I’m back after ruling myself out for WK3; shout out to Brian Hartman for filling in! Here’s where I’m landing on who to start, and who to sit for Week 4.
Start ‘Em
Dallas Goedert, TE – Philadelphia Eagles
Week 4 Matchup: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After two duds to kick off the season, Dallas Goedert had himself a career-best game in the Week 3 win versus the Saints. He caught 10 of 11 targets for 170 yards, with one of those receptions being an explosive 61-yard grab on third down. The caveat here is that A.J. Brown was inactive, and DeVonta Smith was ruled out with a concussion in the second half – but hey, ‘play it as it lies’ right?
Goedert enters Week 4 the overall TE1 on the year per FantasyData, and he’ll look to have another busy game, especially if one of Brown or Smith – it could be both – were to be out. It’s worth noting that Tampa has been strong through three games against opposing tight ends, allowing the 29th most points to the position.
Rome Odunze, WR – Chicago Bears
Week 4 Matchup: vs Los Angeles Rams
Similar to Goedert, rookie WR Rome Odunze was a non-factor through his first two NFL games. He had a total of three receptions for 44 scoreless yards between Week 1 and 2, but in Week 3, he finally showed out. Odunze caught six of 11 targets for 112 yards and a touchdown. You can tell he is continuing to build chemistry with fellow first-rounder Caleb Williams, and that should continue this week against a Rams defense that has given up the third most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season, allowing an average of 44.9 points per game according to FantasyData. It’s unclear if Keenan Allen is set to return to action this week, and if he were to miss, it would only bode well for Odunze.
Khalil Shakir, WR – Buffalo Bills
Week 4 Matchup: @ Baltimore Ravens
Khalil Shakir and the rest of the Bills offense had their way with the Jaguars on Monday night. Shakir was a major factor in the 47-10 beatdown, having caught all six of his targets for 72 yards and a touchdown. Through three games, Shakir has a perfect box score, catching all 14 of his targets for 168 yards and two scores. Shakir is firmly on the FLEX/WR3 radar this week, as he is set to face a Ravens defense that just allowed Dak Prescott to throw for a collective 200 yards to his wide receivers last week.
Through three games, Shakir leads the Bills’ wide receiver core with an average of 4.7 targets per game, compared to the next-best Keon Coleman who averages 2.3 per; via FantasyData.
Sit ‘Em
Anthony Richardson, QB – Indianapolis Colts
Week 4 Matchup: vs Pittsburgh Steelers
A draft season darling, Anthony Richardson has been a massive letdown through three weeks. In Week 3 against the Bears, Richardson threw for just 167 yards, with no touchdowns and two interceptions to boot. He also only gained 24 yards on eight carries, and he has seemed reluctant to run which puts a damper on his fantasy output. This week certainly won’t be a get-right moment, as he is going to face a Steelers defense allowing the second least amount of fantasy points to opposing QBs.
This is a prime week to bench Richardson and instead look for a streamer if you are in a 1-QB league.
J.K. Dobbins, RB – Los Angeles Chargers
Week 4 Matchup: vs Kansas City Chiefs
J.K. Dobbins had a hot start to the season in Weeks 1 and 2 and then came back down to earth against the Steelers’ elite run defense. Last week, he turned 15 carries into 44 scoreless yards, adding three receptions on three targets for 10 yards through the pass game. Kansas City themselves are strong against the run, having just held Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier to a combined 63 yards on 23 carries on Sunday night. Not to mention, the Chargers are likely to not have rookie tackle Joe Alt due to a leg injury he suffered against Pittsburgh, and at the time of writing, Justin Herbert’s game status is up in the air despite his x-ray for an ankle injury coming back negative on Monday.
With all the above said, this is simply not a spot to start Dobbins if you can afford to bench him.
Jaylen Waddle, WR – Miami Dolphins
Week 4 Matchup: vs Tennessee Titans
I was very tempted to go out on a major limb and classify Tyreek Hill as a sit, but I settled for Jaylen Waddle. The reality is, without Tua Tagovailoa, the Miami offense is toast. Their backup QB options – Skylar Thompson, Tyler Huntley, and Tim Boyle, are not fantasy-friendly signal callers whatsoever. Last week in the 24-3 loss to the Seahawks, Waddle caught four of five targets for 26 scoreless yards. He’s lining up this week against a Titans defense that is allowing the 30th most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, which is clearly amongst the league’s best defending.