Fantasy Football: Week 4 Starts And Sits
By Pat Pitts
We are already entering the final week of the first quarter of the fantasy football season. Cam Newton looks like a top 5 fantasy QB, Aaron Rodgers is making me eat my words cold, and I am off to my best start in the 4th and Goal league of record in history.
Injuries suck and COVID-19 has its first appearance during the regular season, which may have you looking like Charlie Day in front of his map. Let’s take a look at who needs to be in your lineup this week and who should be taking a seat.
Starts
Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow vs JAX
In Burrow’s first three games of his young NFL career, he is second in completions (91) and eighth in yards (821) ahead of guys like Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and Aaron Rodgers.
Burrow plays a Jacksonville Jaguars team that just came off a tough loss last Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins. The Jags defense has allowed 744 yards through the air this season. Even with a brutal offensive line, Burrow gets the job done.
Jared Goff vs NYG
Jared Goff has gotten off to a solid start in 2020, tossing five touchdowns in three games and throwing for 863 yards. He faces a bad Giants defense this week. Need I say more?
Drew Brees @ DET
This game has the words “shoot out” written all over it. Drew Brees is playing in a dome against a bottom tier defense with star WR Michael Thomas finally coming back from injury. Sure, Brees has not been his usual self to start the season, but Drew Brees bounces back this week while the Lions are feeling themselves.
Running Backs
James Robinson vs CIN
The Jags play against a bad Bengals run defense. He is a great flex option with low end RB2 upside. Play the Offensive Rookie Of The Month with confidence.
Mike Davis vs ARI
Mike Davis was electric against a very good Chargers defense in Week 3 and far from the typical ground and pound RB we’ve known him to be over the years. Davis was heavily involved in the passing game, racking up eight catches for 45 yards and even caught a touchdown. With King Henry and James Conner out this week due to the COVID-19 implemented Bye Week, fire up Davis in a back and forth matchup with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
Melvin Gordon III @ NYJ
Melvin Gordon might be the most talented player on the field tonight. Phillip Lindsay is expected to be out again this week, so Gordon gets to feast on the miserable Jets defense. Fire Gordon up as an RB2 with MASSIVE upside.
Wide Receivers
DK Metcalf @ MIA
The Seahawks have been a wagon this season and it’s all thanks to Mr. Unlimited, Russell Wilson, launching the football all over the yard.
Metcalf has a touchdown in every game this season, averaging 99 yards per game and 4 receptions per game. He’s playing a Miami defense that does not have the solution to stop Russell Wilson. Start him if you have him.
Tyler Boyd vs JAX
Joe Burrow has been trying to establish chemistry with his WRs since he put on a Bengals uniform for the first time. Last week, and quite frankly all season, it’s been with his man in Tyler Boyd.
Boyd caught 10 passes on 13 targets for 125 yards against the Eagles in Week 3. Burrow feels comfortable throwing to Boyd and that chemistry is going to pay dividends this week against a bad Jaguars defense and moving forward.
Stefon Diggs @ LV
I am currently putting my Bills slander aside for a bit. You know, for personal reasons. Josh Allen has put the league on notice with his air attack and Diggs is the biggest beneficiary of it.
He came off his 153-yard performance against Miami with just 49 yards, although he did find the end zone (eventually). The Raiders are not the Rams, they don’t have Jalen Ramsey, and Diggs will be a good start this week with big time WR1 upside.
Tight Ends
Noah Fant @ NYJ
The Jets suck and Noah Fant does not. If your players play against the Jets, you start them.
Jimmy Graham vs IND
The Bears look like a completely different team with Nick Foles at QB. How different you ask? Jimmy Graham is fantasy relevant again for the first time since...
He saw 10 targets last week catching six of them for 60 yards and scoring twice. If you need a TE to plug into your lineup, Graham isn't a bad play and you can thank Nick Foles for that.
Mo Alie-Cox @ CHI
In two weeks, Alie-Cox has seen nine targets, turning eight of them into catches and he’s scored a touchdown. Phillip Rivers loves throwing to TEs (go look at Antonio Gates career stats). The Colts have become a run heavy team that utilizes Play action so Alie-Cox’s production will continue to trend in a positive direction this week.
Sits
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger and Ryan Tannehill
This game has officially been postponed to “later in the season” so the Steelers and Titans now have a makeshift Bye Week. Sending all our best to the players and personnel from the Titans who have contracted COVID-19 and hope that everyone has a quick and safe recovery process.
Cam Newton @ KC
Cam Newton has been spectacular this season, but playing at Arrowhead is no joke and Newton has gone back and forth with big running game scripts and big passing game scripts. I’m not a fan of this matchup, and even though you’re probably starting Cam Newton, lower your expectations a bit this week.
Carson Wentz @ SF
Wentz looks like a shell of himself, the Eagles barely have any healthy weapons on offense for him to throw to, his offensive line is banged up, and the Eagles have to travel across the country for a Sunday Night Football game that should just be flexed.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry and James Conner
COVID-19 Bye Week
Antonio Gibson vs BAL
I am an Antonio Gibson truther, but the Ravens are out for blood following an embarrassing loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This could be scarier than Scary Terry.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Backfield vs LAC
Would you rather have a flat tire or be out of gas? It doesn’t matter because you are still stranded with a problem to deal with at the end of it. That is what it is like managing someone in the Tampa backfield.
Leonard Fournette doesn’t seem like he’ll be playing in this one, but we all know somehow Shady McCoy will make his presence known and mess up a lobbed up day for Ronald Jones. Pass on this backfield.
Wide Receivers
Juju Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, AJ Brown, Corey Davis
COVID-19 Bye Week
Darius Slayton @ LAR
Slayton and the Giants are playing the Rams this week and between the pressure from the Rams defensive line knocking Daniel Jones around, and a possible matchup against Jalen Ramsey has me benching Slayton this week.
Terry McLaurin vs BAL
Scary Terry lines up against the terrifying Ravens secondary and being limited by Dwayne Haskins play, McLaurin is taking a seat on the bench this week in fantasy football.
Tight Ends
Evan Engram @ LAR
See Darius Slayton
Austin Hooper @ DAL
Hooper has been a super dud so far this season. Hooper averages a tad over three targets a game and is the 16th ranked TE according to ESPN. You do the math and tell me Hooper should start this week.
Jonnu Smith and Eric Ebron
COVID-19 Bye Week
After Week 4 ends, we head into the second quarter of the 2020 NFL season. If the injury bug has stayed away from your team, consider yourself lucky. Go out and win the week and let's have ourselves a fantastic weekend of football.