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

While no fantasy football manager should ever feel content with their roster, they should also safeguard themselves from the dreaded overreaction.

Three weeks of NFL action is both a long time and a small snippet of the season. It's important to note trends, but it's also imperative not to throw out everything you thought you knew before the campaign kicked off.

Yes, Aaron Rodgers has fewer fantasy points than Jacoby Brissett, Marcus Mariota, Gardner Minshew II and Jimmy Garoppolo. No, we don't advise dumping the two-time MVP for any member of that quartet.

Yes, Austin Ekeler has scored the third-most fantasy points among running backs this far. No, we do not (and will not) value him as a top-three RB moving forward.

No matter if you're a casual player or a diehard, you entered this season with some degree of fantasy knowledge. Don't discard it ahead of the season's quarter-mark.

Speaking of which, this is the first week for byes, so it's time to start thinking about sleeper streamers. So, after examining our favorite options at every offensive position, we'll identify our top sleeper—available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo Sports leagues, per FantasyPros—at each spot.

Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions

2. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers

3. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints

4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns

5. Philip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins

6. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

7. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

8. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons vs. Tennessee Titans

9. Tom Brady, New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

10. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs

11. Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

12. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

Sleeper: Daniel Jones, New York Giants

Mark LoMoglio/Associated Press

What better place to start our analysis than the talk of the fantasy football world? Daniel Jones, or Danny Dimes if you know him well enough, endeared himself to Giants backers and quarterback-needy fantasy owners with a performance for the ages.

"Jones' first career start was more than just impressive—it was historic," ESPN's Tristan Cockcroft wrote. "His 34.2 fantasy points were the second-most in history by any quarterback making his first start in the NFL."

Expecting a repeat is foolish for many reasons, not least of which is that even elite quarterbacks would have trouble mirroring Jones' performance. There just aren't many games in which a passer totals 364 yards with four touchdowns (two rushing). Losing the safety blanket that is Saquon Barkley (high ankle sprain) also won't help.

But sleepers can have value without dominating like Jones just did. Assuming the Giants grow more reliant on the pass without Barkley, Jones looks like a strong option against a Washington Redskins defense allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, per Yahoo Sports.

Running Backs

1. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans

2. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys

3. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints

4. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins

5. David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

6. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

7. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

8. Marlon Mack, Indianapolis Colts vs. Oakland Raiders

9. Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns

10. Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars at Denver Broncos

11. Josh Jacobs, Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts

12. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

13. Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

14. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons

15. Kerryon Johnson, Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs

16. Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

17. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

18. Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

19. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

20. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons vs. Tennessee Titans

Sleeper: Wayne Gallman, New York Giants

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Whether you need a fill-in for Barkley or a streaming option for another reason, you don't have to look beyond the Big Apple to find one.

Wayne Gallman is the real-life replacement for Barkley and the most intriguing back available.

His track record is limited. He has just 169 carries—162 of which came before this season—for his career and 51 receptions. He has only found the end zone twice, although his efficiency numbers are fine (4.0 yards per carry, 6.0 yards per catch).

But remember, most of what we've seen from Gallman came in less talented Giants offenses. Between the bulked-up offensive line and the quarterback change from Eli Manning to Jones, Gallman has arguably never been better positioned for success.

"We should see the best version of Gallman in the NFL as Barkley's replacement with a better offense around him, and he's clearly worth adding in all leagues," CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg wrote. "He's the No. 1 running back to add this week, and he's worth at least 20 percent of your FAAB budget."

Wide Receivers

1. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers at Miami Dolphins

2. DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans vs. Carolina Panthers

3. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons vs. Tennessee Titans

4. Amari Cooper, Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints

5. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

6. Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions

7. Odell Beckham Jr., Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens

8. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys

9. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams

10. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

11. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

12. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

13. Julian Edelman, New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

14. T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts vs. Oakland Raiders

15. Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs

16. Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams

17. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

18. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

19. Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

20. Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sleeper: DJ Chark Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

John Capella/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

While the fantasy football world isn't always worried about the Jaguars' pecking order at wide receiver, this year could be an exception. With Gardner Minshew II throwing darts to the tune of a 73.9 completion percentage (second-best in the NFL), it's worth noting who those passes are going to and what those pass-catchers are doing with them.

DJ Chark Jr. stands out on both fronts.

The second-year wideout might be third on the team in targets (18), but he's only two behind the two leaders (Leonard Fournette and Dede Westbrook). More importantly, Chark is making the most of his opportunities. He has 15 receptions (four more than Westbrook) and team highs of 277 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.

"DJ has been awesome," Minshew told reporters. "He's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and I have a lot of confidence in him. When he's playing one-on-one, I'm going to give him his shot."

Having the confidence of your quarterback is huge. So, too, is having favorable matchups, and while Chark has a tricky one this week in Denver, he has some good ones against New Orleans, Cincinnati, the Jets and Houston coming up.

Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions

2. Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers

3. Evan Engram, New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins

4. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns

5. Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts

6. Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons vs. Tennessee Titans

7. Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans at Atlanta Falcons

8. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs

9. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans

10. Vance McDonald, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

11. Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins at New York Giants

12. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams

Sleeper: Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals

Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images

If you ever see a starting tight end available on the waiver wire and about to face Arizona, pounce on that player as fast as you can.

It almost doesn't matter which player that is. Tight ends are skewering the Cardinals so far.

T.J. Hockenson had six grabs for 131 yards and one touchdown in the opener. Mark Andrews corralled eight passes for 112 yards and a score in Week 2. (Hayden Hurst also scored in that game.) Greg Olsen dialed back the clock in Week 3 with six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns.

Altogether, tight ends are averaging 25.4 fantasy points against the Cardinals. That's nearly 11 points more than the second-most generous defense (Tampa Bay, 14.8).

As an added bonus, this recommendation isn't entirely matchup-based. Will Dissly is coming in hot with 11 receptions for 112 yards and three touchdowns over his last two games.