DeVonta Smith is dealing with a hamstring injury that could sideline him for a few weeks, which hands Dontayvion Wicks the top job in a Philadelphia receiving room that is suddenly very thin. Find out whether you should start or sit Dontayvion Wicks in Week 4.
Dontayvion Wicks Start or Sit Advice for Week 4
The vacated volume is substantial. Smith was commanding 9.0 targets per game on a 32.9% share, and Dallas Goedert is out for a few weeks with a sprained MCL after drawing 4.0 per game himself. Hollywood Brown has not practiced and has been unavailable since the Bears game. That is 13 targets per game of established usage leaving the field at once.
Wicks is the obvious beneficiary. He already carries 34.9% of Philadelphia’s air yards on just 18.3% of the targets, so the downfield role is his, and he leads the receiver room with four red zone looks in three games. At 19.9 yards per reception, a modest workload can still turn into a usable week when the throws connect, and the rookie behind him has not pushed for work, with Makai Lemon managing 38 yards on nine targets. Los Angeles cornerback Jaylen Watson is also likely to miss the game with a dislocated shoulder.
The Biggest Fantasy Risk for Dontayvion Wicks in Week 4
The matchup is the problem. The Rams have allowed 28.6 PPR points per game to wide receivers on a 57.4% catch rate, holding opponents to 115.7 yards and 74.3 air yards per game while collecting three interceptions. Read that with the schedule attached, because they have faced San Francisco, New York and Denver, offenses throwing 25% below league average, so the figure flatters them. A 57.4% catch rate still sits badly against a receiver whose own catch rate is 60.0% with two drops.
Philadelphia has also stopped functioning. The Eagles are at 191.7 passing yards per game on 29.3 attempts, a low volume, and they scored seven points in a 27-7 loss to Chicago in Week 3. Jalen Hurts has gone from a 122.2 rating in Week 1 to 85.9 and then 64.3, throwing for 153 yards against the Bears. There are not many targets to inherit if the offense keeps producing like this.
Wicks has followed the same curve, posting 15.3, 12.4 and then 5.2 PPR points. His Week 1 line was two catches for 73 yards and a touchdown on four targets, so the opening number came from a single long play rather than a workload.
Fantasy Outlook for Dontayvion Wicks in Week 4
Sit Wicks in Week 4 if you have a reasonable alternative. The opportunity is real and it is the only reason this is close, but opportunity is the one thing working in his favor. The Rams bring coverage that has squeezed opposing receivers into a 57.4% catch rate, the Eagles are throwing 29.3 times per game behind a quarterback three weeks into a decline, and Wicks produces through big plays rather than steady volume.
He belongs on your radar rather than in your lineup. If your bench is bare or you play in a deep league where every flex is a gamble, the vacated usage makes him a defensible desperation play, and one connected throw can rescue the afternoon. Just understand you are betting on a long touchdown against a stingy secondary, not on a receiver who will be fed.
Find more Week 4 fantasy football start/sit coverage here!