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Who should I start or sit for fantasy football Week 4 of the 2022 season? Tommy Adamopoulos identifies potential fantasy football busts and duds to avoid.
Welcome to Week 4 RotoBallers! The season is starting to ramp up, and it is crucial to start getting some wins under your belt to make the playoffs and win a fantasy championship. For those who have started 0-3 or 1-2, this is a huge opportunity to get in the win column.
It is getting increasingly important to set an optimal lineup this week as an 0-4 or 1-3 hole would put your playoff chances in some serious question early on. Heading into the fourth week of action, we are getting to the stage where fantasy managers can start to get a real grasp on how good or bad their team is for the 2022 campaign.
Here are some players I think will be in for a challenging game in Week 4 and could disappoint their fantasy managers.
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Should I Bench Derek Carr In Week 4?
Carr and the Raiders have had a disappointing start to the season, and I think it will continue in Week 4 against a solid Bronco’s pass defense. The Broncos have given up the third-fewest passing yards this season and have surrendered the seventh-fewest fantasy points to the quarterback position.
Despite having an 0-3 record, Carr has put up some respectable fantasy numbers. He has thrown for two touchdowns in each game this season and has yet to be held under 250 passing yards. He has just 26 rushing yards so far, so production with his legs to make up for a tough matchup is something that fantasy managers cannot rely on.
Considering he is averaging 40 passing attempts per game, he isn't a must-bench option. His passing volume could potentially offset any worries of the matchup, but it still doesn't feel great starting Carr in this matchup.
Some potential better options this week include Tom Brady, Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins.
Should I Bench Jeff Wilson Jr. In Week 4?
Wilson Jr. was a hot commodity on the waiver wire when Elijah Mitchell went down, but has failed to find the end zone in his two games as the starter despite having a combined 35 touches over that span. He gets a tough matchup with the Rams this week, which is reason in itself to downgrade him in Week 4. The Rams have given up 281 rushing yards (3.8 ypc) through three games (10th-fewest) and just one rushing touchdown.
What worries me the most in this matchup is the potential for Deebo Samuel to carry the ball more than usual, as well as the 49ers wanting to attack a banged-up Rams’ secondary. Last year, Samuel had 20 rushing attempts in three meetings with the Rams and rushed for two touchdowns while adding another through the air.
If Wilson is getting touchdown opportunities and carries taken away from him, he could be in for a dud in terms of fantasy production considering he will probably need a lot of volume to offset the tough run defense. He isn't a must-bench, but fantasy managers should temper their expectations in this matchup.
Should I Bench Clyde Edwards-Helaire In Week 4?
Edwards-Helaire salvaged his seven carry for zero yards day with a touchdown and five receptions for 39 yards in Week 3. Going up against the Buccaneers' run defense in Week 4, the third-year back will need a ton of volume to make up for the tough matchup.
It doesn't look like we can rely on him getting a large workload, as he has seen 10, 12, and 12 touches to start the year, as Jerrick McKinnon has led the running back room in snap share each week.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire scored 14.9 fantasy points in Week 3, but remained in a 2.5X committee.
40% snaps
35% rush atts
37% route participation
29% short yardage
0% long down distance
0% two minute offenseLiving on TD luck right now. RB3 profile scoring RB1 points.
— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) September 26, 2022
Even though he has three touchdowns in three games, it is hard to keep relying on this to salvage his performances. Even in Week 2 when he didn't score a touchdown, a late game 50+ yard run saved the day for fantasy managers.
The Buccaneers have allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards (3.8 ypc) through three games, which is not an encouraging sign for the outlook of Edwards-Helaire in this game.
His usage as a pass-catcher is a good sign, but not good enough to slot him in lineups this week. Considering some of the injuries at the running back position, fantasy managers may be able to find some better options than CEH this week.
Should I Bench D.J. Moore In Week 4?
After seeing how he has started this season, it is becoming increasingly possible that Moore shouldn't be started unless he has an amazing matchup. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like has a great matchup in this one. The Cardinals’ secondary as a unit isn't particularly worrisome, but the matchup with Byron Murphy is enough to consider benching Moore in Week 4.
Murphy held arguably the two best wide receivers in the league to minimal production the past two weeks. Davante Adams caught just two passes for 12 yards in Week 2, while Cooper Kupp caught just four passes for 44 yards in Week 3.
Fantasy managers may feel they need to start Moore given where he was picked in drafts, but just 88 receiving yards and seven receptions through three weeks is extremely worrisome for his outlook moving forward.
DJ Moore's weekly target shares:
1: 24.0%
2: 22.2%
3: 25.0%Good!
DJ Moore's weekly PPR output:
1: 8.0
2: 13.3
3: 2.5Trash!
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) September 25, 2022
He is a talented player, so he isn't a must-bench option. However, there are likely better receivers out there for fantasy managers to consider over him.
Should I Bench D.K. Metcalf In Week 4?
Metcalf found the end zone in Week 3 after he turned a season-high 12 targets into five catches for 64 yards and a score. In Week 4, he will likely be seeing a lot of Jeff Okudah, who just held Justin Jefferson to two catches for 9 yards in coverage.
Jeff Okudah vs Justin Jefferson in Week 3:
🦁 2 catches allowed
🦁 9 yards allowed
🦁 56.3 passer rating allowed pic.twitter.com/0XyPknIuZ2— PFF (@PFF) September 26, 2022
Given that the Lions’ Achilles heel seems to be their run defense, we could see the Seahawks give the ball to Rashaad Penny quite a bit in this one, as he ran 25 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns in their meeting last season. Not to mention, when we saw Metcalf face tough matchups the two weeks prior (Denver and San Francisco) he turned that into 11 receptions for 71 yards.
With Geno Smith under center, Metcalf doesn’t seem like a reliable option on a weekly basis. Considering his tough matchup with an up-and-coming corner, Metcalf is an option to fade this week. Tyler Lockett has seen 22 targets in the past two weeks, so a lot of different options in an offense that is not particularly good seems like a recipe for disaster for fantasy production.
Should I Bench Tyler Higbee In Week 4?
Higbee draws a tough matchup with the 49ers who are notorious for limiting tight end production. Through three games this season, they have given up a total of just 2.3 fantasy points to the position. Tight ends have been targeted just 10 times against them so far, so we could see Higbee’s usage dip a bit in this game after he has seen 24 targets through three games.
The Rams' passing game as a whole may be in for a rough game, as the 49ers' pass rush could give Matthew Stafford limited time to throw in this one.We've seen the 49ers get the best of the Rams in the past, so this won't come as a surprise if we see their offense struggle on Monday night.
With Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson competing with Higbee for targets, he seems like an easy fade this week in a nightmare matchup for the tight end position.
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