Week 4 of the NFL and Fantasy Football season is here in a flash as the Seattle Seahawks (2-1) visit the Arizona Cardinals (2-1) on Thursday Night Football for an NFC West divisional clash. The Seahawks are looking like an offensive powerhouse to start the season, posting 75 total points in their last two games. The Cardinals, on the other hand, started 2-0 and almost knocked off the San Francisco 49ers in a thriller a week ago. Both teams are as scrappy as they come as this will make for an exciting rivalry tilt on national television.
As is the case for every week, we'll be taking a look at the Fantasy Football implications in Week 4, leading with our Start 'em/Sit 'em options for this game. Sportsbooks are billing the Cardinals as 1.5-point favorites with a projected total of 43.5 points.
Seattle Seahawks – Start ‘Em
Kenneth Walker III, RB (SEA)
While this may not be a popular pick with KW9 fantasy owners in perpetual frustration, but Walker's two-touchdown performance against the Saints and 118 scrimmage yards against the Steelers is exactly why managers are holding onto what seems to be the lead back in Seattle. With Zach Charbonnet returning from a brief injury absence last week, managers should feel confident starting Kenneth Walker III as a FLEX play at the very least.
Jaxon Smith Njigba, WR (SEA)
Ranked as the No. 6 wide receiver in the ESPN Fantasy Football rankings, Jaxson Smith-Njigba should be a no-brainer, must-start every week. He's commanding the majority of the target share for this passing offense, ranking fifth in the NFL with 22 total receptions through three weeks. He's ranked second overall with 323 receiving yards, so feel confident starting Smith Njigba as your WR1.
Arizona Cardinals – Start ‘Em
Trey McBride, TE (ARI)
Billed as the TE2 overall coming into the season, McBride has surpassed Brock Bowers as the TE1 through the first three weeks of the season. While some of this may be due to their differing offenses, Trey McBride is the No. 1 passing option in this offense and the greatest safety valve for quarterback Kyler Murray. McBride should be started without question as he's looking like the best tight end in football at the moment.
Trey Benson, RB (ARI)
Starting running back James Conner suffered an injury against the 49ers, resulting in foot surgery and sidelining the lead back for the rest of the season. Second-year man Trey Benson, who saw 10 carries and four targets last game, will step up to fill a big role as the Cardinals' lead ball carrier. James Connor had surpassed 12.0 fantasy points in his first two games, so expect the usage of Benson to skyrocket with Emari Demarcado and Michael Carter as their only other options at the position.
Seahawks-Cardinals Week 4 – Sit ‘Em
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR (ARI)
Marvin Harrison Jr. will be under even more scrutiny following his wide-open dropped pass that effectively cost the Cardinals their final drive against the 49ers. While he started the season hot with five receptions and a touchdown in their opening game, he's only had five receptions in their last two and has yet to find the end zone. He's ranked as the WR36 according to ESPN, making him an extremely fringe FLEX play at this point. With McBride commanding this passing offense, look elsewhere this week at WR.
Zach Charbonnet, RB (SEA)
Zach Charbonnet managed to out-pace Kenneth Walker III in touches and total snaps through the first two games of the season, but it has been KW9 widely getting the goal line looks and commanding the more productive runs. Charbonnet was sidelined last week due to a foot injury and slowly making his way back to playing speed. Expect the Seahawks to opt towards Kenneth Walker more as they try to ease Charbonnet back into action slowly.
Sam Darnold, QB (SEA) / Kyler Murray, QB (ARI)
The Seahawks have won the last five meetings between these two teams, but each game has been decided by 12 or fewer points. Both defenses haven't been playing poorly to start the season and the rather low implied total of 43.5 could indicate that we may have a defensive battle where the running games flourish. Murray ranks as QB16 and Darnold is QB23 according to ESPN, so you're much better opting for someone like Packers' Jordan Love (available in 23% of leagues) or Colts' Daniel Jones (available in 20% of leagues). Either way, you can opt towards sitting both of these quarterbacks as we should see a sloppy game overall with both teams heading into the shortened week.
