October 3, 2015

RotoBaller's 2015 Week 4 fantasy football rankings analysis and tiered ranks, for both PPR and non-PPR leagues, and all NFL positions (QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF). Rankings advice for your Week 4 matchups.

What's up RotoBallers. Week 3 is complete and we hope you managed to secure the win! To celebrate, today we are bringing you our Week 4 fantasy football rankings to help prepare you for your Week 4 matchups.

Below you will find both PPR rankings and standard league rankings for Week 4, brought to you by Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades) and Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik).

Lead fantasy football columnist Edward Gorelik also highlights some rankings analysis for Week 4, broken out by position, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 4. You can also check out our 2015 fantasy football ranking dashboard, for more in depth rankings analysis on all positions including rookies and dynasty leagues.

Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings - All Positions

Week 4 Quarterback (QB) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

Andy Dalton's wild 2015 continues. Everyone who grabbed him at his incredibly cheap draft price must be incredibly happy now, as the return of his weapons to full health has resulted in an incredible start to what could be another QB1 year. In a matchup against the Chiefs, he should be looking good again. Out-of-division opponents have been Dalton's forte over his last two years and that doesn't look to be changing as the Bengals have the weapons needed to neutralize the Chiefs main weapon: their pass rush.

Joe Flacco is also seeing the opportunity to re-establish himself as a QB1 after last years surprising QB1 finish and he's getting the chance to boost his stats on Thursday night against the Steelers. The biggest help Flacco has this week is that the Steelers are allowing an average 103 yards per game to opponents WR1's, giving Flacco's best weapon an incredibly easy matchup that should help him put up the kinds of numbers QB1's tend to put up. In addition to that, they're the 26th ranked defense in DVOA against the pass and have shown nothing to make anyone think they're going to get better.

I seriously hate Matthew Stafford's chances this week against the Seahawks. Stafford's been playing terribly since the start of the season and his weak offensive line doesn't project to be a good matchup against the Seahawks pass rushers. The only thing keeping Stafford even slightly afloat is that Golden Tate has the chance to blow up against his former team.

Week 4 Running Back (RB) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

I mentioned game script last week in my reasons why LeGarrette Blount could bounce back after a weak return from his suspension, and that reasoning proved to be exactly why he did blow up against the Jaguars. This week, I'm using the same logic for Frank Gore, Karlos Williams, and Devonta Freeman.

It's a lot more obvious this time around but for anyone doubting it- Gore still looks spry but has had the unfortunate scheduling of playing both the Jets top run D and the Bills top run D before finally getting a break against the Titans. Expect things to get easier for him from here on, continuing with the Jaguars.

Two running backs that are going to be considered over-hyped on my list are Karlos Williams and Devonta Freeman, but I swear I am not overreacting to last week's games. Game script again works in favor of both players as neither the Giants nor Texan's project to be able to get a lead on either team, forcing both of the Falcons and Bills to run often in these games. Neither Williams nor Freeman have very capable backs behind them which gives both of them the chance to see nearly 25 touches if the games become the rout they are expected to be.

This is Justin Forsett's last chance for me. The matchup is so, so good and the Pittsburgh defense should be overwhelmed just trying to deal with Steve Smith. If Forsett can't do it this week, the dream may be over.

Week 4 Wide Receiver (WR) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

I want to put Brandon Marshall higher than he is but I don't think I can in good conscience. Everyone knows Brandon Marshall is currently being targeted like crazy on the Jets (9, 10, and 14 in last three weeks which is tied for 11th overall), everyone knows he is an extremely emotional player, and everyone knows that he was traded by the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears during the 2012 offseason. He was unable to get his revenge when he played them last year as a member of the Bears but factors like Cutler's issues and his own injuries held him back. If revenge isn't on his mind this week, I'd be very, very surprised.

I talked about Steve Smith in both Forsett's and Flacco's blurbs, so now it's time to point him out on his own. There's no doubt the Steelers will try to find a way to stop him but they've been completely unable to stop any #1 receiver so far this year, allowing 103 yards per week to them. They've given up over a 100 yards and a touchdown to Torrey Smith, 60 yards and a touchdown to his partner Anquan Boldin, and over a 100 yards to Kenny Britt. None of those names are as imposing as Steve Smith.

Golden Tate was also brought up in context of his QB, but he deserves attention here too. Everyone knows the Seahawks defense is good, but they've been susceptible to small wide receivers since the start of the Legion of Boom era. Golden Tate not only fits that archetype but also has the added bonus of emotional investment as he returns to face his old team. Regardless of whether he's matched up against Cary Williams or Richard Sherman, he should be in a positive situation and have the opportunity to see at least a high WR3 week, with WR1 potential if he's really angry.

Week 4 Tight End (TE) Rankings Analysis

By Edward Gorelik (@Edward Gorelik)

Oakland has been horrendous against TE's allowing an average of 98 yards per game to them. That includes a 5/88/2 game from Crockett Gilmore and another 6/105/1 game from Gary Barnridge. Do either of those names even sound as threatening as Martellus Bennett? Bennett's a strong TE1 play this week, with the potential to be top scorer at the position.

Heath Miller is a hard play this week. With Ben Roethlisberger out of the lineup and Mike Vick in, there's minimal chance that he sees many opportunities since Vick has never really been the type to go through reads or make short, safe decisions. It's much more likely that the ball goes non-stop to Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell while Miller just adds to the pass-blocking in order to keep Vick from making bad decisions. Maybe I'm projecting too much with that statement but this isn't the week to test your chances with everything lining up against him.

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