Fantasy Football Week 4: Rankings Audit & Podcast Highlights
Our first bye week is already upon us, with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets getting the early-season bye. Week 3 saw us lose another big-name player in Saquan Barkley, producing the first real big waiver claim scramble to pick up Wayne Gallman. While he may not be anywhere close to the talent that Saquan Barkley is, he should be seeing a significant workload and as we all know, opportunity often trumps talent.
Quarterback Rankings
After Week 3’s rankings were very similar at QB, this week brings us some significant ranking variations between Andy, Mike, and Jason.
Dak Prescott is Jason’s QB2 for the week, while Andy and Mike have Dak down at QB6. He’s been on fire and you’re starting him no matter what visiting the Saints, but a four-spot variance is note-worthy.
Rookie Daniel “Danny Dimes” Jones had a great debut in Week 3 and his Week 4 ranking of QB11 for both the Ballers consensus and FantasyPros represents high expectations for Week 4. Andy is the lowest on Danny Dimes at QB14.
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Matthew Stafford has a dreamy matchup hosting the high-flying Chiefs and the rankings represent the expected shootout, dropping Stafford in at QB11 for Andy and Mike. Jason isn’t as bullish, ranking him all the way down at QB18.
Stafford’s seven-spot variance is mirrored in Mike’s disdain for Andy Dalton, ranking him at QB21 while Jason has the red rocket all the way up at QB14 against a vulnerable Steelers defense on Monday night. The biggest variance of the week belongs to Andy’s QB16 and Mike’s QB17. Jason’s QB24 ranking gives Derek Carr an eight-spot variance.
Runningback Rankings
The top of the ranks is pretty consistent until the consensus RB12. Jason’s man-crush Kerryon Johnson checks in at RB11 for Andy and RB12 for Mike. Kerryon is Jason’s start of the week based on his enticing matchup with the Chiefs, yet he is the lowest ranking at RB15.
Leonard Fournette owns the largest ranking disparity at the RB position, checking in at RB13 for Jason but all the way down at RB18 for Andy.
Jason is the highest on Phillip Lindsay at RB17, while the consensus shows RB20.
The highest priority waiver claim thus far in 2019, Wayne Gallman has a high of RB18 (Mike) and a low of RB22 (Andy).
For all the talk about Sony Michel’s struggles year-to-date, he’s still ranking in the mid-’20s, with Jason the highest at RB24 and Mike the lowest at RB27.
Wide Receiver Rankings
Just like the RBs’, the top of the WR ranks is pretty consistent. The Ballers WR9, Sammy Watkins, is the only WR with a variance of more than one spot inside the top 16. Jason has Watkins at WR8 while Mike has him at WR11.
The entire group from WR17-36 finds only two players with variances less than two spots. Adam Thielen has a four-spot variance between Mike’s WR17 and Jason’s WR21 ranking.
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Jason in the lowest on Sterling Sheppard at WR25 while he draws a WR21 consensus for both the Ballers and FantasyPros.
In an interesting observation, D.J Moore is WR29 for each of the Ballers, but only Mike has ranked Curtis Samuel ahead of Moore, ranking Samuel two spots higher at WR27.
Tight End Rankings
Unlike last week, the TE position has a good bit of ranking variance, the biggest being Will Dissly. Andy is the most bullish, ranking him up at TE5 while Jason has him down at TE9.
Jason is also in lock-step with FantasyPros, ranking Delanie Walker at TE7, while Andy and Mike have him as TE10.
Biggest Takeaways from the Week 4 Podcasts
Monday – Week 3 Studs & Stinkers + Weekly Rewind, Maniel Jones
Monday Punday! Baker Mayday! Just like Mike Evans’ buy-low window slammed shut in Week 3, Davante Sadams buy-low window slammed shut after his Thursday Night explosion. Weekly Rewind kicks off at 7:26. Injury news on many leagues 1.01 pick, Saquan Barkley is there along with some other player news. Fantasy Studmuffins can be found at 18:33. Can you believe where Daniel Jones and Kyle Allen finished Week 3? Mike Evans exploded, but Baker Mayday leads off the Stinkers of the Week at 45:24.
Tuesday – Week 4 Waivers + Full Stream Ahead, Fart Sniffing
First things first is always a recap of the Monday Night Football game, followed up by the News and Notes segment at 9:18. This week’s Waivers segment opens at 11:51 and spends plenty of time discussing most leagues top priority, Wayne Gallman. At 37:44 the Ballers discuss some of the drop candidates to acquire one of those waiver-wire wonders. Streamers for Week 4 starts at 41:34. At 50:04, Mike tells you to go buy Davante Adams. This proved to be sage advice for anyone that followed through, as Adams “got greased” to the tune of 9-167.
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Wednesday – PANIC ROOM + Buy/Sell, Melvin Returns?
Fantasy Buy or Sell (3:18) focuses on some of the NFC South players. The New and Notes segment opens at 9:29 with the Melvin Gordon news. The Ballers head into the Panic Room at 22:26. Which players have you ringing the bell at level 4? The Thursday Night Preview closes the show starting at 48:39.
Thursday – Starts of the Week + Week 4 Breakdown, Confidence Canoe
News and Notes kicks-off at 8:36 and somehow gets into Mike’s power walking experience. the Fantasy Forecast drops at 18:23. The Ballers’ Starts of the Week can be found at 53:56, including a sneak-peak at Jason’s Week 5 TE Start of the Week. If you are still playing in a league with Kickers, Jason’s Ironclad, Locked & Loaded, 100% Guaranteed, Boom Boom Kicker of the week can be found at 1:06:31.
Friday – Recap TNF, In-or-Out, Finish Recaps
The Friday show starts with a recap of the exciting Thursday Night Football game between the Eagles and Packers, including the injury Davante Adams. The Ballers fire up the In-Or-Out segment at 12:50. While most of the RBs this week are only borderline starting options, there are a lot of WRs that you need to know about, which can be found at 14:33. If you match up was not on the Thursday show, you can listen to the second half of the Fantasy Forecasts at 21:02. The 59:17 mark closes out the show with the Ballers on a Budget segment.
Have a great weekend and best of luck in Week 4!