2021 Fantasy Football Week 4 Start 'Em Sit 'Em: Wide Receivers

Identifying booms and avoiding busts at receiver is imperative for any fantasy matchup. Here are your starts and sits at WR for Week 4.

Wide receiver is one of the least stressful positions to plug in players at, given the relative predictability of targets and the dominance of the aerial attack in the modern NFL. Still, the volatile nature of the receiver position makes finding a third receiver to plug in at flex and identifying the boom player of the week among a crowded sea of wideouts can make all the difference in any matchup. Just look at the Arizona Cardinals, for example, who have had Deandre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and Rondale Moore all trade huge games thus far.

*Additionally, here are ClutchPoints’ start ’em sit ’em recommendations at running back, quarterback, and tight end*

As guys like Mike Williams and Cooper Kupp top the wide receiver scoring leaderboard, while D-Hop, Stefon Diggs, and Calvin Ridley float around the WR2/3 borderline, it's clear that matchups and opportunity are pivotal in deciding how to start and who to not. With that being said, here are your Week 4 starts and sits at wide receiver.

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Fantasy Football Week 4 Wide Receivers Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em

Start ‘Em

Odell Beckham Jr. – Cleveland Browns (at Vikings)

OBJ had a very solid return to action this past Sunday in his first game back from an ACL tear back in 2020. Catching 5 balls on 9 targets for 77 yards entrenches him in the drivers seat of a hype train for a bounce back to his New York Giants form. Beckham will especially benefit from the absence of fellow wideout Jarvis Landry, meaning that he'll be able to attain a massive target share in a game that the Browns should be passing in early and often (against an elite Vikings offense).

Tim Patrick – Denver Broncos (vs Ravens)

Patrick already had weekly value as a potential flex play heading into the season, but now seems like a must-play in any league 12 teams or deeper, as he is now the undisputed No. 2 receiver on the Broncos, now that both Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler are injured. Patrick was close to a 100-yard performance last week, and, though he lines up for a somewhat difficult matchup with the Ravens in Week 3, the Broncos will be forced to air it out quite a bit against a difficult defense to run against.

Robby Anderson – Carolina Panthers (at Cowboys)

Anderson has had a pretty awful start to 2021, but that could change in a big way in Week 4. Now that Christian McCaffrey, a target hog in his own right, is injured for at least this week, Anderson will be forced to step up if the Panthers want to keep up against the Cowboys' dynamic offense. Sam Darnold is clearly coming into his own as a capable NFL passer, and that should mean plenty of big play opportunities for Anderson, just as he had in 2020.

Sit ‘Em

Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens (at Broncos)

Brown has had a resurgent start to 2021, building off a strong end to a disappointing 2020. He's scored two touchdowns already, and eclipsed 18 fantasy points in each of the first two games. However, the Broncos defense has been one of the best so far, and has a great secondary led by Kyle Fuller and Patrick Surtain. That'll mean the Ravens will look to get things going on the ground for the most part, and Brown will be left as a boom-or-bust lottery ticket on some shot plays. “Hollywood” has simply not been consistent in years past – leave him on the bench until a better matchup or proven consistency.

Cole Beasley – Buffalo Bills (vs Texans)

Beasley has been a PPR beast once again in 2021, as he's racked up 13 targets in 2 of the first three games this year, scoring 14 or better in two of them, but also only scoring 7.6 in the other. It seems he'll be a matchup-dependent wide receiver this year, as the addition of Emmanuel Sanders in Buffalo will make things difficult for those two to consistently produce. This week, in a matchup against the Texans where the shorter game won't be necessary and the Bills will want to get Diggs more involved after a couple quieter games (by his standards), there's simply too much volatility without enough upside to warrant a confident start from Beasley.

JuJu Smith-Schuster – Pittsburgh Steelers (at Packers)

JuJu has had a disappointing start to 2021, and, without his rushing touchdown in Week 2, would be averaging less than 10 PPR points per game on the campaign. He draws an okay matchup on paper with the Packers, which should lead to a lot of passing attempts from Ben Roethlisberger, but the Packers defense has considerably improved since their Week 1 debacle against the Saints. Smith-Schuster has yet to flash anything of note this year – leave him on the bench in Week 4.