phil Dawson
2	Mason Crosby
3	Justin Tucker
4	Josh Scobee
5	Matt Bryant
6	Josh Brown
7	Steven Hauschka
8	Chandler Catanzaro
9	Andrew Franks
10	Josh Lambo

Steven Hauschka and Phil Dawson lead the way at kicker this week.

Hauschka has two double-digit outings to his name in three weeks and a simple matchup against Detroit. Dawson's team looks like it will struggle with Green Bay, but playing from behind won't hurt his production.

With Ben Roethlisberger out of the picture and Vick under center, Josh Scobee figures to see plenty of action this week, too. Considering he's owned in 11.2 percent of leagues, he's the top sleeper play of the week.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of September 30. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com.