Fantasy Football Week 4 Start Em' Sit Em'

Story by Yinzer Crazy Fantasy Football Expert Luke Ranalli

Week three is in the books and boy am I feeling good. With two of my fantasy teams sitting at 3-0, I don't want to jinx myself but I'm ready for the playoffs. Here's to hoping I can keep up with some good picks for you with this weeks Start 'em Sit 'em.

Start 'em

QB

Russell Wilson - Last week I had Wilson on my sit 'em list and I hope you took my advice, to say Russ has been struggling would be a huge understatement. Russ has yet to crest 20 points this season in fantasy and last week put up less than 10 throwing for a measly 184 yards, no TD's, and scrambling for only 17. If Russ wants to avoid the boo birds again this week, and actually leave a mark in Denver, he needs to pick up his game, and this week is the perfect opportunity. The Raiders have let up no less than 24 points so far this year and are looking a bit shaky compared to what they were projected to be this season. Russ has the weapons to at least throw for a couple TD's and with Jevonte Williams and Melvin Gordon struggling to find the end zone, Wilson could be taking it in himself. If Wilson can't produce at least 20 fantasy points this week I think it may be time to give up on him this season. I had high expectations for Russ in Denver and I'm sure many of you did as well, this week it's time for him to show why Denver shelled out the big bucks to turn this team around.

RB

Breece Hall - I hate to say it but the matchup against the Steelers could be the breakout game that Hall is looking for to show he is RB2 capable this season. It seems as though Zach Wilson will be back to action this Sunday against the black and gold and I would be shocked if he comes out slinging down field. With the absence of T.J. Watt this defense goes from power house to poor house -- and the last two weeks it's shown. The Browns were able to put up 29 points against the black and gold and a lot of that had to do with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt running all over them. I'm not saying Breece Hall is in the same category as those two, but this is definitely a game for him to show out. If Zach Wilson is good to go I think he will be leaning heavily on Hall to help him get back to form and Hall should at the very least be in your flex position. 

WR

DK Metcalf - Metcalf has had a rough start to this season and it's not really a shocker. I think Geno Smith is doing better than expected, but that still isn't exactly music to fantasy owners ears considering Tyler Lockett has yet to see the end zone, and DK just got his first score last week. DK wasn't exactly a monster even with Russ at QB, but this year there really isn't much production to be found anywhere. Smith seems determined though and if he wants to keep that starting job over a probably worse option of Drew Lock, he is going to have to prove why he's been in the league as long as he has. This past weekend was the first time this season DK was targeted more than Lockett and I think that is a trend that will only continue in DK's favor. Expect Geno to get the ball down field this week against the Lions, and DK should be the main beneficiary of that effort.

TE

David Njoku - Tight end has to be my least favorite position to talk about this season, both for starting and sitting. It's been such a crap shoot and there's really only about 4 reliable guys to start week in and week out. This week, if you aren't starting any guarantees at TE you might wanna scoop Njoku up if he's still a FA. Njoku had a career high game last week against the Steelers, this week the Browns face off against a Falcons team that is ranked 31st against TE's and is just struggling in general. I still don't see any WR aside from Amari Cooper making an impact on this offense, and Jacoby Brissett isn't going to make that change. Until Deshaun Watson comes back from suspension this isn't going to be a deep ball mentality team. Njoku should see just as much if not more production this week, and possibly in the future. 

Sit 'em

Kyler Murray - Murray has been quite the disappointment so far this year. It's not that he's necessarily been bad, he's certainly not struggling like Wilson, but he definitely hasn't been putting up numbers like he did last season. Last week the entire Cardinals offense couldn't find the end zone, settling for four field goals against the Rams. This week should be no cake walk either against a Carolina defense that is allowing just a little over 20 points per game. Kyler looks a bit lost without DeAndre Hopkins and with Rondale Moore still on the mend, Hollywood Brown has been the only beneficiary at WR so far. Murray could find a groove again soon, and I would like to see Andy Isabella as well as AJ Green start being productive, but until Nuke is back on the field, Murray may be looking sparse through the air. The most points I see coming from Murray is if he can find his feet and scramble for some yards and TD's again this week.

RB

Ezekiel Elliott - I don't understand the dynamic of Elliot and Dak Prescott, but every time I see Dak go down I think Zeke is gonna eat, and every time he sputters out. Zeke should be killing it right now with Cooper Rush leading the Cowboys but instead, it's Tony Pollard who seems to be taking advantage. I would lean towards Pollard if you handcuffed him in your draft even though Zeke is coming off his best game so far this season with a touchdown and close to 100 yards. Washington isn't exactly a RB killer at defense, but the Giants are much worse, and Zeke was only able to put up flex numbers Monday night. I know Pollard isn't putting up stellar numbers either but at least he's consistent. Not to mention the fact that he's been doing more with less, on 13 carries against the G men compared to Zeke's 15, Pollard was able to rush for over 100 yards. Couple that with the fact that they split touches in the red zone, and the fact that without a TD Zeke would not have a game over 10 fantasy points this year, Pollard is a safer bet in this situation.

WR

Michael Thomas - This could be more of being high on Chris Olave than anything, but I'm also not confident that Thomas even starts this week. I was shocked Thomas looked as good as he did in his first two games this season, I thought he was going to fade away after last year. Not long after proving me wrong, his injury woes are already creeping in for fantasy managers. I think Thomas will start this week but it will most likely be a game time decision to make you sweat. Even if he does start though, I think Olave is going to start to emerge as the WR1 in this offense. While Jameis Winston isn't putting up duds, he is back to his old ways of throwing picks, plus he has Alvin Kamara and Jarvis Landry taking up targets as well. While it's early in the season and there's only three games to judge, Thomas has been slowly declining in targets, and I only see that continuing down the same road. If his injuries keep nagging him, Thomas may fade back to fantasy irrelevance again soon.

TE 

George Kittle - This may just be out of spite because I put Kittle in my flex last week over Amari Cooper and Devin Singletary who both had good games while Kittle got me 28 yards on four catches. Even though Rams are banged up at safety, they are ranked 3rd amongst tight ends right now. The other issue I have is Jimmy Garoppolo leading the offense, don't get me wrong I didn't have high expectations for Trey Lance right away, but Jimmy is looking like the 49ers made the right call resigning him as a backup. I know it's only been a game and a half, but Jimmy G has thrown for less than 400 yards and only two touchdowns combined while also having an interception and fumble. Compared to Russ, that is not so bad, but looking at who Jimmy favors makes me even more concerned. Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel had eight targets each last week, which is by no means astronomical, but compared to the five looks Kittle got, I think Jimmy is going to look down field more than middle of the isle. I could be wrong with this move but I am benching Kittle this week for greener pastures.