Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 4: Smart Sleepers to Exploit and Lineup Advice

All right, the madness extended to Week 3, but it shouldn't shake fantasy football owners too much as they head into Week 4 start 'em, sit 'em decisions.

Yes, Tyrod Taylor scored better than Tom Brady, Devonta Freeman and Chris Johnson landed No. 1 and 2 among top-scoring backs before Monday and somebody named Gary Barnidge outscored Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham in a wild Week 3.

Choppy waters for owners right now, indeed. Another week of data, though, means more to work with when it comes to tough lineup decisions. Below, let's look at similarly ranked players and assign a verdict as to who looks like the better value in Week 4 before looking at a top matchup play and sleeper at each spot.

QB   

Matchup	Verdict
Aaron Rodgers (at SF) vs. Carson Palmer (vs. STL)	Aaron Rodgers
Tyrod Taylor (vs. NYG) vs. Andy Dalton (vs. KC)	Andy Dalton
Matt Ryan (vs. HOU) vs. Derek Carr (at CHI)	Matt Ryan
Peyton Manning (vs. MIN) vs. Andrew Luck (vs. JAC)	Andrew Luck
Russell Wilson (vs. DET) vs. Philip Rivers (vs. CLE)	Russell Wilson

Top Matchup Play: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (vs. HOU)

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan looks great through three games, scoring 15, 18 and 22 points. He hasn't had the massive breakout performance some expected yet, but Week 4 might provide just that. 

Ryan gets to attack the visiting Houston Texans next. It sounds like an iffy matchup, but J.J. Watt's team has actually been one of the worst in the league against quarterbacks so far this year.

Not only has the defense surrendered six touchdowns in three games, three came against Alex Smith and two more by Cam Newton despite his stunning lack of viable targets.

One thing Ryan doesn't lack? Viable targets. Look for Ryan to hit Julio Jones and others all day long en route to a major week.

Sleeper: Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (at MIA)

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Owned in just 12.4 percent of leagues, Ryan Fitzpatrick of the New York Jets looks like the perfect streaming play in Week 4.

Fitzpatrick hasn't impressed from a fantasy standpoint just yet, although he's doing quite well in New York's system. He hasn't scored more than 15 points yet and has thrown six scores to five picks.

Yet a matchup with Miami screams upside. Miami's numbers look inflated thanks to a Week 1 matchup with Washington, but the Dolphins allowed Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles to score 20 points in Week 2 before Buffalo's Taylor posted another 24.

The unit is struggling, and Fitzpatrick might get Eric Decker back from injury in Week 4. He's a proven contributor with quite a bit of upside among sleepers, so owners may want to give him a look.

RB   

Matchup	Verdict
Adrian Peterson (at DEN) vs. Carlos Hyde (vs. GB)	Adrian Peterson
Jamaal Charles (at CIN) vs. Frank Gore (vs. JAC)	Jamaal Charles
Le'Veon Bell (vs. BAL) vs. LeSean McCoy (vs. NYG)	Le'Veon Bell
Matt Forte (vs. OAK) Latavius Murray (at CHI)	Matt Forte
Jeremy Hill (vs. KC) vs. Devonta Freeman (vs. HOU)	Devonta Freeman

Top Matchup Play: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears (vs. OAK)

Owners would be wise to ignore Matt Forte's miserable seven-point outing in Week 3 against Seattle.

After all, Forte was in Seattle without Jay Cutler under center or Alshon Jeffery at wideout to take pressure off him against one of the league's best defenses.

Things clear up in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders, owners of a defense that allowed three touchdowns and 46 points to backs through the first two weeks of the season. Things would probably look much worse, but in Week 3 Cleveland thought it was a good idea to rush 14 times and throw 49 times with Josh McCown.

Anyway, against such a weak unit it won't matter who suits up around Forte. Through carries and receptions, he's a lock to have a massive week.

Sleeper: Alfred Blue, Houston Texans (at ATL)

George Bridges/Associated Press

So much for a committee approach with Arian Foster out of the lineup.

The Houston Texans tried the whole committee thing over the first two weeks of the season, the result being just 14 rushes for Alfred Blue totaling four points.

The coaching staff changed its mind on the arrangement against a strong Tampa Bay defense in Week 3, and Blue responded with 31 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown, good for 19 points.

Foster seems due back within the next couple of weeks, but if he can't go, Blue looks like the biggest sleeper of all. Next up is a Falcons defense that gave up 33 and 14 points through the first two weeks of the season, then allowed Dallas' Joseph Randle to go off for three scores and 27 points on 14 attempts.

Road contest or not, Blue's going to find room against the Falcons.

WR 

Matchup	Verdict
A.J. Green (vs. KC) vs. Steve Smith (at PIT)	A.J. Green
Julio Jones (vs. HOU) vs. Brandon Marshall (at MIA)	Julio Jones
Larry Fitzgerald (vs. STL) vs. Keenan Allen (vs. CLE)	Keenan Allen
Demaryius Thomas (vs. MIN) vs. Amari Cooper (at CHI)	Demaryius Thomas
DeAndre Hopkins (at ATL) vs. Odell Beckham (at BUF)	Odell Beckham

Top Matchup Play: A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. KC)

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Too easy.

Folks seemed to forget about A.J. Green because he played most of last season injured, then came out and scored just 16 points over the team's first two games as Andy Dalton spread it out to others.

When the team needed him most, though, Green responded in Baltimore with 10 grabs for 227 yards and two touchdowns, good for 34 points. When a guy can do something like this after the catch, there's no reason to ever doubt him:

Expect more of the same with Kansas City in town this week. The Chiefs surrendered a ridiculous four scores and 72 points to wideouts through their first two games of the season alone.

Now Green gets a shot at the unit at home.

Sleeper: Ted Ginn Jr., Carolina Panthers (at TB)

Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press

Don't laugh—thanks to the injury to Kelvin Benjamin, Ted Ginn Jr. is a major part of Carolina's Cam Newton-led passing attack.

Over the course of the the team's first three games, Ginn has amassed 22 targets. It might not sound like much, but it's just six behind team leader Greg Olsen and a whopping 11 ahead of the next person in the category, Devin Funchess.

In this scenario, opportunities equal production, especially considering Ginn is the team's best deep threat. Now he gets to exploit a leaky Tampa Bay defense that let up three scores and 48 points to wideouts through the first two weeks of the season before Houston's DeAndre Hopkins caught eight passes for 101 yards and a score and 16 points this past weekend.

Look for Ginn to make the most of his chances and strike on a few big plays.

TE 

Matchup	Verdict
Greg Olsen (at TB) vs. Jimmy Graham (vs. DET)	Jimmy Graham
Charles Clay (vs. NYG) vs. Jordan Reed (vs. PHI)	Jordan Reed
Travis Kelce (at CIN) vs. Jason Witten (at NO)	Jason Witten
Tyler Eifert (vs. KC) vs. Eric Ebron (at SEA)	Tyler Eifert
Heath Miller (vs. BAL) vs. Martellus Bennett (vs. OAK)	Martellus Bennett

Top Matchup Play: Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears (vs. OAK)

David Banks/Associated Press

Play any tight end who gets to go against Oakland.

Any. For whatever reason the Raiders just cannot defend the position. The unit allowed four scores and 42 points to tight ends over the first two games of the season, then let Cleveland's Barnidge—normally used as an in-line blocker—to go for 16 points with McCown under center.

Chicago's Martellus Bennett has been mostly quiet through three games outside of his 11 points in Week 1, but that's what happens to a tight end who encounters Arizona and Seattle.

With the matchup a sure thing, Bennett looks ready to lead all scorers at the position.

Sleeper: Crockett Gillmore, Baltimore Ravens (at PIT)

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Owners who took the dive on Baltimore's Crockett Gillmore after his 20-point outburst in Week 2 might feel burnt after his four-point performance in Week 3, but so it goes against the Cincinnati defense.

The Pittsburgh defense is a whole different animal, and in a good way. Pittsburgh allowed four scores and 33 points to tight ends in Week 1 thanks to New England, then let up eight catches for 83 yards against an inept San Francisco offense. Had St. Louis not been the matchup in Week 3, things would look even worse.

On the road under the stress of a short turnaround for Thursday Night Football, expect quarterback Joe Flacco to look at Gillmore early and often against a rebuilding defense. He's emerging as a viable weapon and it's a scenario set to produce another strong day for the upstart tight end.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats as of September 29. Statistics courtesy of ESPN. Tennessee, New England on bye.