Start, sit, stream advice to help you win Week 4 in fantasy originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Another week done, and another rash of injuries. If you’ve managed to avoid blows to your starting lineup, congrats, you’re in the minority and can safely close this story and sleep easy heading into this week’s slate of games. Everyone else, this is where filling out your lineup gets difficult. If you’re having trouble, hopefully this column can help.
START: The guys you picked up to make spot starts
If you burned a waiver claim on a player whose value will have a limited window, don’t be afraid to throw them into your lineup. Managers who started Mike Davis were rewarded as he stepped into Christian McCaffrey’s role seamlessly. The same should be true of Carlos Hyde this week, as he subs in for Chris Carson in Seattle. If you nabbed Jeff Wilson, Jr., monitor the status of both Raheem Mostert and Jerick McKinnon. If either misses this week, you can play Wilson and feel good about it. If your tight end hasn’t panned out through three weeks (see: Austin Hooper, Evan Engram) feel free to pull the plug and start your new guy.
SIT: The guys who exploded for a bunch of points out of nowhere
Beware chasing the points dragon, it can lead you down a dark path. Constantly going after the guy who boomed the previous week, can not only leave you disappointed, it can drive you crazy. It’s especially important to see if there’s a reason why a player broke through for a big game. In Justin Jefferson’s case, his targets tripled after offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak said they wanted to get him involved in Week 3. Will that game plan carry over to Week 4? Rex Burkhead scored two touchdowns for the Patriots, but with James White back in the fold, Burkhead will likely cede touches back to White. Dontrelle Inman scored two touchdowns, but his target share and catch rate remained unchanged. It will be hard for him to duplicate that performance again.
STREAMS OF THE WEEK
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick - 12% rostered
Believe in the beard! After a disastrous Week 1, Fitzpatrick has rebounded in a big way. Despite putting up single digits in his first outing, Fitzpatrick is still the QB14 on the season. He gets a great matchup against Seattle, who have allowed the most points to opposing QBs. The Seahawks should score early and often too, forcing Fitzpatrick to throw the ball more than usual.
TE: Mo Allie-Cox - 24% rostered
I wrote about why Allie-Cox should be rostered in every league earlier this week, but clearly not enough of you listened. If you need more convincing check this: Allie-Cox is the TE7 through three weeks, despite not starting Week 1. Here’s what Colts offensive coordinator Nick Siriannitold reporters on Tuesday: “We have to continue to keep him involved. He’s made too many plays to say, ‘OK, now Mo, you take a back seat.’ Mo is going to be involved. We plan for Mo.”
