Week 4 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Quarterbacks
James Newell
Host · Writer
Welcome back, readers! I am happy to return for a second year as The Sporting Tribune's fantasy football analyst. If you are new here, my mission is to help fantasy managers with any dilemmas or questions they may have through the course of the season to ultimately win their leagues. For the next 17 weeks, I will produce weekly fantasy content that will go over the waiver wire, rankings, and Start 'Em, Sit 'Em columns.
Being a fantasy manager often means having to make difficult roster decisions, but I aim to take some of the guesswork out of it with my Start 'Em and Sit 'Em column for every position. It goes without saying that I won't include obvious calls like "start Trey McBride" or "sit Tommy DeVito." Instead, I search for players that could be perceived as fringe that could propel your lineups for weekly wins.
As always, if you have any questions or don't see your players here, feel free to follow me on Twitter (X) – @JamesNewell96 and send me a message, where I typically respond in a timely manner.
Start 'Em
Tyler Shough vs. ATL (Projected FPTS – 19.5): Shough has proven he's an elite fantasy quarterback. He's reached 22 fantasy points in all three games this season and has scored 17.4 or more points in 10 of his last 11 games, dating back to last season. Shough should remain in starting lineups for another week, taking on the Falcons. Atlanta has allowed 583 yards, five passing touchdowns and 18-plus fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks over its last two games. Shough is in line to be a top scorer in Week Four.
Jared Goff @ CAR (Projected FPTS – 19.0): Goff is coming off another solid performance in Week Three, putting up 19.4 fantasy points against the Jets. This week he'll take on a veteran Panthers defense that will be without two of its best corners, Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson. Expect Goff to take full advantage of a weakened secondary that has allowed Caleb Williams and Deshaun Watson to each score over 20 fantasy points through three games.
Trevor Lawrence @ CIN (Projected FPTS – 20.9): Lawrence has played like a top-five quarterback since last season. He's scored 19-plus fantasy points in eight of his last nine games and is averaging 18 fantasy points per game this season. He'll take on the Bengals in Week Four, who've allowed the 14th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. This game should be a high-scoring affair, with the over/under total in the low 50s. Continue to start Lawrence.
Honorable Mentions: Bryce Young vs. DET; Dak Prescott @ HOU; Daniel Jones @ WSH; Marcus Mariota vs. IND; Matthew Stafford @ PHI; Kyler Murray vs. MIA; C.J. Stroud vs. DAL.
Sit 'Em
Justin Herbert @ SEA (Projected FPTS – 14.9): Herbert's 2026 campaign has looked horrendous through three games. He hasn't registered a game with 14 fantasy points and a three-to-four touchdown/interception ratio in the Mike McDaniel system. He's also fumbled the ball three times, though all have surprisingly been recovered by the Chargers. He's completed just 59 percent of his passes, with a 65.9 percent on-target rate. He'll enter Week Four against the Seahawks, and if you know anything about playing in Seattle, it's not pleasant. Don't expect Herbert to have a "get right" game this week against one of the best defenses in the league.
Drake Maye @ BUF (Projected FPTS – 17.3): Arguably the story of the season through the first three games is Maye's dropoff from his 2025 campaign. We're talking about a quarterback who was a vote shy of winning MVP and led his team to the Super Bowl. Now he plays for an offense that's dead last in points scored, averaging 12 points per game, and he's committed seven turnovers while completing just 63.8 percent of his throws. Another gut-wrenching stat: Bears' third-string QB Case Keenum scored more fantasy points in the one game he played Monday than Maye has scored through three games this season. Yikes. He takes on division rival Buffalo in Week Four. Do not start Maye.
Bo Nix @ SF (Projected FPTS – 16.7): Nix has improved since his awful Week One performance against the Chiefs. In the last two weeks, he scored 15.1 points and broke the 20-point threshold with a 25.1-point performance against the Rams. However, I don't necessarily believe he's a must-start in Week Four against the Niners, who've allowed the third-fewest fantasy points per dropback and the eighth-fewest points to opposing quarterbacks. Nix will have better, more favorable matchups later this season, but I wouldn't risk starting him this week.
Lowlights: Kirk Cousins vs. KC; Deshaun Watson vs. PIT; Aaron Rodgers @ CLE; Malik Willis @ MIN; Michael Penix Jr. @ NO; Jordan Love @ TB; Jameis Winston vs. ARI.
