You have lineup questions. We have answers. At least we hope. Start 'Em & Sit 'Em has helped fantasy managers for years make those pressing lineup decisions. And you know what is a good decision? Starting Patrick Mahomes. But that's too obvious, so you won't see that here. Instead here are some of the most-pressing questions. And, if you can't find a player you are looking for, please check out latest NFL Fantasy lineup rankings right here.
Start 'Em
Burrow was a start in last week's article and he went on to throw for 275 yards and three scores, en route to scoring 23 fantasy points and finishing as a top-five fantasy QB. It's time to go back for more in Week 4, as he takes on the Dolphins in what could be a high-scoring Thursday game. Burrow’s issues the first two weeks were no surprise -- he was under pressure far too often. He was sacked at least six times in each of those games. This week he faces a Dolphins defense that has picked up six sacks all season long. It also doesn’t hurt that Miami has allowed the most fantasy PPG to QBs this season (25.95).
The Raiders are 0-3, but Carr has still managed to score between 18 and 20 fantasy points in each of the last two games. He threw for 303 yards and two scores while scoring just under 20 fantasy points in Week 3, finishing as a top-six fantasy QB. Given the struggles of many “safe” QBs so far this season, that production will more than do. Carr had mixed results against Denver last year, throwing for 341 yards and two scores in the first matchup and just 201 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the second. Still, given how he’s played to open the season, paired with the fact that Vegas has thrown on 73 percent of their plays (the second-most in the NFL), it's enough to start Carr in Week 4.
This might seem like a bold call as it has been a rough start for Wilson so far in 2022 -- and to be honest, it probably is. This is part betting on the matchup, part betting on a past connection and part blind faith. First, the matchup. The Raiders have allowed 22.63 fantasy PPG to QBs this season, the fourth-most in the NFL. Every QB to face them has topped 18 fantasy points, with two of the three topping 23 points. As for the past connection, this was brought to my attention from a tweet by Benjamin Allbright that pointed out that Aaron Rodgers started off slowly in Nathaniel Hackett’s offense in 2019. After three slow games, Rodgers exploded in the fourth game throwing for 422 yards and two touchdowns. There is no guarantee that Wilson has a similar breakout, but a veteran QB in a good matchup means it's possible. As for blind faith, Wilson is much better than what we have seen so far. I mean, right? I will trust Russ here, but if he struggles, he might find himself on the other side of this article.
It's been a rough start for the G.O.A.T. this season, as he has yet to throw multiple passing touchdowns or top 15 fantasy points in any of the first three weeks. Not to make excuses for Brady, but he has faced three tough defenses in the Cowboys, Saints and Packers, and has been without many of his top weapons. Mike Evans returns this week, and there is a chance one of his other receivers (Julio Jones or Chris Godwin) could return. Plus, this is a matchup in which the Bucs could be chasing points going against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. So far this season, Kansas City has allowed 20.61 fantasy PPG to QBs, which falls inside the top 10 in the NFL right now. Give the G.O.A.T. one more chance this week.
Sit 'Em
Cousins and the Vikings will play the Saints in London this week. It’s a tough matchup as New Orleans has allowed just 13.3 fantasy PPG to QBs -- which is slightly inflated by Marcus Mariota's performance in Week 1. The Saints limited Baker Mayfield and Tom Brady to under 11 fantasy points, but Mariota scored just under 20 fantasy points against this defense. That was because he rushed for 72 yards and a touchdown while only throwing for 215 yards. Cousins is not going to put numbers up like that with his legs, and the Saints are in the bottom three in terms of passing yards allowed. Plus, it's Cousins in a standalone game if you believe that narrative. The matchup is too scary. Get away from Cousins this week.
Rodgers’ next top-10 fantasy QB finish will be his first of the season. He has been better the past two weeks, but Rodgers has still yet to reach 17 fantasy points in a game this season. Not only that, but Green Bay is just throwing at a reduced rate. Currently, the Packers have thrown the ball on 58 percent of their plays, which ranks 25th and is below the league average of 63 percent. Plus, it’s a small sample size of three games, but in his career against Bill Belichick and the Patriots, Rodgers is averaging just 219.7 passing yards per game. Rodgers is not a QB1 this week and should not be in your starting lineup.
Lawrence broke out in Week 3, throwing for 262 yards with three touchdowns and 25 fantasy points while finishing as a top-five fantasy QB. While I like Lawrence as a waiver wire pickup and potential breakout this season, this week is a tough spot to trust him. The Eagles defense has been awesome the last two weeks and have the second-most sacks in the league with 12. They picked up nine alone last week against the Commanders. They also have four interceptions already. The Eagles are loaded with talent and have allowed just 11.59 fantasy PPG to QBs, the seventh-fewest in the NFL, and they’ve been especially tough the last two games. Sit Lawrence this week out of respect for the matchup.
Wentz was hot entering Week 3, but that ended against the Eagles as they limited him to just 8.64 fantasy points. A large part of that was he was sacked nine times. In Week 4, Wentz faces another divisional opponent, and one that knows him very well in the Cowboys. They are also a defense that can get after the QB for plenty of sacks. In Week 2, they got to Burrow seven times. Dallas has a league-leading 13 sacks on the season and has limited QBs to just 13.56 fantasy PPG.
Follow Michael Florio on Twitter @MichaelFFlorio.
