Thursday Night Football was about what we expected. Two struggling NFC East teams met in a contest whose lone bright spot was the play of star receivers CeeDee Lamb and Malik Nabers. On the IDP side of things, Eric Kendricks had a throwback double-digit tackle performance, Micah Parsons continued his IDP struggles, Kayvon Thibodeaux notched his first full sack of the season, Micah McFadden got another start, and Tyler Nubin finally flashed some of his IDP upside. Looking ahead to this weekend, we will take a look at five players fantasy managers should do their best to plug into their lineups and five others who are better left on benches despite promising upside. Let’s dig in.

Fantasy Football IDP Start/Sit Week 4

Start em

Mack Wilson (LB – ARI)
Wilson played 86 percent of the snaps in Week 3, parlaying the playing time bump into three solos, five assists, one sack, and one tackle for loss. There is no reason he shouldn’t continue to dominate snaps over Krys Barnes, but the Cardinals are not an organization one should expend too much energy trying to figure out. Whatever the case, Wilson is going to be an LB3 option during the byes and has a plus Week 4 matchup on tap against Washington. Start him where needed.

Andrew Van Ginkel (DE/LB – MIN)
AVG was at it again in Week 3, notching five solos, one assist, one sack, and one tackle for loss. AVG is riding a three game sack streak and is getting extra burn with Dallas Turner injured, meaning he should be trusted as a DL3 option for Week 4, regardless of who is under center for the Green Bay Packers.

Christian Izien (S – TB)
Izien was excellent in Week 3, recording six solos and two assists. He has been impressive filling in for Antoine Winfield and should be firmly on the Week 4 radar if Winfield is ruled out again. If Winfield doesn’t practice by Thursday, you can plan on starting Izien for at least one more week. Tap Izien as a DB3 option for a plus Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Julian Blackmon (S – IND)
Blackmon was solid in Week 3, registering five solos and two assists. He has been surprisingly productive in the two games he’s played this season and should be viewed as a DB2 option for Week 4, thanks to a plus matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Start him everywhere until he cools down.

Baylon Spector (LB – BUF)
Spector disappointed in Week 3, tallying just three solos and three assists despite playing 80 percent of the snaps. Spector will get another start this weekend if Terell Bernard cannot go and should bounce back in a major way against the Baltimore Ravens. Spector managed seven solos in Week 2, so the tackle upside is there, and the Ravens should present him with plenty of opportunities. Start Spector with confidence as an LB3 option if Bernard is ruled out again.

Sit em

Justin Simmons (S – ATL)
Simmons shined on Sunday night, tallying two solos, three assists, one interception, and one pass defended. He intercepted a record sixth pass off Pat Mahomes, utilizing his increased familiarity with the quarterback from his days in the AFC West to create a splash play for the Falcons. Simmons has been uneven outside of this performance, however, and cannot be trusted outside of the byes. Leave him on benches for Week 4, despite a plus matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

Chuck Clark (S – NYJ)
Chuck Clark exploded in Week 3, tallying four solos, three assists, one sack, one tackle for loss, one fumble forced, and one fumble recovery. Clark will make for a strong DB3 play during the byes but should be left on benches for Week 4 despite an excellent matchup against the Denver Broncos.

Derick Hall (DE/LB – SEA)
Hall went off in Week 3, registering four solos, one assist, two sacks, one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble. He is up to three sacks on the season, so he should be rostered in deeper formats. However, trusting him as a top-36 or even a top-48 option is not advisable. Keep him stashed and ready to deploy during the byes, but leave him on benches for Week 4 against the Detroit Lions.

Nick Herbig (DE/LB – PIT)
Herbig showed up in Week 3, registering three solos, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble on 41 percent of the snaps. Herbig remains well behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith and is going to be hard to trust week to week, even during the byes. Look elsewhere for your Week 4 DL3/4.

Preston Smith (LB/DE – GB)
Preston showed up in Week 3, notching three solos, two sacks, and two tackles for loss against the Tennessee Titans. Preston is a low floor, bye-week-only option for those in deeper leagues at this point of his career, so the two sack outing with the byes approaching is a welcomed sign. With that said Preston should be left on benches for Week 4 despite the plus matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.