Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, September 29, 2024, 4:05 ET
Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Network: FOX
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett: Sit
Jacoby Brissett isn’t a starting quarterback in a 12-person fantasy football league. There is no need to expand on this one.
Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson: Start, RB2
Antonio Gibson: Sit
Rhamondre Stevenson was completely shut down by the New York Jets in Week 3. Before last week, he was averaging over 25 touches a game, but that dropped to 19 touches per game (6 total in Week 3). The Patriots offense is likely going to struggle in Week 4 against San Francisco. He is a low-end RB2 in this one. Antonio Gibson is a decent handcuff in deeper leagues, but he should not approach any starting lineups in Week 4.
Wide Receiver
Sit Them All
The Patriots’ wide receivers are going to continue to be off the fantasy radar as long as Jacoby Brissett is the one under center. The offense leans heavily on Rhamondre Stevenson and, more recently, Hunter Henry to move the ball downfield. You can assume this group will be off of the radar in most leagues until Drake Maye steps in.
Tight End
Hunter Henry: Sit, TE2
There is a caveat with the Hunter Henry sit recommendation. If you lost David Njoku, Evan Engram, or McBride sits, you most likely have to start Henry. He just barely misses my top-12 players this week, and if you are in a bind, there are much worse options. If he had a softer matchup, he would be flirting with TE1 numbers.
San Francisco 49Ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: Sit, QB2
Brock Purdy has had two solid weeks in a row. It is an encouraging sign to see Purdy succeed without Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle. The Shanahan system has its perfect fit. We still don’t have clarity on the return of George Kittle this week but even in his absence, the 49ers have plenty of weapons to surround their young quarterback with. In Week 4, Purdy will face a Patriots defense that has been fairly stingy to opposing signal callers. He is a mid-range QB2 in this one.
Running Back
Jordan Mason: Start, RB1
Jordan Mason continues to impress for the Niners. He technically had the worst game of his season in Week 3, but he was still able to post nearly 90 total yards. In Week 4, Mason comes in as my RB9 on the week. He faces a New England Patriots defense that has allowed just 208 total yards this season. He has only really faced the Jets backfield as a high-powered running back. Mason should be used early and often for the Niners, as they are likely without three of their top options on offense.
Wide Receiver
Brandon Aiyuk: Start, WR2
Jauan Jennings: Start, WR3/FLEX
Brandon Aiyuk let down his fantasy managers once again in Week 3, posting only five receptions for 48 yards. Aiyuk saw a full complement of snaps for the second week in a row and saw ten targets in Week 3, a mark he had only reached once in all of last season. The production will come for Aiyuk; managers need to stay patient with the elite route runner. In the meantime, Jauan Jennings seems to have stolen some of the spotlight. Jennings blew up last week, and he has now eclipsed his 2023 stats in nearly every category in just three games this season. Jennings should come back to earth in Week 4, but he still keeps FLEX appeal against a Patriots team that outside of Christian Gonzalez can be beaten.
Tight End
Sit
We need to get clarity on George Kittle’s status in Week 4. It is a situation to monitor, but in his absence, you are avoiding any 49ers Tight End.
i feel like only the thursday game should be posted on thursday and the rest of the games on friday.. after this is posted there is so much more player news with practice sits etc that a lot of what youre writing is no longer valid and the opinion is void.
for example: damien pierce was limited just today. so akers should be a viable start if he doesnt play.
Hey, thanks for reading and commenting! We try to get all of our recommendations out on Thursday so that you have all that information in case you’re on the fence between a guy that plays on Thursday vs. Sunday. We don’t always have all of the information because of the timing with practice reports, but we try to update things as we get more info. As for the Texans backfield, I’m still a bit hesitant to recommend Akers, but he could have an easier time this week against the Jags than he did last week against the Vikings.
This list used to be a lot more nuanced in the past. Talking about #3 / #4 players and ranking them as such. Now it seems like every player if they’re not a #1 or #2 at their position they are simply a sit. I don’t need to know to start my top players it’s the flex ones in the middle I need a write up on. Wish this list was as thorough as years past.
Thanks for this feedback! We try and do our best to cover as many fantasy-relevant players as possible, and you can check out our list of weekly rankings to see how everyone stacks up. Is there a player or two I can help provide a more detailed breakdown of for you?
Having Anthony Richardson as a Start and Sam Darnold as a Sit is fantasy malpractice.
Hey, thanks for reading. I personally think Richardson has the higher ceiling this week with his rushing upside and Darnold has a hostile environment this week heading into Green Bay. If you personally want to see more out of Richardson before giving him the start again, I completely understand!