Fantasy Football Week 4 Rankings: Top Players, Sleepers and Positional Guide
Another week of NFL action is in the rear view, and as we head into October, the fantasy landscape remains relatively clouded.
Many of this year's top fantasy draft choices have been surprisingly inconsistent through the first three weeks—even Cooper Kupp had a relatively down game on Sunday, highlighted by a rushing touchdown—which has put a premium on playing the matchups. Uncovering sleepers has been equally valuable thus far in 2022.
Khalil Herbert, Jamaal Williams and Mack Hollins were among your Week 3 fantasy leaders.
Below, we'll dive into some of the top matchups and potential sleepers for Week 4. You'll also find rankings for the top players at each key fantasy position: quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end.
Quarterback
1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
2. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
3. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
5. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
6. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
7. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
8. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
10. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Matchup to Love: Joe Burrow vs. Miami Dolphins
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was a pretty big disappointment through the first two weeks, but he got back on track against the New York Jets on Sunday. He finished with 275 passing yards, three touchdowns and no turnovers.
A change in offensive philosophy seemed to spark the 25-year-old and the Bengals against New York.
"We want to have an aggressive mindset, head coach Zac Taylor said, via the team's official website. "We've got great players. We wanted to get them involved early and let the other team feel that pressure from us."
The 3-0 Miami Dolphins represent a stiffer challenge than the Jets, but Miami's defense hasn't been particularly great against the pass. Through three weeks, the Dolphins have surrendered 893 passing yards and six touchdowns while logging just one interception.
Cincinnati's offensive struggles could return at any time, which is why Burrow isn't ranked higher here, but he's a must-start heading into Thursday night's matchup
Sleeper: Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons
It's usually not worth going after sleeper quarterbacks until we've reached bye weeks. However, if you're stuck with a low-end streamer, now is a great time to take a flier on Atlanta Falcons signal-caller Marcus Mariota.
The 28-year-old will never be confused with an elite passer, but he does possess rushing ability. Through three weeks, he has rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns. On Sunday, he'll face a Cleveland Browns team that is prone to breakdowns and has surrendered two rushing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks.
Last week, Mitch Trubisky logged 207 passing yards and a rushing touchdown against Cleveland. Mariota should produce better numbers at home against the Browns.
Mariota is rostered in only 22 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.
Running Back
1. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
2. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
3. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
4. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
5. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
6. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
7. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
8. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
9. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
10. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions
Matchup to Love: Alvin Kamara vs. Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara may never again be the reliable dual-threat he was when Drew Brees was under center.
It's worth noting that the 27-year-old has been hampered by a rib injury—and missed Week 2 because of it—but he just hasn't been targeted often by Jameis Winston.
Kamara has five receptions in two games this season.
However, he was solid on the ground in Week 3, averaging four yards per carry. He also has a tremendous matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, which has been gashed on the ground often this season and has surrendered an average of 5.9 yards per carry.
As long as the Saints are willing to lean on the running game this week, Kamara stands a good chance of topping the century mark in yardage with a couple of receptions adding to his fantasy total.
Sleeper: Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears
As previously mentioned, Herbert was one of the fantasy stars of Week 3. He should again be a reliable option in Week 4, as Chicago Bears starting back David Montgomery is dealing with ankle and knee injuries.
"He's going to be day-to-day, so that's a positive," head coach Matt Eberflus said, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "We'll see where he is tomorrow and re-evaluate it from there."
Even if Montgomery returns for Week 4, he's unlikely to be at 100 percent. We should still see a heavy dose of Herbert against the New York Giants.
The 24-year-old, who should be at the top of most waiver-wire lists this week, is rostered in only 49 percent of Yahoo leagues and 25 percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
1. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
2. Stefon Diggs, Baltimore Ravens
3. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49es
4. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
6. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
7. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
8. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
9. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
10. Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
Matchup to Love: Deebo Samuel vs. Los Angeles Rams
While Kupp may be our top-ranked fantasy receiver for Week 4, managers should see plenty from opposing wideout Deebo Samuel as well.
The San Francisco 49ers playmaker, a quality dual-threat runner/receiver, has recently produced good results against the rival Los Angeles Rams.
Samuel logged nine receptions, 192 receiving yards, 81 rushing yards and three touchdowns in two regular-season games against the Rams last season. He also logged four receptions, 98 scrimmage yards and a touchdown against L.A. in the postseason.
While the 26-year-old may not be that productive this week, this matchup is hard to ignore.
The Rams have struggled to corral opposing passers in 2022 and have surrendered 758 yards and five touchdowns through three games. L.A. has logged four interceptions, though that's a concern for managers eying Jimmy Garoppolo, not Samuel.
Last week against the Denver Broncos, Samuel had five catches for 73 yards, though he rushed for a mere six. Expect him to have a much better outing this week against a familiar foe.
Sleeper: Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
Now is the time to buy low on Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs.
While the fourth-round rookie was overshadowed by second-rounder Christian Watson coming into the season, it's the Nevada product who has emerged as Aaron Rodgers' trusted target.
"We called some plays for him and he made some nice catches," Rodgers said, per Kassidy Hill of Packers News. "The thing about Romeo that gives you confidence is the majority of the time, he catches the ball with his hands."
Against a very good Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense on Sunday, the 22-year-old caught all eight of his targets for 73 yards and a touchdown. Against a New England Patriots defense that has surrendered an average of 200 net yards and two touchdowns, he should have another strong day.
Doubs is rostered in 25 percent of Yahoo leagues and 16 percent of ESPN leagues.
Tight End
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens
3. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
4. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
5. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
6. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
7. Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
8. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys
9. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions
10. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Matchup to Love: David Njoku at Atlanta Falcons
Browns tight end David Njoku isn't the most consistent pass-catcher on a week-to-week basis. He'll seemingly disappear in some games and then have outings like the one he had against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday.
The 26-year-old finished that game with nine receptions, 89 yards and a touchdown.
Look for Njoku and quarterback Jacoby Brissett to build on their big night and capitalize on an underwhelming Falcons defense.
Through the first two weeks of the season, Atlanta allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, according to FantasyPros. During Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks, it surrendered a combined seven receptions, 61 yards and a touchdown to tight ends Will Dissly and Noah Fant.
The Browns are going to attack the Falcons with the ground game—as Cleveland tends to do—but Njoku should again be a focal point of the passing attack.
Sleeper: Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Njoku repeatedly burned the Steelers in Week 3, and Jets tight end Tyler Conklin could do the same in Week 4.
The Central Michigan product hasn't traditionally been a high-volume pass-catcher, but he has seen a steady increase in workload this season. He had four catches in the opener, six in Week 2 and eight against Cincinnati in Week 3—to go with 84 receiving yards.
The caveat here is that Conklin's role could again change with quarterback Zach Wilson potentially returning in Week 4.
"I'm expecting [him back], but until the doctors say so, I'm just going to say he's being evaluated," Jets head coach Robert Saleh said, per ESPN's Rich Cimini.
Conklin has developed a solid rapport with Joe Flacco, but he might not have the same chemistry with Wilson. It's a good matchup, though, and he is rostered in only 21 percent of Yahoo leagues and 11 percent of ESPN leagues.
*Fantasy roster information via FantasyPros.