Fantasy Football Mailbag - Week 4

September 29, 2019

Kev Mahserejian answers reader questions from the fantasy football mailbag with his weekly Q&A session. In Week 4, he will provide lineup advice to answer pressing start/sit questions for tough matchups.

This article's content may vary week-to-week, but generally, it will be answering questions fielded from either the @RotoBallerNFL twitter account or my personal one (@RotoSurgeon). This week, the focus is on start/sit questions, and there were plenty. Every week, many of us struggle with which quarterback to start, or who to flex, and I am here to help.

The questions selected will combat difficult decisions that might be specific to Week 4 starters. We have seen plenty of early risers and fallers who may not make the cut in our lineup as we stumble through the season. The hype and shine wear off some places and begins to glisten elsewhere. However, sometimes, it is just best to not rock the boat (particularly if things are going well).

If you need any questions answered in the coming weeks, feel free to follow and ask either account and we will make sure to respond promptly.

Week 4 Sit/Start Questions

Verdict: Darrel Williams

With Damien Williams missing his second day of practice, it's looking like Darrel Williams will be in line for a decent workload. Williams touched the ball 14 times in Week 3 (nine carries/five catches) and amassed 109 total yards. Not too shabby considering that he was considered the fourth man on the depth chart just a month ago. Williams' familiarity with the system will keep him active as long as Damien Williams is out. Williams' playing 54 percent of the snaps shows that the team trusts him and wants to give him the ball. LeSean McCoy has been banged up with an ankle injury for the past week or so and reaggravated it against Baltimore. While McCoy will play in Week 4, there's no guarantee that he makes it all the way through.

Verdict: Chris Carson and Josh Jacobs

Chris Carson's fumble issues are certainly concerning, but what better opportunity to buy low than now? His fantasy points have gone down each of the past three weeks and he gets an easy-ish schedule going forward. Rashaad Penny is dealing with a hamstring issue and CJ Prosise is no threat to his carries. If Carson bounces back this week, he is still the guy and will be valuable as the lead rusher in a run-heavy offense. He might not be the most skilled, but that does not matter to Pete Carroll.

Josh Jacobs is allegedly going to be more involved in the passing game, but that's a wait and see. What should leave owners hopeful is the return of Gabe Jackson. Jacobs' usage has gone down the past few weeks, but we can chalk that up to poor game scripts. The Raiders' were blown out against Minnesota and Kansas City and opted for their third-down back, Jalen Richard, to see more of the field. As long as the game is close or if the Raiders' have a lead, Jacobs should see a heavy dosage of snaps as he did in Week 1 (74 percent). Although the Raiders have struggled thus far, their schedule is more manageable down the stretch.

Marlon Mack is hot right now but is not involved enough in the passing game to provide a reliable floor. Terry McLaurin is on fire as well but plays on a bad offense and will be keyed in on once teams figure him out. Rookie wide receivers hit their walls every year and you want to sell before it comes.

Verdict: Maybe!

The thing here is that it all depends on how your team is. Can you afford to lose some short-term depth for long-term upside? Barkley's clearly one of the best backs in fantasy and reality. With Daniel Jones under center, the offense should be better than it was with Eli Manning even though he could snare a few rushing touchdowns away from Barkley. However, high ankle sprains are tricky, and if Barkley comes back too soon, he is at risk of re-injury.

If you are undefeated, absolutely take a shot at trading for him if the price is reasonable. If someone would take Adam Thielen or Calvin Ridley for Barkley, that's a solid deal to raise your team's upside. Don't go trading someone like Leonard Fournette or JuJu Smith-Schuster straight up.

Verdict: T.J. Hockenson

This question is inherently difficult because of how unpredictable mid-tier tight ends are. The way they are utilized and targeted often varies from game-to-game. Out of this group, Hockenson's ceiling is the highest in a matchup versus the Kansas City Chiefs. The game is going to be high scoring and the Lions are presumably going to play from behind for a good portion of this game. Due to a decrease in air yards and targets, Hockenson's past two outings have been abhorrent for fantasy purposes. However, he still represents the best option of the bunch.

Eric Ebron may have the best matchup against Oakland's porous defense, he plays just half of his team's snaps and may not be needed too often in a game where the Colts are favored. Noah Fant is yet to break out and has a tough defense to break in the Jaguars. Although they are not exactly known to shut down tight ends, it is possible that they make life too difficult to throw for Joe Flacco.

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