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Should I start Chris Godwin, Josh Downs, Calvin Austin III for Week 4? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
After just three weeks of the 2025 regular season, some fantasy managers are facing tough lineup decisions heading into a full Week 4, with all 32 teams in play for the final time for several weeks. It's sometimes hard to evaluate which struggling receivers to keep rolling out there, and how some new names fit into the mix. Even in just the three weeks of the season, many receivers have posted widely varied results, making it somewhat challenging to evaluate them going forward.
In this article, we will see if Chris Godwin, Josh Downs, and Calvin Austin III should be started in fantasy in Week 4. Godwin appears ready to make his season debut, while Downs and Austin have shown inconsistent upside.
So, should fantasy managers start Godwin, Downs, and Austin III in Week 4? Let's dive in and find out.
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Should I Start Chris Godwin for Fantasy Football?
Godwin missed the first three weeks of the season while recovering from his serious ankle injury that ended his 2024. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday but did not practice at all on Thursday, so his involvement and injury status going into the weekend will be key to watch.
It's easy to forget that before his injury, he was off to a great start to last season.
Chris Godwin in seven games last season:
50 REC
576 YDS
5 TDThe only wideout with those numbers before injury. pic.twitter.com/qlyzl7BzMh
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 24, 2025
If he's able to get fully back up to speed, he could be a great, reliable option for Baker Mayfield, especially with Mike Evans (hamstring) likely to miss multiple weeks. Emeka Egbuka has a chance to be the No. 1 until Godwin is ready, but it isn't clear how much work Godwin will be able to do this week if he does make his return against the Eagles in Week 4.
If you can wait for Godwin to prove he's healthy, that would be better than tossing him right back into action. He's only the WR65 in RotoBaller's rankings for this week, but he will definitely rise in the rankings once he is past this injury.
Should I Start Josh Downs for Fantasy Football?
The Colts are off to a great start to the season, going 3-0 with wins over the Dolphins, Broncos, and Titans. Unfortunately for his fantasy managers, Downs seems to have been left out of the party, though. He has only posted target shares of 10%, 24%, and 12% in his team's three games this season, catching a total of 10 passes for 97 yards and no touchdowns.
Downs had a decent six-catch performance against the Broncos, but has been mostly invisible the other two weeks of the season.
The third-round pick has shown upside in his first two years in the league, catching 68 passes for 771 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie and 72 passes for 803 yards and five touchdowns last year, despite being limited to only 14 games. He was effective out of the slot and finished the year off with a 10-catch, 94-yard game against the Jaguars.
This year, however, Daniel Jones has been more focused on getting rookie tight end Tyler Warren and even Alec Pierce more involved in the offense, although this has been overshadowed by the team's run game featuring Jonathan Taylor.
He has been dealing with an ankle injury and still has potential, but his reduced target share makes him a high-risk start this week. He's RotoBaller's WR45 against the Rams in a tough road matchup Sunday afternoon.
Should I Start Calvin Austin III for Fantasy Football?
The Steelers are 2-1 as they head to Dublin to face the Vikings in Week 4 before their early bye week. The new offense under Aaron Rodgers has been inconsistent, but it showed promise in their victories over the Jets and Patriots.
One common element between the two games was a touchdown from Austin, the team's fourth-round pick from Memphis in the 2022 draft. He had four catches for 70 yards and a score in Week 1 and produced three catches to lead the team with 34 receiving yards in their win over the Patriots, including this game-winning grab.
Cal for the lead‼️
📺: #PITvsNE on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0gbm5HInFo
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 21, 2025
Austin only had one catch for 22 yards in between his two games, but he ranks second on the team in targets behind only DK Metcalf, and third on the team in receiving yards behind only Metcalf and running back Jaylen Warren.
Throughout his career in Pittsburgh, Austin has been a big-play threat, and he brings good upside if Rodgers and the offense can be more consistent in Week 4 and going forward.
He's not quite at the level where he's a starter in most formats and is just the WR60 in RotoBaller's Week 4 rankings. At this point in the year, he's a flier play with upside if you're desperate, but I'd actually start both Downs and Godwin (if active) ahead of him this week.
Austin has a higher ceiling than Downs, who excels in shorter passes, due to his home run threat, but he's also much more high-risk. He's usable in a pinch, but only if the other options aren't any better.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
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Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 4 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Chris Godwin, Josh Downs, and Calvin Austin III. 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 - Chris Godwin, Josh Downs, Calvin Austin III. 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, 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 Chris Godwin, Josh Downs, Calvin Austin III compared to others:
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