Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice: Terry McLaurin, Michael Thomas, Jakobi Meyers (Week 4)

Last week was my best article of the season! We had some risky flex options heading into the week, but most of them came up huge. Kirk Cousins, Zack Moss, Raheem Mostert, George Pickens and Sam LaPorta all came through for us, and I’m hoping to keep that going here. What’s funny is that when these players play so well, they might not be eligible for the next article because they become must-start players.

That means we’re doing something right, so let’s get to the smash start flexes that we love for this week. Here are all of our picks for Week 4. And below we dive into a few notable players that we love starting in fantasy football this week.

Fantasy Football Smash Starts for Week 4 (2023)

Wide Receivers

Terry McLaurin (WAS) at PHI

Every “fantasy expert” was raving about Jahan Dotson in the offseason, but the sophomore has been invisible in this offense. Scary Terry is still the go-to guy, recording five receptions in back-to-back games. He’s done that with just six targets in each outing, but the double-digit target games should be right around the corner. It’s more likely in this matchup because Washington will have to throw to keep up with Philly. It’s not like the Eagles have a stout secondary either, surrendering the eighth-most passing yards in the NFL. In his two matchups with the Eagles last year, McLaurin picked up 14 catches for 240 yards.

Michael Thomas (NO) vs. TB

We only want to use Thomas in PPR leagues, but he’s a must-start flex in that format every week. The former stud doesn’t have a huge upside, but he’s one of the safest bets to record five catches every week. He’s done that in all three games this season and has done that in nine of his last 10 games over the last three years. That three-year stretch was the worst period of his career, too, because Thomas was the best receiver in football through the first four years of his career. He can return to glimpses of that, particularly in this matchup.

Tampa has allowed the ninth-most passing yards in the NFL, with Thomas averaging eight catches for 96 yards in 10 career matchups with the Bucs.

Jakobi Meyers (LV) at LAC

Meyers has always been a solid PPR option, and he’s found a tremendous role in this Vegas offense. The former Patriot has at least seven catches and 81 yards in each of his first two games, averaging 18 fantasy points per game. More importantly, he’s playing over 80% of the team’s snaps and has a 35% target share in those games. It’s clear that Davante Adams is opening things up for Meyers, which should remain the case all season.

The matchup with LA is the icing on the cake, with the Chargers allowing the most passing yards in the NFL this year and the most fantasy points to opposing wideouts.