Week 4 Matchups - Fantasy Football Game Breakdowns (Part 2)

September 29, 2018

Fantasy football lineup advice based on Week 4 matchups. Pierre Camus gives his In-depth matchups analysis, lineups start and sit recommendations, and players he loves or hates for the late slate.

Welcome to the second part of our Week 4 matchups analysis and starts/sits column for fantasy football. We'll be covering every matchup from every Sunday game to help you make the best decisions for your fantasy lineups. We'll also be updating this as injury reports come in so check back often.

This article will cover the late slate of games, beginning at 4 PM ET on Sunday as well as the Sunday night game. Click here to see our early game matchups analysis and our MNF matchups analysis as well.

Check back here each week to get advice for your toughest start/sit decisions and take a look at our consensus rankings each week. Find me on Twitter @Pfunk00 for more insight and help to your start/sit questions.

4:00 PM ET Games

The late afternoon slate is back up to four games this week, with a divisional matchup between the Steelers and Ravens set for Sunday night. The Saints and Ravens are the only two teams in this group that have a winning record, but that doesn't mean there won't be some high-scoring affairs!

Browns at Raiders

Matchups We Love:

Baker Mayfield (QB, CLE)
Let's get this straight: Mayfield isn't a lock to go off in his first NFL start but he sure looks ready. He completed 17 of his 23 pass attempts last Thursday and didn't turn the ball over. The Raiders aren't quite a pushover on defense, ranking 13th in passing yards allowed. Still, he'll be given every chance to sling the ball downfield, since that's why they selected him first overall. The Browns' offensive line should get little resistance from a Raiders D-line that has collected just three sacks in three games. If only they had a stud pass-rusher...

Carlos Hyde (RB, CLE)
The matchup itself doesn't necessarily promise a huge day by Hyde but he should get plenty of work. He looks to continue a three-game touchdown streak and is a solid RB2, especially in standard leagues. His lack of involvement in the passing game, with just four catches on six targets, puts his floor in question but it's doubtful the Browns will find themselves down big in this game.

Marshawn Lynch (RB, OAK)
The Browns have clamped down defensively the last two games but playing without Emmanuel Ogbah, Christian Kirksey and Jabril Peppers may haunt them this week, even if it didn't against the Jets. All three are still questionable, leading to the possibility that Lynch can find more room to run. He's averaging a mere 3.5 yards per carry but has reached the end zone in each game so far. He is what he promises to be all season long - a high-floor RB who should always be started in standard and can be flexed in PPR if needed.

Jarvis Landry (WR, CLE)
If Landry could put up two 100-yard games with Tyrod Taylor at QB, imagine how bright his future looks right about now. Unless you believe Mayfield is a bust-in-waiting, Landry must be viewed as a WR1 in PPR leagues from here on out regardless of matchup. That said, Landry does have a plus matchup opposite 33-year-old Leon Hall, who is already questionable entering the weekend with an illness.

Matchups We Hate:

Derek Carr (QB, OAK)
Now dig this - the Browns have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to QBs this season despite facing Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees in Weeks 1 and 2. Carr is not quite that caliber of player despite his salary, so this isn't the time to hope for a breakout. He's topped 300 yards twice already and almost a third time but two total TD in three games isn't going to cut it in single-QB leagues.

Amari Cooper (WR, OAK)
It's hard not to rant about Cooper's maddening inconsistency so let's admit that we have no idea what he'll do any given week. That said, he squares off against rookie Denzel Ward, who had two picks in Week 1 and early on is looking like this year's Marshon Lattimore.

Antonio Callaway (WR, CLE)
Although the Raiders aren't synonymous with tough defense, they haven't allowed a 300-yard passer or 100-yard receiver in a game yet. Callaway will be matched up primarily against Rashaan Melvin who is grading out at 79.9 so far according to PFF.  We don't know who Mayfield's preferred receiver will be, but I'm guessing his name will rhyme with Marvis Handry. Callaway is a solid add and stash this week but too risky to play in most formats.

Other Matchups:

Duke Johnson (RB, CLE)
He's become the forgotten man in Cleveland amid all the buzz of new QBs, WRs and Carlos Hyde running the show in the backfield. Johnson's usage is too hard to predict right now but it seems safe to say he won't suddenly be utilized like he was last year. Isaiah Crowell's ineffectiveness was a big part of Johnson's 156 touch-season. This year, Johnson is carrying the ball half as much (3.3 A/G) as he did in his 2015 rookie campaign (6.5 A/G). Even worse, he's averaging less than two receptions per game (1.7 R/G) whereas he caught closer to five (4.6 R/G) last season. He doesn't need to be started as long as Hyde is healthy.

Jordy Nelson (WR, OAK)
At least we know the Raiders do intend to pass him the ball now. After combining for 53 yards in the first two games, Nelson broke out in Miami with 173 yards and a long touchdown. He's never fared well against Cleveland, averaging 37.5 yards a game, and that was with Aaron Rodgers at QB. Nelson's previous week explosion isn't promising of another this time around so he'll likely be touchdown-dependent for value.

David Njoku (TE, CLE)
Njoku has gotten looks but mostly of the short variety that hasn't allowed him to manufacture yards. Njoku's 8.8 aDoT ranks 18th among tight ends with at least five targets, behind ageless wonder Benjamin Watson and barely ahead of AARP member Antonio Gates. The offense promises to get more vertical with Mayfield but the play calling won't necessarily change overnight. Stay cautiously optimistic with Njoku but consider him a fringe top-10 TE this week.

Jared Cook (TE, OAK)
Cleveland hasn't given up a TD to a tight end yet and has allowed just 97 yards but that's more a product of who they've faced. Cook is looking like a target hog and the most consistent receiver in this offense, making him a must-start in most leagues.

Saints at Giants

Matchups We Love:

Drew Brees (QB, NO)
Didn't see this one coming, did you? Brees has looked like, well, himself in the early going. He's averaging 359.3 yards per game with eight TD in three games this year. In seven career games versus the Giants, he averages 311 yards and 2.9 TD per game. He gets one more game without Mark Ingram to air things out and is a no-brain start in this game.

Eli Manning (QB, NYG)
It takes a strong stomach to insert Manning into a fantasy lineup these days but this matchup begs for it. The Saints defense looks like a shell of itself compared to last year's squad that finished 10th in fewest points allowed and was at least a middle-of-the-pack pass defense. It's back to square one, however, as they were already struggling before losing slot corner Patrick Robinson to a broken ankle. They have allowed the most points (103), third-most passing yards (1,010), and second-most drives resulting in a score (45.7%). The absence of Evan Engram hurts but won't handicap this offense that still has plentiful weapons. Take a chance on Manning if you're a Cam Newton owner looking for a one-week fill-in or don't have the nerve to start Kirk Cousins.

Alvin Kamara (RB, NO)
As if you need a reason to start Kamara... The Giants have allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards to RBs this season but have given up the most touchdown receptions to RBs. After last week, Kamara is third in the NFL in catches, behind Adam Thielen and teammate Michael Thomas. Kamara's floor remains insanely high, at least for one more week.

Michael Thomas (WR, NO)
The leading receiver in the league would figure to have a tough test against Jackrabbit Janoris Jenkins, but the seventh-year cornerback has struggled to a 68-grade rating from PFF this year. Thomas will be fed regularly and looks to keep his streak of 10-reception games intact.

Odell Beckham Jr. (WR, NYG)
OBJ may get shadow coverage from Marshon Lattimore but that doesn't drop him outside the top-10 WR tier in any respect. Julio Jones put up 96 yards last week and in Week 1 Mike Evans went for 147 yards and a TD. Lattimore isn't playing up to his potential thus far and is getting no hope from the rest of the secondary. Don't fear this matchup for any reason.

Sterling Shepard (WR, NYG)
We know Beckham will get his, but Shepard could be the one that sees the biggest gains this week. Aside from the expected target bump due to Engram being out, Shepard benefits from the Robinson injury the most. He should face embattled P.J. Williams, who currently grades out as the very worst CB out of 148 active players at an amazingly bad 25.7. Increased target volume, favorable game script, tasty matchup--all signs point to a huge day for Shepard.

Ted Ginn (WR, NO)
Ginn hasn't quite matched last year's career-best 75% catch-rate but he's off to a decent start at 63% with 12 receptions over three games. Last week's 12-yard output would have been a dud if not for a touchdown, but he was still targeted six times. Ginn isn't seeing any threat from Cameron Meredith or Tre'Quan Smith just yet so keep Ginn in mind as a flex consideration.

Matchups We Hate:

None

Other Matchups:

Saquon Barkley (RB, NYG)
What's not to love about Barkley against a terrible defense? So far, it's mainly been through the air that the Saints are generous to opponents. They held Tevin Coleman to 33 yards on 15 carries and Carlos Hyde to 43 yards on 16 carries. Teams can't afford to pound the ground when facing the Saints and the Giants just don't have the O-line to do so anyway. Barkley will make his hay in the passing game much like he did in Week 2, so he remains a must-start if owned, even if he isn't due for a particularly good game without the hope for a long TD run.

Cameron Meredith (WR, NO)
Meredith came away with his first TD as a Saint in Week 3 but it was his only catch on his only target this season. He was on the field for 43% of offensive snaps but until there's a clear sign that he will be more involved, he can be ignored.

Benjamin Watson (TE, NO)
His targets have gone up each week from four to five to six and he provided decent PPR value with five catches for 71 yards last week. This game won't be a shootout to that extent but Watson is always in play as a streaming possibility. Landon Collins could prevent him from making a big impact, though.

Rhett Ellison (TE, NYG)
He scored last week after Engram went down and put up 60-yard efforts in Weeks 15 and 16 last year with Engram out. Don't rush out to play him but don't discount him either as a cheap DFS tournament play.

Seahawks at Cardinals 

Matchups We Love:

David Johnson (RB, ARI)
DJ owners are nearly in full-blown panic mode and rightfully so. He was a top-five pick in pretty much every league but he hasn't even been worth starting. The ugly truth so far: he hasn't even reached 50 rushing yards or 70 total yards in a game and owns a 3.4 Y/A average this season. The move to a new QB should make it obvious that Johnson is about to see his workload increase, so he could benefit from higher volume even if the efficiency still isn't there. Seattle does allow 5.1 Y/A to opposing rushers, fourth-worst in the league, so it's not as if he'll be bottled up all day. Even if the Hawks stack the box, Johnson should see plenty of dump-offs in the passing game.

Chris Carson (RB, SEA)
As Jay-Z would say "Bring em out, bring em out!" The Cardinals have allowed the second-most rushing yards and the most fantasy points to RB this season. Carson exploded for 102 yards on the ground and added 22 more through receptions but here's the big thing--he logged 32 carries to Penny's three. He continues to get praise from coaches and his QB as well, so it's obvious who the RB1 is here. Don't keep him benched this week.

Brandon Marshall (WR, SEA)
The numbers haven't quite been there and they won't ever reach vintage Marshall level again but he has been involved. The 13-year vet has seen exactly six targets in each game so far, although he's only pulled down half of them. Doug Baldwin is expected to play, but that could serve to benefit Marshall in the red zone where he already has a team-best three targets. Regardless, Marshall gets the benefit of facing Jamar Taylor, who has struggled mightily this season. He's probably going to need a score to really help you but you could do worse in standard leagues.

Tyler Lockett (WR, SEA)
You could say that he's been "locked in" to the WR1 role with Baldwin out... The return of Seattle's true WR1 doesn't hurt Lockett as much as you'd think. With a touchdown in three straight games, Lockett is a desirable WR3 option in any league. He's always a potential big play waiting to happen, proven by his 230 Air Yards (18th among WR) and 81 YAC (20th) and that doesn't change because of Baldwin. He won't get quite the same amount of looks, although his 18% target share is barely up from last year's 14%. A decent matchup makes him a solid recommendation in leagues with 12 or more teams.

Matchups We Hate:

Josh Rosen (QB, ARI)
It's easy to pick on a rookie making his debut. There are legitimate reasons to be concerned here though. His main receiver, Larry Legend, is still nursing a bum hammy and could be less than 100%. His offensive line still leaves a whole lot to be desired. He didn't inspire a ton of confidence after throwing two interceptions in half a quarter of play (one was called back due to penalty). Rosen has a world of potential but it will take time.

Jaron Brown (WR, SEA)
The good news: Brown caught his first TD as a Seahawk last week. The bad news: He only caught two passes for 25 yards and has 68 yards total on the season. The worse news: He may not see the field nearly as much with Baldwin back. You probably weren't going to play Brown even if you had him, but this is not the week to take a chance if you're scouring the wire for a what-the-heck flex play.

Will Dissly, Nick Vannett (TE, SEA)
Dissly looked great in his first two games and then vanished from the offense in Week 3, registering one catch for four yards. Vannett, on the other hand, has seen five targets each of the last two weeks and seems to be taking over Dissly's role as primary pass-catching tight end. It's probable that these two will eat into each other's value, leaving each as a boom-bust play that is too risky to start.

Other Matchups:

Russell Wilson (QB, SEA)
We need to accept that Russ will likely not finish as the fantasy QB1 this season. That said, he will sit on the fringe of starting in smaller leagues and hover around top-10 status. This matchup falls in line with that, as the Cardinals have been decent against the pass but not intimidating by any means. If Seattle gets a ground game going and Rosen struggles, Wilson won't need to pass too often. He's averaging three fewer pass attempts per game than last season and that could continue to trend downward.

Rashaad Penny (RB, SEA)
The matchup is great for Seattle running backs but it won't matter if he doesn't touch the ball. Penny plummeted to three rush attempts last week, probably because he is averaging 2.2 yards per carry on the year. All those flashy combine numbers aren't translating to on-field productivity. He is merely a speculative stash in deep-enough leagues in case Carson's hip injury comes back to haunt him.

Larry Fitzgerald (WR, ARI)
This may come down to a game-time decision based on health. Fitz played 96% of offensive snaps last week only to secure two catches for nine yards. He's been limited in practice, so even if he suits up it may not be vintage Fitzgerald. Throw a newbie QB in the mix and he's a low-ceiling flex option this week.

Christian Kirk (WR, ARI)
We finally saw signs of life from a receiver other than Fitzgerald, as Kirk brought in seven catches for 90 yards. This is promising for his long-term usage but we're talking Seattle only for the moment. He will matchup against Shaq Griffin on the outside which isn't the worst thing in the world but doesn't give him a huge advantage either. If Fitzgerald doesn't play, Kirk could be considered to take his place but otherwise, there's too low of a baseline to use a starting slot on the rookie.

Ricky Seals-Jones (TE, ARI)
He scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 3 but it was his only catch. A rookie quarterback making his first start isn't cause for optimism, but then again, could it be worse than Sam Bradford has been? Avoid for now.

Doug Baldwin (WR, SEA)
He says he's ready to go. The training staff seems to finally agree with him. Baldwin is expected to play in Week 4, but it's unclear how much or how close to 100% health he is, so if we hear that he is going to see limited snaps then he may not be worth playing. Patrick Peterson looms on the other side as well...

49ers at Chargers

Matchups We Love:

Philip Rivers (QB, LAC)
Possibly without both starting safeties for this game, the Niners will be playing catchup all afternoon to Old Man Rivers and the Bolts. Rivers has been super-efficient, completing 69.4% of his passes. The emergence of Mike Williams has more than made up for the loss of Hunter Henry, giving him another reliable red zone threat. While the 49ers could try to slow the game down and rally their defense to win without Jimmy Garoppolo, they may not have the personnel to do it. Rivers seems destined for a top-five QB finish this week unless the game really gets out of hand early.

Melvin Gordon (RB, LAC)
He's only rushing for 57.3 yards per game but his 4.4 Y/A is a career-best. Gordon is seeing the ball a bit less, partly due to an early blowout against Buffalo and partly due to Austin Ekeler's effectiveness. He doesn't need a ton of volume in this offense to produce, however, as his nose for the end zone hasn't gone away. There's no good reason to bench Gordon anyway but game script here could work in his favor as the Niners could struggle on offense all day and give the Chargers more opportunities to establish the run.

Matt Breida (RB, SF)
No Bosa or Liuget has led to defensive woes aplenty for the Chargers. Melvin Engram can carry the load on the pass-rushing front but the run defense has been sketchy, allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to RB so far. Breida hyperextended his left knee in Week 3 and is listed as questionable for this game after being limited in practice, however. If he gets the start, utilize him as a low-end RB2/flex but make sure to have a backup plan ready.

Alfred Morris (RB, SF)
Sorry Raph, but we gotta talk about him somewhere! Morris could get a huge workload if Breida sits and gets a positive O-line matchup with the Chargers' decimated front four. He still brings with him a non-existent floor in PPR leagues and will need to find the end zone at some point to be a higher priority start over other options. We'll tentatively call him a flex consideration without Breida in his way.

Mike Williams (WR, LAC)
In his second year, Williams is doing exactly what we envisioned he might as a big-bodied target. He has 11 catches over three games but has already cashed in three for scores. He is the de facto tight end in the red zone and is earning Rivers' trust where it counts. Don't be surprised if he keeps it going with another plus matchup against embattled Jimmie Ward or, even better, his replacement Greg Mabin.

Matchups We Hate:

C.J. Beathard (QB, SF)
When the team transitioned to Garoppolo late last season, it was like night and day. With the same offense, Jimmy G was literally unbeatable and became a future star. Beathard had gone 1-4 with a 55% completion rate and 4:6 TD:INT ratio. He won't have Joey Bosa breathing down his neck but the Chargers do have seven sacks and three picks so far. He simply isn't worth looking at.

Other Matchups:

Keenan Allen (WR, LAC)
You're going to start him but don't expect better than mid-level WR2 numbers. He's been limited by some nagging injuries this week and faces a decent slot corner in K'Waun Williams. As a double-digit favorite in this game, the Chargers may not need to feed Allen quite as much either.

Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin (WR, SF) - We already had disappointing returns from these starting receivers and now they're down to a backup QB who let them down last year. There could be the occasional big play for Goodwin or red zone catch from Garcon but they are no longer must-starts in any fantasy league.

George Kittle (TE, SF)
The Iowa Connection - is it real or a contrived narrative to convince us Kittle still has value? Somewhere in between most likely. With Beathard at QB through the first half of their rookie season, Kittle averaged nearly three receptions and 30 yards per game with one touchdown. In four games this year, Kittle was up to four receptions and 64 yards per game with one touchdown. He doesn't hold nearly the same appeal but he could still be better than most other tight ends outside the top five in PPR leagues.

Antonio Gates (TE, LAC)
This could be a good matchup but Gates just won't be involved enough to consider. If he couldn't muster more than 16 yards against the Chiefs and a fat goose egg against the Bills, then you can safely ignore this future Hall of Famer.

Sunday Night Football - Ravens at Steelers

Matchups We Love:

Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT)
On paper, the Ravens present a tough opponent. It's still hard to bet against Big Ben at this point when he's thrown for 1,140 yards and seven touchdowns in just three games. We could scale down the offensive expectations a slight bit since Baltimore isn't quite as dynamic an offense but Vegas only has two other games with a higher over/under this week. The return of CJ Mosley should help the Ravens D but that will benefit the run defense more so than the pass. Roethlisberger is usually money at Heinz Field so keep him in your lineup.

Joe Flacco (QB, BAL)
Maybe the Steelers miss Ryan Shazier more than we anticipated. With largely the same personnel and same DC, the Steel Curtain went from a top-10 defense last season to bottom-five in passing yards and TD allowed so far. Flacco is no Pat Mahomes or Ryan Fitzpatrick (let that sink in for a second) so we can't expect the same type of numbers, but he faces a reeling defense and will need to chuck the ball with frequency to keep up. On the promise of volume alone, Flacco is a solid QB2.

James Conner (RB, PIT)
Conner's value through the rest of the season is still up for debate but this week looks to be a great chance to bounce back. The Ravens are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to RB so far but they haven't exactly faced a great running team yet and were middle of the pack last year against the RB. Conner has seen his usage fluctuate wildly so far and there are rumblings that the offensive is getting too pass-happy so we can assume a self-correction is coming in this divisional matchup at home. Roll him out with confidence as a low-end RB1.

Antonio Brown (WR, PIT)
Can we please stop pretending as if there is any reason to be concerned about AB whatsoever? Juju doesn't pose a threat to his targets and being shadowed by Brandon Carr will not stop him from having a big game on Sunday night.

Juju Smith-Schuster (WR, PIT)
It seems as if the abdominal issue that kept him out of practice earlier this week is minor and shouldn't affect your lineup decisions, even in DFS. Not that you'd want to be without a receiver who's gone over 115 yards in each of the first three games and is second in the league in red zone targets. There's nobody in Baltimore's secondary who will slow him down this week.

Michael Crabtree (WR, BAL)
Crabtree is getting a ton of targets, with 10 each of the last two weeks, but has yet to put together a big game. He gets one of the better WR/CB matchups of the week against Cory Sensabaugh and will be leaned on heavily. Try fit Crabtree into your WR3 spot if possible.

Matchups We Hate:

Alex Collins (RB, BAL)
Among the myriad of issues that have led to Collins' slow start is the fact he faces stacked boxes more than any other RB at 58%. It's obvious he's not in there to run a route designed for him or do any heavy pass-blocking. A touchdown saved his fantasy day against the Broncos but Buck Allen racked up twice that and Collins still finished under four yards per carry. The Steelers have been gashed on defense but mostly through the air. Collins will continue to be a source of aggravation to his owners as he sits squarely on the start/sit bubble. You may not have a better option at RB considering he was a fourth or fifth round pick in most leagues but if so, don't hesitate to roll with it.

Other Matchups:

Javorius Allen (RB, BAL)
Touchdown-dependent? Sure, but I guess you can get away with it if you score every single game. Allen has half as many carries as Collins on the year (32-16) but the same amount of red zone rushes (four) and has cashed in on 75% of those carries. He remains a boom-bust play in standard leagues but can be flexed any given week in PPR since he is being targeted six times per game.

John Brown (WR, BAL)
Brown is playing the role of deep threat very effectively in Baltimore. His 19.9 aDoT is tops among WR with at least 10 targets in 2018 and he is third among all WR in Air Yards with 457, behind only Julio Jones and DeAndre Hopkins. You can roll him out in any matchup with the hope that he'll make a big play; this week is no different as the passing games should take center stage.

Jesse James, Vance McDonald (TE, PIT)
Pick your poison. By poison, I mean the player that you think will go off for a big game and then lay a fat goose egg as your TE streamer this week. Each has put up an impressive performance but there's no way to tell who will get more looks in a given week. The snap share was 33-32 in favor of James last week and 45-37 in favor of James the week before. McDonald is the more athletic receiver, though. One could score, maybe both, or neither. That's not very helpful but as long as both are on the field, it's a crapshoot for fantasy value.

More Week 4 Lineup Prep