Week 4 started with a bang. Another blah matchup gave us an exciting edition of Thursday Night Football. There were some fireworks on both sides of the ball, but we will focus on the notable IDP performances. Andrew Wingard solidified himself as a DB2 option with five solos and two assists. Logan Wilson produced like the borderline LB1 he has developed into with four solos, six assists, one sack, and one tackle for loss. Germaine Pratt and Akeem Davis-Gaither continue to trade productive days, leaving both more in the LB4 periphery than the LB3. Rayshawn Jenkins continues to look like a solid DB3 and should be rostered where feasible. Myles Jack, while disappointing, is still producing, just not at the borderline LB1 level many were hoping for. Alright, enough about players who shined to start Week 4–let’s take a look at five players to start and five players to sit.
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Start em
Jeremy Chinn (S/LB – CAR)
Chinn has been a massive disappointment to start the season. In three contests, he has totaled just nine solos and two assists. To put that in perspective, Chinn had four separate games with more combined tackles as a rookie. Chinn has managed just three solos in each outing. He had four or more solos in 12 of his 16 games last season. Chinn is still an every snap player but just hasn’t found a way to get it going yet. The Panthers get a high octane Dallas Cowboys offense in Week 4, a contest that should have a gamescript conducive to coaxing some production out of the talented hybrid safety/linebacker. Dallas has allowed the 10th most fantasy points to the safety position. Thanks to the great matchup, Chinn is a DB2 option for Week 4, albeit one with a low floor. Start him with confidence in all league sizes.
Trey Flowers (DE – DET)
Trey Flowers plays the Chicago Bears in Week 4. Nuff said. Start him. In all seriousness, Flowers has an excellent matchup this weekend against a struggling Bears offense surrendering the sixth-most fantasy points to the defensive end position. Matt Nagy’s ‘offense’ gave up nine sacks just last week, and whoever is under center for Chicago this week is likely to be under duress all game. Gamescript could limit sack opportunities, but the more likely scenario is the entire Lions defensive front having one of their best games of the season. Romeo Okwara is also a worthy start in deeper leagues, but Flowers is the Lions pass rusher to prioritize starting this week. Flowers has just 0.5 sacks this season but has been busy enough in the tackle department to maintain DL2 level production. Add a sack or two to his tackle production this week, and we are staring at DL1 upside. Start Flowers wherever possible.
Haason Reddick (DE/LB – CAR)
Hasson Reddick has been on fire for Carolina to start the season. He is the DL6 overall and is third in the league with 4.5 sacks. Reddick was excellent in Week 3, recording one solo, one assist, 1.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss. Reddick had 12.5 sacks last season and is on pace to smash his career-high in 2021. Week 4 gives him the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas has relinquished the seventh-most fantasy points to outside linebackers, giving Reddick DL1 upside. Start Reddick with confidence wherever possible.
Kenny Young (LB – LAR)
Kenny Young has been excellent for the Rams this season. The LB6 on the season (tied with Matt Milano), Young exploded with eight solos, two assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Young has played every snap in two of three games this season and is the linebacker to roster from the Rams. Week 4 gives him a tremendous matchup against an Arizona Cardinals offense, which has surrendered the second-most fantasy points to the linebacker position. Start Young as an elite LB2 option for Week 4.
Christian Kirksey (LB – HOU)
Much to the chagrin of some IDP managers, Kirksey has been outproducing LB1 Zack Cunningham this season. Cunningham seemed to get it going in Week 3, but through three contests, it appears that Kirksey may be the linebacker to roster from the Texans this season. With that said, we did see two productive linebackers co-exist in Week 3 and for much of last season with Benardrick McKinney and Tyrell Adams both producing at LB2 levels alongside Cunningham.
Kirksey is the LB10 through three weeks of action and had a strong Week 3, posting seven solos and three assists. He has been one of the most consistent producers at any position this season and needs to be started in Week 4 and beyond regardless of opponent. With that said, Kirksey has a plus matchup against a Buffalo Bills on tap for this weekend that could help him make good on what is now perceived as weekly LB1 level upside. Buffalo has surrendered the 13th most fantasy points to the linebacker position, making Kirksey a high floor, high ceiling option that fantasy managers should try to find a way to start.
Sit em
Carlos Dunlap (DE – SEA)
Carlos Dunlap has been one of the stranger disappointments to start the season. He was excellent upon arriving in Seattle last season but just hasn’t got it going in 2021. He has zero sacks on the season and has been playing a rotational role for the Seahawks defense. Seattle used him in a rotation last season as well, but in 2021, even with his snap share almost doubling, he has zero sacks, one solo, and three assists, total. Suffice it to say that Dunlap, despite his obvious talent, needs to be glued to fantasy benches for the time being. He has a decent matchup this week, but his floor is low enough to lose you the week. Wait until he starts to produce or has an A+ matchup before starting him again.
Yannick Ngakoue (DE – BAL)
Yannick Ngakoue just has not got it going with the Las Vegas Raiders this season. He is still a force opposite Maxx Crosby, but his production has been lacking. He has six pressures and four QB hurries on the season but has yet to record a sack, which is the only one of those three stats that actually generates fantasy points. He has just six combined tackles on the season, and five of them came in Week 1. He has seen his snap count rise to 73 percent but is going to be hard to trust until he starts producing. He gets a revamped Chargers offensive line in Week 4, which means he may have another tough day at the office. Los Angeles has limited opposing defensive ends to the 10th fewest fantasy points, making the struggling Ngakoue more of a borderline DL3 than the DL1/2 you drafted him to be. Keep him benched for Week 4.
Jayon Brown (LB – TEN)
Brown has struggled with injuries and production to open the 2021 season. He is no longer a borderline LB1 and is currently more of a borderline LB3. He should get back to LB2 value in short order, but it may not come this week against the New York Jets. New York has somehow limited opposing linebackers to the seventh-fewest fantasy points this season. While we would still recommend starting most linebackers playing at a high level against the Jets, doing so with Brown when he is working his way back to health and, as a result, not playing close to the level we expect of him is not going to happen. Brown is someone to keep stashed on the bench, but let him prove that he is healthy enough to produce before trusting him as anything more than an LB4. There are better options for this week.
Tremaine Edmunds (LB – BUF)
Edmunds has been struggling to open the season. Teammate Matt Milano has been soaking up the tackles leaving Edmunds to struggle for IDP production. He had a strong Week 3 but may have another down game this week against the Houston Texans. The Texans scream tasty matchup but have actually limited opposing linebackers to the 10th fewest fantasy points per game this season. And with Matt Milano going on another one of his hot runs, that may mean Edmunds treads closer to his floor than his ceiling. Edmunds is still an exceptional talent who should be kept on rosters, but if you are looking for LB2 production or better for Week 4, it may be wise to look elsewhere.
Minkah Fitzpatrick (S – PIT)
Minkah Fitzpatrick is elite. He is an elite player in real life, but when he is not getting interceptions, his status as one of the top safeties in the NFL does not always translate to fantasy production. Currently, the DB67, Minkah, has a tough Week 4 matchup against a Green Bay Packers team, limiting opposing safeties to the 10th fewest fantasy points per game. His only strong outing this season came against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, an offense that has surrendered the 10th most fantasy points per game. It is hard to recommend sitting elite talents like Minkah, but when a player is battling IDP consistency issues and has a non fantasy-friendly matchup, you look for other options. Roll with him if you can live with DB3/4 level production, but there may be better options if you are looking for a DB2 for Week 4.
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.
