Time is flying, we are now entering Week 4 of the 2021 season, and continuing our Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em series. This week has some nice matchups, so there are plenty of reasons to be excited already. I hope your fantasy season is off to a good start too.
As always, if you are struggling with a decision you can checkout our rankings for each Week. Or, if you want a more personal touch, reach out on social media. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server.
Start 'Em
Kirk Cousins v SEA
Last week I said that Cousins was the guy you put in your lineup and you wouldn’t be excited about. Well, that feels to me like it’s changing. This Vikings offense is rolling, and imposing itself onto defenses. The Browns defense is a solid unit, which means he is going to be overlooked in some leagues, but I’m happy to put him in.
Jalen Hurts v KC
I’ll be totally honest, in the offseason I was worried about what Hurts would be this season. Yes, he has the rushing upside, but was yet to prove himself as a passer. In this matchup though, he may have some more success. The Chiefs have really struggled on defense so far this season.
Taylor Heinicke @ATL
Welcome into the segment within the article of ‘who are the Falcons playing?’ This week it’s Washington’s turn, meaning Heinicke is the next man up who you slot into your lineup. The reason is clear, the Falcons are one of the worst against the position. That means plenty of opportunities for Heinicke to put up yards. They even allowed Daniel Jones to throw on them!
Matt Ryan v WAS
Ryan is also a player worth rolling out. The reason is the matchup. Washington are rock bottom against the position. Some of that might be that the team have faced the Chargers and Bills, but they did also face Daniel Jones who looked good. Give Matty Ice another chance.
Peyton Barber @LAC
Barber being a start relies upon Josh Jacobs being out of the game. The Raiders are doing well on offense, and Barber is an important part of what the team are doing on the ground. Barber is heavily involved in the redzone especially. Against the Chargers who have struggled to contain the position this season, I’d be confident putting Barber in my lineup.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire @PHI
Edwards-Helaire has looked better last time out, getting 17 attempts out of the backfield, despite fumbling. The Cowboys, well Ezekiel Elliott, ran through the Eagles defense. We might not see the same production, but he is worth at least a flex start.
Eli Mitchell v SEA
Seattle are the worst at defending the RB position. They just got ripped apart by the Vikings who were without Dalvin Cook. The 49ers are a great backfield, and even if Trey Sermon is involved (who is also a good start), there should be enough production to go around.
Zack Moss v HOU
Moss currently has the edge in the redzone over Devin Singletary, so he gets the write up. Infact, he is only just behind Josh Allen in redzone touches, who has long been the vulture in the offense at the goal-line. The Bills are expected to blow out the Texans, which brings both RBs into play.
Odell Beckham @MIN
Beckham returned to the field and looked to be back to his old ways. He led the team in targets and receiving yards, and now faces one of the worst defenses against the WR position this season.
Olamide Zaccheaus v WAS
Ridley is an auto-start, you don’t need me to tell you that. This week though, you can look to other parts of the Falcons offense. The Washington Football Team are great against the run, but have struggled to stop WR production. As a result, Zaccheaus is in play this week.
Jaylen Waddle v IND
Waddle was heavily targetted last week, infact his 13 targets doubled his total for the season. The Colts defense has allowed some big weeks to WRs this season. While the Dolphins have had to pivot to backup Jacoby Brissett, he has been a productive part of the offense.
DeVonta Smith v KC
Smith leads the Eagles in targets, two ahead of Jalen Reagor. The Chiefs defense is not good, and has allowed teams to move up and down on them. It’s one of the reasons I like Jalen Hurts this week, so choosing his top target too is logical.
Noah Fant v BAL
Fant has stepped up as a leading receiver for the team. Baltimore’s defense is also the worst against the position. Yes, this is skewed by the fact that they have faced Darren Waller, Travis Kelce and T.J. Hockenson, but Fant should see a similar level of volume.
Logan Thomas @ATL
The Washington Football Team have a great matchup against Atlanta’s defense. The matchup should be a good one for Thomas to impress. He has enjoyed a good target share all season, and should be a decent option as a result.
New Orleans Saints v NYG
The Saints offense has been inconsistent, but the defense is legit. They held Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 and absolutely destroyed the Patriots last week. This they matchup against a Giants unit that has been inconsistent, and with weak protection.
Tennessee Titans @NYJ
The Titans aren’t a great unit, but they do have some players with ability. The Jets offense on the other hand look to be the opposite. Zach Wilson started out the season well, but is suffering a lack of confidence and missing parts of his OL.
Younghoe Koo v WAS
Koo was fantastic last season. A league winner. Nut the Falcons offense has on the whole been less than good. This week he goes into a matchup against Washington who have allowed FG attempts this season.
Chase McLaughlin @MIN
McLaughlin had a good game last week, with two long-range attempts. The Vikings defense has found a way to bend but not break. That could lead to some more FG attempts. And if the Browns do score, McLaughlin should have plenty of kicking chances.
Sit 'Em
Daniel Jones @NO
You might not need to read this, but I wanted to just reiterate that you can’t trust Jones. Yes, the past two weeks he hasn’t been bad. But, he now faces a tough defense in the New Orleans Saints. Even in a 2QB league, don’t do it!
Ryan Tannehill @NYJ
Tannehill might hurt me on Sunday after putting him as a sit. And this isn’t a remark on the Jets being a good pass defense. It’s just the Titans won’t need to pass the ball. The rushing defense is awful, and that means Derrick Henry is going to be looking to have a big game. Mix in the fact that A.J. Brown is set to miss the game, and Julio Jones missed some time last week, bench him.
Ty’Son Williams @DEN
What a difference a week makes. Last week, there were high expectations for Williams to breakout against Detroit. He wasn’t involved, and now has a tough matchup against Denver. The Broncos haven’t allowed any RB to score this season. That might not be overly surprising considering their matchups. Regardless, this defense is tough.
Tony Pollard v CAR
The Panthers defense is the best defense against the RB position. So while you are still going to be playing Ezekiel Elliott, who should have plenty of touches to make up for a lack of efficiency, Pollard isn’t going to be that solid of a start.
James Robinson @CIN
The Bengals defense is pretty solid against the position. And they have faced some tough RBs during that time. Given that Trevor Lawrence has struggled at the start of his NFL career, we could see a bad game from the Jaguars backfield.
Marquise Brown @DEN
Brown might end up being ok, if he gets the volume to be effective. But this matchup is a tough one, with the Denver secondary becoming a solid unit. The opposition that they have faced to date isn’t the best in the league, but given the volume they have faced to have a massively low production number is impressive.
Emmanuel Sanders v HOU
Sanders stole headlines last week, with a great box score. That led to him being picked up from waivers if available, and a tempation to put him straight in your lineup. The Bills have a multitude of weapons on offense, but Cole Besley is the one they have looked to in the redzone. And Diggs will still get his. Given the matchup against Houston we could see the running game be more heavily used.
Juju Smith-Schuster @GB
The Steelers offense has only a few weapons that are left that are fit. That is a massive concern, with the Packers defense playing at home and looking stronger with each passing week.
Mike Gesicki v IND
Gesicki bit me last week, as I had him as a sit. That could well happen again his week, as Jacoby Brissett looked to Gesicki often last week. Against a tough Colts defense against TE, I’m anticipating they go elsewhere on offense.
Evan Engram @NO
Engram made his season debut last week, immediately stepping into get six targets. That’s the good news. The bad news is that happened against an awful Atlanta defense, and only caught two of those passes. This week he faces a tough Saints unit.
New England Patriots v TB
The Patriots defense is a good unit. It is. But the Patriots are now facing a game against Tom Brady. The veteran QB is at the head of one of the most potent scoring offenses, and has great protection from his OL.
Chris Boswell @GB
The Steelers offense isn’t what it was. There might be some kicking opportunities, but not enough consistently to put Boswell in my lineup.
Well that’s it for our Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em for Week 4 of the 2021 season. Remember, you can check out rankings for each Week. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server.
Image Credit: Ken Blaze – USA TODAY Sports
