Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle in Week 4: Jared Goff, Jonathan Taylor, Tyreek Hill and Dallas Goedert
One weekly starter at each offensive fantasy position who will have trouble excelling in Week 4.
Last week’s attempt at finding fantasy stars who would struggle went about as well as I could hope: one injured player, two disappointments and one “meh” game.
- Jordan Love was out with injury; I hope he was out of your lineup as well.
- James Conner gained 25 total yards on 10 touches. The Lions might have the best run defense in the league, and it showed up in Week 3.
- Garrett Wilson tied for the team lead with five receptions against the Patriots, but he gained just 33 yards. While a touchdown saved his fantasy day, Wilson didn’t produce much.
- Sam LaPorta continued his slow start to the season, catching his only two targets and gaining 36 yards. He has just eight receptions for 94 yards on the season; that was one good game last year.
The goal here is not just to point out bad matchups; I’m looking for guys you would usually never bench but who have matchups and/or circumstances that point toward quiet games. Often, the best defensive teams will show up, but you will also see guys affected by a teammate out with injury or other issues.
Everyone here could be argued as a fantasy star except for maybe one, as there just weren’t many quarterback options this week. That’s good for fantasy owners, but it makes it tough to highlight a guy for this purpose.
Let’s look at one fantasy star at each offensive fantasy position who will struggle in Week 4. I will reference defensive stats from NFL.com, and I used our FantasySP defensive rankings to help determine which teams have been best against each position.
Quarterback
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks
You might not want to call Goff a “fantasy star,” and I’d have a tough time arguing with you. He has been a solid player since joining Detroit, finishing as QB10 in 2022 and QB7 in 2023, but Goff hasn’t ever been a top fantasy guy.
There aren’t many good options to choose from, necessitating Goff’s spot here, but he also has played well enough to be considered every week. While he has started this season with more modest numbers, Goff has scored double-digit fantasy points every week: Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr, Joe Burrow, Anthony Richardson and Aaron Rodgers can’t say that.
This week isn’t set up for Goff to excel. The Seahawks hired coach Mike Macdonald after his Baltimore defenses shut teams down last year, and Seattle is reaping the benefits early in 2024.
The Seahawks have allowed the third-least passing yards and the least yards per attempt through three weeks. They haven’t given up more than 20 points to any team. The only question is the quality of opponent Seattle has faced so far.
Denver and New England were expected to be two of the worst offenses in the league, and the Dolphins last week were without Tua Tagovailoa for the first time. The Lions are a different animal, moving the ball efficiently for a couple seasons now and holding some of the best offensive talent.
The Lions are happy to base things around the run, though, and that means Goff has weeks where he doesn’t throw the ball much or accumulate major stats. Seattle has been middling against the run while dominating passing games; Detroit might lean on the run again, limiting Goff’s volume.
That would mean a quiet fantasy day for the Detroit passer. Goff is a player who looks better on a bench in Week 4 rather than a starting lineup.
Running Back
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Taylor had over 100 rushing yards in each of the past two games and combined for more than 50 receiving yards. Week 1 was slower (48 yards on 16 carries, no receptions), but he did get in the end zone, saving his fantasy day.
Taylor benefits from playing next to a running quarterback in Anthony Richardson, though he surely loses opportunities at times. Taylor was a star in 2021, and that’s how we still want to view him. Injury and contract disputes limited him to 21 games over the past two seasons, and his efficiency suffered over that time. He’s back over 5.0 yards per carry through three weeks, so things are looking up.
The teams Taylor has faced so far, the Texans, Packers and Bears, all currently have good reputations on defense; the Steelers are on a different level, though. Pittsburgh has allowed just 26 total points in three games, and while the Falcons, Broncos and Chargers aren’t a murderer’s row, Pittsburgh’s D has been part of their struggles.
The Steelers have allowed the second-least rushing yards and yards per carry; they have shut down some good running backs, too. Bijan Robinson had just 68 yards on 18 attempts in Week 1, and J.K. Dobbins gained 44 yards last week after combining for 266 yards in the first two games. In Week 2, Bo Nix led the Broncos with 25 rushing yards.
This is a case of a good running back meeting one of the best run defenses in the league. Pittsburgh is winning with defense, and this projects to be another low-scoring game after their first three were all at 30 total points or less.
Wide Receiver
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins vs. Tennessee Titans
The quarterback uncertainty is obvious, but that’s only part of the equation. Tennessee’s defense has looked better even as the offense has cost the team games. Week 3 against the Packers wasn’t great: Malik Willis completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards (10.6 per attempt) and ran six times for 73 yards.
The Packers are just a solid team, though, and a guy with Willis’ athletic abilities and a renowned play-caller in Matt LaFleur can do a lot of damage against a lot of teams. Things looked a lot better in Weeks 1 and 2:
- Week 1 @ Bears – Caleb Williams: 14/29, 93 yards (3.2 per attempt), 0 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
- Week 2 vs Jets – Aaron Rodgers: 18/30, 176 yards (5.9 per attempt), 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions
The Titans have allowed the second-least passing yards and fourth-least yards per attempt. A team that added new starters at every level of the defense this offseason is seeing early benefits.
Hill and the Dolphins might have a quarterback emergency, as Tua Tagovailoa is out for an undetermined amount of time and backup Skylar Thompson looked bad before suffering an injury of his own in Week 3.
Coach Mike McDaniel didn’t have an answer when asked who would be the starting QB in Week 4, as Thompson, Tim Boyle and new arrival Tyler Huntley are all options. That…doesn’t sound like a big offensive day for the Dolphins.
The deep passing game figures to suffer the most, taking away the biggest weapon from the most explosive player in the league, Hill. He will likely struggle to find volume or efficiency; it’s hard to bench Hill and teammate Jaylen Waddle because they are so good, but everything seems to be working against them in Week 4.
Tight End
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There haven’t been many true stars at tight end through three weeks. Just two tight ends had double-digit standard points in Week 1, and only three guys did it in both Week 2 and Week 3. Travis Kelce and Sam LaPorta haven’t reached 10 points in any week. It’s tough to find someone we truly can expect to excel right now.
Goedert had 3.1 and 3.8 standard points in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively, before blowing up last week and racking up 17 fantasy points. His seven receptions and 69 yards in the first two weeks were fine; 10 catches for 170 yards is more of the “star” level we talk about in this column.
Goedert has been an inconsistent fantasy player for years. In 2023, he had four weeks with 50 or more yards and six games with 30 yards or less. It’s hard to know what to expect week to week, and a tough matchup points toward a lower output.
The Bucs have been one of the best teams in the league against tight ends this season. Denver last week didn’t have much juice at the position, but Tampa held Zach Ertz to 28 yards on three catches in Week 1, and LaPorta had just two for 13 in Week 2.
A.J. Brown has missed the past two games, and DeVonta Smith left Week 3 with a concussion, so there’s a chance the team will be short at pass catchers, forcing more volume toward Goedert. That would help his final numbers, but it might not result is many big plays if Tampa keeps playing D.
Goedert isn’t a guaranteed bust, but there is plenty working against him. There are probably better options out there.
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