As we progress through the season, we start to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Through 3 weeks there is still plenty of time left for any team or IDP to turn it around for the better. Regardless, we are starting to see how teams are using said IDP players. Week 4 is officially the quarter mark of the NFL season. For accountability let’s take a look at how we did in week 3 of the NFL!
*Side note- a sit to me is somebody that will get 10 or less fantasy points for you.*
Week 3 Starts (3 Pass, 2 Fail)
Matthew Judon– 20 pts – Pass; George Karlaftis– 5 pts – Fail; Ivan Pace– 7 pts – Fail; Kendall Fuller– 24 pts – Pass; Jevon Holland– 26 pts – Pass
Week 3 Sits (5 pass)
Yannick Ngakoue– 5 pts – Pass; Haason Reddick– 0 pts – Pass; Dennis Gardeck– 6 pts – Push; Patrick Surtain– 9 pts- Pass; Jason Pinnock – 9 pts – Pass
Now that we see that let’s get into my week 4 Starts & Sits for the IDP!
START
DL- Jarran Reed (SEA) @ New York Giants (START)
Last week was his best game of the season. This week he gets another what should be easy opponent. At least for him. Saquon Barkley is still out meaning if the team chooses to run it is with Matt Brieda. Reed can stop Brieda. The Giants have allowed 12 sacks on the season. They also have the worst pass blocking grade according to PFF with 34.9. Reed has a chance to capitalize on his momentum with another stellar performance. This would be a good week to start him.
Edge- Danielle Hunter (MIN) @ Carolina Panthers (START)
Hunter is currently second in the league for sacks with 5. He now goes against a Panthers team that just allowed 3 sacks. A team that has allowed 9 all season. He should be a start most of the season for you, but this week especially. The Panthers through 3 weeks have a bottom 3 offense on PFF. This could be a monster game for Hunter. Fire him up in all formats!
LB- Henry To’oTo’o (HOU) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (START)
The rookie continues to see increase playing time. He made the most of his opportunity starting with Denzel Perryman being injured. He has seen 20+ more snaps each week through the season. The coaching staff trust him to be their guy in the middle. Expect him to be the leader yet again against a Steelers team struggling to find their run game. Pittsburgh has the worst offensive rating (54.0) and pass blocking rating (28.7) on PFF right now. This is good for To’oTo’o. The best part is there might be a slim chance he is on your waiver too! Grab him and start him this week.
DB- Terell Smith (CHI) vs. Denver Broncos (START)
Smith finished the game after starting corner Jaylon Johnson went out with a hamstring injury. He could not ask for a better matchup. He plays the Broncos. Yes, the Bears are the worst team in the NFL right now. The Broncos are the second worst. This is an opportunity for Smith to capitalize against a struggling offense. Possibly even prove he is worth more than a 5th round pick; pick 165.
S- Brian Branch (DET) @ Green Bay Packers (START)
Branch saw his first official start of the season last week. He did not disappoint. He played every defensive snap finishing with 11 solo tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 pass deflections. This matchup screams even better opportunity for him. Jordan Love has impressed this season, but he also has a less than 55% completion. Look for Branch to take advantage of that. He is a must start, especially if Kerby Joseph is out again.
SIT
DL- Ed Oliver (BUF) vs Miami Dolphins (SIT)
Oliver has looked okay for the Bills thus far. He has connected for 2 sacks already after having only 2.5 last season through 14 games. The Dolphins have allowed only one sack this season. Their offense is the fastest in the league. Oliver may get 4 or 5 tackles this week. What keeps him afloat though is his ability to get the sacks. The Dolphins lead the league in pass blocking right now. This means Oliver is in for a huge test this week. A test that I do not think allows him to get a sack. Avoid him in your lineups.
DL- Daron Payne (WAS) vs Philadelphia Eagles (SIT)
After a 20 point fantasy showing in week 2, Payne came back to earth last week with 10 fantasy points. I love Payne. I think he is worth every penny he got paid. He has struggled to get anything going against the Eagles. They are stronger than they were in previous years. The Eagles have the best run blocking in the game right now. Payne has averaged 6.3 fantasy points per game against the Eagles in his career. I do not see him improving that fantasy outlook much, if any, this week. Keep him on your bench.
LB- Rashan Gary (GB) vs Detroit Lions (SIT)
He had 3 sacks on only 38% of snaps. He has lingering knee injury. He now faces one of the best offensive lines in the game. According to PFF, the Lions are one of two teams in the top 6 when it comes to pass blocking and run blocking. I do not expect him to get another three-sack performance. At least not this week. Monitor his injury, but even safer just keep him on your bench.
CB- Kei’Trel Clark (AZ) @ San Francisco 49ers (SIT)
The sixth-round pick is making a name for himself. Clark has played 99% of the defensive snaps this season. Missing only 2 snaps all season. Over the past 2 weeks, he has 15 tackles with 4 pass deflections. I think this week he comes back down to earth a little. I benched Pinnock last week for similar reasons. Although Clark has been playing great, he has one of the team’s worst run defensive grades. He now plays a run first type of team. Clark’s weakest attribute. This is also a team that finds success in making opponents miss tackles. Clark is a great pickup for you right now on the waivers. If you acquire him, I would bench him this week.
S- Kyle Hamilton (BAL) @ Cleveland Browns (SIT)
A stud amongst studs for sure! Last week he was the best defensive back in the NFL. He had 9 tackles, 3 sacks, forced fumble, and 1 pass deflection. A dominant performance. The two weeks prior he had 7 total tackles only. Cleveland is almost a 50/50 split in terms of running and passing. More so now with the injury to Nick Chubb. The addition of Kareem Hunt will help now that he has had a week to practice. These division games in the AFC North can be run the ball, low scoring games. I expect this one to be. Hamilton will not repeat his week 3 performance. I think it is closer to his week one or week two performance. Sometimes it pays to bench the studs. This week is one of those weeks.
That is my week 4 start/sits for the IDP positions.
Thank you for reading. Follow me on X at @ThePPRShow for more! If you need offensive start/sit advice, give @TFFGRobbie a follow for his weekly offensive start/sit articles! Peace & Love.
For additional IDP lineup advice, check out our Start/Sit Tool and our Week 4 IDP Rankings.