Week 4 NFL Start 'Em & Sit 'Em Quarterbacks: Lock and Load Trevor Lawrence!
After last week's masterful performance against the Los Angeles Chargers, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars is our quarterback start of the week as he gears up for a Week 4 date with the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.
Welcome to Week 4. We’re basically a quarter of the way through the fantasy football regular season, which means it’s starting to get late early if you’re sitting at 0-3 or 1-2. We’re trying something new with Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em this week and digging into each position more throughout the week – starting with quarterbacks today.
Just to set some guidelines, you’re never going to see me recommend sitting a star like Josh Allen. And you’re never going to see me recommend starting a stiff like Drew Lock. Those are no-brainer decisions and not why we’re here.
We’re here to dig into those decisions that are keeping you up at night. Do you bench the QB1 you drafted but has a bad matchup in favor of a waiver wire QB who has a great matchup? Do you start the scrub QB who has been playing well and bench your veteran QB who has been scuffling? That’s what we’re to figure out.
And with that in mind, let’s dig into some Week 4 start/sit recommendations at quarterback:
Week 4 Start ‘Em
START OF THE WEEK: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars @ PHI
I almost feel like I’m cheating here because Trevor Lawrence has been so good through three weeks and this seems like a no-brainer. But I’m still seeing him ranked around the QB14-16 range on various fantasy sites, and I’m guessing that has to do with his matchup. Are the Eagles a good defense? Yes. Can they be thrown against? Also yes. Jared Goff, of all people, did it. Through three weeks, Lawrence has six touchdowns and zero interceptions, and has run the ball two or three times each week. He’s never going to give you Lamar Jackson rushing upside, but Lawrence has some wheels and is always capable of adding another four or five points to his fantasy score with his legs. With some of the veteran stars struggling (keep reading for more on that), Lawrence is close to a must-start for me this week.
Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons vs. CLE
Will Marcus Mariota last the entire season as the Falcons starter? Probably not, but that doesn’t really matter for our purposes in Week 4. Like Jones, Mariota probably won’t ever win you a week. But through three weeks, he’s topped 196 yards in all three of his games, has five touchdown passes, and has added some extra fantasy points with his legs. With Drake London showing why he was a first-round pick and Kyle Pitts finally being worked into the Falcons offense the way he should be, Mariota has some upside. His matchup this week isn’t great, but the Falcons should be playing catchup against the Browns. And with all that, I think Mariota delivers a top-15 quarterback performance this week.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants vs. CHI
I saw someone tweet something along the lines of “Daniel Jones: two good plays, one awful play” while I was watching the Giants-Cowboys game, and that is just a spot-on take on Danny Dimes. Jones will show flashes of getting it for a couple of plays, and then he’ll just puke on his shoes (figuratively, of course) on the next play. It doesn’t help that his offensive line is absolutely awful, but Jones often doesn’t do himself any favors. That said, that real life stuff is more concerning for Giants fans that it is for fantasy football managers. Despite not having topped 200 passing yards in a game this season, Jones managed to put up at least 13 fantasy points in each of his three games. His rushing ability provides a nice floor to offset his lack of upside, and while he probably won’t outright win you a week, he’s probably not going to lose one for you either.
Week 4 Sit ‘Em
SIT OF THE WEEK: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. KC
I’m the biggest Tom Brady fan in the world, but I think the wheels might be starting to fall off. While some of his performances this year have been due to wide receiver injuries/suspensions (and maybe his personal life?), Brady has begun to look mortal and has yet to top 15 fantasy points in a game this season. His matchup against the Chiefs is interesting because he’ll likely have to throw the ball quite a bit to keep the Bucs in the game, but he threw the ball 42 times last week and it only led to 271 yards and one touchdown. I have Brady and Trevor Lawrence in my home league and I’m starting Lawrence this week.
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams @ SF
Stafford is another star veteran who has been struggling and I’m starting to wonder if his elbow issues aren’t worse than the Rams are letting on. Stafford has more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (four) on the season and he’s only topped 250 passing yards in one game. Things don’t get much easier this week either as the Rams head to San Francisco to face a tough 49ers pass rush. I haven’t finalized my Week 4 rankings just yet, but I’ll likely have Stafford somewhere around the QB14-15 range this week. While he’s not a must-sit, there are better options than Stafford out there.
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Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers vs. NE
Brady, Stafford, AND Rodgers? Go big or go home, my friends. Like Brady and Stafford, Rodgers has struggled out of the gate and hasn’t topped 17 fantasy points in a given game yet. While he’s been trending upward from week to week, Rodgers is still working with a subpar cast of receiving options and hasn’t been doing as much with his legs as he has in recent years (he hasn’t done anything with his legs, really with seven rushes for eight yards through three games). The Patriots defense got torn up by Lamar Jackson last week, but most of that damage was done on the ground and Bill Belichick has typically been able to limit Rodgers in their past meetings. Like Stafford and Brady, I’ll likely have Rodgers int he QB14-15 range this week.
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