Fantasy Football starts, sits, and sleepers for Week 4
BOSTON -- You've probably got a pretty good grasp on your fantasy roster, or have a good idea which players to go after in a weekly league. But there are always those start or sit decisions that could be the difference between a win and a loss.
It's OK. We're here to help with those decisions.
Week 4 of the NFL season is here, and there is a new window to watch of football for fans (and fantasy owners, of course) to enjoy. We have an early-morning game on Sunday with the Vikings and the Saints playing across the pond in London. Fantasy owners should be wide awake for that one, with a number of big-player potential in that tilt.
Here is some important start and sit advice -- and a number of sleepers! -- for Week 4 from CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg.
Quarterbacks
Start: Minnesota's Kirk Cousins @ New Orleans (in London)
"Cousins did well as the Start of the Week in Week 3 with 22 Fantasy points, but he still hasn't played his best game this season. We'll see if that happens in London against the Saints, but it's worth trusting Cousins as a top-10 quarterback again in this scoring period. It would help if Cousins gave Justin Jefferson a few more chances (only six targets in Week 3 isn't close to enough), and all the Vikings weapons will need to step up in a tough matchup. New Orleans has yet to allow multiple touchdown passes in a game this season, but that should happen this week."
Sit: L.A. Rams Matthew Stafford @ San Francisco (Monday Night Football)
"Stafford has been a mediocre Fantasy quarterback so far this season, scoring more than nine Fantasy points just once. We gave him a pass with his poor outing against the Bills in Week 1, but his disappointing performance in Week 3 at Arizona was frustrating given the opponent. He has a tough matchup this week at San Francisco, and the 49ers held him to 11 Fantasy points at home in Week 10 last year. He scored 23 Fantasy points against San Francisco in Week 18 last season but had two interceptions. The 49ers are allowing just 10.9 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, and Stafford is only worth starting in deeper leagues this week."
Sleeper: Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence @ Philadelphia
"The reason Lawrence is listed here instead of as a starting option is because his ceiling is capped against a solid Eagles defense. But I'm expecting Lawrence to still post a respectable stat line in this matchup -- say 18-20 Fantasy points -- based on his performance so far this season. In his past two games against the Colts and Chargers, Lawrence has 52 Fantasy points with 497 passing yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. His new weapons and offensive line, along with new coach Doug Pederson, have helped Lawrence perform at a high level, and I'm excited to see him compete in this matchup. He should be considered a low-end starter in all 12-team formats and larger."
Runnings Backs
Start: Chicago's Khalil Herbert @ New York Giants
"David Montgomery (ankle) is expected to be out in Week 4 against the Giants, and Herbert should be in line for a hefty workload. He took advantage of Montgomery going down against the Texans in Week 3 with 20 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns, along with two catches for 12 yards on two targets. Last year, Herbert had four games with at least 18 carries, and he scored 18 PPR points in two of them. The Giants were just gashed on the ground by the Cowboys in Week 3 as Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard combined for 28 carries, 178 yards and a touchdown, and standout interior defensive lineman Leonard Williams (knee) is likely out again. Herbert has top-10 upside this week."
Sit: Baltimore's J.K. Dobbins vs. Buffalo Bills
"It was great to see Dobbins on the field in Week 3 at New England, and hopefully that was the shake the rust off game after not playing last season due to a knee injury. I'm not going to trust him yet in most leagues, but hopefully he'll be starting for Fantasy managers across the board soon. Against the Patriots, Dobbins had seven carries for 23 yards and two catches for 17 yards on two targets, and he played 43 percent of the snaps. That should increase in Week 4 against Buffalo, but this Bills run defense is tough. While the Bills have allowed three rushing touchdowns this season, no running back has more than 47 yards on the ground, including a matchup with Derrick Henry in Week 2."
Sleeper: New England's Rhamondre Stevenson @ Green Bay Packers
"Stevenson is starting to take over as the lead running back for the Patriots, and hopefully that continues in Week 4 at Green Bay. He's played more than Damien Harris in each of the past two games against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and Stevenson stood out against the Ravens with 12 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 28 yards on five targets. His role in the passing game is important, and hopefully Brian Hoyer will lean on him as he takes over for the injured Mac Jones (ankle). Stevenson is a solid flex option in PPR this week."
Wide Receivers
Start: Houston's Brandin Cooks vs. Los Angeles Chargers
"Cooks is one of 22 receivers this season with at least 25 targets, but he has the fewest receptions with 13. There is a big game coming, and it could happen this week against the Chargers. Joey Bosa (groin) is out, and cornerback J.C. Jackson (ankle) might not play again this week for Los Angeles. With both hurt in Week 3, the Jaguars had three receivers (Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Marvin Jones) all catch touchdowns. This should be Cooks best game of the season."
Sit: Green Bay's Allen Lazard vs. New England
"Lazard has scored a touchdown in each of the two games he's played this season, but he has minimal production otherwise. He might not be 100 percent from the ankle injury that kept him out of Week 1 at Minnesota, and he was still limited in practice Wednesday with the same ailment. In two games against the Bears and Buccaneers, Lazard has six catches for 58 yards on nine targets. Romeo Doubs is now a go-to option for Aaron Rodgers, and this isn't an easy matchup with the Patriots. Only two receivers have scored more than 11 PPR points against New England this year."
Sleeper: Denver's Jerry Jeudy @ Las Vegas Raiders
"Jeudy looked like a breakout candidate in Week 1 at Seattle when he had four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. Then he hurt his chest in Week 2 against Houston and couldn't finish the game before struggling in Week 3 against San Francisco. Things should improve in Week 4 against the Raiders now that Jeudy is healthy, and this should be the best game for Russell Wilson this year. The Raiders have allowed four receivers to score at least 12 PPR points this season, and Courtland Sutton and Jeudy should both do well in this matchup. Jeudy is worth using as a high-end No. 3 receiver in all leagues."
Tight Ends
Start: Arizona's Zach Ertz @ Carolina
"Ertz has 21 targets in his past two games against the Raiders and Rams, and he should continue to get plenty of attention from Kyler Murray with Rondale Moore (hamstring) and A.J. Green (knee) hurt. Ertz has at least 10 PPR points in each game this season and 14 catches over his past two games. The Panthers haven't given up a lot of production to tight ends this year, but they've played the Browns, Giants and Saints to open the season. Ertz will be Carolina's toughest test, and he should be considered a potential top-five Fantasy tight end this week."
Sit: Miami's Mike Gesicki @ Cincinnati (Thursday Night Football)
"I'm not sure what Fantasy managers are hoping for with Gesicki. He had a solid outing in Week 2 at Baltimore with four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown on four targets. But in his other two games against New England and Buffalo, Gesicki combined for two catches for 7 yards on two targets. He's just not a vital part of the game plan, and Tua Tagovailoa is looking for other options in the passing game, specifically Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Gesicki should not be started in most leagues against the Bengals."
Sleeper: Dallas' Dalton Schultz vs. Washington
"Schultz is typically a must-start Fantasy tight end, but we'll put him in this category since we don't know his health status. He injured his knee in Week 2 against Cincinnati and was hopeful to return in Week 3 at the Giants. That didn't happen, so hopefully he's back in Week 4 against the Commanders. We'll see how he does with Cooper Rush, but Schultz was great the last time he faced Washington in Week 16 last season when he had eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. Let's hope we get those types of games from Schultz soon, starting in Week 4."
Click here for all of Eisenberg's Start & Sit advice for Week 4.