Fantasy Football Week 4 D/ST Start/Sit: Cowboys, Chiefs, Titans, Vikings, Ravens, Bills

Ted breaks down the toughest defensive start/sit decisions for Week 4 of the fantasy football season.

Welcome to this week’s fantasy football DST start/sit breakdown! As always, the key to DST start/sit decisions is matchups, matchups, matchups. Let’s get right into it!

For more help with Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP’s NFL Start/Sit tool!

Fantasy Football Defenses To Start Week 4

Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants

After leading the league in defensive fantasy scoring last season, the Cowboys came into 2024 with high expectations, being drafted as the DST3 on average. So far, that hasn’t panned out. They dominated the Browns in Week 1 but gave up over 40 points to the Saints in Week 2 and finished with a negative fantasy output in Week 3 against the Ravens. Overall, Dallas’ defense has given up the sixth-most points and 10th-most yards to opposing teams. They’re ranked even lower in terms of EPA per play, where only the Commanders’ and Rams’ defenses have performed worse. PFF has them graded as the second-worst defense in the entire league.

With all this in mind, it’s not surprising that fantasy managers are uncertain whether to start the Cowboys for their Thursday night matchup with the Giants. However, Dallas’ defense still needs to be trusted tonight. For all their struggles so far, the Cowboys’ defense still ranks by far first in the league with a 41.1% pressure rate. That should serve them well against Daniel Jones and the Giants, who have also scored the fourth-fewest points of any team this season. If the Cowboys struggle again tonight, then it’s time to consider them a must-avoid unit. But on a short week against a vulnerable opponent, they should bounce back.

Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Chargers

A few days ago, the Chiefs were looking like arguably the best defensive play of the week, as most were expecting Justin Herbert to miss this divisional matchup with an ankle injury. However, updates on Wednesday indicated that the Chargers’ franchise quarterback is planning on playing through the pain. 

Herbert playing (if this isn’t just a smokescreen) obviously makes this a worse spot for Kansas City, but they should still be able to provide decent production. Herbert will be limited, and the Chargers’ offense hasn’t exactly been explosive even with him fully healthy. Despite starting their season with two soft matchups against the Raiders and Panthers, LA still ranks below average in total points, total yards, and yards per play. 

Against the Steelers in Week 3, the first good defense they have faced, the Chargers managed just 10 points on 166 total yards. The Chiefs’ defense isn’t as good as the Steelers’, but they are certainly better than either Vegas or Carolina. They should put up decent numbers this week, whether they’re facing a hobbled Herbert or Taylor Heinicke. 

Tennessee Titans @ Miami Dolphins

I already featured the Titans in my Week 4 DST Streaming article, but the fact that they are currently being started in under a third of leagues means they deserve another shoutout here. It is true that the Titans’ defense has struggled so far this season. They even gave up 30 points to Malik Willis in a revenge game on Sunday. 

But this pick isn’t really about the Titans. It’s about the matchup, as Miami will be without Tua Tagovailoa again this week. Even if we include their games with Tua, this Dolphins offense has not been its usual explosive self so far in 2024. Overall, they have the fourth-worst EPA per play and 10th-fewest yards per play. If we look just at last week’s game, in which a combination of Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle replaced Tagovailoa, the Dolphins put up twice as many sacks (six) as they did points (three). The Seahawks’ defense scored 12 fantasy points without recording a single turnover … which was unlucky, given that the Dolphins recovered all three of their own fumbles. Roll out Tennessee with confidence this week against Thompson/Boyle/Tyler Huntley.   

Fantasy Football Defenses To Sit Week 4

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

I can see why some fantasy managers are tempted by the Vikings’ defense this week. After all, Brian Flores’ unit just absolutely dismantled C.J. Stroud and the Texans. Minnesota has allowed just 10 points per game despite facing both the Texans and the 49ers.

However, even with the tides seemingly shifting across the NFL, great offense beats great defense. We just saw Matt LaFleur put up 30 points and nearly 400 total yards with Malik Willis under center. With Jordan Love reportedly on track to return this week, it’s not worth the risk to start a defense against the Packers. If the Vikings put up another dominant outing on Sunday, they may be one of the very rare matchup-proof fantasy defenses. But it’s more likely that they come back to Earth with a mediocre outing on the road against a top-tier offense. 

Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills

The Ravens are currently being started in over 50% of leagues, which is truly wild to me. As I said in Week 2, when 46% of managers were trusting the Dolphins against the Bills, there isn’t a single defense in the league I would start against Josh Allen and Co. right now. The Dolphins proceeded to score just two fantasy points, and I would be surprised if the Ravens fare much better. The Bills’ offense is cooking with absolute gas right now, averaging nearly twice as much EPA per play as the third-placed team. I don’t care if this was the 2000 Ravens defense (it’s not, as this Ravens defense is closer to average than elite) — they should be benched this week. 

Buffalo Bills @ Baltimore Ravens

More or less the same logic applies to the other side of this matchup of AFC heavyweights. Yes, the Bills’ defense is good. But the nearly 50% of managers starting them will be in for a nasty surprise in the form of two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, perhaps with a little help from King Derrick Henry. The Ravens are just 11th in points scored, but they lead the league in both total yards and yards per play. They have just two total turnovers, and Lamar Jackson has been sacked just three times in three weeks. The Bills will have very few opportunities to rack up points, and with the Ravens’ team total set at 23.5, they should allow a fair few. 

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