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

They say to start your studs. But sometimes, your studs are facing other studs or you have too many studs and difficult roster decisions need to be made. With three weeks of gameplay in the books, we're finally starting to get enough of a sample size to use matchups in helping determine start/sit decisions. 

For Week 4, we'll look at some popularly owned players who owners may be debating adding to their lineups. Considering both recent performance and matchup expectations, these are the players at each skill position that you should start or sit.

Quarterback

Matchup to Exploit: Case Keenum, Washington Redskins (v. NYG)

Through three weeks, the New York Giants are allowing a league-worst 332.3 passing yards per game.

Janoris Jenkins looks like a shadow of his former self, and the rest of the secondary is in a rough state.

Through three games, Case Keenum is averaging 311 passing yards and 2.3 touchdowns per game. If he, and his top receiver Terry McLaurin, are healthy, this should be a strong play for a quarterback widely available on waivers.

Honorable Mentions

• Daniel Jones, New York Giants (vs. WAS)

• Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts (vs. OAK)

• Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions (vs. KC)

Matchup to Avoid: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (vs. BAL)

After sky-high preseason expectations, Baker Mayfield has looked like one of the league's worst quarterbacks, and his offensive line has looked just as bad.

Mayfield is completing just 56.9 percent of his passes for 268.3 yards, one touchdown and 1.7 interceptions per game.

The Baltimore Ravens secondary hasn't looked great this year, as it has allowed the sixth-most passing yards, but that's due to having faced the uptempo offense of the Arizona Cardinals and the historic passing attack of the Kansas City Chiefs.

This should be a bounce-back week for the Ravens against a Cleveland offense that needs to find its rhythm. 

Honorable Mentions

• Tom Brady, New England Patriots (vs. Bills)

• Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (vs. NE)

• Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars (v. DEN)

Running Back

Matchup to Exploit: Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. MIA)

The Miami Dolphins don't seem to be playing football this season, but their opponents certainly do.

The Dolphins are allowing an astounding 208 rushing yards per game this year and, with Justin Jackson officially out for Sunday and Melvin Gordon unable to handle a full workload just yet, Ekeler is bound to have another week as a top back in fantasy football. 

Honorable Mentions

• Chris Carson (v. ARI)

• James Conner (v. CIN)

Matchup to Avoid: Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills (vs. NE)

Devin Singletary has been outstanding thus far in his rookie campaign's small sample size, averaging 12.7 yards per carry for 63.5 yards and 0.5 touchdowns per game.

But he's recovering from a hamstring injury and still splitting carries with Frank Gore. And they're playing against the New England Patriots, who only allow 36.7 rushing yards per game.

Honorable Mentions

• Nick Chubb (vs. BAL) 

• Montgomery (vs. MIN)

Wide Receiver

Matchup to Exploit: Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens (vs. CLE)

Per Graham Barfield, "Marquise Brown has seen a target on 34.6 percent of his routes this season, which trails only Keenan Allen (35.3 percent) for the league's highest rate."

Hollywood has now gotten 27 targets through three weeks, which leads the team and is ahead of all wide receivers by 18.

Brown is a stud, has all of Jackson's attention and is going up against the Cleveland Browns this week—whose secondary is rattled by injuries.  

Honorable Mentions

• Marvin Jones, Detroit Lions (vs. KC)

• D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett (vs. ARI)

Matchup to Avoid: Josh Gordon, New England Patriots (vs. BUF)

Tre'Davious White was limited in practice this week, but he is expected to play on Sunday. He is the head of a Buffalo secondary that allows the ninth-least passing yards this season, and he is most likely to shadow Gordon personally in Week 4.

Antonio Brown is no longer around, but that additional opportunity isn't likely to help Gordon's fantasy owners until later this season. 

Honorable Mentions

• Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings (vs. CHI)

Tight End

Matchup to Exploit: Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks (v. ARI)

Through seven career NFL games, Will Dissly has five receiving touchdowns. Through three weeks of 2019 NFL action, the Arizona Cardinals have given up four receiving touchdowns to tight ends. This recipe is absolutely delectable for Dissly this week.

Matchup to Avoid: Jared Cook, New Orleans Saints (vs. DAL)

Jared Cook is averaging just 1.7 receptions on four targets per game this season. He has no touchdowns thus far and just 69 yards.

Nice, but it's still not an ideal situation for a tight end who has not lived up to expectations after a huge season in 2018. Even if the Dallas Cowboys haven't yet proven they're a deal-breaker matchup for tight ends, their defense has talent and that's enough to rule out any expected production from Cook.