Who Should I Start for Week 4? Fantasy Football outlooks for Emmett Johnson, Ted Hurst III, Mike Washington Jr., Germie Bernard, Zachariah Branch, Nicholas Singleton, Malachi Fields, Kaelon Black.
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some of the most common Week 4 fantasy football lineup decisions involve players like Emmett Johnson, Ted Hurst III, Mike Washington Jr., Germie Bernard, Zachariah Branch, Nicholas Singleton, Malachi Fields, Kaelon Black. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 4. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 4 of the 2026 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.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Week 4 Fantasy Football Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider starting in Week 4:
Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs running back Emmett Johnson has solidified his status as the No. 2 option on the depth chart behind Kenneth Walker. It seemed pretty evident that Johnson was second in line after handling 10 carries and four receptions through the first two weeks, and he reinforced his presence as a handcuff with six carries and a 27% snap share in Week 3. Johnson doesn't quite have standalone value in fantasy football, but he should still be a waiver wire target because of the insurance he offers behind Walker.
Walker is the overall RB2 in fantasy football with 76 touches and four touchdowns this year, and if he were to miss time, a lot of that volume would be passed on to Johnson. The rookie is a top waiver wire target, especially for managers who have Walker in their lineups and rely on him for substantial production every week.
Ted Hurst III, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Ted Hurst III scored his first career touchdown during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Hurst caught a 40-yard deep ball from quarterback Baker Mayfield during the first half of Sunday's game. Hurst didn't do anything else after that, finishing with one reception on four targets in the loss.
The rookie wideout has made some solid plays early in the season and is hopeful to get a larger role as the season goes on. Hurst could be an interesting deep league stash option, but his value could take a hit with Jalon Daniels likely taking over under center for a few weeks.
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders running back Mike Washington Jr. belongs in the high-upside handcuff tier heading into Week 4. Washington only carried five times in Sunday's 35-27 win over New Orleans, but he turned those chances into 54 yards and his first NFL touchdown, including a 36-yard scoring run in the third quarter. He now has 15 carries for 102 yards through three games, but Ashton Jeanty remains the clear lead back and has handled 76 touches while playing nearly 79% of the offensive snaps.
That leaves Washington with very little standalone value for now. The appeal is what could happen if Jeanty misses time. Washington sits directly behind him on the depth chart and has already shown enough explosiveness to make that potential workload interesting. He is not a priority add for managers chasing immediate production, but he is one of the better running back stashes available in leagues with room for a handcuff.
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black has seen his involvement dwindle week over week, but he remains one of the most valuable insurance backs in the league. After carrying the ball 14 times in the season opener, Black has logged only 11 carries over the past two outings, and he's a player to look out for as a potential post-waiver pickup.
With injuries mounting and bye weeks approaching, Black could be dropped by managers facing a roster crunch, and while he may not have the standalone value implied by his Week 1 usage, he is still worthy of an end-of-bench spot. Over three games, he has racked up 107 rushing yards on his 25 carries, and he has weekly RB1 potential if All-Pro Christian McCaffrey were to miss time.
Who Should I Start Tool
You can also see the Who Should I Start tool here.
Week 4 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Emmett Johnson, Ted Hurst III, Mike Washington Jr., Germie Bernard, Zachariah Branch, Nicholas Singleton, Malachi Fields, Kaelon Black. 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 name. In the second box, search for the second player 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 that 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, stats, projections, strength of schedule, players news, and enhanced search results with data to compare with 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 circle), 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 (2026)? 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 searches and comparisons from our Who To Start tool for Week 4 for Emmett Johnson, Ted Hurst III, Mike Washington Jr., Germie Bernard, Zachariah Branch, Nicholas Singleton, Malachi Fields, Kaelon Black.
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
RADIO



