Week 4 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

Fantasy football has been a difficult beast to predict so far, but the Week 4 slate has a lot less breakouts and busts to choose from.

Six teams are on their bye this weekend, meaning some of the brightest stars are off the field. Without being able to utilize players like Peyton Manning, Marshawn Lynch or A.J. Green, there are tough decisions to be made.

Myriad players have been underwhelming, including high picks like Eddie Lacy and Doug Martin. As starting lineups become increasingly more difficult, some advice might be necessary to figure out which players to start and sit.

Here's a look at a full list of Week 4 starting options and others that need to ride the bench.

Start 'Em

Rank	Player	Week 4 Opponent	Projected Points
1	Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	21
2	Frank Gore, RB, 49ers	Philadelphia Eagles	15
3	Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers	Jacksonville Jaguars	15
4	Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints	Dallas Cowboys	13
5	Dwayne Allen, TE, Colts	Tennessee Titans	10

Last week, Ben Roethlisberger was a difficult start that, in hindsight, looks pretty good for desperate fantasy owners.

Despite a tough matchup, Big Ben produced good results with 196 passing yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. Now, he faces a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that was ravaged in Week 3 by Matt Ryan.

Predicting that Roethlisberger will wind up with 286 yards and three touchdowns doesn't appear likely. Thanks to receivers such as Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and even Le'Veon Bell out of the backfield, expect Big Ben to go off against the Bucs.

Next on the list is a player who was essentially shut out of nearly any fantasy points in Week 3. Frank Gore had just six attempts for a staggering 10 yards against the Arizona Cardinals, but should be resurgent this week.

Following the loss, the San Francisco 49ers back was at a loss for words, per Matt Maiocco of CSN:

Expect Gore to play angry against the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that has been gashed by running backs. Through three weeks, the Eagles are giving up fantasy 20.93 points to tailbacks so far and will have a difficult time containing Gore between the tackles on Sunday.

Sit 'Em

Rank	Player	Week 4 Opponent	Projected Points
1	Alex Smith, QB, Chiefs	New England Patriots	11
2	Rashad Jennings, RB, Giants	Washington Redskins	7
3	Reggie Wayne, WR, Colts	Tennessee Titans	5
4	Eric Decker, WR, Jets	Detroit Lions	4
5	Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys	New Orleans Saints	3

Looking for a quarterback to start in place of Manning or Russell Wilson? Alex Smith is not the player to target.

The Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller had just over 19 points in Week 3 thanks to three passing touchdowns against the Miami Dolphins. In fact, he's actually been a decent quarterback so far thanks to his surprising dual-threat abilities, per BJ Kissel of KCChiefs.com:

Unfortunately, he's playing a New England Patriots defense that is giving up just 7.85 fantasy points to quarterbacks. The Pats are tied for the most interceptions forced with six and have allowed just 554 passing yards through the first three games.

For those in need of a spot wide receiver, Eric Decker can't be trusted either. Owners were disappointed with his limited production in Week 3, and reinjuring his hamstring didn't help matters for the New York Jets wideout.

Even if he does start, Decker will be up against a Detroit Lions defense that has limited every receiver corps they've encountered thus far. The Lions have allowed just 13.43 points to opposing receivers, meaning Geno Smith and Decker likely won't be connecting much if he is on the field.

*Fantasy statistics courtesy of NFL.com.

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