Week 4 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Advice on Fantasy Football Stars to Play or Bench

It's almost time for another week of NFL awesomeness, and the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals will kick things off on Thursday night.

It's been a wild and unpredictable season thus far, and that theme has carried over into the fantasy world as well. Surprising stars, unexpected disappointments and injuries have shifted the landscape dramatically since Week 1.

Lineup decisions should be easier by Week 4, since we have a much better feel for players' production and projected roles. Unfortunately, many managers are already relying on second-tier stars—and we haven't even hit bye weeks yet.

Start: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

AP PhotoRick Scuteri

Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty has frustrated managers who drafted him early over the summer. The sixth overall pick hasn't been heavily involved in the passing game and has struggled to find running room behind a bad Las Vegas Raiders line.

The Boise State product has averaged less than 50 scrimmage yards a game and just 3.1 yards per carry.

A breakout could be coming this week, though, as the Raiders are set to host the Chicago Bears. The Bears looked good in last week's 31-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys. However, their defense remains vulnerable to the run.

As long as Chip Kelly is willing to commit to Jeanty and the ground game this week—which isn't guaranteed—the rookie should finally reward fantasy managers with a big outing. The Bears have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

Sit: Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

The New England Patriots have their own promising rookie back in TreVeyon Henderson. However, New England leaned heavily on veteran Rhamondre Stevenson early in the season.

Stevenson managers reaped the early rewards with a strong Week 2 performance but should look to pull the plug in Week 4. The fifth-year back only saw seven touches in Week 3 and could see a further-reduced role after fumbling twice against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On paper, Stevenson is set up for redemption, as the Patriots will host the Carolina Panthers, who have surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing RBs this season. Volume means a lot, though, and Stevenson isn't regularly getting it.

Outside of his 16-touch, 142-yard outing in Week 2, Stevenson has largely disappointed, with just five receptions and 83 yards in his other two games combined.

Start: Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

Panthers rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan disappointed fantasy managers a bit in Week 3, finishing with only three catches for 48 yards. Of course, the Panthers started running away with the game early and didn't do a ton of passing against the rival Atlanta Falcons.

Quarterback Bryce Young only attempted 24 passes, though a full 33 percent of his targets went to McMillan.

The Arizona product has been targeted an average of nine times per game through three weeks and has clearly become Young's go-to receiver. He should be heavily involved again this week, and the Patriots should keep things closer against Carolina than the Falcons did.

The stage could be set for McMillan's second 100-yard game as a pro. New England ranks 30th in net yards per pass attempt allowed and has surrendered the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Sit: Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/Stew Milne

Heading into the season, Calvin Ridley felt like the sort of sleeper receiver who could win leagues. He topped 1,000 yards with the Tennessee Titans a year ago and was getting an upgrade at quarterback in No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward.

The problem is that Brian Callahan has failed to build a potent offense around Ward. The other issue is that the rookie QB seems to have a better connection with rookie receiver Elic Ayomanor than with Ridley.

Ridley still leads Tennessee with a team-high 21 targets, but he's converted those into just eight receptions for 111 yards—Ayomanor, meanwhile, has 10 catches for 107 yards and two touchdowns.

Add in the fact that Tennessee is visiting the rival Houston Texans this week, and managers have plenty of reasons to leave Ridley on the bench. Houston hasn't completely shut down opposing receivers, but it ranks 12th in net yards per pass attempt allowed (5.3). With Ward connecting with Ridley at such a low rate, the floor here is extremely low.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.