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John's fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 4 of 2025. His fantasy football outlooks for Chuba Hubbard, Javonte Williams, Breece Hall.
Running backs like Carolina Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard (calf), Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams, and New York Jets tailback Breece Hall are all very likely to be locked in starting lineups in virtually all leagues with 12 or more teams.
But for shallower leagues, in which multiple big performances are crucial for stacking up wins and poor games can sink your teams, it becomes a bit murkier who to start. This is especially true for some teams that have a lot of talent.
So it's still important to evaluate the fantasy football outlooks of starting running backs like these three players. No NFL player is vulnerable to bad games, and none of these backs are elite talents that should never be benched. So let's dive into start 'em, sit 'em picks for each!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
Hubbard is expected to play in Week 4, even though he's dealing with a calf injury. It's unclear how much pain he's in or how much he could be limited due to his injury, but there are a few reasons to be cautious about starting him in shallower leagues if you have other options.
Two of the team's best interior run blockers, center Austin Corbett (knee) and Robert Hunt (biceps) are out for an extended time. It might take time for their absences to truly start making a big impact, as opposing defenses will be scouring tape to find weaknesses in the games of the backups.
The @Patriots are the #2 team in the @NFL in rush defense so far, allowing only 60.3 yards per game on the ground.
In team history, only the 2019 Patriots allowed less through three games since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.#NEPats pic.twitter.com/CbcAchxY0e
— Patriots Communications (@PatriotsComms) September 26, 2025
Carolina plays the New England Patriots in Week 4. They, so far, have allowed only 2.8 yards per carry to opposing rushers, which ranks as second-lowest in the NFL. They've basically completely shut down the likes of Ashton Jeanty, De'Von Achane, and Jaylen Warren (knee) in the run game.
They are a pass funnel defense, and in the absence of cornerback Christian Gonzalez (hamstring) to start the season, have allowed the second-most yards per pass attempt to opposing passers. But with his return, their defense could have an excellent game against a very vulnerable Panthers offense.
Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez has worked hard on his hamstring recovery and is ready to roll.
New England's top corner is expected to be back on the field Sunday against the Panthers: https://t.co/mAchbNTAqD pic.twitter.com/VPY8A1CMEp
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) September 27, 2025
If you're on the fence about Hubbard in a 10-team league, and have a comparable player you'd rather start, it might be a good idea. Hubbard has yet to rush for a touchdown this year.
Javonte Williams, RB, Dallas Cowboys
Williams scored 12.2 PPR fantasy points in Week 3 in what was his worst game of the season. He eclipsed 20 points in his first two contests, buoyed by plenty of volume and very good run-blocking from the Cowboys offensive line. Consistently drafting offensive linemen has helped Dallas on the ground.
However, with center Cooper Beebe (ankle) and right guard Tyler Booker (ankle) both set to miss Week 4, the sledding could get a bit tougher for the veteran. Williams, despite his continued struggles with actually shrugging off tacklers, has been put into a fantastic situation.
Javonte Williams through 3 weeks, among 38 RBs with 20+ carries:
>0.12 Missed Tackles per Attempt (RB28)
>3.35 Yards After Contact per Attempt (RB7)
>83.3% Success Rate (RB1)I think the Cowboys OL and Brian Schottenheimer also deserve a lot of credit.
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 27, 2025
What's notable is that even RB Miles Sanders looks competent in this scheme and playing behind this offensive line (when mostly healthy), so there's plenty of reason to think things can continue to go well. The Cowboys have struggled to create a lot of space in the run game the last few seasons.
There's no reason to bench Williams in any league. His role is too good for now. There is some reason for concern if Beebe's replacement struggles, though.
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
Hall is, for the fourth time in his four seasons in the NFL, stuck on a team with an abysmally poor offense. Though quarterback Justin Fields had a good game in Week 1, it turned out that the Pittsburgh Steelers actually have one of the NFL's worst defenses, and that buoyed their production.
Hall had a very nice Week 1, followed by two straight duds in which he scored 5.8 and 9.2 PPR fantasy points. Despite being his team's feature back and having a solid receiving role, he struggled to find room to run against the Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, averaging 2.9 and 2.3 yards per carry against those teams.
Breece Hall looks like 2022 Breece pic.twitter.com/IaSb2Y9cOT
— NYJ MIKE (@NyjMike) September 8, 2025
The Jets aren't a bad run-blocking team -- they rank 14th in run block win rate -- but very few defenses that aren't terrible are afraid of quarterbacks Justin Fields (head) or Tyrod Taylor as passers. Teams with decent pass defenses can dedicate their resources to stopping the run.
Also, I don't think Hall has the explosiveness and elusiveness he once had. He's forced just 0.16 missed tackles per attempt this season, a solid decline from his 0.25 number from his rookie season. He's really best when working in space, and the Jets haven't been able to get him in much since Week 1.
Breece Hall in Weeks 2-3 (i.e. when not facing the Steelers):
>1.16 Yards before Contact per Attempt (RB28/37)
Hall is best when he has space to run and he's really not getting it. The victory lap on the Jets offense was definitely premature. It's still awful
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) September 27, 2025
Hall shouldn't be benched for Week 4, though. He still has very nice upside, and perhaps he can get a touchdown. But the Jets offense has major issues that might not be fixed for multiple seasons.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 4 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Chuba Hubbard, Javonte Williams, Breece Hall. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 4. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Chuba Hubbard, Javonte Williams, Breece Hall. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 4.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool, but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 4 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 4 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 4 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 4 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Chuba Hubbard, Javonte Williams, Breece Hall to others:
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