At this point in the 2025 NFL season, QB-WR rapports, snap shares and more have been established among the league’s receiving corps. With all of that in mind, let’s break down my WR start/sit Week 4 fantasy football picks.
Check out my full Week 4 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Matthew Golden (Packers) at Cowboys
After a pair of lackluster outings to open his NFL career, Golden finally showed flashes of what made him a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft against the Browns. The speedster caught four balls for 52 yards, also rushing three times for nine yards. Even though the efficiency on the ground hasn’t always been there, it’s encouraging to see Green Bay find ways to manufacture touches for their most dynamic receiver.
Golden has seen his snap share jump from 48% in Week 1, to 59% in Week 2, all the way to 71% last Sunday. The Packers clearly wanted to ease the rookie into their system, but due to a myriad of injuries at receiver, they can no longer afford to wait.
Golden will carry over this positive momentum into a Week 4 matchup with the Cowboys, who have been absolutely shredded through the air this season. Dallas allows the most fantasy points to opposing receivers by a significant margin. A true breakout performance for Golden could be in the cards.
Sit ‘Em: DK Metcalf (Steelers) vs. Vikings
Metcalf made my “sit” list last week, and I’m running it back this Sunday in Dublin. Through three matchups, it’s looking like the Steelers gave Metcalf a five-year, $150 million extension to be a glorified decoy. The 27-year-old star has caught just 10 balls for 155 yards in three matchups. If he hadn’t found the end zone twice on a pair of fades, Metcalf’s fantasy performances in Weeks 2 and 3 would have been disastrous.
This isn’t necessarily DK’s fault, either. He saw similar usage limitations last season in Seattle, operating as a decoy to open up JSN and the rest of the offense. The reality is, when you’re a 6’4, 230-pound receiver, multiple defenders are going to be locked in on you at all times.
This Sunday, Metcalf faces a Vikings secondary that has absolutely smothered receivers in 2025. Minnesota allows the fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs, so if DK doesn’t find paydirt, we’ll likely be looking at his first official bust performance of the year.
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Start ‘Em: Tre Tucker (Raiders) vs. Bears
Arguably the top waiver wire target this week, Tre Tucker should be locked into lineups on Sunday.
Tucker put up decent numbers through the opening two games of the season, finding the end zone while earning a solid target share. That was just a preview of what would come in Week 3, as the 24-year-old hauled in eight of nine targets for a whopping 145 yards and three scores.
While everyone was locked in on stopping Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, Tucker gladly took advantage of easy 1-on-1 opportunities, shredding the Commanders’ secondary snap after snap. Expecting another 40-point fantasy outing isn’t realistic, but Tucker has earned the trust of Geno Smith and should produce enough to garner WR2 numbers against Chicago. The Bears allow the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers, setting the stage for another strong showing.
Looking for more WR start/sit Week 4 picks? Stay tuned for my MNF fantasy start/sit article! New WR start/sit picks drop weekly!
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 the Jaguars, 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.
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’ clear 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.
Those are my WR start/sit Week 4 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy football start/sit advice throughout this week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
