Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 4: Advice for Unfavorable Fantasy Football Matchups

The fourth week of the 2016 fantasy football season is already upon us. Things kicked off on Thursday night when the Cincinnati Bengals thumped the Miami Dolphins 22-7.

If you managed to rack up some fantasy points on Thursday thanks to guys like Bengals receiver A.J. Green (10 receptions, 173 yards, one touchdown) or kicker Mike Nugent (five field goals, one extra point), then you're probably off to a strong start.

Even if you did well on Thursday, though, you probably still have plenty of tough fantasy decisions upcoming.

We're here to help by examining some of the potential fantasy plays that appear tougher than usual. We'll be comparing similar scenarios at the same positions and deciding which daunting matchup is more worth the risk.

We'll be basing our choices on factors like past performances, team makeup, player/team scenario and injuries where applicable.

Pos	Player A	Player B	Verdict
QB	Eli Manning (NYG) @ MIN	Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ) vs. SEA	Fitzpatrick
QB	Russell Wilson (SEA) @NYJ	Ben Roethlisberger (PIT) vs. KC	Roethlisberger
RB	David Johnson (ARI) vs LA	Todd Gurley (LA) @ ARI	Johnson
RB	Jamaal Charles (KC) @ PIT	Jerick McKinnon (MIN) vs. NYG	McKinnon
WR	Odell Beckham Jr. (NYG) @ MIN	Antonio Brown (PIT) vs. KC	Brown
WR	Terrelle Pryor (CLE) @ WAS	Brandon Marshall (NYJ) vs. SEA	Pryor
TE	Jimmy Graham (SEA) @ NYJ	Rob Gronkowski (NE) vs. BUF	Gronkowski
D/ST	Denver Broncos @ TB	Los Angeles Rams @ ARI	Broncos
K	Ryan Succop (TEN) @ HOU	Dan Carpenter (BUF) @ NE	Succop

QB: Russell Wilson (at Jets) or Ben Roethlisberger (vs. Chiefs)

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 There are a couple of reasons why you might be hesitant to play either Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson or Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

In Wilson's case, both injury and situation play a role. Not only must Wilson and the Seahawks travel across the country to face the New York Jets, but he is also dealing with an MCL sprain. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, though, Wilson will be ready to play.

The problem with the MCL injury is that it almost certainly will limit Wilson's mobility, which is often one of his greatest assets. This might not be a massive issue against a Jets pass rush that is rated just 19th in the league by Pro Football Focus, but it could be an issue nonetheless.

New York, after all, features a pretty stout defensive front. It won't help that Seattle is dealing with a banged-up backfield—which now includes New Orleans Saints castoff C.J. Spiller.

The primary issue with starting Roethlisberger is his opponent. The Kansas City Chiefs are playing extremely well against the pass right now. In fact, Pro Football Focus rates the Chiefs first in the league in coverage through Thursday of Week 4.

Kansas City is allowing an average of just 225.0 yards per game through the air right now.

Roethlisberger is also coming off a poor performance against the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished that game with a mere 257 yards passing, no touchdowns, an interception and two fumbles (one lost).

Unlike Wilson, though, Roethlisberger will be playing at home. He should also have his usual mobility behind the line and will benefit from the return of running back Le'Veon Bell from suspension. Bell is a terrific pass-catcher out of the backfield and should help Big Ben make some plays against the stingy Chiefs pass defense.

"I run my routes like a crossover dribble," Bell recently said of his receiving skills, per NFL.com. "It's about taking angles, faking one way but going the other, and being savvy. And then instead of running to the basket, I'm running away from the defender."

Expect Roethlisberger to avoid Kansas City's secondary by utilizing short passes underneath, and this should allow him to succeed.

Verdict: Roethlisberger

RB: Jamaal Charles (at Steelers) or Jerick McKinnon (vs. Giants)

There is a common thread linking Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and Minnesota Vikings running back Jerick McKinnon, and it's injury.

McKinnon has been thrust into an increased role because starting Vikings back Adrian Peterson is on injured reserve with a torn LCL. Charles is expected to make his return from the torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2015 season, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Charles gets to make his return on the road and in prime time. He also gets to do it against a Steelers defense that has allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards this season (an average of 75.3 per game). In addition, Charles will be splitting carries with running back Spencer Ware.

Ware has been performing well so far this season. He has 202 rushing yards, a 4.9 yards-per-carry average and 185 receiving yards. Backup Charcandrick West has been backing up Ware, but he has been ruled out of Sunday's game.

With West out, there's a very real chance that Charles merely fills his backup role behind Ware. This entire situation makes predicting Charles' workload tricky.

McKinnon's role should be a little more defined. He is also splitting carries—with Matt Asiata—but he appears set to get at least 50 percent of the carries on Monday night. He currently has 19 carries on the season to Asiata's 16.

Like Charles, McKinnon is facing a defense that hasn't given up a ton of rushing yardage this season. In fact, the New York Giants are ranked fifth in yardage allowed on the ground, an average of 77.3 yards per game.

The advantage for McKinnon is that he will be playing at home in Minnesota's second regular-season game at U.S. Bank Stadium. It should also help that McKinnon has the confidence of offensive coordinator Norv Turner.

"He’s a complete runner, Turner said of McKinnon, per Lindsey Young of the team's official website. "He can run on the edges, as we tried to do last week, and he’s—to me—a good runner between the tackles."

We believe McKinnon will have the bigger workload and ultimately the most success in Week 4.

Verdict: McKinnon

WR: Terrelle Pryor (at Redskins) or Brandon Marshall (vs. Seahawks)

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New York Jets receiver Brandon Marshall has been a fantasy stud since landing in the Big Apple last season. This week he draws a matchup with Richard Sherman and the Seattle Seahawks defense.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor became a fantasy star last week after producing eight receptions, 144 yards receiving and a rushing touchdown. He draws a matchup with Josh Norman and the Washington Redskins defense.

Based on the quality cornerbacks these two receivers are facing, there could be some hesitation on playing them. In reality, though, there are also reasons to like both matchups.

With Eric Decker out of the lineup, Marshall becomes the clear top target for the Jets passing game. He should garner enough targets to produce quality numbers. This makes him a relatively safe start, even if Decker's absence allows the Seahawks to put most of their focus on Marshall.

Pryor, however, might have more potential to produce a truly great fantasy outing. Norman hasn't been following top receivers around the field so far in Washington—and it's worth noting that Sherman doesn't do that for the Seahawks either.

The Browns can find ways to get him more favorable matchups. In addition, Cleveland is likely to keep using Pryor occasionally at quarterback (he produced 21 rushing yards, 35 passing yards from there in Week 3) until rookie quarterback Cody Kessler is fully comfortable.

This means that even if the Redskins put Norman on Pryor for much of the game, there will be times that doing so will be impossible.

As a team, Washington is ranked just 26th against the pass (301.7 yards per game allowed) and 24th against the run (123.0 yards per game allowed). Pryor could conceivably gash the Redskins in multiple offensive phases, even though he'll be staring down Pro Football Focus' fourth-highest-rated corner for  much of the game.

Verdict: Pryor