Week 4 – Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em
Image Credit: Kyusung Gong – Associated Press
Welcome to Week 4 folks. It’s the part of the season where we can start to see some trends develop, which makes things much more predictable, much also much more surprising when changes happen. I often find at this point of the season, offenses are still wildly unpredictable, but we have certainly found defenses that we can target. Teams like the Broncos are no longer a feared defense, whereas we’ve seen you still can’t run on teams like the Titans.
Start ‘Em
Derek’s Pick
Justin Fields, QB (CHI)
What happens when an only stoppable force meets a very moveable object? I’m not totally sure, but we’re about to find out this week. The Chicago offense has been unwatchable this year, and Fields has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Fortunately, the Broncos defense will be begging him to put up points this week. Fields has shown that he is very frustrated with the coaching staff, and I think that he will take matters into his own hands more this week, scrambling all over the field. While I don’t think that is a good idea for the Bears as a team, it will lead to better fantasy results. I expect he’ll still have a poor passing total, but look for him to get two rushing scores. As a side note, if Fields falls on his face again this week, you can have full confidence in cutting him.
Ryan’s Pick
Jerry Jeudy, WR (DEN)
Jeudy’s box score results have been underwhelming thus far as he has been ramping back up from a hamstring injury, but he is certainly set up nicely this week. He went 5-81-0 last week on 7 targets, and he could very well improve on that against an atrocious Bears defense. He also had a TD called back after an illegal shift penalty , which would have changed the narrative entirely had it stood. As Derek alluded to with his Fields recommendation, this game has sneaky shootout potential, which would benefit the skill position players involved. I trust Sean Payton to draw up some creative plays for Jeudy and continue to feature him. An eruption game is coming sooner than later, and you don’t want him to be on your bench for that.
Sit ‘Em
Derek’s Pick
Dameon Pierce, RB (HOU)
I recognize that Pierce is a hard player to sit, as the running back landscape is atrocious right now and you might not have a pivot, but sit him if you can. Houston’s O-line was mediocre on a good day, but they are dealing with a load of injuries, making them completely abysmal. On top of this, Pittsburgh has a decent rushing defense (though not nearly as feared as in the past). Also, CJ Stroud has proven that he can provide lots of offense through the air, so they do not need to rely on Pierce. I still expect Pierce to get a decent amount of volume, but if he doesn’t fall into the endzone, it could be another week of single digit points.
Ryan’s Pick
Brian Robinson, RB (WSH)
As is the case with Pierce, you may not have the means to sit Robinson, but it is certainly worth considering other options. A very gamescript-dependent back, this might be the type of environment that doesn’t exactly cater to Robinson, as the Commanders are considerable road underdogs against a powerhouse Philly team. Not to mention the Eagles are stout against the run, so you are likely banking on a touchdown for him to return any sort of fantasy value this week. Again, it may be tough to sit Robinson given the RB landscape, but he definitely deserves to be downgraded in rankings.
Ermando’s Pick
Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE (TEN)
It just hasn’t been there for Okonkwo this year. Owning only 7 receptions this year and a small target share, it’s time to look elsewhere at TE. Thankfully, you probably didn’t spend a high round draft pick to get Okonkwo and were probably okay with streaming TE anyways.
Go for Two Option
Quentin Johnston, WR (LAC)
Some pass catcher not named Keenan Allen will have to step up for this Chargers team in the wake of the Mike Williams injury. Josh Palmer is a perfectly fine player and is a viable fantasy option, but I actually prefer Johnston rest of season. The 2023 1st rounder has been lightly used thus far, but the plan was always to progressively ramp up his usage anyway. With Williams on the shelf, he now figures to be a fixture in three receiver sets, which would give him ample opportunity to showcase his talents and earn more targets. His breakout game is coming, perhaps as early as this week against a vulnerable Raiders defense. There are certainly worse dart throws out there than a talented rookie with 1st round draft capital, attached to a stud quarterback against a weak defense.
