Fantasy Football Week 4 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Wide Receivers: Consider Michael Pittman a No. 2 WR in all leagues
Wide receivers you want in your Week 4 lineups, and those you should avoid
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The receivers who were selected in the first three rounds of Fantasy drafts were supposed to be safe and productive. But neither has been the case for several stars we were counting on after the first three weeks of the season.
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are struggling without Joe Burrow (toe). CeeDee Lamb (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring) are hurt. And Brian Thomas Jr., Drake London, and Ladd McConkey look like busts.
We'll see what happens in Week 4, and hopefully Lamb and Evans will return soon. I'm not panicked yet on Chase, but Higgins is tough to trust in two-receiver leagues. The same goes for Thomas, who you can read about below.
Michael Penix Jr. will hopefully start to pepper London with targets, and McConkey will eventually get his share of the production from Justin Herbert instead of Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston. I'm still starting London and McConkey in the majority of leagues.
Justin Jefferson hasn't been great through the first three games of the season, but I'm not worried about him. And you have to feel great if you drafted Malik Nabers, Nico Collins, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Puka Nacua since all of them are off to great starts.
A.J. Brown was bad in the first two games of the season, but he had a breakout game in Week 3 against the Rams. Let's see if Week 4 brings similar good fortune for some of these other struggling stars at wide receiver as well.
WRs to Start
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Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) seems unlikely to play in Week 4 at Atlanta, and Samuel should have the chance to lead the Commanders in targets. We'll see if Jayden Daniels (knee) returns for Washington after he was out in Week 3 against Las Vegas, but even Marcus Mariota should get Samuel the ball against the Falcons, who will be without standout cornerback A.J. Terrell (hamstring). Samuel has two games this season with at least 17.4 PPR points, and I like him as a solid No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
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If you've been hesitant to start Egbuka through the first three weeks of the season, you should now start him with confidence in Week 4. Mike Evans (hamstring) is out, and Chris Godwin (ankle) isn't guaranteed to play as of Wednesday afternoon. Egbuka should get plenty of targets from Baker Mayfield in this game, and Egbuka has scored at least 12.9 PPR points in all three games this season, with three touchdowns. The Eagles have allowed four receivers to score at least 13.9 PPR points this season, and Egbuka should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues for this week.
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Pittman has become the go-to receiver for Daniel Jones, and Pittman has scored at least 19.3 PPR points in two of three games this season. The lone time he failed to reach that total was in a matchup against Denver and standout cornerback Patrick Surtain II. The Rams have allowed three receivers in the past two games to score at least 15.6 PPR points, and Pittman, who was a star at USC, is playing in Los Angeles for the first time in his career. He should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
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Meyers had a down game in Week 3 at Washington with three catches for 63 yards on four targets, and he was overshadowed by Tre Tucker's breakout performance (eight catches for 145 yards and three touchdowns on nine targets). I expect Meyers to bounce back against the Bears, and he scored at least 12.8 PPR points in each of his first two outings this season and leads the Raiders in targets with 26. Chicago is No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and four receivers this season have already scored at least 14.8 PPR points. Meyers should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues, and I also like Tucker as a high-end No. 3 receiver given the matchup.
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All three Chargers receivers are worth starting this week against the Giants, and you can consider Allen, Ladd McConkey, and Quentin Johnston as No. 2 Fantasy options in all leagues. The Giants are No. 2 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and five guys have scored at least 15.3 PPR points this season. Allen is off to a great start in his return to the Chargers with at least 17.1 PPR points in all three games this year, and he's averaging 9.3 targets per game. Johnston is right behind Allen in terms of production, and he has scored at least 14.9 PPR points in each outing. He's averaging 8.0 targets per game and has been among the best surprises this season for Fantasy managers at any position. McConkey, so far, has been among the biggest disappointments with two games under 10 PPR points in a row, but I still have him ranked the highest, even though he's averaging 7.0 targets per game. Hopefully, this is the game he goes off, but all three are worth trusting in the majority of leagues, given the matchup.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Look away if you're in a non-PPR league because Olave isn't going to help you much based on his first three games of the season. But in PPR, Olave has been solid, including a season-best 15.7 points in Week 3 at Seattle. He's been a volume king with 37 targets on the year, and he has 23 receptions. But he's failed to score a touchdown in any game, and he's been at 57 receiving yards or less in each outing. I would expect more of the same in Week 4 at Buffalo, and he should be considered a borderline starter in all PPR leagues. In half-PPR, Olave is a flex, and he should not be trusted in non-PPR formats for now. It helps that Buffalo has allowed three receivers to score at least 14.9 PPR points this year.
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Waddle has found the end zone in back-to-back games heading into Week 4, and he scored at least 14.9 PPR points in each outing. He's yet to top six targets in any game, and 68 receiving yards in his season high. But I would trust him as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues in this matchup with the Jets. Three receivers scored at least 12 PPR points against the Jets in Week 3 from Tampa Bay, and five guys have reached that total this season. Waddle has scored at least 18.9 PPR points in three of his past four meetings with the Jets, and hopefully, Tua Tagovailoa starts to lean on Waddle more in this game.
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Golden, Dontayvion Wicks, and Romeo Doubs are all in play as sleepers in Week 4 against the Cowboys, who are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Five receivers in the past two games against Dallas have scored at least 12.8 PPR points, including a whopping six touchdowns. Golden just had his best game of the season in Week 3 at Cleveland with four catches for 52 yards on four targets, and hopefully it's the start of a strong rookie campaign. He's worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues in Week 4 due to the matchup. Wicks has 10 targets in the past two games, with Jayden Reed (collarbone) hurt, but Wicks only has six catches for 65 yards and no touchdowns. Still, he's worth a look as a No. 3 receiver in deeper leagues given the matchup. Doubs is also worth using in deeper leagues, but he's combined for just seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown on the season. All three could go off against the Cowboys, so keep that in mind for Golden, Wicks, and Doubs, in that order, in Week 4.
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Ayomanor should be added in all leagues, and he's worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in Week 4 at Houston. In his past two games, Ayomanor has eight catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets, and he scored at least 13.8 PPR points in each outing. Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (oblique) could be out, and Cam Ward seems to trust Ayomanor more than Calvin Ridley right now. It would be nice to see Ridley do something productive also, since he's scored 8.7 PPR points or less in all three games this year, but Ayomanor is worth a look if you need help at receiver in Week 4.
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Robinson had a down game in Week 3 against the Chiefs with one catch for 26 yards on four targets, but I'll go back to him in Week 4 against the Chargers, especially in Jaxson Dart's first NFL start. Dart will likely lean on Robinson a lot in this matchup, and he had 18 targets in his first two games this season, albeit from Russell Wilson. That said, we know Robinson is a target hog and a reliable, short-area target. He's worth using as a No. 3 PPR receiver against the Chargers, who have allowed three receivers to score at least 12.8 PPR points this season.
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WRs to Sit
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Higgins had a 42-yard touchdown catch from Jake Browning in Week 2 against Jacksonville. If you remove that play, Higgins only has six catches for 62 yards on the season, which is awful. It's hard to expect a breakout performance in Week 4 at Denver, although he had a monster game at home against the Broncos in Week 17 last year with 11 catches for 131 yards and three touchdowns on 12 targets. Joe Burrow (toe) played in that game, but we need to see Higgins and Browning produce on a consistent level before trusting Higgins as a must-start Fantasy receiver again. I would only start him in three-receiver leagues in Week 4.
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Metcalf has scored a touchdown in each of his past two games, but he combined for six catches for 52 yards on 10 targets in those outings against Seattle and New England. He's yet to top 12.3 PPR points in any game this season, and now he has to face the Vikings, who are No. 1 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. Minnesota has held Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins to a combined 11 catches for 134 yards and no touchdowns. I would only start Metcalf in three-receiver leagues in this game in Ireland.
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Things will hopefully start to improve for Jeudy, but he's been a terrible Fantasy receiver to start the season. Through three games, he's combined for just 10 catches for 134 yards and no touchdowns on 21 targets, and scored 11.6 PPR points or less in all three outings. Cedric Tillman has been the best Fantasy receiver for Cleveland, and Jeudy is not worth starting in the majority of leagues in Week 4 at the Lions.
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We'll see if Williams gets back on track in Detroit, and he averaged 15 PPR points in nine home games last year, as well as scoring 18.8 PPR points in Week 2 against Chicago. But he's not getting enough opportunities with 12 targets on the season, and he has eight catches for 174 yards and a touchdown to show for it. He can always score on one play like he did against the Bears with a 44-yard touchdown reception, but the Browns defense is tough. Cleveland is No. 10 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, and I would only start Williams in three-receiver leagues in this matchup.
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Bust Alert
Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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I hope Thomas isn't a bust for the season, and I'd love to be wrong on this prediction. But you can only start Thomas in three-receiver leagues right now, and something is off with his play heading into Week 4 at San Francisco. The targets have been there for Thomas in the first three games of the season since he's averaging 8.3 per game. But he's combined for seven catches for 115 yards and no receiving touchdowns, and he's failed to score more than 9.0 PPR points in any game this year. The 49ers are without star pass rusher Nick Bosa, which should help the entire passing game for the Jaguars, but Thomas just looks off and is not a slam-dunk starter in the majority of leagues.
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