After Week 1, everyone tells you not to overreact. It’s only one week, but by the time Week 3 is finished, we’re well into the fantasy football season, and it’s time to get busy or die trying.
Each week, we look at the safest and riskiest starts to help you prepare for all the action. Here are Week 4’s best and worst options. And below we dive into a few notable players.
After Week 1, everyone tells you not to overreact. It’s only one week, but by the time Week 3 is finished, we’re well into the fantasy football season, and it’s time to get busy or die trying.
Each week, we look at the safest and riskiest starts to help you prepare for all the action. Here are Week 4’s best and worst options. And below we dive into a few notable players.
Fantasy Football Outlook for Week 4
Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF) vs. Cardinals
The 49ers have a wealth of talent at almost every position, and it makes very little sense to rush a player like Brandon Aiyuk back from injury when the Niners’ hopes rest and fall upon the ability to make a deep playoff run. Aiyuk missed the Week 3 fixture against the New York Giants with a shoulder injury after securing 14 targets in the opening two games, turning them into 172 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This play becomes risky because the Niners play one of the worst defenses in the league, the Arizona Cardinals. The Niners should have far and away enough talent to beat the Cardinals without leaning into Aiyuk’s talents, and a savvy head coach would choose this opportunity to rest a player on the cusp of a breakout.
Keenan Allen (WR – LAC) vs. Raiders
The Chargers’ veteran wide receiver has been wide receiver one overall for the last two weeks running, and the last time he finished outside of the top 30 wide receivers was Week 7 of 2022 when he played only 32% of the snaps. Allen is simply an alpha wide receiver right now, and with Mike Williams lost to an ACL injury, Allen’s uptick is only going to get stronger. Regardless of opposition, we’re talking about a top 10 wide receiver for the rest of the season.
Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA) vs. Bills
During the offseason, people would grumble about the fact that Tagovailoa could possibly retire at any given point, and fantasy managers would be left holding the bag. Since then, Tua has been the QB1, QB26 and QB2 overall in fantasy points as his gel with Mike McDaniel’s system continues to flourish. Through three weeks, Tua is first in yards per attempt (10.1), first in passer rating (121.9), sixth in completion percentage (71.3) and first in PFF QB grades. The Dolphins face the Bills in Week 4, who have faced the fewest pass attempts through three weeks (75) but also haven’t really been tested. The Dolphins will do that, and you should have faith in them on the back of the demolition of Denver.
Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) vs. Titans
It was fair to worry about the Bengals’ offense before Week 3. After all, he totaled 17.2 PPR points while the Bengals offense looked truly awful, and everyone and their mother had questions about Joe Burrow‘s health. After Week 3’s comfortable destruction of the LA Rams, where Chase totaled 12 touches for 141 yards, Chase reestablished himself as one of the true alphas of the NFL. In Week 4, the Bengals face the pass-funnel Titans defense, who are solid against the run but have allowed the fourth most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers (149.8), along with the fourth most receiving yardage (684) and the fourth-highest catch rate (75%). The Titans simply can’t stop the Bengals, and Chase is a layup start this week.
-Tom Strachan
