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Dave's fantasy football start'em and sit'em for Week 4 season-long lineups in 2024. Sneaky players to start that may boom, and typical starters that will disappoint or bust.
Week 3 brought us a mixed bag of results. We nailed our boom call on Diontae Johnson. He popped for 8-122-1 on 14 targets and finished as the WR6 on the week. It’s amazing what a competent quarterback can do for a talented receiver. Zack Moss was also a nice boom pick as he finished Week 3 as the RB9. We also correctly labeled James Conner and Jaylen Waddle as busts. They each finished as the RB51 and WR61, respectively.
Unfortunately, we had several whiffs as well. Zamir White laid a complete egg against the Carolina Panthers, and Brandon Aiyuk was nonexistent in a cake matchup vs. the Rams. Our biggest miss of the week (and season so far) was labeling Malik Nabers as a bust. He torched a tough Cleveland Browns pass defense for 8-78-2, which was good for a WR4 finish. Our takeaway? Malik Nabers is good at football. Start him regardless of the matchup.
Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Let’s get into our boom/bust picks for Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Booms
Jayden Daniels - QB, Washington Commanders at Arizona Cardinals
Daniels had his coming out party Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals. He completed 21-of-23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 39 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Daniels finished the week as the QB3.
JAYDEN DANIELS. Terry McLaurin. THE COMMANDERS.
📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bP5qrpGN8q— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024
The rookie quarterback has been very boom-or-bust three games into his career. He has two QB3 finishes to go along with a QB18 finish sandwiched in between. This week, Daniels draws a matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, and we should be in store for another boom game.
Arizona ranks 29th in defensive pass DVOA, per FTN Fantasy, and has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, per Fantasy Football Today. This game also has the highest point total on the Week 4 slate, so we should see plenty of points.
Daniels offers a safe floor with his rushing and now we have another tasty matchup against a poor secondary. Fire up the rookie signal-caller again this week as he should have another big performance.
Tony Pollard - RB, Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins
Pollard is coming off his worst game of the season in Week 3. He has a good chance to get back on track against a Dolphins defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.
With Miami potentially forced to start Tyler Huntley at quarterback, we should be looking at a favorable game script for Pollard this week. Unless Will Levis goes full Nathan Peterman, the Titans should remain competitive in this game. If they build a lead, then Pollard could be in line for his best game of the season.
Fire him up as a strong flex play or RB2 in a pinch.
DJ Moore - WR, Chicago Bears vs. Los Angeles Rams
Moore has gotten off to a slow start as he’s currently the PPR WR30 of the year. He’s yet to eclipse 100 yards or find the end zone. However, Moore has a good chance to do both on Sunday against the Rams.
Los Angeles allows the fourth-most passing yards per game and was just torched by Jauan Jennings and Marvin Harrison Jr. in back-to-back games. Chicago’s offense and play-caller Shane Waldron have come under fire. It’s understandable as the passing game has been disappointing, but this is a good spot to cure the woes.
The Chicago offensive line has also had trouble protecting rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. It should find things easier against a Rams defensive front that ranks 30th in sacks and is 22nd in PFF’s pass-rushing grade. Williams should have plenty of time to throw the football and find Moore.
This feels like a good spot for Moore to finally get rolling and, at the very least, find the end zone for the first time this year.
Dalton Kincaid - TE, Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens
Three weeks into the season, Kincaid has been one of the many busts at the tight-end position. He hasn’t caught more than four passes or surpassed 41 receiving yards, but this matchup could be the one where we finally see Kincaid explode.
Baltimore has allowed the most passing yards per game this season, but it has been particularly vulnerable against tight ends. The Ravens rank 20th in DVOA against opposing tight ends and have allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.
Kincaid hasn’t been featured heavily in the offense yet, but Buffalo has won its last two contests in blowout fashion. It outscored the Dolphins and Jaguars 78-20 and was able to coast in the second half of those games.
Expect Baltimore to push the Bills and force them to play the entire game. This will mean good things for Kincaid, and this is a matchup where we could see a ceiling game from the sophomore tight end.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Busts
Anthony Richardson - QB, Indianapolis Colts vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Richardson came out swinging in Week 1 with a QB4 finish. However, in the last two weeks, he’s put up QB21 and QB32 performances.
Bears pick it off in the end zone!
📺: #CHIvsIND on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/Ya6gUPOYnG— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
What's concerning about Richardson is his floor as a passer is worse than initially thought, and he is not rushing as much as we had anticipated.
Richardson has 23.3 passing points on the season.
Andy Dalton had 24.8 passing points yesterday.
Small samples and such, but we need that rushing production or he is going to be the worst pick at ADP for QBs.
— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) September 23, 2024
If he won’t be running at a high clip, then we need more output as a passer. A date with the Pittsburgh Steelers defense does not feel like the spot where we see improvement. Pittsburgh’s defense has been stifling, and it allows the fifth-fewest passing yards per game.
Richardson is not a full sit because he is still a threat for big games thanks to his legs, but his passing production is a major problem for fantasy gamers. If you have a quality second option on your team, you should consider benching Richardson for this game.
J.K. Dobbins - RB, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Currently the PPR RB12 in the young season, Dobbins has surprised many as he seems to be the same hyper-efficient player he was before tearing his Achilles tendon last year.
JK DOBBINS WOULD NOT GO DOWN AND FLIPS INTO THE END ZONE! 💪
(via NFL, CBS) | #BoltUp
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 15, 2024
What makes Dobbins a bust candidate this week is that starting quarterback Justin Herbert could be forced to miss this week’s contest after aggravating a high ankle sprain he suffered in a Week 2 victory over the Carolina Panthers. A backup quarterback paired with a matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs rush defense makes a tough recipe for success.
Even if Herbert plays, he will be at less than 100%. That could allow the Chiefs to go all out to stop the run, and that’s an issue considering Kansas City ranks 10th in defensive rush DVOA.
Dobbins has been the feel-good story of the season, but this is not the game to roll him out. There are better spots for him down the road.
Zay Flowers - WR, Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills
Flowers is the Ravens' clear WR1, but he gets a tough draw this week against Buffalo. The Bills have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers and rank fourth in DVOA against the opposing team’s receivers.
Buffalo has been vulnerable against the run and to opposing tight ends. We may get another Derrick Henry game, and they choose to attack through the air using their tight ends. Both plans are bad news for Flowers. If you have enough receiver depth, consider leaving him on your bench this week.
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