Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings: The Top 25 Quarterbacks

If you want fantasy football weekly rankings from a website, it's really quite simple. Go to Yahoo or ESPN or the large fantasy football warehouse that you are used to and get repeatedly manufactured rankings that the "experts" spit at you.

But if you want an intelligent breakdown of the top quarterbacks and sound reasoning as to why they are going to perform how they are predicted to perform, you have definitely come to the right place. God Hates Losers offers the breakdowns you are craving from fantasy football sites and answers all of your questions one on one.

But enough about me. Let's take a look at how Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Ryan Fitzpatrick and company are going to wind up at the end of Week 4 for your fantasy football team.

No. 1-No. 5: Tom Brady Does It Again

1. Tom Brady

No big surprise here. When you are averaging 442 yards per game and have 11 touchdowns under your belt in just three weeks, you are going to be making No. 1 on pretty much any list you find.

Now, add the fact that he is going up against the Nnamdi Asomugha-less Oakland Raiders, the fifth worst pass defense in the NFL, and Tom Brady looks like he might be flirting with 500 on Sunday. Giving up 289 yards per game, the Raiders will have their hands full against Brady, Gronkowski and Welker. Look for some big stats to come from both teams in this game, just like we have seen in every other Patriot game this season.

2. Drew Brees

Brees knocked Cam Newton out of the No. 2 spot in total yards. His 353 per game is nothing to take for granted. With or without Colston, we have seen that Brees can distribute the ball to seven or more receivers a game easy.

New Orleans is taking on a Jacksonville team that is giving up less than 200 yards per game through the air, but that's not a very surprising stat when the quarterbacks you have faced so far are Hasselbeck, Sanchez and Newton (in the rain).

Look for New Orleans to get on the ball early and a big showing from tight end Jimmy Graham, as the Jaguars are ranked 31st against tight ends.

3. Aaron Rodgers

It would be ridiculous of anyone to not have Rodgers in any top three ranking for any week. He is throwing over 300 yards per game and has more capable receivers than the Denver Broncos have players I can name off the top of my head.

Eight of the Packers' 11 touchdowns have been through the air, and Rodgers has just one interception. Throw in a home field advantage and prepare to watch your fantasy points rack up as Rodgers continually hits Jennings, Nelson, Finley et al.

4. Philip Rivers

A moderate surprise at the fourth spot after his dismal showing in Week 3. I would say that he cost me my game last week if my starting receivers weren't Steve Smith, DeSean Jackson and Kenny Britt (combined four points). But I'm not here to talk about my shortcomings.

Rivers is going to be looking to clear his name and bump his stat line at home against the third worst pass defense in the NFL. Even without Antonio Gates, expect to see Rivers find Vincent Jackson for multiple scores and hook up with McMichael, Floyd, Mathews and Tolbert as the Chargers take to the air in Week 4.

5. Matthew Stafford

Stafford is coming into the game with 325 yards per game and nine touchdowns. He can hurt you deep with Calvin Johnson or thread it in the red zone to one of his talented tight ends. But his personal stats aren't even the biggest reason he needs to be your starter this week.

It breaks my heart as a Dallas Cowboys fan, but I have to recognize as a fantasy football advisor that the Cowboys secondary is among the weakest in the NFL. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick is out of the game, Terrence Newman will be playing his second game of the season and he left against the Redskins with concussion-like symptoms, and Mike Jenkins has been playing hurt all year. The Cowboys are thin and Stafford will capitalize all over the field.

No. 6-No. 10: Vick Hopes for a Return and Sleepers Abound

6. Michael Vick

It will be interesting to see how Vick can cope with a not-really-broken hand in Week 4 when he faces San Francisco. But if Tony Romo can put up over 200 yards in one quarter with broken ribs and a punctured lung, I'm pretty sure that Vick can push through it.

His receivers will have to really show up in this game, but I expect them to come full throttle after their second loss of the season to the New York Giants. Get ready to see the numbers you were hoping for when you (questionably) drafted Vick in the first round.

7. Ryan Fitzpatrick

Call it a fantasy crush. We are all a little high on Fitzpatrick after the first three weeks. The Bills proved that they are no fluke as they took out the Patriots last week and Fitz went for 369 yards and two scores, bringing his average to 280 passing yards and three touchdowns per game.

The Bills are third in offensive yards per game and their defense creates turnovers. And you can likely be expecting a lot of those when Buffalo hits the road to Cincinnati, to face a team that has only managed a single interception.

8. Eli Manning

If Manning can go in and beat the Philadelphia Eagles with an ailing defense and receiving corps, I'm excited to see what he can manage with a healthy Nicks and Manningham against the lowly Arizona pass defense.

Manning has never been the fantasy darling like his big brother, but 250 yards per game and six touchdowns isn't terrible, especially when you notice that he has only thrown two interceptions, something that is vastly out of character for him. The Cardinals are among the 10 worst defending the pass, and Manning will be excited to see his favorite targets back on the field.

9. Tony Romo

The man can get it done. Even with a hobbling Dez Bryant, no Miles Austin, a cast of bumbling idiots making up the backup receivers, a center that can't tell Romo's voice from that of a 320 pound black man standing two inches away from him, oh yeah, and the broken ribs, Kevlar vest and somewhat healed punctured lung.

Detroit will be coming at him, but he should put up reasonable stats, as the Cowboys will be throwing the ball a lot in this game, likely playing from behind.

10. Cam Newton

He had his first hiccup in Week 3. I'll give him a break, though, since it was in about 17 inches of water. I expect a healthy return from Newton against the 275 yard per game Chicago Bears.

Even with his mediocre stat line a week ago, Newton is holding strong as the quarterback with the third most passing yards, 337 per game. He has shown poise this year and a knack for finding his receiver, so he should bounce back in Week 4.

No. 11-No. 15 Matt Schaub Leads off the Muddled Middle

11. Matt Schaub

Schaub has been surprisingly quite this year. He is hitting Andre Johnson like we all expected, but without Arian Foster and Ben Tate in and out with injury, their air game hasn't been what we all hoped it would be. With Foster back on the field, defenses will have to respect the ground game a little more, allowing Schaub to spread it around to Johnson, as well as Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter and company.

While I am expecting a bounce back for the entire offense, Schaub lands in the middle since he is facing the Steelers, who are giving up the least yardage through the air in the NFL this season.

12. Joe Flacco

I doubted him last week and paid for it dearly, as he put on a show against the St. Louis Rams. I won't make the same mistake this week, as he takes his talents back to Baltimore to face the New York Jets.

The Jets have been stout against the pass this year, but with the Ravens systematically shifting to more of a passing game and with the emergence of rookie Torry Smith to counter the attack from Boldin and the other Ravens' receivers.

13. Matt Ryan

Ryan has been up and down this year, which drives me and any other Ryan owner insane. But he has put up decent numbers, which is to be expected when you go out and get Julio Jones to accompany Roddy White and Tony Gonzales.

Ryan has put up a modest 281 per game with only five scores, but we could see a major rebound as the Falcons go out to face this year's punchline, the Seattle Seahawks. Their team is so bad that you actually get the squiggly red line in Microsoft Word when you type Seahawks. You can expect an up week from Ryan.

14. Kevin Kolb

I'm a fan this week. I have him higher than most of the other rankings that I have glanced at, and now I will tell you why. Kolb has a respectable 270 yards per game, much to the excitement of re-emerging wideout Larry Fitzgerald.

He will also being going up against a Giants' team that is hurting on all aspects of their defense. If Arizona can resist the minimal pass rush and give Kolb a chance to get rid of the ball, then we could see some impressive numbers come out this week.

15. Jay Cutler

Cutler has quietly gotten over 280 passing yards per game. He is also showing five passing touchdowns compared to just three interceptions, a large improvement over last season. The main concern is keeping him off of his back.

The Panthers have just five sacks this year, which means that Cutler might have time to get rid of the ball this week. Between Carolina giving up 240 passing yards per game and the competition across the field with Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton, this could turn into a high scoring affair boosting the stats of this late round pick.

No. 16 to No. 20: Big Ben Slides While Grossman Tries to Rebound

16. Ben Roethlisberger

I'm not going to lie, I'm really good at spelling his last name this year. Anyway, Big Ben has been getting the job done; just not doing it where it really counts. He is throwing the ball far more than usual, and it is reflecting in his yardage, 314 per game, but he has only managed three touchdowns this year.

Houston has much improved over last year and will put the pressure on him. Roethlisberger's offensive line has allowed nine sacks this year. With the pass rush and improved secondary of the Texans, Big Ben won't manage the yardage that he has in the past three weeks and likely won't add to many to the touchdown column.

17. Rex Grossman

Grossman has emerged as a decent sleeper candidate, but showed that he is still very accident-prone against the Cowboys last week, making a handful or errant passes and fumbling the ball sealing the win for Dallas.

Washington is going to un-undefeated St. Louis. The Rams have had a tough go against the pass, giving up seven touchdowns and over 250 yards per game, but expect the Rams' one total interception number to grow a bit against a shaken Grossman.

18. Kyle Orton

Orton is the ABC's Wipe Out contestant of the NFL. Last year, he was on a dead sprint feeling invincible, then tripped on the enormous big red ball of reality...and you know the rest. Orton went from hero to complete dud and has not shown any signs of revival. Orton is throwing just 225 a game with five touchdowns; compare that to 359 yards per game.

But, he has a decent matchup against Green Bay. He'll be throwing a lot against a team that is giving up 360 yards a game. Expect a resurgence of the old Orton, at least for a week.

19. Matt Hasselbeck

Hasselbeck has been a surprise this year. No one expected him to be averaging 310 a game. His loss lies in having just five touchdowns. And the loss of his leading receiver, Kenny Britt, does not help matters.

Don't expect a lot from Hasselbeck this week, as he is facing an impressive pass defense from Cleveland. Nate Washington could step into the No. 1 role, but there is very little else in the pass game for him to rely on. Bad matchup and an injured WR1, not a good combo for an aging QB.

20. Mark Sanchez

Sanchez has stepped up his game this year with six touchdown throws and nearly 300 yards per game. He hasn't yet faced the Ravens defense. Sanchez will be trying to avoid the sacks and turnovers that he has been plagued with this year, but against the Ravens, that might be difficult for him.

If the game turns into a shootout, then Sanchez could have a good game, but if he couldn't handle the Raiders, then I think he'll have his hands full in Baltimore.

No. 21-No. 25: Can Campbell Light Up New England?

21. Josh Freeman

Freeman has not had the impressive campaign that was predicted by so many. He was a promising talent last season, but has fallen into a slump as of late with only 225 yards per game and just two touchdown passes, putting him in the embarrassing company of Alex Smith, Tarvaris Jackson and Kerry Collins.

Freeman is facing his best chance for some stat redemption this week against a pretty rough Indy team. He just needs to find his stride with Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow. If Freeman doesn't turn a corner this week, its going to be a long season for his owners.

22. Jason Campbell

I want to put him higher, but I think his ceiling right now is about 22. He has a bit more proving to do before I can throw him in the top 66 percent. This week, though, if for some reason your starting quarterback catches the flu or misses their flight or something, he could be a good bet.

The Patriots are the worst pass defense in the nation, with 377 yards per game given up through the air. If Campbell can't put up a couple touchdowns and 250-plus yards against them, then it's not going to happen this year.

23. Chad Henne

His stats are a bit confusing. You would assume that someone with 280 yards per game be a little more desirable fantasy-wise. But his TDs are low, sacks are high. Against San Diego, it's a good call to sit him. If he is pegged as your starter, you probably have a lot more to worry about.

24. Sam Bradford

Disappointing so far. I know a lot of people made the gamble to have him as their starting quarterback by taking him late in the draft. Not paying off so well, with less than 230 yards per game and only two touchdowns. Amendola is out; no receivers have stepped up. There are a lot of problems for the Rams.

When Jackson is back to form, it could help Bradford a bit, but don't expect it this week against Washington. They aren't great against the pass, but they can get the rush, and they have some hate left over from the loss in Dallas

25. Andy Dalton

No. 25. It could really go to anyone. Under 200 yards a game and three touchdowns. I have him at 25 just on a gut feeling. Cincy is facing Buffalo, who has giving up over 270 a game through the air. The Bengals will likely be struggling and passing often against the surprising Bills team.

It is a long shot to say that Dalton can make this game interesting, but there is an outside chance. Feel free to consider Donovan McNabb vs. KC in this stop if that tickles your fancy.