Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 4 Fantasy

Sully brings you his Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 3 Fantasy.

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 4 Fantasy

The first three Monday Night matchups have been good for fantasy scoring. In Week 1, the Ravens and Raiders overtime thriller produced some high scores; Week 2 it was Aaron Jones popping off for over 40 PPR points, and in Week 3 it was Ezekiel Elliott bouncing back with over 23 points. Week 4 is full of viable fantasy assets and should this game go as planned (over/under 52.5), we should be in for a great game and a lot of fantasy production.

Hopefully you entered Week 4 looking to go 4-0. If you are 0-3, you need to start winning now. It is time to start those players in your weekly lineup that have the highest ceiling. If you start 0-4, you will need to go on a nice run to finish the season in your league playoffs, 6 losses is the typical cutoff point in 12-team leagues.

I will be with you every step of the way with recommendations on who to start and who to sit for every Monday Night Football matchup. With out further ado, let’s make the moves required to wrap up your Week 4 victory.

Quarterback

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 4 Fantasy

Derek Carr – Las Vegas Raiders – Start

Entering Week 4, Derek Carr leads all quarterbacks in passing yards with 1,203. He is completing nearly 65% of his pass attempts and has 6 touchdown passes compared to 2 interceptions. Carr is sitting at QB9, averaging 23.81 points/game. He has been extremely consistent this season with weekly finishes of QB9, QB8, and QB11.

Carr and his Raiders look to go to 4-0 for the first time since 2002 when they visit the Chargers. LA has been tough on opposing quarterbacks this season, limiting them to only 13.89 points (7th best in the league). The Chargers have held Dak Prescott and the combo of Tyler Heinicke and Ryan Fitzpatrick to under 11 points and held the league’s best QB, Patrick Mahomes, to 25 points last week. There are plenty of reasons to try to avoid Carr this week. I am, however, starting him in a game in which I think they lose but score a bunch of points.

Justin Herbert – Los Angeles Chargers – Start

In 2020, Justin Herbert rode a surprise Week 2 start all the way to a QB9 season in which he averaged 22.86 points and scored 342.84 points total. Three games into the 2021 season and Justin Herbert is the QB13, averaging 20.65 points a game. Herbert has had a nice start to the season in his new offense, and it should be even better if not for the penalties that have called back 5 additional touchdown passes. He is a must start QB, and facing the Raiders who have held opposing QBs under 19 points a game doesn’t change that. Start Herbert this week with confidence.

Running Back

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 4 Fantasy

Josh Jacobs /Kenyan Drake /Peyton Barber – Las Vegas Raiders – Sit

When it comes to start and sit decisions that involve Monday Night games, you best be sure you are aware of who is active and who is not, as your options are limited to two rosters vs the 26-28 you have to choose from any given Sunday. Josh Jacobs is working his way back from a turf toe injury and it looks like he is going to be dressed Monday. Normally when a team gets their top RB back in the lineup, he is an easy start. In Las Vegas’ situation, we have no idea how the workload is going split among Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, and Peyton Barber. Sit them all and start your backs playing on Sunday.

Austin Ekeler – Start

You don’t need me to tell you to start Austin Ekeler, as he is a must start RB each and every week regardless of the situation or matchup. If Ekeler is active he is in your fantasy lineup. Monday night versus Vegas, the matchup is a decent one, as the Raiders are allowing 23.3 points per game to the RB position (17th best).

Larry Rountree / Justin Jackson / – Los Angeles Chargers – Sit

The list of backup RBs on the Chargers is similar to how I feel about the Raiders backfield this week–I have no clue. As noted, Ekeler is the back to have in your lineup this week. Through the first three weeks, it appears that Rountree is the next man up in the Chargers’ backfield. He has out touched Justin Jackson 14-9. If you are extremely desperate for RB help you can flex Rountree, but I would highly advise against it.

Wide Receiver

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 4 Fantasy

Henry Ruggs/Bryan Edwards/Hunter Renfrow – Las Vegas Raiders – Sit

Listing QB Derek Carr as a start, with all the running backs and now all the wide receivers as a “sit” seems a little crazy. Similar to the running backs, I do feel as though there will be some productivity, I just see it split to the point I am not comfortable that any of them will be a flex play or better (barring a touchdown).

I understand that some of us are in tight this week, as even without bye weeks the amount of injuries has led us to look to start players we normally would not. I prefer to sit them all, but if I am stuck, Renfrow is the safest, with Edwards and Ruggs likely being boom/bust flex plays.

Keenan Allen/Mike Williams – Los Angeles Chargers – Start

For as long as I can remember, Keenan Allen was the No.1 WR in Los Angeles and a must start on a weekly basis. Fast forward to 2021 and not much has changed. Allen remains a must start WR, and he is now joined with another must start WR in Mike Williams. Through the first three weeks of the season, Williams is the WR2, and Allen is the WR12. Las Vegas is allowing 37.1 fantasy points a week this season, and there is no reason to sit either of these elite WRs, so start them both with confidence.

Tight End

Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 4 Fantasy

Darren Waller – Las Vegas Raiders – Start

Much like Austin Ekeler, you don’t need me to tell you to start Darren Waller. Guess what I am going to anyway? Season to date, Waller is TE4, scoring an average of 16.1 points per game. Teams understandably are focused on Waller when facing the Raiders. After posting 26.5 points in the season opener, Waller scored 11.5, and 11.2. The Chargers are allowing 17.2 points a game to the TE, 5th worst in the NFL. This one shapes up as a boom game for Waller.

Jared Cook – Los Angeles Chargers – Start

Playing in an offense that has two top-12 WRs and a top 5 RB, you would think there wouldn’t be much left for anyone else. Jared Cook, believe it or not, is getting some looks even with all of the pass catchers on this team.

Cook is averaging 5.3 targets per game that he has turned into 3 catches and 37 yards. Now 6.7 PPR points is average even for a TE, but I have a hunch that Cook is much more involved this week. Last week, Las Vegas just gave up a ton of production to Mike Gesicki. Gesicki finished the overtime loss with 18.6 points (TE3). If we’re looking for a streaming option, you could do much worse than Cook.

Thank you for reading Start or Sit These Players on Monday Night to Win Week 4 Fantasy.

For all your start/sit questions be sure to reach out to me on Twitter @RotoHeatSully.

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