Top 24 Quarterback Rankings For Week 4 | Fantasy Football 2026
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
18 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 1, 2026
Published
Thu, October 1, 2026
23
Player insights
23
Players mentioned
Topics
Bo NixBrock PurdyBryce YoungC.J. StroudDak PrescottDrake MayeGeno SmithJacoby BrissettJalen HurtsJared GoffJoe BurrowJordan LoveJosh AllenJustin Herbert
Player analysis
Player insights
Bo Nix
PositiveProjection13:24
Bo Nix is trending in the right direction and is expected to provide a solid QB2 performance against San Francisco.
Insight pageBrock Purdy
PositiveProjection5:42
Brock Purdy has 10 touchdowns in three weeks and is a locked-in QB1 when healthy; the Broncos' defense is a tough matchup, but Purdy's efficiency remains high.
Insight pageBryce Young
PositiveProjection9:52
Bryce Young is expected to bounce back against the Lions, who allow 29.3 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks; he is a strong play in a high-scoring environment.
Insight pageC.J. Stroud
PositiveProjection23:13
CJ Stroud is a strong Superflex start against Dallas, especially if Nico Collins returns; he has averaged 265 passing yards per game this season.
Insight pageDak Prescott
PositiveValue8:40
Dak Prescott is the QB7 on the year; the Houston matchup is less daunting than expected, as they allow the eighth-most points to quarterbacks.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeBust15:27
Drake Maye looks lost and like a rookie; he is startable in Superflex but should be avoided in one-QB leagues.
Insight pageGeno Smith
NegativeProjection21:44
Geno Smith is a solid Superflex QB2; the matchup against the Bears is tougher than his previous outings, but he remains a reliable start in deeper formats.
Insight pageJacoby Brissett
PositiveProjection20:31
Jacoby Brissett is a viable play against the Giants, especially if the team is trailing; he has shown high-yardage potential in two of his three games.
Insight pageJalen Hurts
PositiveUsage3:30
Despite poor personal performance, Jalen Hurts remains a must-start QB1 due to his rushing floor, specifically the 'tush push' play.
Insight pageJared Goff
PositiveProjection5:25
Jared Goff is the QB6 on the season and is a recommended start against the shaky Carolina defense.
Insight pageJoe Burrow
PositiveBreakout7:10
Joe Burrow has massive upside in Week 4 against Jacksonville in a game with a 51.5 total; a vintage Burrow-Chase performance is expected.
Insight pageJordan Love
NegativeProjection18:31
Jordan Love is a perfectly average fantasy quarterback (QB15 on the year); he is a Superflex play but not recommended for one-QB leagues.
Insight pageJosh Allen
PositiveProjection0:43
Josh Allen is the consensus number one quarterback for Week 4 against the Patriots; even if ranked slightly lower, he remains a high-end QB1.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
NegativeBust16:42
Justin Herbert is currently the QB32 in points per game; he is too talented to bench in Superflex, but he is untrustworthy in one-QB formats.
Insight pageKirk Cousins
NegativeProjection24:52
Kirk Cousins is a risky start against the Chiefs' top-ranked defense, though he has looked good in the Kubiak offense.
Insight pageKyler Murray
PositiveBreakout10:42
Kyler Murray has massive upside against Miami in Week 4; his performance is contingent on Justin Jefferson's availability.
Insight pageLamar Jackson
PositiveBreakout1:46
Lamar Jackson is the QB8 on the season, which is considered wild; he has a fantastic breakout spot against the Titans and should be started with high confidence.
Insight pageMarcus Mariota
PositiveProjection13:49
Marcus Mariota is a high-end QB2 against the Colts, who are considered a defensive liability compared to the elite Seattle defense he faced last week.
Insight pageMatthew Stafford
PositiveProjection11:56
Matthew Stafford has played at an elite level recently; he is a solid start if Puka Nacua returns, otherwise a high-end QB2.
Insight pageMichael Penix Jr.
NegativeProjection23:49
Michael Penix is a low-end QB2 against the Saints; his fantasy value is largely tied to Drake London's performance.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
PositiveProjection4:09
Patrick Mahomes is the QB5 overall despite early-season injury concerns; he is expected to exploit the Raiders' defensive holes in Week 4.
Insight pageSam Darnold
NegativeProjection19:01
Sam Darnold is a rock-solid QB2 in Superflex; while his high-volume passing last week may be an anomaly, he has shown production upside.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
PositiveProjection2:10
Trevor Lawrence is playing well in the Liam Cohen offense and is a strong start for Week 4; he is expected to participate in a high-scoring shootout against Cincinnati.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Welcome into the Lineup Fantasy Football Show. I'm Mitch Anderson.
0:03I'm Justin Mello. And if you have any start set questions, trade questions, or anything we can answer to help you win
0:10your Week 4 matchup and beyond, let us know down below and we'll answer every single comment.
0:15But Mello, it's time to list off our top 24 quarterbacks here in Week 4 for the Fantasy Football season.
0:21As always, the lineup is presented by Dabble Fantasy.
0:23Download and sign up for Dabble, then use the promo code LINEUP to get $50 instantly when you play your first five.
0:30You can follow us at Lineup Mitch and copy our picks with one click to sweat every Sunday alongside us.
0:36But Mello, let's hit our top 24 here and then wrap it up by revealing our top four quarterback plays of the week.
0:43Well, number one is Josh Allen hosting the Patriots.
0:46Yeah, I know. Big shock. Josh Allen at number one.
0:49Patriots are a mess. That doesn't even matter. It's just Josh Allen.
0:52That's why. It's hard to put him anywhere but one.
0:55Even if you have him at two or three for some reason, he's still a high-end quarterback one.
1:01And that's all I have to say about it.
1:03Yeah, you could have just stopped at Josh Allen.
1:06But at number two, let's talk about Lamar Jackson taking on the Tennessee Titans.
1:10He's actually started somewhat quietly. He hasn't hurt you at all in his performances, but he also hasn't given you that kind
1:17of like game-breaking upside that we're used to. He's the quarterback eight on the season, which I think is wild after three weeks.
1:24But this is a fantastic breakout spot against Tennessee, and I'd be starting him with a ton of confidence this week.
1:30No question about it. Number three is Trevor Lawrence at Cincinnati.
1:33He was a slide down away with eight minutes left from having an even much bigger game against the Patriots last week.
1:40I think we could have a shootout here in Cincinnati in week four.
1:44Lawrence certainly has the ammunition to keep up with those weapons.
1:47He's been playing well. Obviously, it's a Liam Cohen offense, which we're excited about.
1:51I wouldn't put him in the same tier as Allen or Jackson, but he is just as good as anyone else, I would say, here in week four.
2:00I know. I'm like looking at it, and I'm like, he can't be in that tier, but I almost wish I could
2:06put him in that little slot right between the two tiers.
2:10On to number four, though, and the reason is I don't want to put these two guys next to each other.
2:16Jalen Hurts. And Jalen Hurts is officially becoming a check-the-box score guy for me.
2:20I kind of just hate watching him play football.
2:23But then you go and you're looking for most of the games, the fancy points are fine.
2:28Takes on the LA Rams this week, not great, but you got to assume it can't get worse than what we just
2:34saw against Chicago on Monday Night Football. No. And as long as he's got a tush to be pushed, he's got to be a quarterback one.
2:42It's really that simple with Jalen Hurts. Even if he personally plays bad, doesn't mean he'll be bad for your fantasy team.
2:49A very good quarterback here at number five, though.
2:52That is Patrick Mahomes taking on the Raiders in a battle for first in the division, which is just so funny.
2:58Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback five overall, even with the torn ACLs coming off.
3:02People weren't sure how he looked to start the year.
3:05He's been just fine. Despite the Raiders being 3-0, their defense still has plenty of holes.
3:10And I think Mahomes is the guy to exploit those holes, as he's done so many times in his career against this very team.
3:17So I'm excited about him in week four. I can't believe how good he's been.
3:22I know I say it every episode, but it's wild.
3:25Another guy who's better than anyone is giving him credit for, Jared Goff, who just rocks.
3:29He just absolutely rocks, and no one wants to give him the credit.
3:33But quarterback six on the year, now he's taking on the shaky Carolina defense.
3:37Give me Jared Goff all day. That's literally all I had noted for him.
3:42Yeah, love Jared Goff this week. Number seven, I know you love this guy, Mitch.
3:46Brock Purdy. He's taking on the Broncos this week.
3:49One of your favorite players this season. He's paid dividends.
3:52He's so good, dude. He's just so good. He's so good.
3:55He's incredible. That Aaron Jordan throw, I think they called it back, the completion, but that throw he made on the sideline was just unbelievable.
4:03He's legitimately so freaking good, and the only reason we don't have him higher this week is because of that Broncos defense,
4:09which is still a great unit on paper at least.
4:12They've struggled a little bit this year, actually, but on paper, we still have confidence in this defense.
4:18We'll see what happens with Mike Evans. Obviously, that will have an impact on Brock Purdy's performance, but with that said, 10 touchdowns in three weeks.
4:25As long as he's healthy, he's a quarterback one week in and week out.
4:30So, 100%. Let's move on to Joe Burrow on the other side of that Jacksonville-Cincinnati shootout.
4:34We have him as the quarterback eight, but I actually do think that the upside is insane this week.
4:40This one has the makings of a shootout. Highest total on the slate, 51.5.
4:44Jags do have a great defense, but I think they're going to keep Cincinnati throwing here, and I feel like you could
4:51just have one of those vintage Joe Burrow-Jamar Chase games.
4:54I feel like it's time that we have that huge Burrow game.
4:57Number nine, though, that is Tyler Shuck taking on the Falcons this week.
5:01Through three weeks, Tyler Shuck has scored between 22.38 and 23.8 fantasy points in every game.
5:06Talk about consistency. He has a very small margin.
5:09In week four, he gets an Atlanta defense that struggles to generate any sort of pressure, which obviously is a good thing for Tyler Shuck.
5:16Could have another impressive outing. I'm trusting him as a low-end quarterback one.
5:20Yeah, I love it. Let's move on to Dak Prescott, who Dak Prescott is just doing Dak Prescott things, quietly crushing it
5:27as the quarterback seven on the year. What would have seemed like a tougher matchup with Houston in the offseason, kind of
5:33like what you were saying with Denver, isn't looking quite as brutal as we would have thought right now.
5:39They're allowing the eighth most points to quarterbacks. I think you can fire up Dak and his pass catchers with way more
5:46confidence than I ever would have thought. I completely agree when you look at what they've done so far this year.
5:52Number 11, though, is Bryce Young taking on the Lions.
5:55He finally came back down to earth last week, but he can definitely go right back to where he was a couple weeks ago against this Lions team.
6:03The Lions are in shootouts, it feels like, every single week.
6:07It's just always a lot of points. So I want pieces of any player involved in a Lions game.
6:12We do need to monitor the health of Jalen Coker, but they do have T-Max still, who, if you watch the show,
6:19you know Mitch and I love Ted Aroa McMillan.
6:22Could be a big breakout spot here. Do you know how many fantasy points per game the Lions have allowed to quarterbacks this season?
6:29I'll say 26. 29.3. Oh my god. 29.3. So I know last week was a down week.
6:34I think Bryce Young bounces back. Yeah, it's easy for it to be a down week when you're playing in Cleveland and it's just a weird game.
6:42I completely agree with you. But on to number 12 and this guy is going to kick off our B tier.
6:48That's Kyler Murray. And Mello, I told you I was out on him having his, like, breakout game last week.
6:54I am all the way in against Miami. I think this is the spot for Kyler Murray to get right.
7:00The big thing to watch, obviously, is if he'll have Justin Jefferson.
7:04But as long as he's out there, Kyler has massive, massive upside this week against the Dolphins' quote-unquote defense.
7:10That is so derogatory. As it was intended to be.
7:13That's awesome. Yeah, Justin Jefferson, obviously a big factor there.
7:16And Puka Nuku is a big factor for Matt Stafford coming in at 13 playing at Philly.
7:21If Case Keenum can have a good outing against the Eagles defense, so can Matthew Stafford.
7:26Throw out the weird Melbourne game. And Stafford has been playing.
7:29The weird Melbourne game. And Matt Stafford's been elite.
7:32I mean, he's been pretty close to the MVP level we saw last year, the last couple of weeks.
7:37If you do get Puka back in week four, I think Stafford is a very, very solid start.
7:43Otherwise, I think he's probably more of a high-end quarterback too.
7:46Yeah, that's exactly it. You've just got to monitor the Puka thing.
7:50I'm surprised people were not more willing after week one to just be like, so that Australia game didn't happen.
7:56And I felt like it was such an incredible opportunity to buy low on all these Rams.
8:01And like you said, so far, Matthew Stafford's looked incredible since.
8:04But let's talk about the guy who took on the Rams the other night, Bo Nix.
8:09He didn't look great in the first half, but then the second half he got by with a little help from his friends, the officiating crew.
8:17And I think he should give you a pretty solid QB2 performance here against San Francisco.
8:21I'm starting to think the Bo Leavers are back up.
8:24The Bo Leavers are back up. I think they're trending in the right direction.
8:29Number 15 is Marcus Mariota taking on the Indianapolis Colts.
8:32My brother in Christ, it is week four, and we have Marcus Mariota as a top 15 quarterback in fantasy.
8:38We got Marcus Mariota in the top 15. We had earlier Alvin Kamara in the top 20.
8:43I'm like, what is going on in 2026? It might be 2019, actually.
8:47We might be in the time machine right now.
8:49I mean, I think it makes sense, though. He looked apart last week, certainly, in the upset win.
8:55He had three touchdowns against an elite Seattle defense.
8:57Now he gets a Colts defense that's been a complete liability.
9:01Like, talk about a swing from an elite defense to a bad one.
9:05I think Marcus Mariota is a really solid high-end quarterback, too, here.
9:08Yeah, I actually completely agree. Speaking of 2019, just pour one out quickly for our guy, Odell Beckham Jr.
9:14His 2026 run with the Giants was just the Aaron Rodgers running out with the flag.
9:19One target, zero catches, zero receptions. But a whole lot of pregame warm-up dances.
9:23All right, you just talked about a guy that we're getting pretty excited about.
9:27Let's talk about the other guy. Let's talk about Drake May taking on the Buffalo Bills.
9:32Drake May looks awful. He looks like a rookie.
9:35He looks lost. I don't fully know what's going on.
9:38We have him at 16. He's startable as a super flex player.
9:41But if you need a one QB quarterback this week, I'm not touching him with a 10-foot pole.
9:47I would like it on the record. I think by midseason, we're going to kind of have forgotten about this weird bad stretch for Drake May.
9:54I just don't think it turns around this week.
9:57Agreed. Yeah. Super, super talented quarterback. Going to be fine long-term, but just playing so bad right now.
10:02Cannot trust him. And the same can be said for Justin Herbert, who we have next year.
10:08Yeah, 100%. It's like they're the same person. It's like the meme of HR wants you to find the difference between these
10:14two pictures or whatever, and they're the same picture.
10:17Justin Herbert and Drake May. Herbert's taking on Seattle, which is an even tougher matchup.
10:21It's just been horrible. I don't expect it to get better with LA traveling to Seattle.
10:26Mike McDonald's defense, super hostile environment. Herbert's too talented for me to bench him in super flex.
10:31Like I still have to start him. Yeah. In super flex.
10:35But in one QB, just like you said with Drake May, I just don't trust it at all.
10:40Do you want to hear it? So I was on Joe Pizapia's show this morning, and he asked me where I think
10:47Justin Herbert ranks among quarterbacks in fantasy points per game.
10:50Where would you guess? I'm going to guess quarterback 18, 19.
10:53He is number 32 among fantasy quarterbacks in points per game right now.
10:57Jeez. Well, I thought with the injuries that'd bump him a little bit.
11:01That's crazy. Well, I guess per game. Points per game.
11:04Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's still surprising though. It's jarring.
11:07It's crazy. And for those of you counting at home, there are 32 NFL teams.
11:11But let's move on to number 18, Jordan Love.
11:14Starting Jordan Love in fantasy is not going to win you games.
11:17It's not going to lose you games. He's just been like so Jordan Love this year, and that's the only way I can put it.
11:25Just like so perfectly average. So much so that he's the quarterback 15 on the year.
11:30The Bucs have been somewhat of a stingy matchup against quarterbacks.
11:33So it's a bit of an iffy matchup, but I think he's like a super flex play.
11:38I certainly wouldn't be starting him in one QB leagues.
11:41Yeah. 100% agreed. And I feel very similarly about Sam Darnold taking on the Chargers.
11:46Watching last week's Seahawks game where they lost to Marcus Mariota in Washington, it felt like Darnold played really sloppy, which to some extent he definitely did.
11:54But he actually threw for 379 yards and four touchdowns.
11:57It did not feel like that watching that game, but he did.
12:00So there's plenty of options I like more, particularly ones with more rushing upside.
12:05But Darnold's still a rock solid quarterback too in super flex.
12:08Yeah. It's obviously like if Seattle and Mike McDonald have it their way, they're not going to be in a game script
12:14like that again, or they need Sam Darnold throwing that much.
12:18So I think that was a bit of an anomaly, but Darnold keeps proving like he is a guy that can turn
12:24it on from a production perspective when he needs to.
12:27And so I think there's much worse starts than Sam Darnold.
12:31On to number 20 though, let's talk about Jacoby Brissett.
12:34He is going to kick off our C tier.
12:36He's Luke even slinging it. Just dropping back, firing it like F it.
12:40Hopefully Marvin Harrison Jr. isn't down there somewhere. And this is an awesome matchup with the Giants.
12:45Hopefully we see some decent volume and this team doesn't see its first positive game script since week one.
12:51Yeah. It's the rare scenario of like you want your player to be on a bad team with Jacoby Brissett.
12:57You want them to be trailing. He plays football like Uncle Rico.
13:01And I mean that in a positive way. I love him.
13:04Complimentary. Complimentary Uncle Rico. Number 21 though is Geno Smith taking on the Bears in Chicago.
13:09How about Geno Smith? Not that the bar- How about him?
13:12He's playing a lot better than he did with the Raiders.
13:15And not that the bar was that high, but he's playing a lot better than he did in his first stint with the Jets.
13:23He's putting up some stats at least, even if it hasn't always been the prettiest.
13:27And I know last week was against the Lions who are absolutely horrible.
13:31We've talked about how they're in shootouts every week.
13:34And this Bears defense just gave Jalen Hurts and the Eagles a lot of trouble.
13:38So the matchup is tougher this week. But still, Geno's to me like a lot of these guys in this range we've been talking about.
13:46Like he's just a solid quarterback too. Nothing that you're really all that excited about.
13:50But somebody you can start in super flex. Yeah.
13:53100%. Let's kick off this D tier right here, Melo.
13:56And let's talk about CJ Stroud. Stroud is like, to me, the poorer man's Jordan Love.
14:01It's just been like meh performances all year. But you get a fantastic matchup with Dallas.
14:05And that's where I would keep him as the only guy in the D tier.
14:10The D stands for Dallas. If there's any week to get right and have an awesome performance, it's against the Dallas Cowboys.
14:16You get Nico Collins back in the lineup in this one.
14:20And I think we should see a decent game out of CJ Stroud.
14:24Yeah. Especially if Nico plays with this matchup against Dallas, I'm definitely starting Stroud at super flex.
14:29Unless I have an embarrassment of riches at quarterback.
14:31Number 23, we have Michael Penix taking on the Saints.
14:34Michael Penix starting does incredible things for fantasy. But most of that has to do with Drake London, not Michael Penix himself.
14:41The Saints defense has let opposing offenses bully them at times this year.
14:45Which gives Penix enough hope to be a low-end quarterback too, I think.
14:49But there are certainly more reliable options here in week four.
14:52Yeah. I think that's a great way of putting it.
14:55And let's close it out with a guy who has been reliable this year.
14:59Kurt Cousins. Do we have fantasy football's quarterback nine, Kurt Cousins, to Lomello?
15:03Maybe. I would say probably not. Because this is a very good Kansas City defense ranking first in the entire NFL against quarterbacks.
15:10But man, Kubiak is just getting the best out of Cousins.
15:13I'm genuinely curious to see if he can get it going in this tough divisional matchup.
15:18Because if he can, I'm starting to buy into Captain Kirk a little bit.
15:22He's looked good. He's looked the part. All right.
15:25Let's move on, Melo, to our week four Mount Passmore.
15:28Where we name our four favorite plays upon the Mount Passmore of the guys we predict that will pass for more yards
15:35than projected for the week presented by Dabble. But Melo, give me your first guy.
15:39It's that guy taking on Kurt Cousins. It's Patrick Mahomes.
15:42Over 236 and a half passing yards. This is a divisional game where both teams are trying to stay undefeated.
15:48Claim sole possession of first place. And you know I'm going to take Mahomes to come out on top.
15:54He has hit on this line over 236 and a half yards in each of his last two games.
16:00The Raiders defense has not been truly tested yet.
16:02But they did allow Tyler Shuck to hit on this line last week as well.
16:07He had a great outing himself. So I like Mahomes this week.
16:10Love that pick. Let's go to my first guy.
16:13Let's talk about Jared Goff to go over 260 yards.
16:16He's hit this each of his last two games.
16:19Now they take on Carolina, who's actually been pretty good against quarterbacks and passing yards on paper.
16:24But they just went up against the combo of Cooper Rush and Jack Strand and then Deshaun Watson.
16:29So I think that might be skewing the average a little bit.
16:33Week one, Caleb Williams beat this mark. And that was with the team also rushing for 291 yards.
16:38I know I just talked about Gibbs yesterday and our Mount Rushmore.
16:42But that is just how confident I am that this Lions team is going to roll.
16:47I absolutely love Jared Goff this week. This one feels gross, Mitch.
16:50I'm going to tell you right now, this one feels gross.
16:54And it's CJ Stroud. It's gross. But let me tell you this.
16:57And this won't sound real because I had to triple check it.
17:01CJ Stroud has averaged 265 passing yards per game this year, which is well above this line.
17:06Now we're hoping he gets Nico Collins back, who is really the key to unlock this entire offense.
17:11And on top of that, he's taking on a Dallas defense, which has just been carved up by just about anyone holding a football this year.
17:19So I kind of like CJ Stroud in this spot.
17:22I feel like we're like defiling a landmark here on our Mount Passmore, putting on CJ Stroud and also putting on Jacoby Brissett over 224 yards.
17:30I think people have looked at Brissett as a little bit of a disappointment because of that week two disaster.
17:36Only 94 yards against the Seahawks, who absolutely dominated the Cardinals.
17:39But in his other two games this year, he's had 277 and 280 passing yards, respectively.
17:44He broke this mark of 224. 10 out of 13 games last year as well that he started.
17:49I expect him and his pairing of Michael Wilson and Trey McBride, who we'll talk about next episode, to absolutely cook this weekend.
17:56But that is our Mount Passmore. If you'd like to play with us, you can check out Dabble and use the promo
18:03code LINEUP to get $50 instantly to play with when you play with your first five.
18:08Mello, those were our top 24 quarterbacks of week four.
18:11Before we get out of here, did we miss anything?
18:14I think we got it all. All right. We'll catch you guys tomorrow for our top 24 tight ends heading into week four of the NFL season.
18:22We'll see you then.
