Week 3 of the NFL season is officially in the books! The NFL landscape has already been riddled with injuries and unexpected twists. If you’re facing tough lineup decisions, I’ve got you covered.
Let’s break down my start/sit fantasy football picks for Week 4.
Quarterback
Start ‘Em: Sam Darnold (Vikings) at Packers
One week of production could be a coincidence. Two weeks puts you on notice. Three weeks makes a statement.
Sam Darnold and the Vikings are here to stay. The former first-round pick put on a show against Houston on Sunday, effortlessly racking up four touchdowns and no interceptions to accumulate 23.2 fantasy points. His rapport with Justin Jefferson has been seamless through three games, as the two have connected 14 times for 273 yards and three scores. It’s not just Jefferson though, Darnold has established a strong on-field partnership with Jalen Nailor, also finding success targeting Aaron Jones out of the backfield.
Darnold has proven he’s capable of taking down high-level defenses in back-to-back weeks, which gives me plenty of confidence in him heading into a clash with the Packers. The 27-year-old did pick up a minor knee bruise, so be sure to monitor his status throughout the week. Assuming he’s good to go, fire him up as a QB1 in Green Bay.
Sit ‘Em: Anthony Richardson (Colts) vs. Steelers
If you haven’t been able to watch a Colts game this year, I would highly recommend tuning in next Sunday.
Unless Anthony Richardson is on your fantasy team. It may be too painful.
Everything that made Richardson an elite fantasy quarterback last season has been missing in his last two games. The cannon of an arm? Gone. The elite rushing upside? Evaporated. The horrendous decision making that leads to turnovers? Very present.
Chicago’s defense is a relatively formidable unit, and they made Richardson incredibly uncomfortable operating out of the pocket. He couldn’t seem to make a decisive read, rarely set his feet for throws, and the result was two truly atrocious picks. This week, Indy draws one of the strongest defenses in the league in Pittsburgh, which doesn’t give me much hope for a bounce-back performance from Richardson. There are better options out there at quarterback.
Check out my full Week 4 QB Start/Sit Picks article here!
Fantasy Advice Twitter Takeover
On Sunday from 11-1 ET, Jeff Pratt will be taking over the DraftKings Network X account to answer all of your start/sit questions. Don’t miss out!
Running Back
Start ‘Em: Najee Harris (Steelers) at Colts
I get it, the fantasy numbers don’t look particularly enticing, but don’t be deceived. Pittsburgh’s offense is the Najee Harris show.
Arthur Smith wants to run the ball, as evident by the 55 carries Harris has received through three contests. The 26-year-old has actually been quite efficient too, he just hasn’t found the end zone yet. Last week against the Chargers, we saw a spike in PPR production as he uncharacteristically caught five balls.
Everything is trending in the right direction for a monstrous performance against the Colts, who have been extremely vulnerable against the run. Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs combined for a whopping 310 rushing yards against them in Weeks 1 and 2, setting the stage for Harris to pick up where they left off. Fire up Pittsburgh’s workhorse as a high-end RB2.
Sit ‘Em: Rachaad White (Buccaneers) vs. Eagles
It appears a changing of the guard is near in Tampa Bay.
After a strong fantasy showing in Week 1, it’s been all downhill for White. The 25-year-old has been horribly inefficient on the ground, averaging just 2.1 yards per carry. Meanwhile, rookie Bucky Irving has made an early statement, racking up almost triple White’s yards per rush with 6.2. The dynamic Oregon product has out-produced his backfield mate in all three of Tampa Bay’s games, and he out-touched him in Week 3 against the Broncos.
White still presents some upside as a receiver, but even that isn’t guaranteed production, as Irving caught three balls against Denver. We’ve already arrived at panic territory for the third-year back, and he can’t be trusted against a strong Eagles run defense.
Check out my full Week 4 RB Start/Sit Picks article here!
Wide Receiver
Start ‘Em: Diontae Johnson (Panthers) vs. Bengals
Look at what competent quarterback play can do for a receiver! (Sorry, Bryce Young.)
It was night and day between the rookie and Andy Dalton, who took over and absolutely picked apart a Raiders defense that had just given the Ravens fits in Week 2. His primary target was none other Johnson, who caught 8 of 14 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Dalton isn’t going to burn a secondary over the top, but he’s perfectly capable of operating within the intermediate range, which is where Diontae excels.
With Adam Thielen either out or significantly limited after suffering a hamstring injury, Johnson stands alone as Dalton’s top receiver for their Week 4 tilt against the Bengals. He should see a ton of targets once again and immediately steps into fantasy-relevant territory.
Sit ‘Em: Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins) vs. Titans
Take a minute and read what I wrote for Waddle as a sit last week.
The same logic applies, except now he’s likely either catching passes from Tim Boyle or Tyler Huntley instead of Skylar Thompson. With Tua Tagovailoa sidelined, Miami is going to continue relying on De’Von Achane and the run game as the focal point of their offense.
Waddle caught four balls for 26 yards in Seattle, and it doesn’t feel realistic to expect much more from him against the Titans this week.
Check out my full Week 4 WR Start/Sit Picks article here!
Tight End
Start ‘Em: Cole Kmet (Bears) vs. Rams
The fantasy tight end landscape is a revolving circus that churns out unpredictable results on a weekly basis. All we can hope to do is play catch-up successfully, which will be the case with Kmet on Sunday.
After an underwhelming Week 1 performance, Kmet’s snap rate jumped all the way up to 77% in Chicago’s second game. In their Week 3 matchup with Indy, Kmet took over. The 25-year-old tight end caught a ridiculous 10 balls for 97 yards and a touchdown, emerging as Caleb Williams’ favorite target on the day.
This week, he’ll face off against a Rams defense that has been vulnerable against opposing tight ends. He almost certainly won’t rack up 25.7 PPR points again, but Kmet is a strong option at a weak fantasy position.
Sit ‘Em: Hunter Henry (Patriots) at 49ers
In the spirit of complete transparency, Henry was a confident start for me last week.
Then I watched one of the worst offensive line performances I have ever seen from the Patriots. Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye were sacked a combined seven times — which feels too low — and pressured on virtually every snap. Play action wasn’t even an option, because the Jets’ pass rush was in the backfield by the time Brissett turned around.
As a result, there is absolutely no way I’m starting Henry against this elite 49ers defense in San Francisco Sunday. It has nothing to do with the actual player, who I believe is very talented. I just don’t see how Brissett is going to get him the ball on a consistent basis.
Check out my full Week 4 TE Start/Sit Picks article here!
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 4 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
