Week 4 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em Flex picks feat. Tyreek Hill, Anthony Richardson and more
Picking the right flex for your fantasy lineups takes time, knowledge, and some luck. Winning the flex spot is often key to ultimately being victorious in your weekly matchup. The smartest managers use all of the information available to them, from rankings to weather to advanced analytics, which show how players fare versus certain coverages. You don’t need any of that. You’ve got me.
Let’s look at some start/sit options for Week 4 in the NFL.
Fantasy Football Week 4 Start 'Em Sit 'Em picks
Must Start Picks
1] Tutu Atwell (WR, LAR)
The Rams shifted away from their traditional three-wide receiver (11 personnel) look due to extensive injuries to their skill players. Instead, they moved to two more tight end (12 personnel) formations. The beneficiary of that was Atwell, who played one of the two receiver spots alongside DeMarcus Robinson.
The speedy Atwell turned in his best performance of the year. He saw five targets and caught four of them for 93 yards. He’s the only explosive player the Rams currently have on the outside. Atwell ran a route on 25 of Matthew Stafford’s 28 dropbacks. I’m expecting another 10+ point performance this week.
2] Greg Dortch (WR, ARI)
It’s unlikely we'll see Trey McBride this week for Arizona. That void will open things up for Greg Dortch to own the short, underneath routes that used to be all McBride’s. Per Fantasy Points Data, The Commanders (Arizona’s opponent) allows the seventh-most receiving yards per game to slot receivers (96). Grab Dortch, who is owned in less than 10% of Yahoo leagues, and start him.
3] Jerome Ford (RB, CLE)
If you’re desperate for a running back and are constantly on the fence about playing Ford, let this be the week. While not the greatest athlete, Ford finds himself leading the Browns backfield (until Nick Chubb returns). He’ll face a Raiders team that allows the second most points to opposing running backs. Cleveland leads the league in pass attempts, but to get back to their winning ways I like Ford this week as a sneaky start. Luckily, Ford isn’t a total zero in the pass game himself. He’s caught at least three passes in two of three games this year. I’m giving him 70 yards and a touchdown on the road in Sin City.
4] Dalton Kincaid (TE, BUF)
I know tight end is brutal. If you get your player to catch three passes in a game this year it seems like a massive victory. Kincaid had a slow start through two weeks but came back to life with a touchdown in Week 3. I think he keeps that going this week against a Ravens outfit that allows the second most points to opposing tight ends.
The past two weeks have seen Brock Bowers (14.30) and Jake Ferguson (12.50) go off (half-PPR). This game should be a fun shootout which means the Bills are going to lean on their stud second-year TE.
Sit For Better Options
1] Anthony Richardson (QB, IND)
We loved Richardson like a son during draft season. But we forgot we never took him in the yard to learn how to throw the football. Last Week AR was 10/20 passing. Last time I checked 50% passers in the NFL aren’t good and now Richardson isn’t. He faces a Steelers DST who per Yahoo scoring has given up 8, 10, and 9 points to opposing QBs this season. That’s the fewest in the league. So, what is holding such a talented player back?
Through three games Richardson is averaging just four designed runs per game. For a guy with the wheels of a Ferrari and the arm of a rocket launcher, he should be doing much better. This is just a brutal matchup against the league’s best defense. I’d be looking to sell Richardson, or this week swap him for Andy Dalton or Sam Darnold.
2] Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle (WR, MIA)
You don’t need to be a marine biologist to understand what’s going on in Miami. Whether the QB this week is Tim Boyle, Snoop Huntley, or Snoop Dogg it doesn’t matter. These WRs are dead.
Last week without Tua Tagovailoa, Hill and Waddle combined to catch seven balls for 66 yards. Yikes.
Hill and Waddle can’t succeed in this environment. Oh, by the way, they play the Titans who have allowed the 3rd-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs. The best line against them this year was Jayden Reed going 4-50 on them last week. I don’t know if you can sell them low, it’s hard to bench them, but let’s be honest, if you’re starting a Dolphin receiver you’re already swimming with the fishes.