In need of a fantasy football win? We aren’t too far from the midway point of our regular season, and you can’t afford to fall too far behind. I’m here to help you break those WR start/sit ties and have your team pointing in the right direction when Week 4 is all said and done.
Which Wide Receivers Should Fantasy Managers Start in Week 4?
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers (vs. CIN)
Our quarterback grades could provide enough context, but Bryce Young’s ineptitude was on full display in Week 3 as Andy Dalton was able to come off the bench and make Diontae Johnson look like a Hall of Famer.
A perfect TD pass from @andydalton14 🎯
📺: #CARvsLV on CBS/Paramount
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/2XXFJuVoYc— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024
Johnson’s production in 2024
- Weeks 1-2: 21.8% target share and a 41.7% catch rate
- Week 3: 37.8% targets share and a 57.1% catch rate
The touchdown Johnson scored on Sunday was a five-yard dime from Dalton, and as the unquestioned WR1 in an offense that figures to be playing catch-up, Johnson is a top-25 option for me and could reasonably be played over Tyreek Hill.
It’s a crazy world out there, and we’re still in September.
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders (at ARI)
Terry McLaurin may have only made four catches on Monday night, but man, were they impressive.
Jayden Daniels dropped a 55-yard dime into McLaurin’s hands as he sprinted past a double team and then offered more magic on the touchdown connection.
None of this is a surprise from McLaurin. We’ve seen him flash at the professional level, but the fact that Daniels was ready to take this step and wanted to do so by way of his WR1 was encouraging.
McLaurin isn’t going to average 25 yards per catch every week, and I’m interested to see where his average depth of target (aDOT) settles in an offense that was largely low-octane through Week 2.
Nevertheless, I saw enough of a connection to bump him back inside my top 25 at the position. McLaurin now ranks alongside Drake London, DJ Moore, and a Tua Tagovailoa-less Hill.
Which Wide Receivers Should Fantasy Managers Sit in Week 4?
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (vs. PIT)
Yes, I get that he was banged up last week, but the fact that we were celebrating a 36-yard performance due to it being a season-high in yardage is a problem.
I talked about it on Monday’s PFN Fantasy Football Podcast, but this very much feels like a round-peg-square-hole situation. Nothing Michael Pittman Jr. excels at matches up with what Anthony Richardson wants to do, which will lead to an awfully low floor.
To complicate matters further, Josh Downs came back from an ankle sprain last week and earned five targets in the short-to-intermediate passing game, the land in which Pittman lives. The pie was small to begin with when it came to those chain-moving targets, and with another person pulling up a chair, I’m not sure there’s enough food at the table to make anyone happy.
Of 77 qualified receivers this season, the Colts have two of the bottom five in terms of PPR points against expectation (Pittman and Adonai Mitchell). They also happen to have the leader in that metric (Alec Pierce). If that doesn’t paint the picture of what this Colts offense is, nothing will.
Pittman has the potential to earn his way back into my lineups because of his track record of earning targets, but he’s outside of my trust circle right now.
Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans (at MIA)
We desperately need the reckless version of Will Levis if any of his receivers is going to pay off, and we didn’t really get that last week. Instead, the second-year quarterback got four different players a catch on Tennessee’s first drive, and Calvin Ridley wasn’t one of them.
With DeAndre Hopkins’ snap count trending up, there’s a duplication of skills that figures to be an issue. I don’t doubt that one of these big-play receivers can be an asset, but I find it unlikely that the same name fills that role on any sort of consistent basis.