Fantasy Football: Week 4 quarterback rankings for 2-QB leagues

Fantasy football quarterback rankings in Week 4 for 2-QB and Superflex leagues.

The first positive tests for COVID arose this week in the NFL. It caused shutdowns to the Titans’ and Vikings’ facilities. Tennessee has the positives; the Vikings played them on Sunday. With the way the coronavirus can come anywhere from five to seven days after exposure, this initially put both of those teams’ games this weekend in jeopardy. Ultimately, it was the Titans versus Steelers game that got postponed.

It was very touch-and-go within the first two weeks of the MLB season, and that is roughly the same spot the NFL is in right now. They chose to immediately postpone a game, rather than let the teams play minus their sick. Hopefully, this plays out for the best.

From a fantasy football perspective, this puts some big names on the sidelines. And who knows how games will be made up. Everything is still up in the air. Just keep in mind, the quarterbacks who won’t be playing this week include Ryan Tannehill and Ben Roethlisberger. Some big names indeed who rank highly and must be passed over for Week 4.

Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate Fantasy Football in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Week 4 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings

Top 12: Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, Matt Ryan, Ben Roethlisberger (PPD), Jared Goff, Cam Newton

All but three of our top 12 have one thing in common, they are on winning football teams. The other three are on winless teams, which has had little bearing on their fantasy value. Time will tell, but for now the top is etched in stone.

13: Drew Brees and 14: Matt Stafford

Todd Salem: As these two quarterbacks face off in Week 4, Stafford has been more consistent thus far. But Brees flashed his higher ceiling last week. With Michael Thomas questionable, Brees has that potential for another bump. Also, the Detroit defense poses less of a threat than New Orleans going the other way.

Dan Salem: I expect a lot from Brees this week and Stafford keeps delivering. Hindsight is always clear but I’m having major regrets about our fantasy auction draft. These two quarterbacks were undervalued, simply because our list drops off faster than ever.

15: Tom Brady

Todd Salem: Through three games, Brady has two top-10 performances and one stinker. He gets an okay matchup here to try to make it three out of four. With Chris Godwin out again, Tampa will be without one of its major weapons, but enough remains elsewhere to strike fear into defenses.

Dan Salem: Brady did similar things last season with mostly solid fantasy performances, along with several stinkers. He also dove off a cliff as the season wound down. Be prepared for a similar turn of events, even with his new receiving weapons in Tampa Bay.

16: Joe Burrow

Todd Salem: So Burrow is just going to be one of the steadiest fantasy performers right from the jump, in his rookie year, when there was not a normal offseason, and no preseason? Okay, cool.

Dan Salem: Burrow has exceeded most everyone’s expectations. I’m still waiting for that “rookie” game full of turnovers and mistakes, but it might not be coming. He’s in control, even if his team isn’t good enough to win many games.

17: Ryan Tannehill (PPD)

Todd Salem: His 6:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio took a hit last week, and now his team is the first to succumb to failed corona tests. Tannehill would have been primed to bounce back, but unfortunately his game was postponed.

Dan Salem: Tannehill’s resurgence post-Miami and post-Adam Gase is quite delightful. As a Jets fan, I’m hoping Sam Darnold has something similar in-store. Tannehill’s upside will be matchup dependent as the season continues because his team can win without him throwing the ball a ton.

18: Gardner Minshew

Todd Salem: Minshew magic took a tumble last week in what should have been a favorable matchup. He gets another one in Week 4, matched up against Burrow in Cincinnati. Interestingly, his numbers are nearly identical to Brady’s without the fanfare. Or with different fanfare.

Dan Salem: No one thought much of Jacksonville this season, so it’s quite possible Minshew is only going to continue to lose fantasy value. Or he’ll bounce back and prove that the Jaguars are no pushover. I like him as a player, but don’t trust him on my fantasy team.

19: Kirk Cousins

Todd Salem: Cousins has followed the same exact pattern as Brady and Minshew to this point. It just so happens that his one bad week was much worse than that of the others. His other two outings were both top-12 material. The Texans have also been getting diced on defense, which is obviously a good thing for Cousins.

Dan Salem: Boy, have the Vikings managed to muck things up. Cousins retains solid upside but is a scary risk after what he did last week.

20: Ryan Fitzpatrick

Todd Salem: We predicted the Fitzmagic run last week and it came to fruition. Now it’s just a matter of time before this collapses, and Tua Tagovailoa gets to start for Miami. Surprisingly, Seattle has been one of the worst defenses in football to this point, so we could get another solid fantasy week out of Fitzpatrick yet.

Dan Salem: Ride the Fitzmagic until it runs out. It’s high right now, so count on him to continue playing great.

21: San Francisco starting quarterback

Todd Salem: Whether it be Nick Mullens or the return of Jimmy Garoppolo, San Fran has another great matchup this week against Philadelphia. Mullens was perfectly fine against New York, as any competent quarterback can be. The ceiling is obviously higher if Garoppolo returns. I may bump a healthy Jimmy G to 18th on the rankings.

Dan Salem: The Eagles can’t stop a fly, so this is a great matchup for whomever starts for San Francisco.

22: Carson Wentz

Todd Salem: Boy, Wentz has been bad. He has six interceptions in three games and is completing fewer than 60 percent of his passes. And yet, he continues to put up numbers and even got into the rushing action last week. Until he’s benched, he is usable in two-QB leagues.

Dan Salem: Wentz was the only reason Philadelphia reached overtime last week and eked out a tie, but he’s certainly been underwhelming in the passing game. If he can keep running, then he’s a reliable fantasy starter.

23: Derek Carr and 24: Teddy Bridgewater

Todd Salem: I’m going to stick with my boring veterans at the bottom of the rankings until they betray me. Carr has between 14 and 22 fantasy points each week (depending on league settings). In the vast majority of weeks, that score is good enough for top-24 status and normally higher. Bridgewater has one week that dips below, but he has been steady as well. With real tough matchups for Justin Herbert, Nick Foles and Philip Rivers, there didn’t seem to be a safer place to turn.

Dan Salem: I too like Carr and Bridgewater at the bottom, over Herbert and the like. This is a matchup decision because the Chargers’ rookie has been exciting and is getting better. But, better safe than sorry this week.