Welcome back to my weekly Start/Sit HUB! Mike Hubbard Jr here, providing you with information that can help you win your fantasy league week in and week out. For all things fantasy football, follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) and Instagram (@fantasyhubbard). You can tweet me or message me on either social media with any questions you might have regarding the fantasy football season.
We have made it to week 4 fantasy followers! 3 weeks complete and a lot more to go. REMINDER THAT THE SAINTS AND VIKINGS PLAY IN LONDON SUNDAY AT 9:30AM EST. Regardless of your fantasy teams record I hope you are having fun and learning so you can just keep getting better. Sample sizes will start to grow and that usually makes expectations easier to predict and puts a little more control in your game. Obviously not much is in your control in fantasy due to injuries, covid, and other real-life situations. The season is a long one and you shouldn’t be overconfident or feeling defeated just yet. Hold tough and keep putting your team in the best position to win each week on your road to that championship.
MNF had a matchup between the Giants and Cowboys. The Cowboys took care of business with a score of 23-16 (shout out to me for the correctly predicted score in my TRADE HUB article). Zeke, Lamb, and Barkley had the 3 TDs on the night and the Cowboys defense feasted sacking Daniel Jones 5 times and rushing him more than he has ever been rushed before. Giants take on Chicago next while the Cowboys have a date with Washington. Both games are winnable for both teams. But like I said in my TRADE HUB article, it currently feels like a race for 2nd in the NFC East.
Week 4 has some great matchups to look forward to. The 2 games I am looking forward to the most are Bills @ Ravens and the Chiefs @ Buccaneers. 2 games with 4 amazing QBs. Lamar and Allen can burn you with their feet and Brady and Mahomes can sling it with the best of them. This week we have only 3 games with a spread of 6 or higher and 1 of those is the Lions favored over Seattle. That is an interesting line knowing that Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift might not be playing due to injuries.
I’m here every week during the fantasy football season with start and sit suggestions that can impact your team each week. My decisions as always include obvious and not so obvious picks. I would also like to clarify that my sit suggestions are based on the assumption you have or can add a player that has a better chance at success. Good luck this week and continue to check out my weekly articles.
START OF THE WEEK
Start – Michael Pittman Jr – Pittman played in week 1 and in week 3 but missed week 2. In those 2 games he had 15 combined receptions for 193 yards and a TD. It is also worth noting the Colts tied and won while Pittman played, and they lost 24-0 without him. Pittman gets the Titans defense that has been lackluster in trying to contain WRs. Pittman leads the Colts in every WR stat despite missing that 2nd game of the season. The line favors the Colts by 3 and I only think that can happen if Pittman is heavily involved. Start Pittman and don’t overthink it.
Vikings @ Saints (London)
Start – Chris Olave – Olave has been great for the Saints so far this season as a rookie. He leads the team in all receiving categories with the exception of TDs. Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry are both a little banged up going into week 4 so Olave should be the healthiest and most productive pass catcher for the Saints. Olave has a mind blowing 13 targets in each of his last 2 games and turned week 3s targets into 147 receiving yards. The rookie is 7th in the NFL in receiving yards for WRs through 3 games with 268 yards. Olave is taking his talents to London and should be able to impress overseas.
Sit – Irv Smith Jr – Irv has started the season decently finding the end zone in week 2. Other than his TD, his stats are 7 receptions for 68 receiving yards on 16 targets. He was held without a catch in week 1 and he has caught less than 50% of his targets. Irv is a great TE and should become a bigger name hopefully sooner than later, but this week he is on the bench facing a defense that has shut down opposing TEs so far. The Saints haven’t allowed a TE over 20 yards in any of the first 3 games. He is worth owning but not a starter for me this week.
Jaguars @ Eagles
Start – DeVonta Smith – DeVonta has played stellar football in his last 2 games. Jalen Hurts is balling like an MVP and Smith is one of many to directly benefit. What started as a 4 target and no receptions week 1 has turned into 15 receptions for 249 receiving yards and a TD. 19 targets combined the last 2 games is fantastic for the 2nd year Heisman winner. Smith is on a roll and with Dallas Goedert slightly shaken up, Smith and AJ Brown are in for heavy targets. Fire up Smith with confidence this week.
Sit – James Robinson – Don’t get me wrong, I think Robinson is great and he is showing out with at least 1 TD in each of his first 3 games this season. The Eagles are favored by 6.5 which leads me to believe the Eagles will continue to put up points. Jags might be playing catch up in this one so Robinsons usage could decrease significantly as Lawrence will be airing it out to his WRs and TEs. If you can afford to bench Robinson, I say go for it, but only if his replacement has equal or better upside.
Browns @ Falcons
Start –Drake London – Drake has been a bright spot for the 1-2 Falcons. London is a rookie WR out of USC and the 8th overall pick in this year’s draft. All London has done so far is lead his entire team in receiving stats. Kyle Pitts has the next best stats thus far, but it isn’t very close. Drake gets the Browns this weekend who haven’t had much success against opposing WRs at this point in the early season. London should be able to continue his averages of over 8 targets per game and over 70 receiving yards.
Sit – Donovan Peoples-Jones – DPJ went from a decent week 1 to a vanish into thin air act. Only 4 targets over the last 2 games and he only caught 1 of those for 10 yards. Even when DPJ had his 11 targets in week 1 he only turned them into 60 receiving yards without any scores. Although Atlanta is a great defense to be a WR against, it’s becoming clear that Jacoby Brissett favors Cooper and Njoku over him and it shows in the stats. Not to mention Cleveland is a rushing team primarily. Easy sit here and you can feel safe dropping him if you own him and want a bench spot.
Commanders @ Cowboys
Start – Noah Brown – Brown has established himself as the WR2 in Dallas right now. CeeDee Lamb is WR1, but the stats are favoring Brown. Lamb may have 34 targets, but he has only caught ½ of those and went for 191 yards and 1 TD. Brown is 2nd on the team in targets with 21 and 2nd in receptions with 15. That means he catches almost 75% of balls thrown his way. Brown leads the Cowboys in receiving yards so far with 213. He found the endzone in week 2 and will be looking to do it again against the terrible Washington defense. Fire up all the Cowboys.
Sit – Terry McLaurin – Scary Terry didn’t look too scary last week until he was able to rack up some garbage points and wound up with 102 receiving yards which was almost half of Wentz passing yards. Terry should draw a lot of attention from the Cowboys secondary so I’m thinking he might have a rough day. Last season Terry played Dallas twice and the combined stats were 3 receptions for 40 yards on 9 targets. Terry is usually an almost always start but with Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson in the mix things could get more complicated. Bench Terry this week unless you don’t have any other options. For what it’s worth the game is in Dallas.
Seahawks @ Lions
Start – Jamaal Williams – Mr. steal your TD is going to get more playing this week given the news that D’Andre Swift is hurt and could miss time. Williams should get even more opportunities throughout the game and especially in the red zone. He has averaged over 12 carries per game and that was with Swift playing. Williams should run all over Seattle and build on his 4 rushing TDs which is tied for most in the NFL with Nick Chubb.
Sit – Rashaad Penny – Penny is RB1 for Seattle with rookie Kenneth Walker III behind him on the depth chart. Penny has 141 rushing yards on 32 attempts bring his yards per carry to 4.4. Seattle has been a rush heavy team although that doesn’t seem to be the script thus far. Penny should get his carries in this game, but the Lions have been putting up points averaging 31+ points per game which could mean Seattle will be using Geno Smiths arm a lot more. Unless Seattle can keep it close, I would only want Metcalf and Lockett in my lineup.
Titans @ Colts
Start – Michael Pittman Jr – SEE START OF THE WEEK ABOVE
Sit – Treylon Burks – Burks is another first round WR from this year’s NFL draft. He shows promise but it might not immediate. The Titans like to feed Henry and pass less than most teams. In fact, only 4 teams have thrown the ball less then Tennessee. Indianapolis also has a good defense, especially defending the pass. Burks has 13 targets out of Tannehill’s 80 passing attempts which means he is targeted 16.25% of the time. Seems like a decent number until you see Robert Woods with better stats and realize that no Tennessee WRs have scored a TD yet this season.
Bears @ Giants
Start – Khalil Herbert – I love Herbert this week as long as David Montgomery is limited or out against the Giants. The Bears have thrown the least amount of passes this season and it’s by a wide margin. Herbert should get plentiful carries like he did after Montgomery went down in the 1st quarter of week 3. Herbert is coming off a performance that included 157 rushing yards and 2 TDs. Khalil is 7th in the NFL in rushing yards and is the only back up RB in that group of players. Herbert will be looking for his 4th TD of the season this Sunday.
Sit – Darnell Mooney – Another week another sit spot for Mooney. It pains me to write about him knowing I drafted him in my league and have all the regret. Like I’ve said a few times already, the Bears don’t pass enough. Mooney is the most targeted Bear, yet he only has 4 receptions for 27 yards. Mooney is most likely to be targeted but what’s the point on this offense? Have to hope for a promising performance and then consistency. Neither are trending in the correct direction making Mooney a definite bench spot.
Jets @ Steelers
Start – Tyler Conklin – Conklin has been a great TE for the Jets this season. So far this season his receptions and reception yards have both increased each week. Despite being a TE, he is 2nd on the team in targets and is tied for 1st in receptions. Tyler is tied with Travis Kelce and Tyler Higbee with 24 targets this season which is only behind Mark Andrews and Zach Ertz for NFL TEs. He is 2nd in receptions with 18 out of every TE in the NFL behind only Mark Andrews. The Steelers just gave up 89 receiving yards and a TD to David Njoku last week so Conklin has a good shot at a promising performance.
Sit – Chase Claypool – Claypool continues to struggle this season with the Steelers. 6 targets every game is actually pretty good and consistent, but he turned those 18 targets into just 11 receptions for 79 yards and no scores. Pat Freiermuth is looking like a better pass catcher to target on the Steelers after Diontae Johnson and the pass catching RB Najee Harris. Claypool needs to break a few tackles after a catch to get some momentum going moving forward.
Bills @ Ravens
Start – Gabe Davis – The Ravens are giving up the most receiving yards to opposing WRs so far this season. Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are obvious must starts on any week but especially this week. Ravens have given up 68 points in their last 2 games so look for the Bills to keep that trend going. Davis has 7 receptions for 125 yards and a TD after 3 weeks. Isaiah McKenzie is stealing some of the spotlight, but I believe that Davis will get more looks and produce plenty as he starts to reestablish himself in the offense after being banged up. Davis scored 10 TDs in his last 9 games. I like Davis a lot this week.
Sit – JK Dobbins – Dobbins started last week for the Ravens after missing the first 2 games of the season. In that week 3 game, Dobbins had 7 carries for 23 yards and caught both of his targets for 17 receiving yards. The problem here is that Justice Hall also saw touches and made the better of them winding up with 6 carries for 60 yards. If the split there isn’t worrisome, Lamar Jackson MVP numbers might be. Lamar took 11 of the 26 rush attempts in week 3 and went for over 100 rushing yards and a TD. Dobbins is on his way back to being fully healthy but his role on the team is currently limited and everyone including Dobbins is in Lamar’s shadow. Lamar is also the only Raven to score a rushing TD this season.
Chargers @ Texans
Start – Austin Ekeler – Ekeler is in such a great position this week. Texans are giving up the most fantasy points to opposing RBs and Ekeler is a top 5 RB in this league. Texans have let opponents rush for 607 yards through 3 weeks. That is 136 yards more than the next closest team. Chargers are coming off a disappointing loss and if they want to win, they know they should run the ball with Ekeler and establish dominance early. Ekeler only had 5 rushing yards in week 3 and is averaging just 27 rushing yards per game. His saving grace is that he catches 7+ targets each game. Ekeler should be great this week if everything goes according to plan. Easy and obvious starter.
Sit – Gerald Everett – Everett started the season with a TD in week 1 and then followed that up with a 10-target game in week 2. Week 3 was a game to forget for all Chargers including Everett who finished with 2 receptions for 25 yards on 6 targets. Gerald takes on Houston this weekend who may be terrible against the run, but they haven’t been bad at defending the pass. Everett is outside my top 12 TEs this week knowing that they should rush a lot and Herbert should have Palmer, Williams, and Allen back on the field together.
Cardinals @ Panthers
Start – Marquise Brown – Marquise is getting better every week improving his targets, receptions, and receiving yards each week this season. His only score came in week 1 but his targets are increasing dramatically. 6 targets in week 1, 11 in week 2, and 17 in week 3. Yes 17 targets in week 13. Only 3 players in the NFL have more target than Hollywood and those 3 players are Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs, and Ja’Marr Chase. That’s great company to be in. Brown also ranks 3rd in the NFL in receptions with 24. Brown could be in for another monster target game against the Panthers who are middle of the pack in defensing opposing WRs.
Sit – DJ Moore – DJ is struggling this season to find his flow and hit his stride. Moore has 6 targets in each game thus far which leads the team in that category. When it comes to receptions however, he ranks 3rd on the team with 7. Laviska Shenault Jr has just 2 receptions this season and still has 2 more receiving yards than Moore and they both have a TD. Baker Mayfield might have been the problem in Cleveland and he’s bringing that to Carolina. Christian McCaffrey is the only Panther I feel safe starting this week.
Patriots @ Packers
Start – Romeo Doubs – I’m taking a shot this week with the rookie Romeo. Drafted in the 4th round of the 2022 draft, Doubs is a WR that is there to help fill the gaping hole that Davante Adams left behind. Doubs is lucky to have 4-time MVP Aaron Rodgers throwing to him. Romeo is currently leading the 2-1 Packers in receptions, targets, and receiving yards. Doubs might just be WR1 in Green Bay moving forward so if he is unowned in your league you should scoop him up while you can. When Rodgers drops back to pass, the first thing he should be doing is asking himself “Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?”. Fire up Doubs and hopefully we’ll see him doing a Lambeau leap Sunday.
Sit – Jakobi Meyers – Jakobi is dealing with an injury that left him out of week 3. He had a promising 13 targets in week 2 but this week isn’t very favorable for him. He has to face the Packers in Green Bay who have been decent/average against the pass through 3 weeks. Meyers is a great WR, but he will be without Mac Jones, be fighting for targets with DeVante Parker after his great week 3, and reminder he has scored just 2 TDs in 3 years. I’ll sit Meyers with confidence this week.
Broncos @ Raiders
Start – Javonte Williams – Javonte Williams is such a talented dual threat RB with versatility and quickness. Williams is a RB that has to share time with Melvin Gordon yet still leads the team in rushing attempts and rushing yards, while being 2nd on the team in targets and receptions. Javonte is a PPR beast and is behind only Ekeler and McKissic in receptions by a RB in the NFL. Williams is in a good spot against the 0-3 Raiders who have let opposing RBs rack up fantasy points pretty easily. Broncos should utilize Javonte often if they want to beat the desperate Raiders in Vegas.
Sit – Josh Jacobs – Jacobs has 42 rushing attempts this season which has led to 192 rushing yards. No other RB has over 6 carries. Jacobs has to play the Broncos this weekend which is not the greatest matchup. The Broncos have allowed the 6th least rushing yards this season and have yet to allow a RB to score a rushing TD (Jacobs hasn’t scored this season). Start Jacobs only if you don’t have 2 top 20 RBs with better matchups.
Chiefs @ Buccaneers
Start – Leonard Fournette – Lenny has rushed for 227 rushing yards through week 3 which comes to an average of 75+ rushing yards each game. Fournette is also 3rd on the team in targets and 2nd on the team in receptions. Lenny is in the top 10 for rushing yards in the NFL. Fournette has yet to score a TD like he said was coming in a tweet, but hopefully that changes this week at home against the Chiefs. Look for Fournette to steal the spotlight in a showdown between Brady and Mahomes.
Sit – Clyde Edwards-Helaire – CEH has played well this season which has helped get KC to a 2-1 record and he personally contributed 3 TDs (2 receiving 1 rushing). CEH and the Chiefs are coming off a dreadful loss to the then winless Colts. Clyde didn’t get even 1 rushing yard, yet he scored a rushing TD… I know weird. He is averaging 4 targets and 4 receptions each game going into week 4. CEH has a tough matchup against the Bucs who have yet to allow a rushing TD and hold offenses to an average of under 80 rushing yards per game. Keep your eye on Jerick McKinnon moving forward to see how his playing time changes and/or effects CEH. I would sit CEH this week unless you really need a RB.