Start 'Em or Sit 'Em for Fantasy Football Week 4

We're just three weeks into the 2019 fantasy football campaign, and already up is down. Right is left. Bad is good.

And that's just with the New York Giants.

Last week in Tampa, the Giants came roaring back to beat the Buccaneers in a game in which rookie quarterback Daniel Jones topped 300 passing yards and accounted for four scores. He may have single-handedly made New York's pass-catchers fantasy relevant again.

The problem is that Giants tailback Saquon Barkley suffered a high-ankle sprain that could cause him to miss two months.

The madness extends well past the Big Apple. Among quarterbacks, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is blowing away the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers in fantasy points. The same goes for Los Angeles Chargers tailback Austin Ekeler over Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams. And at wide receiver, Terry McLaurin of the Washington Redskins over Davante Adams of the Packers.

We haven't hit the end of September, and already a good many fantasy owners are in scramble mode. The sky, as they say, is falling.

As a service to all those scrambled eggs and Chicken Littles, I've taken a look through the start/sit questions on the Bleacher Report app and selected some that will help offer insight into players who could show up big or disappoint in Week 4.

Let's get after it.

                                             

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There's quite a bit of handwringing in regard to Seattle Seahawks tailback Chris Carson—largely because his hands have been iffy of late.

However, as Charean Williams wrote for Pro Football Talk, the Seahawks aren't giving up on the third-year pro even though he lost a fumble in each of the first three games.

"Because we do believe in him, we're going to continue to show him that," head coach Pete Carroll told Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio KJR and PFT (h/t Williams). "He's a terrific football player, and we want to make sure and maintain that level of play from him, so we'll work at it and work with him on it."

It's not unreasonable to expect Rashaad Penny (once healthy) and C.J. Prosise to get a larger share of the backfield workload until Carson shows he can hang on to the ball. Prosise played nine more snaps than Carson last week, albeit in a game in which the Seahawks were playing from behind.

But with Seattle drawing a Week 4 matchup with a Cardinals team that was just shredded by Christian McCaffrey (153 rushing yards, one touchdown, three receptions for 35 yards), Carson is in the RB2 conversation.

Still, Marlon Mack of the Indianapolis Colts gets a Raiders team that Dalvin Cook just had a big game against. The Colts could find themselves playing with a lead, and Mack hasn't had the same ball-security issues.

This is an easy call.

The Call: Mack

This two-part question kicks off with a good problem to have at quarterback—so good that it may be worth investigating a trade of Dak Prescott or Deshaun Watson to a team with a hole under center.

That's an issue for another day, however. In Week 4, the question is which quarterback to roll out. And the answer is all about the matchup.

While Watson is coming off his best statistical game of the season with the Houston Texans, Prescott has been equal parts consistent and productive for the Dallas Cowboys. With a Week 4 matchup against a New Orleans Saints team that leads the NFL in fantasy points given up to quarterbacks, Prescott gets the nod even on the road.

With one running back the odd-man out among that quartet, it comes down to which disappointing RB1 gets benched among Joe Mixon of the Bengals, James Conner of the Steelers and Gurley.

Mixon and Conner face off Monday night in a game that features two terrible defenses that are among the top three teams in fantasy points given up to running backs.

As odd as it sounds, Gurley sits.

The Call: Prescott, Mack, Mixon, Conner

The running back half of this question is quite the conundrum.

On one hand, we have a nicked-up LeSean McCoy playing in a crowded Kansas City Chiefs backfield. Of course, that offense is one of the best in the NFL, and McCoy is coming off an 80-yard, two-touchdown performance in Week 3.

On the other hand, we have Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman, who could be in for a much larger Week 4 workload against the Tennessee Titans. Ito Smith is in concussion protocol. Freeman got off to a slow start this season, but he picked it up in last week's loss to the Colts with 19 touches for 95 yards.

McCoy missed the end of the win over the Ravens after reaggravating his ankle injury Sunday, and it's possible Damien Williams will return in Week 4. That makes Freeman the safer choice, but McCoy's touchdown upside is too much to ignore if he plays and Williams sits—even with Darrel Williams in the mix.

The quarterback play is a no-brainer. Aaron Rodgers hasn't posted Rodgers-like numbers this season, but the Philadelphia Eagles have struggled defending the pass and are expected to be without top cornerback Ronald Darby on Thursday night at Lambeau Field.

The Call: McCoy (if active), Rodgers

This reader was kind enough to include scoring (which helps) and didn't mention any positional requirements, so we'll operate under the assumption that any three will do.

The best three are what matters.

Even in points-per-reception (PPR) leagues, I tend to favor tailbacks over wide receivers. It's a matter of simple math—touches equal opportunities to produce. And with Cincinnati's Joe Mixon coming off a 17-touch, 95-yard effort with a score and headed into a top-five fantasy matchup with the Steelers, he's an easy yes.

Phillip Lindsay doesn't have the same favorable matchup. Far from it, in fact. The Denver Broncos are playing the Jacksonville Jaguars, who rank outside of the top 24 in PPR fantasy points given up to tailbacks. But Lindsay's also coming off a 130-yard, two-touchdown explosion in which he essentially was the Denver offense. You can't sit a hand that hot.

You can, however, sit Sony Michel. The New England Patriots running back has averaged fewer than 1.5 yards per carry in two of three games. No thanks.

That leaves the receivers. And while Marquise Brown's numbers have dipped in two straight games since a gonzo Week 1, the wideout was still targeted nine times against the Chiefs on Sunday.

He's the No. 1 wide receiver for the Ravens, who will be facing a Browns team with all kinds of injuries in the secondary.

The Call: Mixon, Lindsay, Brown

A week ago, this wouldn't have even been a question. Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews was scorching-hot to open the season. Over the first two games, the second-year pro hauled in a jaw-dropping 16 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns.

However, that gravy train had to slow down at some point. In Week 3, it derailed—he had just three receptions for 15 yards in the loss to Kansas City.

Carolina's Greg Olsen, on the other hand, kept right on rolling. After reeling in six passes from Cam Newton for 110 yards in Week 2, he one-upped that with six catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns from backup Kyle Allen in Week 3's win over Arizona.

At 34, he's old—but he ain't dead.

Neither of these tight ends lands a particularly favorable fantasy matchup in Week 4. The Browns (who travel to Baltimore) and the Texans (who host the Panthers) rank outside of the top 20 in PPR fantasy points allowed to tight ends.

This comes down to which player you can trust more. While Andrews has been posting TE1 fantasy numbers for a couple of weeks, Olsen has been doing it since Andrews was in high school.

The Call: Olsen

I've long been a proponent of patience in fantasy football—especially early in the season. Panicking over a slow start will come to bite you more often than not.

However, it's not unreasonable to be more than a little concerned about Rams wide receiver Robert Woods. After a breakout 2018 season, Woods has managed just 13 catches for 143 yards this year.

The reality is that if the first three games are any indication, Woods is a clear No. 3 in L.A.'s passing attack behind Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks. And with the Rams not nearly as explosive on offense this season, that's no bueno.

This isn't a call without risk—no matter which player you choose. If you sit Woods and he has a rebound game, you'll kick yourself. If you sit Kansas City's Mecole Hardman and he catches another long touchdown, you'll again have your foot in your own backside. And trusting Carolina's DJ Moore isn't easy after he managed just one catch (albeit a 52-yard score) last week in Arizona.

But until Woods shows signs of life, it's wise to explore other options. Hardman has caught touchdown passes from over 40 yards out in each of the last two games, and he draws a top-10 fantasy matchup for receivers with the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

Swing for the fence.

The Call: Hardman

Again, it's understandable that fantasy owners aren't pleased by the fact that Green Bay's Davante Adams has posted just 15 catches for 198 yards without a score over the first three games. After all, this was a player who was the first wide receiver drafted in more than a few leagues.

But whereas going with another option than Woods wasn't a bad course of action, the advice here is to stay the course—for a couple of reasons.

First, the alternatives listed here—for the most part—are off to the same sluggish start. Stefon Diggs' line for the Minnesota Vikings this season (six catches, 101 yards, one touchdown) looks like one good game for him last year. Allen Robinson's stats with the Chicago Bears are almost identical to those of Adams.

His quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky, however, is not.

As for Seahawks rookie DK Metcalf, he's off to a great start. But benching Adams in favor of a rookie less than a month into the season is a bridge I'm not prepared to cross. Not when Aaron Rodgers has said publicly that he wants to get Adams the ball more and Adams is getting ready to face a bad secondary without its best cornerback on a short turnaround at Lambeau Field.

This is Adams' week to get right. Start him.

The Call: Adams

For the record, it's not the lineup switches on Tuesday or Wednesday that get you. It's the last-second ones Sunday morning that invariably wind up being mistakes.

Sadly, I speak from experience.

It's not surprising that this call is producing more waffles than an Eggo factory. Jacksonville's DJ Chark Jr., Green Bay's Marquez Valdes-Scantling and the Giants' Sterling Shepard are all coming off big weeks.

However, one of that trio stands out—and it's the last guy it would have been just seven days ago.

Shepard was one of two New York pass-catchers who hit triple digits in last week's coming-out party for rookie Daniel Jones. He also paced the Giants with nine targets.

As mentioned earlier, the Packers want to get Davante Adams going—which could cost Valdes-Scantling targets. Chark draws a less than ideal road matchup with cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and the Broncos. Meanwhile, Shepard gets a Washington defense that has given up the most PPR fantasy points to wide receivers this season.

Shepard is going to have another big outing in Week 4. Book it.

All hail Danny Dimes!

The Call: Shepard

I had a lovely and comprehensive answer all put together for this question, and then Melvin Gordon III went and ruined it.

That's not all he ruined.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Gordon will report to the Chargers on Thursday. He won't play in Week 4 against the Miami Dolphins, but the holdout is over.

This, of course, begs the question: What should Ekeler (and Justin Jackson) owners do now?

The answer is nothing because there's nothing you can do. If you try to trade Ekeler at this point, you're selling low and negotiating from a point of weakness.

In the world of 20/20 hindsight, folks will say the right play would have been to flip Ekeler a week ago. Or two weeks ago. The problem is that very few people actually did so. Talking about trading a top-five running back and actually doing so are two entirely different things.

Given how well Ekeler has played this season, he's still going to be a part of the Chargers offense. It's going to take time for Gordon to get up to speed, and he has an injury history. Worst case, you should get one last big game from Ekeler against Miami.

Don't freak out. This isn't the end of the world. But it is a blow—and potentially a big one.

The Call: Take a breath. Wait and see what happens.

As I do every week, it's time to bang out some more fantasy advice rapid-fire style—beginning with another question involving Giants rookie Daniel Jones.

                                       

SadPanda122 has a QB question: "Josh Allen vs. the Patriots or Daniel Jones vs. Washington?"

Allen has been a rock-solid fantasy option this year, but the Patriots have allowed zero offensive touchdowns in 2019. Go with the rookie against a terrible Redskins defense.

                

Funky is feeling cryptic. "One word…Diggs."

We've already established that Diggs isn't off to a great start this year, largely because the Vikings have gone so run-heavy in 2019. However, there's at least a chance he will snap out of that funk in Chicago. The fifth-year veteran caught 13 passes for 126 yards and a score the last time he visited Soldier Field.

                              

YeetYeetYeetYet has a WR question. "Chark or Sanders?"

With the Jalen Ramsey saga reaching new levels of weird and the star corner again away from the team, Sanders is easily the better fantasy option of the two in Week 4.

                      

More wide receiver help for peter_d. "Should I start Kenny Golladay or Marquise "Hollywood" Brown?"

We've got another "depends" question. If you feel your team is an underdog this week and are looking for a big score, then Brown is the play against Cleveland. Golladay is a safer option in a matchup with the Chiefs, as the Lions are going to playing from behind.

                                           

Ehaun is rubbing it in with this quarterback query. "Lamar Jackson or Deshaun Watson?"

At the King's Classic auction and snake drafts at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I selected four quarterbacks—Drew Brees twice, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck. I'm not kidding even a little. Patrick Mahomes is just about the only quarterback I'd start over Jackson right now—the Ravens QB's rushing yards give him a fantasy floor that's hard to beat at his position.

                                   

Back to the wide receiver position with GOATAGE. "Tyler Boyd or Nelson Agholor?"

Let's put it this way—Agholor's drop issues are so bad that a Good Samaritan called him out on TV after he caught babies being thrown out of a burning building. This actually happened. Boyd.

                          

Kadenp97 needs three starters from this group. "[Josh] Jacobs, Mixon, Golladay, Tyrell Williams and Hollywood Brown."

Mixon and Jacobs are relatively easy calls—especially with Jacobs feeling better after battling an illness in Week 3. For the last spot, go with the same answer I provided above for Brown vs. Golladay, depending on how you feel about your chances in Week 4.

                                        

Finally, BEAST24056 has a tight end problem. "Start [Will] Dissly or [Vance] McDonald?"

McDonald cooled way off in last week's loss to the 49ers and has a shoulder injury, while Dissly has quietly been on a nice little roll—11 catches for 112 yards and three touchdowns over the past two contests. The Cardinals just gave up a huge game to Greg Olsen and have been scorched by tight ends all season long. Dissly is the clear play here even if McDonald weren't banged up.

                                                           

Have other fantasy football start/sit questions? Post them here, on the Bleacher Report app or on Twitter @IDPSharks, and I'll do my best to help.

Gary Davenport was the Fantasy Sports Writers Association 2017 Football Writer of the Year.