We had some wild action in week 3 of the NFL season. Raise your hand if you thought the Miami Dolphins would score 70 points against the Denver Broncos without Jaylen Waddle. I know I did not see that one coming! We also had the Chicago Bears continuing their inept ways of playing offensive football in Week 3. Why they are not designing more runs for Justin Fields is just mind blowing to me. We did come out of last week with only one big injury, as Los Angles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams tore his ACL which will end his season. I hope everyone was able to pick up Josh Palmer or Quentin Johnston off the waiver wire this week. Now that Week 3 is in the books we can turn the page to Week 4 and look at who to start and sit this week.
The season can be a grind at times, from doing waiver claims to looking at rankings and then finally deciding who to start. It can seem difficult, but that is where the staff at DrRoto.com comes in to help you. We have everything you need to make the tough decisions here in one place. I will be writing this start/sit article each week to help you make the tough lineup decisions. You can also join our discord channel and ask us questions anytime you want on there.
Keep in mind before I get into my starts and sits this week that certain players should always be in your starting lineup. Please don’t try to get cute and sit the likes of Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey, or Patrick Mahomes. They are in your lineup regardless of matchups. The decisions I am here to help you with are for the players drafted in the middle to late rounds of your draft. These players could be an RB2, a flex play or might end up on the waiver wire eventually. So, let’s get started with Week 4 starts and sits.
Week 4 Quarterback Starts
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears
Let’s just start off by saying the Denver Broncos’ defense is historically bad, especially after last week’s 70-point debacle in Miami, so that is a positive for Russell Wilson’s fantasy value each week. The Broncos should be playing from behind or will be in a shootout most weeks, so that means Wilson will be throwing the ball a lot every week. So far on the season, Wilson has completed 65.4% of his passes for 791 yards with six touchdowns and only two interceptions. He has also added 57 rushing yards through Week 3. Now he gets a Bears defense this week that has not been great this season. They rank 29th in total yards given up on the season with 1,222, and they have allowed 106 points on the season. That ranks 31st. just ahead of, you guessed it, the Denver Broncos’ defense, which ranks 32nd with 122 points allowed. I expect Wilson to have a big week against the Bears.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Here is something I did not think I would say at any point this season: C.J. Stroud is the best quarterback out of the 2023 NFL Draft class so far this season. Stroud has a 64.5 completion percentage with 906 passing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, which ranks him as QB13 so far this season. He had a big game in Week 3 against a good Jacksonville Jaguars defense, and this week he gets to match up against a poor Pittsburgh Steelers defense. The Steelers’ defense ranks 20th in points against, 22nd in passing yards against, and 28th in total yards against. I expect Stroud to continue his hot play this week.
Week 4 Quarterback Sits
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears vs. Denver Broncos
Justin Fields has been struggling so far this season. He has completed 58% of his passes for 526 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also only added 109 rushing yards and one touchdown so far this season. He is currently the QB21 on the season. He has a great matchup against a Denver Broncos defense that just gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins last week, but I still cannot trust the Bears’ coaching staff to come up with a game plan to take advantage of this matchup. I expect the Bears to continue to struggle to find a way to move the football and for Fields to have another poor game.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots
Dak Prescott has been struggling so far this season. He had one good game against the NY Jets in Week 2, but the other two games were a struggle for him. Prescott has struggled against the Patriots’ defense in recent seasons as well. So far this season, Prescott has completed 67.6% of his passes for 647 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, which ranks him at QB19. The Patriots defense ranks fifth in total yards allowed and fifth in total points against so far this season. I expect Prescott to struggle against a good Patriots defense, so sit Prescott if at all possible this week.
Week 4 Running Back Starts
De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
How could I not put De’Von Achane in my running back starts this week after the game he had against the Denver Broncos last week? Achane had 18 carries for 203 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while also adding four receptions for 30 yards and two more touchdowns in the passing game. It was quite a day for the rookie running back. This week, he gets a tough Buffalo Bills defense that totally shut down the Washington Commanders last week, but if you are going to beat the Bills, it is with a good run game, as they rank 16th in rushing yards allowed with 110.7 per game. I expect Achane to continue his hot start to the season this week, although it won’t be nearly as good as last week.
Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts vs. LA Rams
After missing Week 1 while recovering from a broken arm, Zack Moss has come strong out of the gate in Weeks 2 and 3. He has had over 100 total yards and one touchdown in both Week 2 and Week 3. He has also been more active in the passing game than I thought he would be, with six receptions for 42 yards and one touchdown. This week he gets a good matchup against a Rams defense that ranks 13th in rushing yards allowed and 14th in total points against so far this season. I expect Moss to have another solid performance in Week 4.
Week 4 Running Back Sits
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans
Joe Mixon finally had a game Monday night against the LA Rams where he looked explosive, and he was finding some holes in the defense. The stats for that game will not show how well he played, as he had 70 total yards with one touchdown, but he just looked better than he did the first two weeks of the season. Now, unfortunately for him and the Bengals they face a Titans defense that does not give up much rushing yardage each week. They currently rank fourth in the NFL in total rushing yards allowed on the season. I look for the Bengals to come out throwing a lot this week, even with a banged-up Joe Burrow, because that is how you beat the Titans’ defense. I expect big games from Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this week, but Mixon will have a tough time getting anything going against the Titans’ defense.
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Let me start off by saying I am probably the President of the Rachaad White fan club, but even I can admit that the Buccaneers are struggling to run the ball right now, and they have a tough matchup this week against the Saints. So far this season, White has rushed for 150 yards and one touchdown. He has also added 10 receptions for 64 yards as well. This week, he faces a tough Saints run defense that ranks 10th in rushing yards allowed and ninth in total yards allowed on the season. I expect White to struggle running the football, but maybe he can get a few catches out of the backfield to salvage some fantasy value this week.
Week 4 Wide Receiver Starts
Tank Dell, Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Tank Dell is having a nice start to his rookie season. So far this season he has 15 receptions on 21 targets for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He has developed nice chemistry with fellow rookie C.J. Stroud. He had a big game in Week 3 against a good Jacksonville Jaguars defense, and this week he gets to match up against the aforementioned poor Pittsburgh Steelers defense. The Steelers’ defense ranks 20th in points against, 22nd in passing yards against, and 28th in total yards against. I expect Dell to continue his hot play this week.
Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Adam Thielen had a monster game last week against the Seattle Seahawks. He had 11 receptions on 14 targets for 145 yards and one touchdown. He had a slow start to his Panthers career in Week 1, but since then he has 18 receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns. Andy Dalton filled in last week for the injured Bryce Young, and Dalton showed a nice rapport with Thielen. The Minnesota Vikings’ defense has not been great this year. They rank 25th in passing yards allowed, 27th in total yards allowed, and 26th in total points allowed. Thielen is a must-start this week in a revenge game against the Vikings.
Week 4 Wide Receiver Sits
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Mike Evans has had a great start to the season, and he is currently ranked as the WR5 in PPR. He has simply been a beast this season, with 17 receptions for 297 yards and three touchdowns. The only reason he is a sit player for me is because of Marshon Lattimore, the New Orleans Saints star cornerback, who completely shuts down Evans every time they play against each other. You probably don’t have a better option than Evans to start this week, but I just want everyone to temper expectations for him this week.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
Terry McLaurin has been struggling a little bit to start the season. He is currently ranked as the WR43 in PPR scoring coming into Week 4. He has 13 receptions on 16 targets for 126 yards and one touchdown. Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell had a nice first two weeks of the season, but he struggled last week against the Buffalo Bills, and that affected McLaurin’s production last week. Now Week 4 is another tough matchup against the Eagles’ defense and big play Darius Slay. Slay should shadow McLaurin for most of the game, and the Eagles’ defense as a whole ranks 12th in total yards allowed and 10th in total points allowed this season. I expect McLaurin to struggle against Slay and this tough Eagles defense.
Week 4 Tight End Starts
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
Sam LaPorta is having a nice start to his rookie campaign. He is currently the TE2 in PPR scoring this year. He has 18 receptions on 22 targets for 186 yards and one touchdown. LaPorta has developed a nice rapport with quarterback Jared Goff this season. He gets a good matchup against the Green Bay Packers this week. The Packers’ defense ranks 15th in total yards allowed and 13th in total points allowed so far for this season.
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London Game)
I am back on the Kyle Pitts bandwagon this week. I am probably the driver and the only one on the bandwagon. Pitts’ numbers are still not fantastic, but I was encouraged by last week’s game against the Detroit Lions. He had five receptions on nine targets for 41 yards. It could have been a big day as quarterback Desmond Ridder missed an open Pitts on two throws in the game last week. The Jaguars are ranked 27th in passing yards allowed and 23rd in total points allowed this season. I am hoping Pitts and Ridder can build on last week’s performance and have a nice game in London this week.
Week 4 Tight End Sits
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots
Jake Ferguson is not a big name, but he is someone that quarterback Dak Prescott looks to throw to early and often. He currently has 10 receptions on 18 targets for 70 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, he has a tough matchup this week against the New England Patriots’ defense. The Patriots’ defense ranks fifth in total yards allowed and fifth in points against so far this season. I expect Prescott to struggle against a good Patriots defense so I will sit Ferguson this week if a better option is available.
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens
David Njoku has not had the fantasy season that most people who drafted him have been expecting this season. He currently ranks as the TE28 with 10 receptions on 11 targets for 92 yards. I was hoping he would receive some more receptions last week against a bad Tennessee Titans secondary, but he managed only four receptions on four targets for 20 yards. Unfortunately, it does not get any easier this week against a Baltimore Ravens defense that is ranked 10th in total yards allowed and eighth in total points allowed. I would sit Njoku if you have a better option available.
Week 4 Defense Starts
Kansas City Chiefs Defense at NY Jets
The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense played great in Week 3 at home against the Chicago Bears. They were all over Justin Fields for most of the day. On the season, the Chiefs rank fifth in total yards allowed and fourth in total points allowed. They have another great matchup this week against Zach Wilson and the NY Jets. I would pick them up and start them with confidence this week, as the Jets rank in the bottom five of just about every offensive statistic so far this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
This should be a low-scoring defensive matchup between the Bucs and the Saints, as both offenses struggle to move the ball at times. The reason I have the Bucs’ defense ranked so high this week is because they will be facing their old teammate, Jameis Winston. Winston has not played in a regular season game in a little over a year, but we all know he likes to push the ball downfield, which can lead to turnovers. Tampa Bay’s defense has been good this year, as they rank 11th in both total points allowed and total yards allowed so far this season.
Week 4 Defense Sits
Seattle Seahawks Defense at NY Giants
The Seattle Seahawks’ defense had trouble stopping Andy Dalton and the Carolina Panthers offense last week, and now they must travel to New York to play the Giants on Monday night football. The Seahawks’ defense ranks 29th in total points allowed and 30th in total yards allowed so far this season. Even in a decent matchup, I will sit the struggling Seahawks defense this week.
Washington Commanders Defense at Philadelphia Eagles
The Washington Commanders’ defense was playing well this year until Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills offense came to FedEx Field in Week 3. They made quick work of the Commanders, beating them 37-3. Now, the Commanders have to go on the road to face the Eagles in a divisional matchup. The Eagles have one of the league’s best offenses and tend to score in bunches. I would sit the Commanders’ defense this week.
Good luck in Week 4 everyone!
