We’ve already reached the final weekend of the NFL schedule for September with all 32 teams having played three games. It provides us with enough NFL stats to value defenses and offenses, shaping the Week 4 fantasy QB rankings. Let’s immediately dive into our list of the best fantasy football quarterbacks for NFL Week 4.
15. Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – @ Philadelphia Eagles
A rushing touchdown in Week 2 saved Baker Mayfield’s fantasy line, 185 passing yards and 1-1 TD-INT. He didn’t have that score on Sunday, but basically replicated that stat line through the air. It’s a massive drop-off from his four-touchdown performance in the season opener. The one hope is that this becomes a high-scoring game, with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin having success against the Philadelphia Eagles secondary.
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14. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons – vs New Orleans Saints
That’s two consecutive weeks with a 69 percent completion rate and 230-plus passing yards from Kirk Cousins. He’s looking more comfortable on that Achilles and the early chemistry with Drake London and Darnell Mooney is apparent. What drops Cousins in these Week 4 fantasy QB rankings are the injuries along the Falcons’ offensive line, which add a significant layer of risk to his projection.
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13. Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers – vs Minneosta Vikings
Putting Jordan Love this low in our Week 4 fantasy QB rankings is entirely about the MCL injury and Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Love isn’t close to 100 percent, even 80 percent in Week 4 might be a stretch. That’s not a recipe for success against a Vikings defense that has held opponents to a 71.5 QB rating this season with 5 interceptions and just a 1.6% touchdown rate allowed. We are a believer in the talent on the Packers’ offense and if anyone can get into a chess match with Flores, it would be Matt LaFleur.
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12. Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers – @ Indianapolis Colts
Even with a turnover in Week 3 – his first of the season – Justin Fields still had a strong fantasy performance against a solid Los Angeles Chargers defense. The 32 pass attempts and 245 passing yards are likely an outlier, but Fields also made up for his lack of rushing yards (6) by running one into the end zone. This is a very good matchup against an Indianapolis Colts defense that has allowed the 10th-highest passing touchdown rate (5.1 percent) and the eighth-highest average QB rating (99.8). Plus, opponents are averaging 179 rushing yards per game against Indianapolis.
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11. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers – vs New England Patriots
No Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, or George Kittle? No problem for Brock Purdy. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback carved up the Los Angeles Rams defense in Week 3 for 292 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and a 73.3% completion rate on 30 attempts. On the season, he’s averaging just under 32 pass attempts per game. Purdy is a quality starting option against a New England Patriots defense that is allowing a 75% completion rate with a 103.6 QB rating and 244.3 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks this season.
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10. Sam Darold, Minnesota Vikings – @ Green Bay Packers
Yes, we are living in a world where Sam Darnold is in the 10th spot of our Week 4 fantasy QB rankings. The Green Bay Packers defense is a takeaway machine this season – 6.9% interception rate (highest in NFL) – but there are issues under the surface. Green Bay has also allowed the fifth-most touchdown passes (five) and it’s in the middle of the pack in pressure rate (20.8 percent). Darnold will probably throw an interception on Sunday, but Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is the perfect offensive mind to attack Jeff Hafley’s aggressive defense. We’re projecting 250-plus passing yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception for Darnold. Plus, some Aaron Jones revenge as well.
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9. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans – vs Jacksonville Jaguars
The Week 3 performance against the Minnesota Vikings is probably the worst you’ll see from C.J. Stroud this season. It’s also worth keeping in mind that things could’ve been better had penalties not wiped out some big plays. However, Stroud drops in our Week 4 fantasy QB rankings this week because his matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars defense – 1.4% touchdown rate allowed (fourth-lowest in NFL) – isn’t particularly favorable. We expect this to be a low-scoring game, with Houston’s run game and defense leading the way to a win. Much better days are ahead for Stroud.
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8. Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders – @ Arizona Cardinals
The Washington Commanders are starting to open up their offense a bit more for Jayden Daniels, finally unleashing his outstanding deep ball. Washington is going to need that in Week 4 to have any chance to keep pace with Arizona’s offense. The Cardinals defense has allowed the third-highest average QB rating (114.4), the highest completion rate (75.3 percent) and the second-highest yards per attempt (8.9) this season. Add that to Daniels’ rushing ability and there’s a fantastic path to him being one of the best fantasy football quarterbacks in Week 4.
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7. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs – @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Kansas City Chiefs are obviously saving Travis Kelce for the regular season and with Marquise Brown sidelined and the Chiefs’ left tackle a major weakness, there are restraints on Patrick Mahomes. He’s thrown an interception in every game this season and eclipsed 220 passing yards just once. The game script in this matchup could also become even less favorable if Justin Herbert is out. With all that said, this is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history and that connection with Rashee Rice is undeniable. Mahomes doesn’t have a really high fantasy upside right now, but you do have to start him every week.
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6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles – @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There’s more volatility with Jalen Hurts’ rushing totals this season, delivering one 85-yard game with two others under 35 yards. He also has a 1-2 TD-INT ratio in the last two weeks without A.J. Brown on the field. Right now, the expectation is for Brown to miss Week 4. Fortunately for Hurts, this Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense is missing All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and defensive linemen Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea might also miss this game. It should allow the Eagles’ offensive line to dominate at the line of scrimmage, allowing Hurts to deliver 200-plus passing yards, 30-plus rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
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5. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys – @ New York Giants
The Dallas Cowboys defense is seemingly going to put this team in a lot of holes that Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb have to dig out of. It’s a fantastic development for fantasy managers, but not so much for Cowboys Nation. There are some concerns in this Thursday Night Football matchup regarding the New York Giants’ ability to get to Prescott – 14 sacks recorded in three games – but opponents are also averaging a 70% completion rate and 99.8 QB rating against the Giants secondary. The Cowboys’ offensive line just needs to keep Prescott upright enough for him to feed Jake Ferguson and Lamb. That’s doable and it should allow Prescott to be one of the best fantasy quarterbacks in Week 4.
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4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens – vs Buffalo Bills
A slimmer Lamar Jackson is making fantasy managers very happy. Entering Week 4, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback already has two games with 85-plus rushing yards and he’s rushed for at least 45 yards in every contest. The passing volume wasn’t there in Week 3 because of the game blow, but that likely won’t be the case against the Buffalo Bills. With the Bills still missing starters at off-ball linebacker and in the secondary, this should be a matchup Jackson can exploit. Our biggest concern, which keeps Jackson from being atop the Week 4 fantasy QB rankings is this Ravens offensive line.
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3. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills – @ Baltimore Ravens
Heading into Monday Night Football, Josh Allen was only averaging 175.5 passing yards and 20.5 rushing yards per game. The Buffalo Bills quarterback has really been dependent on touchdowns (5 total) to carry his fantasy football value. Fortunately, this Baltimore Ravens defense is allowing the most passing yards per game (291.7) with the fourth-highest yards per attempt (8.1) There should be some opportunities for Allen to rack up 200-plus yards with another 35-plus on the ground. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that Baltimore has also allowed a passing touchdown rate of just 3.4 percent this season.
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2. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals – @ Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers offense being NFL-caliber is great news for opposing quarterbacks facing this defense because it will keep games more competitive. In Week 4, that means more opportunities for Joe Burrow to drop back and pepper Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase with targets against a secondary that has already allowed 7 passing touchdowns this season with opponents averaging a 110.5 QB rating and a 71.4 completion rate. Not to mention the fact that Carolina has the lowest pressure rate (7.5 percent) in the NFL. All of this bodes well for an explosive day for the Bengals’ offense.
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1. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals – vs Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders defense is allowing the fourth-highest yards per attempt (8.1), the highest passing touchdown rate (10.3 percent) and the highest passer rating (127.6). It’s as good of a matchup as you could ask for. Both Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride should see tremendous volume in this one, with Murray hopefully 30-plus pass attempts for the third time this year. It sets him up nicely for 250-plus passing yards, 2-plus touchdowns and 50-plus rushing yards. There’s upside and high-end security with Murray, putting him atop our Week 4 fantasy QB rankings.