5 Start, 5 Sit for Week 4 of the 2023 NFL Season
It’s getting easier to know who is worth playing now. Trends are a little more visible and guys we thought might be lightning in a bottle have turned out to be a fart in a jar. What I have for you this week is a list of players that I think are worthy of your starting rosters this week followed by guys that might need to start applying for day jobs.
Start:
Jimmy Garoppolo vs LAC – Start
Garoppolo currently finds himself in concussion protocol, but the Raiders are confident that he’ll be able to suit up. If he does, he has a great matchup against a soft Chargers defense. “Jimmy G” has great receiving options and will likely be in a pass-heavy game script given how potent the Chargers’ offense is. Garoppolo has never been the type of quarterback to throw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns, but I think he will have a great game this weekend.
Raheem Mostert vs BUF – Start
Mostert is coming off of his best game of his career and he only played in 60% of it! He’s leading the league in touchdowns and is number 5 and 6 in receiving and rushing yards respectively. This week he is facing a much tougher defense, but knowing that he can put up 40 points, it’s hard to not recommend him. Mostert’s injury history might be putting a clock on how long he will be in playing shape, but until we see that, he’s an auto-start for my teams.
Adam Thielen vs MIN – Start
Adam Thielen is the lone bright spot on an otherwise lackluster offense. Regardless of who the quarterback has been, Thielen has shown himself to be a target hog (25 in 3 games). This week against another 0-3 team, he will certainly be a major part of the offense for the Panthers. The Vikings’ high-powered offense is likely to keep the game script in favor of passing for the Panthers, meaning Thielen will be useful during all four quarters. He’s had two straight weeks of top 20 finishes and I think he will keep the streak going.
Sam LaPorta vs GB – Start
Sam LaPorta has quickly become one of the premier tight ends in the league. He is second in targets, catches, and touchdowns and leads tight ends in yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown is still the #1 target in Detroit, but LaPorta has established himself as the clear #2. A very important divisional matchup in Green Bay this week means he should continue to perform at a high level so the Lions can cement themselves atop the NFC North.
Jakobi Meyers vs LAC – Start
I mentioned above that Jimmy Garoppolo has great receivers; obviously Davante Adams is one, but Jakobi Meyers is no slouch either. He has 16 catches on 22 targets for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns across the two games he’s played. Even with only those two games he is still in the top 20 receivers in fantasy. The Chargers’ defense gives up a lot of points to receivers and with Davante Adams pulling doubles teams away, Meyers is in for another big game.
Sit:
Trevor Lawrence vs ATL – Sit
As an owner of Trevor Lawrence in a number of dynasty leagues, I’m hoping that what we’ve seen this year is not a representation of his performance moving forward. Only 3 touchdowns through the first 3 games against opponents that really were chalked up as fairly easy victories does not bode well for the Jaguars. I know that any given week could be a bounce back for him, but Atlanta has been playing teams very tough and I’m not confident Trevor can make it happen. If you have a better option at quarterback this might be the week to try something else out.
Minnesota Running Backs vs CAR – Sit
The Vikings’ new running back room is…interesting to say the least. Alexander Mattison was supposed to be the guy but we’ve seen how that has turned out through three games (39 for 155 and no touchdowns on the ground). To remedy the apparent lack of run game, Minnesota traded for former Ram, Cam Akers. Akers has shown flashes of elite talent while in Los Angeles, but for whatever reason could not keep himself on the field. With both of these guys now vying for touches, I’m staying away until I can see who is going to be taking on which role and who will actually be scoring fantasy points.
New Orleans Wide Receivers vs TB – Sit
I normally would love this matchup if Derek Carr were the starting quarterback. With Jameis Winston, however, it’s a different story. Winston loves throwing the ball, it just ends up in the defense’s hands too often. With him running the offense, the fantasy value of basically every pass catcher on the team drops significantly. Chris Olave may still retain decent value, but he’s likely going to underperform for the roster spot you have him in. I’m fading the rest of the receivers until I see some good production.
Pat Freiermuth vs HOU – Sit
Along with most of the Steelers’ offense, Pat Freiermuth has been underwhelming this year. He’s been very touchdown dependent through three games, with over half of his fantasy points coming from his two touchdowns. Tight end is already a dying position and with production this meager from Pat, he is falling out of the cluster of startable players. Until I see more from him and the Steelers, I’m keeping him on the bench.
Brian Robinson vs PHI – Sit
On Wednesday, I was told that through the first three games this year, the Philadelphia Eagles have only allowed 6 rushing first downs. That is a CRUSHING rushing defense. They have three or four defensive lineman that could act as stalwart run stoppers on other teams all playing at the same time. All that being said, I worry for Brian Robinson this week. He has looked phenomenal this season, but I think this week is where things hit a wall. Nobody has been able to run on the Eagles consistently this year and I don’t see this being the week that starts.
If you want more offensive start/sit advice, follow me on X @TFFGRobbie. If you need IDP start/sit advice, give @ThePPRShow a follow as well.