We’re entering the first bye week of the season in week 4 of the NFL season, but it’s unlikely to affect many people.
The hapless Jets are taking a week off along with San Francisco. There’s some value with other players on those rosters, but the quarterback position shouldn’t be hard to replace. What’s encouraging, though, is that streaming quarterbacks are once again the rage this season, with Daniel Jones and Kyle Allen finishing in the top-six of quarterbacks in fantasy scoring in week 3.
Here’s the week 4 fantasy football quarterbacks start ‘em, sit ‘em guide.
Start
Philip Rivers vs. Miami Dolphins
Miami is atrocious. So you should pretty much eye any quarterback against them.
Rivers is an interesting fantasy option on many occasions, because he can either go boom (weeks 1 and 3) or bust (week 2). It’s been that way for the majority of his career, but with a game that the Chargers need to win against a Miami defense that is allowing 10.1 yards per pass attempt (yes, you read that correctly), you can’t pass up that matchup.
This should be a great game for any Chargers player, so this is a must-play in terms of starting Rivers. Look for more of a boom than a bust from Rivers in week 4.
Jacoby Brissett vs. Oakland Raiders
Why are we not considering Oakland among the worst teams in the NFL?
The Raiders have an offense that is the bottom-half of the NFL in yards per play. And the defense is ranked in the bottom-five. Against the pass, the Raiders are even worse, giving up 8.9 yards per pass attempt, ranking third from the bottom.
And it doesn’t hurt that the Raiders are playing in back-to-back road games in different time zones. Brissett is good, but not great. That doesn’t lead to consistent value, but it does offer up nice streaming capabilities.
Brissett has a solid offensive line and good running game, so there’s very little pressure on him in games like this. Expect a similar output from week 3, when he went for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns.
Case Keenum vs. New York Giants
I’m in the streaming mode for week 4 based on terrible pass defenses.
Did you see the Giants against Jameis Winston in week 3? Jones played great, leading the Giants to victory, only to see his defense try to screw it up at the end of the game.
This pass defense is almost as bad as Miami’s (which is saying A LOT), by giving up 10.1 yards per pass attempt. Keenum should be available in all formats, and while he doesn’t have many weapons, the Redskins don’t have much of a running game, so the volume should be there for fantasy owners.
Sit
Josh Allen vs. New England Patriots
In week 3, I started Allen, which wasn’t terrible for a streaming option, since he tallied the 14th-most fantasy points among quarterbacks, throwing for 243 yards and netting one touchdown.
But he should be avoided like the plague in week 4 against a New England defense that is giving up 4.5 yards per pass attempt and crushing the opposition.
I may have some questions still about New England since they haven’t played a team that has won a game. Three weeks in, the Patriots’ opposition is 0-9…let that sink in if you believe this team is unbeatable.
We have no proof for how good the Patriots really are, but I know enough about their secondary to believe New England will keep Allen from slicing them up.
Jameis Winston vs. Los Angeles Rams
I’m not going to suddenly believe in Winston. Maybe he’s making the necessary strides, but I’m not buying it yet.
Winston carved up the Giants, throwing for 380 yards and three touchdowns. That was his best game of the season by far. However, Winston has to line up against a Rams squad that is scary on the defensive line and allowing just 5.3 yards per pass attempt, the fourth-best mark in the NFL.
Winston has not shown the consistency in the past to be considered a regular QB1, especially against top-tier defenses. That’s why you should pass on him in week 4.
Tom Brady vs. Buffalo Bills
I believe the Patriots are in for a rude awakening. The Bills have real talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball. And New England hasn’t played anybody this season.
The Bills are a surprise undefeated team, but this team does it by slowing down the game and playing solid defense. The coaching staff is underrated and the Patriots are known for using September as more of a preseason than the regular season. With three wins already, look for the Patriots to use this an opportunity to measure where they are for the season rather than win at all costs.
They’ll feel out the Bills and won’t have the high-octane offense necessary for fantasy production.
