Week 4 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Top 10 Players, Stat Projections for Every Position

Matthew Stafford is always a key factor at quarterback in fantasy football.

The Detroit Lions' QB may not usually rank in the top three at his position on a week-to-week basis, but his arm strength, accuracy, size and ability to shake off defenders, coupled with the Lions' inability to come up with a big-time ground game, usually allow him to put big numbers on the board.

Another factor that works in Stafford's favor is that the Lions don't have a shutdown defense. They are rarely in a position to run out the clock, as their defense does not stop opponents when they're mounting a comeback in the second half.

Rank	QB	Team	Opponent	Start/Sit	Predicted Stats
1	Matthew Stafford	Detroit	Chicatgo	Start	325 yards, 3 TDs
2	Philip Rivers	San Diego	Indianapolis	Start	320 yards, 3 TDs
3	Cam Newton	Carolina	Atlanta	Start	250 passing yards, 2 TDs; 75 rushing yards, 1 TD
4	Andrew Luck	Indianapolis	Jacksonville	Start	305 yards, 2 TDs
5	Drew Brees	New Orleans	San Diego	Start	300 yards, 2 TDs
6	Ben Roethlisberger	Pittsburgh	Kansas City	Start	290 yards, 2 TDs
7	Matt Ryan	Atlanta	Carolina	Start	275 yards, 2 TDs
8	Kirk Cousins	Washington	Cleveland	Start	270 yards, 2 TD
9	Joe Flacco	Baltimore	Oakland	Start	265 yards, 2 TDs
10	Carson Palmer	Arizona	Los Angeles	Start	255 yards, 2 TDs
--	Tyrod Taylor	Buffalo	New England	Sit	180 yards,1 TD, 2 int
--	Jameis Winston	Tampa Bay	Denver	Sit	190 yards 1 TD, 2 int
--	Brian Hoyer	Chicago	Detroit	Sit	195 yards, 1 TD, 2 int

Stafford produces consistently, and his numbers are sensational this season. Stafford has completed 67.5 percent of his passes and has thrown for 985 yards with a 7-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The Lions take on a struggling Chicago Bears team this Sunday, and Stafford should have an excellent chance to build on his numbers this week.

The Lions have beaten the Bears in their last six meetings, and Stafford should have no problems finding Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin, Golden Tate and tight end Eric Ebron against the yielding Chicago defense. He should be good for 325 yards and three TD passes.

We'll take Philip Rivers as our No. 2 quarterback this week, as the Chargers quarterback gets to pad his numbers against the New Orleans Saints. After a decent showing against the New York Giants in Week 2, the Saints gave up 45 points to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football.

The Chargers are 1-2, but if they only knew how to finish games. They have lost in excruciating fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts, and they could easily be 3-0. Look for Rivers to take out the team's frustrations against the Saints.

Rank	RB	Team	Opponent	Start/Sit	Predicted stats
1	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh	Kansas City	Start	135 yards, 2 TDs
2	Ezekiel Elliott	Dallas	San Francisco	Start	125 yards, 2 TDs
3	David Johnson	Arizona	Los Angeles	Start	120 yards, 2 TDs
4	Lamar Miller	Houston	Tennessee	Start	120 yards, 1 TD
5	Todd Gurley	Los Angeles	Arizona	Start	115 yards, 1 TD
6	DeMarco Murray	Tennessee	Houston	Start	100 yards, 1 TD
7	Melvin Gordon	San Diego	New Orleans	Start	95 yards, 1 TD
8	LeGarrette Blount	New England	Buffalo	Start	90 yards, 1 TD
9	C.J. Anderson	Denver	Tampa Bay	Start	95 yards
10	Matt Forte	N.Y. Jets	Seattle	Start	85 yards
--	Jerick McKinnon	Minnesota	N.Y. Giants	Sit	42 yards
--	Spencer Ware	Kansas City	Pittsburgh	Sit	50 yards
--	Charles Sims	Tampa Bay	Denver	Sit	54 yards

Running Backs

The return of Le'Veon Bell has Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh Steelers fans drooling as the team prepares for its Week 3 home game against the Chiefs.

The Steelers have perhaps the most spectacular offensive team in the NFL, and they get better this week as Bell returns from his league-mandated three-week suspension. The Steelers should be firing on all cylinders since they played poorly in Week 3 loss at Philadelphia to the cross-state rival Eagles.

DeAngelo Williams did an excellent job in Bell's absence before he was held in check by the Eagles. But Bell is a special player who has three or four different speeds that he utilizes to his advantage when running behind the solid Pittsburgh offensive line.

The Chiefs played their best game of the year in beating the Jets in Week 3, but it seems doubtful that a defense that doesn't have Justin Houston will come up with a peak performance two weeks in a row. There is some risk, but we like Bell to have a 135-yard game with two TDs this week.

Ezekiel Elliott met all expectations in Week 3 with 140 yards. Look for his roll to continue this week as the Cowboys go on the road to play the San Francisco 49ers.

Elliott attacks the hole with fervor and is more than willing to initiate contact. If he can avoid fumbling as he did against the Bears, head coach Jason Garrett should give him at least 25 carries and possibly approach the 30 attempts he gave him against Chicago.

Rank	WR	Team	Opponent	Start/Sit	Predicted Stats
1	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh	Kansas City	Start	145 yards, 2 TDs
2	DeAndre Hopkins	Houston	Tennessee	Start	140 yards, 2 TDs
3	Odell Beckham Jr.	N.Y. Giants	Minnesota	Start	135 yards, 1 TD
4	Julio Jones	Atlanta	Carolina	Start	133 yards, 1 TD
5	Marvin Jones	Detroit	Chicago	Start	130 yards, 1 TD
6	T.Y. Hilton	Indianapolis	Jacksonville	Start	118 yards, 1 TD
7	Mike Evans	Tampa Bay	Denver	Start	112 yards, 1 TD
8	Stefon Diggs	Minnesota	N.Y. Giants	Start	108 yards, 1 TD
9	Allen Robinson	Jacksonville	Indianapolis	Start	95 yards, 1 TD
10	Brandin Cooks	New Orleans	San Diego	Start	90 yards
--	Michael Crabtree	Oakland	Baltimore	Sit	58 yards
--	Sterling Shepard	N.Y. Giants	Minnesota	Sit	63 yards
--	Jamison Crowder	Washington	Cleveland	Sit	69 yards

Wide Receivers

As usual, the trio of Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones are among our leaders at the wide receiver position. It's also no surprise to see DeAndre Hopkins in our top four at the position, and he should be well-placed to have an explosive game against the Tennessee Titans.

The Texans have seemingly been off for a long time, since they played in the Week 3 Thursday night game against the New England Patriots. That no-show performance should be enough to make sure the team comes with its best offensive effort at home against the Titans.

Bob Levey/Getty Images

Hopkins is still getting used to catching passes from Brock Osweiler, and while the former Bronco may be somewhat erratic, he knows that Hopkins has the skills to carry the offense on his back. Hopkins has caught 16 passes for 223 yards and two TD passes from 27 targets and should be ready to exploit Tennessee's secondary.

You will have to get up early if you want to see the Colts' T.Y. Hilton do his thing against the winless Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts and Jaguars are playing the first of three NFL games in London this year, and that game gets underway at 9:30 a.m. (ET), giving football fans another three hours of Sunday action.

Hilton scored the game-winning, 63-yard TD after catching a pass from Andrew Luck against the Chargers in Week 3, and his quickness and speed are decisive factors. The Jacksonville secondary is not going to be able to stop him, so he should have a big morning against the disappointing Jaguars.

Rank	TE	Team	Opponent	Start/Sit	Predicted Stats
1	Coby Fleener	Indianapolis	San Diego	Start	105 yards, 1 TD
2	Jordan Reed	Washington	Cleveland	Start	103 yards, 1 TD
3	Greg Olsen	Carolina	Atlanta	Start	98 yards, 1 TD
4	Rob Gronkowski	New England	Buffalo	Start	92 yards, 1 TD
5	Dennis Pitta	Baltimore	Oakland	Start	90 yards
6	Kyle Rudolph	Minnesota	N.Y. Giants	Start	87 ytards
7	Julius Thomas	Jacksonville	Tennessee	Start	78 yards
8	Delanie Walker	Tennessee	Houston	Start	76 yards
9	Jason Witten	Dallas	San Francisco	Start	74 yards
10	Zach Miller	Chicago	Detroit	Start	70 yards
--	Dwayne Allen	Indianapolis	Jacksonville	Sit	30 yards
--	Hunter Henry	San Diego	New Orleans	Sit	36 yards
--	Charles Clay	Buffalo	New England	Sit	44 yards

Tight Ends

The Saints have failed to win a game in their first three tries and must go on the road to San Diego this week in an attempt to earn their first victory of the season.

The Chargers look like they could be tough opponents in this game, but fantasy players can be assured that quarterback Drew Brees will wing the ball all over the field against the San Diego defense.

Look for tight end Coby Fleener to have a big game against the Chargers, as he should be able to find the dead spots in the defense as San Diego plays without linebacker Manti Te'o (Achilles).

Fleener caught a team-high seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons last Monday and was targeted 11 times. Brees loves throwing to his tight end—remember Jimmy Graham—and now that they have established a rapport, he should continue to do so this week.