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Welcome to Week 4 of NFL and fantasy football action RotoBallers. Each week of the NFL season, we will be breaking down the NFL matchups and providing our analysis. Below you will find our Week 4 NFL matchups & fantasy football start/sit analysis, which should hopefully help you prepare your lineups to win this week.
To read about the rest of this week's NFL matchups, check out Start/Sit & Matchups Analysis for Games 1-8. And of course you can always stop by the RotoBaller chat rooms for any live advice you may need.
Editor's Note: RotoBaller's Lou Cappetta has included some of his analysis here as well, as denoted below next to certain player names.
Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!
Eagles @ 49ers - Sunday, 9/28 @ 4:25 EST
Matchups We Love
Nick Foles: Foles has yet to throw for fewer than 300 yards in a game this season. With San Francisco's pass defense looking lackluster, you should be able to confidently start the Eagles signal-caller.
LeSean McCoy: While the 49ers haven't been great against the pass, they're still fairly good against the run. McCoy's dynamism is still to enticing to pass up, so you have to start him against a suddenly tilting San Francisco team.
Jeremy Maclin: The 49ers are one of the most generous defenses in fantasy against opposing wide receivers, and Maclin hasn't failed to score a touchdown yet this season. He and Foles are clearly on the same page, and should do well in the Bay Area.
Michael Crabtree: His Week 1 was disappointing, but Crabtree has rebounded nicely with 80 yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games. He's a solid WR2 option.
(Cappetta) Colin Kaepernick: Kaepernick hasn't been great so far this year, but he gets to face a defense that has had trouble defending guys like Chad Henne and Kirk Cousins. He'll get it right in this game, and is a must start.
Matchups We Hate
Riley Cooper: The emergence of rookie Jordan Matthews puts Cooper's fantasy value in a precarious position. Cooper has always been a home run hitter rather than a consistent possession receiver, but with Matthews in the fold, those opportunities will be harder to come by.
Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde: If San Francisco falls behind early, they may have to abandon the run, and doing so against Arizona cost Gore and Hyde dearly in fantasy. With the two of them starting to split carries, the San Francisco backfield has become a much less desirable fantasy asset.
(Cappetta) 49ers DST: They're not as good as they have been in the recent past, but still solid. In this era of offensive football, even the best defenses get score upon. This has the chance to be a high scoring game, so there has to be a better matchup out there.
High Risk, High Reward
Jordan Matthews: He exploded onto the scene with his two-touchdown outing against the Redskins, but that was a shootout. Don't forget that Matthews was a fantasy nonfactor for the first two weeks of the season. Play him if you're feeling lucky, but if you have a more consistent option don't hesitate to start him.
(Cappetta) Darren Sproles: Sproles' production can be streaky, as he showed once again last week. He's the definition of risk/reward every week.
Other Matchups
Vernon Davis: If we had 100% confirmation he'd be starting this week, he'd be in the "Love" section, but as of now his playing status is still up in the air.
Colin Kaepernick: Put up a decent showing fantasy-wise in the loss to Arizona. If you own him in a deeper league you may be stuck with him, but in shallower leagues, there are probably guys with higher upside than Kaep.
Zach Ertz: His torrid touchdown tour came to a close in Week 2, and the 49ers have been tough against TEs. There are better matchups this week, but the high-flying Eagles offense always generates touchdown opportunities for the Stanford product.
Falcons @ Vikings - Sunday, 9/28 @ 4:25 EST
Matchups We Love
Matt Ryan: Ryan lit up the Buccaneers last week, and while the Vikings aren't quite as bad as the Bucs, they were one of the worst defenses against quarterbacks last year. Matty Ice is a bonafide QB1 this week.
Julio Jones: Jones also lit up the Bucs, and he has #1 overall potential at his position. He's a stud.
Roddy White: While Jones is the clear No. 1 in Atlanta, the Vikings' secondary isn't stingy. White has WR2 potential this week.
(Cappetta) Matt Asiata: With a rookie QB, the Vikings will lean heavily on Asiata this week. Expect him to get plenty of touches, and be a big part of the passing game.
Matchups We Hate
The Vikings, in general: While Atlanta's D isn't world-beating by any means, the Vikings have not looked good without Adrian Peterson.
(Cappetta) Falcons DST: Do not let what this unit did to Tampa Bay fool you, the Atlanta defense is not good. I think the Vikings will look much better on offense with Teddy Bridgewater, and this could be a high scoring affair.
High Risk, High Reward
Cordarrelle Patterson: He's the best playmaker on the Vikings, but then again, he's the best playmaker on the Vikings.
(Cappetta) Teddy Bridgewater: I love his potential. I think he will have a good game in this favorable matchup. Expect some growing pains, but if you want to roll the dice, especially if you need a bye week fill in, I wouldn't call you crazy.
Other Matchups
Steven Jackson: Could see some goal-line touches, but the veteran is seemingly in decline. There may be better options at RB this week, but at the rate RBs are dropping this season, there may not be any left standing by Sunday.
Jaguars @ Chargers - Sunday 9/28 @ 4:05 PM
Matchups We Love
(Cappetta) Antonio Gates: Sorry Ladarius Green owners, but Gates is still going strong, and that should continue this week against a Jacksonville defense that has allowed four TE touchdowns in three games this year.
Matchup We Hate
(Cappetta) Cecil Shorts: The one area the Jags are deep in is WR, and Shorts saved a poor performance by scoring a touchdown. It's a small sample, but Blake Bortles looked like he connected better to Allen Robinson, meaning Shorts could be the odd man out and Robinson is a solid flex play in deeper PPR leagues.
High Risk, Reward
(Cappetta) Chargers DST: On paper this is a great matchup, but the Jags looked much better with Bortles running the offense, and the Chargers defense isn't that great. Wouldn't shock me if the Chardgers manhandle the Jags. But it also wouldn't shock me if Bortles breaks out and this turns into a shootout.
Saints @ Cowboys - Sunday, 9/28 @ 8:30 EST
Matchups We Love
Drew Brees: The Cowboys didn't come back from a 21-point deficit last weekend for no reason. Anything Austin Davis can do, Drew Brees can probably do better.
Jimmy Graham: He's Brees's favorite target, and he's facing a defense that just got torched by St. Louis.
Dez Bryant: The Saints' passing defense has been pretty bad this season, and Dez is almost a lock for a touchdown a week. Don't even think about sitting him.
DeMarco Murray: He's been stellar this season-- no reason to sit him now.
(Cappetta) Marques Colston: This game should offer plenty of fantasy options, but I really like Drew Brees' veteran go-to guy here. He's always played well against Dallas, and that trend should continue this week.
Matchups We Hate
The Saints' Other Receivers: Sean Payton has committed fantasy WR homicide many times before this season. Only Graham seems to be immune from "spread-it-around-itis." Yes, that is the officially recognized medical term.
(Cappetta) Khiry Robinson: Maybe hate is a strong word here, but I like him the least out of all of the offensive options on both teams. This looks like it should be a shootout with tons of passing, and a game like that plays more towards the strength of the wideouts and fellow running back Pierre Thomas. I consider Robinson a low-end flex play this week.
High Risk, High Reward
Terrance Williams: Williams hasn't impressed so far this season, but this Saints secondary gives him as good a shot as any.
Khiry Robinson: He could be a bust this week, or he could get some of those goal-line touches that gave Mark Ingram legit fantasy value.
(Cappetta) Saints DST: If your league only scores for points allowed when it comes to defenses, then forget this matchup. If you get points for turnovers, need a defense, and feel like gambling, the Saints may be a good pick. As good as Dallas is on offense, they do turn the ball over quite a bit. I'm not in love with this defense, but don't be surprised if they have a decent fantasy day even if they give up points.
Other Matchups
Jason Witten: "Is he Jimmy Graham or Julius Thomas? No? Then you're not going to get wide receiver production out of your TE slot. Pray for a TD."
Pierre Thomas: He's in "Other" because he's one of those special "way better in PPR" guys. Start him in PPR as a flex, but maybe skip him in standard scoring formats.
Patriots @ Chiefs - Monday, 9/29 @ 8:30 EST
Matchups We Love
Jamaal Charles: Signs from Chiefs camp indicate that Charles is ready to play on Monday, and the severity of his ankle injury may have been overestimated in Week 2. He's due, and if you own him, you're starting him.
Rob Gronkowski: The Chiefs have allowed three touchdowns to tight ends so far this season, and Gronk is inching ever closer to 100%. He's a safe start.
Matchups We Hate
Tom Brady: In oh so many ways. He's a Michigan grad*, he dresses like a pompous jerk, and I'm so excited to finally have a context in which to say "Tom Brady sucks, there are much better QBs out there."
Knile Davis: If Charles starts, Davis sits. Simple.
Patriots running backs: They split carries; they get benched; God only knows what they're going to do week-to-week.
Other Matchups
Alex Smith: Get those sexy 15 "game manager" points, son!
Travis Kelce: see Jason Witten.
* That sound you hear is people actually buying tickets to get into Ohio Stadium instead of having tickets foisted upon them when they buy a Coke in a desperate attempt to keep an attendance streak alive. Go Bucks!
