It’s Week 4, folks! Time to set the fantasy lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst matchups of any given week for fantasy football leagues. I’m not going to go into elite quarterbacks like Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts because you already know you have to start them! Instead, I’m going to examine other quarterbacks that could exceed or fail to meet expectations based on their weekly opponent… like Joe Burrow in Week 3!
To make your final lineup decision, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them daily! Also, be sure to subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and I as we analyze all things fantasy football five days a week!
1. Josh Allen at the Ravens
2. Kyler Murray vs Commanders
3. Lamar Jackson vs. Bills
4. Jayden Daniels at the Cardinals
5. CJ Stroud vs Jaguars
6. Jalen Hurts at the Buccaneers
7. Joe Burrow vs Panthers
8. Patrick Mahomes at the Chargers
9. Dak Prescott at Giants (Thursday)
10. Baker Mayfield vs Eagles
Full Week 4 Quarterback Rankings (Coming Soon!)
Start of the week
Kyler Murray vs. Commanders (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Murray was a disappointment last week, scoring just 14.8 fantasy points in a loss to the Lions. However, I’m sticking with him this week as he faces a Commanders defense that has been awful against opposing quarterbacks. In fact, no team in the entire league has allowed more fantasy points to the position since the start of last season. Murray should be a top-10 signal-caller.
Start it
CJ Stroud vs. Jaguars (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Stroud’s point totals have dropped in each of his first three games, but I’m staying confident and putting him in against the Jaguars. This defense has allowed more fantasy points to home quarterbacks than any other team in the NFL since last season, and this year it’s given up an average of nearly 22 points per game to the position. Stroud will likely rebound in this important AFC South game.
Joe Burrow at Panthers (1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Burrow is slowly getting into his stride, scoring 25.4 fantasy points in last week’s loss to the Commanders. He’s also thrown five touchdowns with no interceptions in his last two games and now has wide receiver Tee Higgins back in the passing attack. I’d keep Burrow in the starting lineup against the Panthers, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
Jayden Daniels for the Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox): Daniels looked like a seasoned veteran on Monday night, completing an NFL-record 91.3% of his passes and scoring 28.1 points in a win over the Bengals. Next up is a matchup with the Cardinals, where the over/under is high at 50.5 points, so it should be a shootout. Additionally, Arizona’s defense has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks so far this season.
Baker Mayfield vs. Eagles (1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Mayfield had a terrible performance last week, scoring 8.5 fantasy points in a surprise loss to the Broncos. Still, he’s been strong in the stat sheet in two of his first three games, and a matchup against the Eagles makes him a viable starter in fantasy leagues. Since the start of last season, their defense has given up 40 touchdown passes and the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.
QBs with good matchups
Sit of the week
Anthony Richardson vs. Steelers (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Richardson has been brutal in his last two games, scoring a total of 15 fantasy points. He’s making poor decisions as a passer, leading to six interceptions in his first three games. Now he has a tough matchup against the Steelers. No defense in the league has allowed fewer points to quarterbacks this season, so Richardson’s problems could continue this week.
sit down
Sam Darnold at Packers (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): Darnold is on a tear, throwing six touchdown passes in his last two games. He’s averaging 21.6 points in that time. That makes him difficult to bench in fantasy, but this week’s matchup in Green Bay is a tough one. Their defense has allowed quarterbacks an average of less than 14 points this season, so this could be a mediocre week for Darnold in fantasy terms.
Trevor Lawrence at Texans (1:00 p.m. ET, CBS): On paper, this matchup is favorable, as the Texans allowed four touchdowns from Sam Darnold last week. However, Lawrence hasn’t been able to take advantage of good matchups recently. In fact, he has failed to score over 14.7 points in seven straight games. Additionally, Lawrence has scored under 15 points in all but two of his six career games against the Texans. He’s a very shaky option.
Kirk Cousins vs. Saints (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Cousins has had a rough start to the season, scoring fewer than 12 fantasy points in two of his first three games. He also needed a last-minute touchdown against the Eagles to score 17.5 points in game three. Next up is a matchup against the Saints, who held Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts to very modest stats over the past two weeks. I’d be wary of Cousins this week.
Matthew Stafford at Bears (1:00 p.m. ET, Fox): Stafford and the Rams pulled off a major upset last week when they beat the 49ers without Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua. Unfortunately, he did it despite scoring just 12.8 points. He has now failed to score more than 14.7 points in three straight games, and that trend will likely continue against the Bears. Their defense has allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
