Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is quickly becoming a No. 1 option. (Getty)
Another week, another injury to a big-time NFL quarterback.
Week 3 saw Steelers signal-caller Ben Roethlisberger sprain an MCL, knocking him out for at least a month. This a crushing blow across the board — for the Steelers and fantasy owners.
Big Ben makes that team go. He is a major reason Antonio Brown is one of the best — if not the best receiver — in the game. Michael Vick gets the offense now. And that’s not a good thing. At all. You can’t help but downgrade all of Pittsburgh’s receiving options.
But the show must go on, right?
Week 4 of the season gets underway Thursday night with the aforementioned Steelers and Ravens. We also get our first London game (Jets vs. Dolphins) and the return of the Bye weeks. Only two teams are on the bye this weekend, yet one of them happens to be one of the top quarterbacks to ever play the game — New England’s Tom Brady. The other off squad is the Tennessee Titans rookie QB Marcus Mariota, who has actually been quite useful for fantasy purposes.
If you’re a Brady owner, you’re likely in a tough spot unless you have a reliable backup. Who knows, though, maybe you caught a break and your opponent has Roethlisberger, Tony Romo or Jay Cutler, all of whom won’t likely be playing in Week 4. Saints QB Drew Brees will resume practicing after missing Week 3, so we’ll see what his status is in a few days.
And don’t forget to bookmark our fantasy football rankings 2015 page to keep up-to-date on the latest projections and rankings so you know you who to start and who to sit each week.
So this week’s QB rankings will be missing quite a few household names. Let’s check out my Top 25:
1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers, at 49ers
2. Matt Ryan, Falcons, vs. Texans
3. Russell Wilson, Seahawks, vs. Lions
4. Cam Newton, Panthers, at Buccaneers
5. Carson Palmer, Cardinals, vs. Rams
6. Andy Dalton, Bengals, vs. Chiefs
7. Andrew Luck, Colts, vs. Jaguars
8. Peyton Manning, Broncos, vs. Vikings
9. Tyrod Taylor, Bills, vs. Giants
10. Eli Manning, Giants, at Bills
11. Drew Brees, Saints, vs. Cowboys
12. Philip Rivers, Chargers, vs. Browns
13. Derek Carr, Raiders, at Bears
14. Joe Flacco, Ravens, at Steelers
15. Blake Bortles, Jaguars, at Colts
16. Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins, vs. Jets (in London)
17. Michael Vick, Steelers, vs. Ravens
18. Matthew Stafford, Lions, at Seahawks
19. Alex Smith, Chiefs, at Bengals
20. Colin Kaepernick, 49ers, vs. Packers
21. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jets, at Dolphins (in London)
22. Sam Bradford, Eagles, at Redskins
23. Brandon Weeden, Cowboys, at Saints
24. Ryan Mallett, Texans, at Falcons
25. Jameis Winston, Buccaneers, vs. Panthers
