Four weeks into the NFL season, fantasy managers now have a solid data sample to analyze. Snap shares, workloads, and other trends have truly begun to emerge across the league. With all of that in mind, let’s break down my start/sit Week 4 fantasy football picks.
Quarterbacks
Start ‘Em: Caleb Williams (Bears) at Raiders
THIS is the Caleb Williams Bears (and fantasy managers) have been waiting for. All it took was a competent offensive playcaller to unlock him.
To be fair to Ben Johnson, he’s far more than competent, which is why Chicago’s improved offense finally translated to a win in Week 3. Williams operated the passing attack flawlessly, completing 19 of 28 attempts for 298 yards and four touchdowns, good for 29.12 fantasy points.
The second-year signal caller has scored at least 18 points in each of his outings, providing a safe fantasy floor with legitimate QB1 upside. That should remain the case Sunday against the Raiders, who backup Marcus Mariota just picked apart.
Sit ‘Em: Dak Prescott (Cowboys) at Packers
After a Week 2 showing that reminded us of 2023 or 2021 Dak, the veteran took a step back last Sunday against Chicago. Prescott was still quite efficient, completing 31 of 40 passing attempts for 251 yards, but this time he only found the end zone once and threw a pair of interceptions.
It didn’t help that CeeDee Lamb failed to record a catch after suffering an ankle injury early. With the star receiver expected to miss some time, Prescott is a must-sit. It’s hard to trust any quarterback not named Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts against this Packers defense.
While Green Bay suffered a mind-boggling upset to the Browns last week, Micah Parsons and company held up their end of the bargain. They should do so once again in Week 4.
Check out all of my start/sit Week 4 QBs here!
Running Backs
Start ‘Em: Quinshon Judkins (Browns) at Lions
My sincerest apologies to Judkins, whom I labeled a “sit” last week against the Packers. I had no faith in Cleveland’s offensive line against one of the league’s best defenses, but I was promptly proven wrong.
After being eased into the offense in Week 2, Judkins handled a bellcow’s workload on Sunday, rushing 18 times for 94 yards and a touchdown. The rookie also caught his only target, raising his receptions total to four on the year. That’s not an aspect of Judkins’ game I expect to be a mainstay, but it’s nice to see him flash receiving capabilities.
The Ole Miss and Ohio State product’s strong day earned fantasy managers 16.5 PPR points. Those stats also came on just a 55% snap share, which will almost certainly be bumped next game against the Lions. Fire up Judkins as a strong RB2 in Week 4.
Sit ‘Em: Jacory (Bill) Croskey-Merritt (Commanders) at Falcons
The Bill Nye the Science Guy memes may have to wait a couple of weeks.
While everyone expects Croskey-Merritt to inevitably take over Washington’s backfield, especially with Austin Ekeler out of the equation, it didn’t happen against the Raiders. Bill saw a 40% snap share and only nine touches, salvaging his fantasy day with a touchdown.
Instead, it was Chris Rodriguez who paced the Commanders’ backfield, taking his team-high 11 carries for 39 yards. Jeremy McNichols produced the big play, scampering for a 60-yard touchdown. Croskey-Merritt may still produce fantasy value weekly, but it’s best to sit him as long as Washington is utilizing a committee, especially against a stout Falcons run defense.
Check out all of my Week 4 RB start/sit picks here!
Wide Receivers
Start ‘Em: Ricky Pearsall (49ers) vs. Jaguars
With Jauan Jennings and George Kittle out for the Niners last Sunday, we finally got a chance to see what the Ricky Pearsall WR1 show would look like. The results were fantastic.
The second-year wideout was Mac Jones’ go-to guy, catching eight of 11 targets for 117 yards. Pearsall still hasn’t found the end zone this season, but the Florida product has proven more than capable of handling a massive target share.
With San Francisco’s offense still banged up, that should remain the case against a subpar Jaguars secondary. Jacksonville is a bottom-10 defense in fantasy points allowed to receivers, setting the stage for Pearsall’s hot streak to continue.
Sit ‘Em: Tee Higgins (Bengals) at Broncos
No Joe Burrow, no BIG problem for Tee Higgins.
Cincinnati’s decision to shell out massive contracts to its receiving corps doesn’t look like it will pay off. At least, it won’t as long as Burrow is out of the lineup. Jake Browning was a capable stand-in a few years ago, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case thus far in 2025.
Through 1 1/2 games, Browning has tossed a whopping five interceptions. After seeing eight targets in the Bengals’ Week 2 win over Jacksonville, that total was reduced to two in a blowout loss to Minnesota. It won’t get any easier for Browning and Higgins this week, as they travel to Denver. Ja’Marr Chase and Chase Brown deserve to remain in lineups, but I’d sit Cincy’s WR2 until he flashes consistent fantasy value again.
Check out all of my Week 4 WR start/sit picks here!
Tight Ends
Start ‘Em: Hunter Henry (Patriots) vs. Panthers
Touchdowns scored by Hunter Henry in the 2024 NFL season: Two
Touchdowns scored by Hunter Henry last week against Pittsburgh: Two
Mr. Reliable struck again for New England, racking up a monstrous eight receptions on 11 targets for 90 yards. Henry has been Drake Maye’s safety blanket throughout his young career, but he could be so much more if the red zone looks continue to spike. The 30-year-old may not be a double-digit target hog weekly, but you can lock him in for six to eight if game script allows for it. Henry should get involved early and often against the Panthers, who allow north of 15 fantasy points per contest to opposing tight ends.
Sit ‘Em: Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns) at Lions
After a fantastic NFL debut in which he racked up seven receptions for 63 yards, Fannin has come back down to earth. The rookie recorded just a combined eight catches for 73 yards over the next two outings, seeing his target and snap share dip.
David Njoku hasn’t established himself as the Joe Flacco target machine we saw a couple of years ago, but the veteran is still firmly locked in as Cleveland’s TE1. Fannin could still have matchup-dependent value, but that won’t be the case against a Lions defense that typically stymies opposing tight ends. There are better options on waivers in Week 4.
Check out all of my Week 4 TE start/sit picks here!
Those are my start/sit Week 4 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more start/sit Week 4 positional analysis over the coming days.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
