Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder suffered a fractured rib in a Week 3 defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns. Ponder was limited in practice leading up to the team's Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and will give way to backup Matt Cassel.
Christian Ponder to sit out this week for fantasy owners
The Vikings quarterback fractured his ribs in a Week 3 loss to the Browns. We discuss the fantasy implications.
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sport
Fantasy impact: Ponder has never been considered anything more than an average quarterback and he does not really carry any fantasy value, even in deeper leagues. He is still young and just beginning his third NFL season, and few expect him to stand atop the fantasy quarterback rankings this year.
For what it's worth, Ponder's replacement hasn't been much to write home about either from a fantasy perspective. Cassel averaged under 200 passing yards a game as a starter with the Kansas City Chiefs over the last three years and he'll face a Steelers pass defense that has given up the tenth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this year.
When you couple that with the fact that it will be Cassel's first career game as a Minnesota Viking, and that running back Adrian Peterson has come back down to earth a little bit, there is definitely no reason to start Cassel in Week 4.
• Week 4 fantasy football rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
