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Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season is almost upon us, which means that it is time for fantasy football managers to make their final decisions regarding who to start this week and who needs to ride the bench.
Luckily, in addition to blue-chip stars, several talented receivers have favorable matchups this weekend, and their team's game plan could result in extra targets. However, there are other talented and high-profile players who should be avoided due to circumstances outside of their control.
Keep reading for the best start 'em and sit 'em recommendations for this Week 4.
Wide Receivers to Start in Week 4
George Pickens, PIT (@IND)
George Pickens has shown signs of life in recent weeks, despite not getting off to quite the start that many envisioned. While his numbers might not back it up, he has looked like a significantly different player from last year, and has shown major improvements in all areas of the game.
In previous years, Pickens was more or less a contested catch specialist who also had the speed to beat defenders deep. He was one of the worst receivers in the league in terms of creating separation, though. In the early going of the 2024 season, Pickens has established himself as a credible threat as a route runner, and is among the league leaders in creating separation.
He also has much better quarterback play than he has had in the past, although the bar for that isn’t very high. Justin Fields is improving his anticipation, timing and accuracy on short to intermediate throws every week. He also has a rocket for an arm and impressive accuracy on his deep ball.
The Steelers are going to look to put it all together this week and have a real breakout, which would arguably be their first dominant offensive performance since the Ben Roethlisberger era. If Mike Tomlin's squad is to achieve this goal, George Pickens will play a huge part.
Malik Nabers, NY (vs DAL)
The New York Giants face a tough matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, and if Big Blue hopes to win, it will likely be in a high-scoring shootout. The Giants' defense is a question mark at best, and as much as the Cowboys have struggled to begin this season, they are still a high-powered offense that can put up points in bunches. The Cowboys started to break out last week and showed signs of life against a tough Baltimore Ravens defense, and they will look to build on that performance against a significantly weaker Giants defense.
If New York gets down early, they’ll need to air the ball out down the field and leave no stone unturned in fighting to get back into the game. The time for playing conservatively or cautiously is well, in the background mirror, and the Giants are going to have to leave it all out on the field.
Daniel Jones might not be a great quarterback by any stretch of the imagination, but he does have a decent arm and can get the ball down the field to his playmakers. Nabers is a versatile receiver who can beat defenders deep down the field, go up and highpoint the ball to win contested catches, and create space with his route running and separation ability. He can also catch a short pass, make one or multiple defenders miss and pick up significant yardage after the catch.
It's understandable to not fully trust Daniel Jones, but talent should win out in the end and Nabers is supremely talented. With a good matchup and a game plan that could lead the team to force-feed him the ball, Nabers is a good candidate to start in all fantasy football leagues.
Garrett Wilson, NYJ (@DEN)
This all comes down to whether you trust the New York Jets’ quarterback play more so than the tough matchup they face. Garrett Wilson is a bonafide superstar at the receiver position, that much was never in doubt. He’s capable of producing against any opposing defense, but he does face a difficult matchup this week.
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However, Wilson also has the benefit of Aaron Rodgers being back under center. Rodgers has already proven this season that he still has gas left in the tank, and he’s still capable of being one of the best quarterbacks in football.
Trust Wilson against any defense as the elite quarterback play gives him an advantage even against a the toughest matchups.
Xavier Worthy, KC (@LAC)
Xavier Worthy is a talented receiver, but is he deserving of a fantasy football starting spot this week? Worthy has a tough matchup, but he might have the best quarterback in all of football throwing him a ball. He also fits Pat Mahomes’ favorite receiver archetype as a deep threat who can take the top off of the defense on any given play.
Worthy is the kind of guy that Mahomes loves throwing to, and he’s capable of exploding at any moment and producing a massive stat line. There might be some better candidates to start this week, but you could also do a lot worse than Xavier Worthy even when factoring in the tough matchup he faces.
Wide Receivers to Sit in Week 4
Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, MIA (vs TEN)
Stay far, far away from any Miami Dolphins wide receiver this week. That has nothing to do with the quality of players in the Dolphins’ receivers room. There is just far too much uncertainty around the quarterback position. The only thing that is certain is that the dynamic Tua Tagovailoa will not be shooting up this weekend.
With no credible backup plan as of now, that just gives me too much concern about whether the Dolphins’ receivers will be able to produce the output necessary to justify starting them. Given the circumstances, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle should both stay glued to your bench this week. That’s nothing against either player, it’s just the unfortunate circumstances that they are both facing.
Looking Ahead
Malik Nabers should be a great fantasy football value play this week and he should see a steady dose of targets. The top-tier receivers including Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb are all viable starters, but the real value lies with guys like Pickens and Nabers. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has an intriguing matchup and is primed for a bounce back performance.
However, stay away from any of the Dolphins receivers due to concerns at the quarterback position.
