Fantasy Football Must Starts Week 4

By James Collier

It’s Week 4, the injuries are building up and the bye weeks are just around the corner. We’re towards the end of the straightforward just “start your studs” territory  and lineup decisions are coming thick and fast. But hopefully our collection of four Must Start players will make things a little easier for you this week.

A reminder of what we are looking for in a “Must Start”. We are trying to find you players that are undervalued in DFS or are being ranked too low by (Expert Consensus Rankings) ECR. So, while there will be some contrarian picks, there will also be some “good chalk”. 

Review of Last Week

Outside of Zack Moss and his RB9 finish (thanks to Lewis), our picks last week were…less than ideal. We had Rashid Shaheed’s first zero reception game since Week 3 of last year to go alongside a 6.9 point outing from Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a whopping 3.4 points from Zamir White.

Here’s to a better Week 4! 

Khalil Shakir @ Baltimore Ravens

Through the first three weeks of the season Khalil Shakir has quietly become Josh Allen’s favourite target. The Bills offense has become much more efficient and methodical which suits Shakir’s style perfectly. 117 of his 168 receiving yards have come after the catch and he’s yet to drop a pass with 14 receptions on 14 targets. 

This does make him a bit of a regression candidate but I’d count on that not coming this week against a Ravens defense allowing the fifth most fantasy points to Wide Receivers. The Ravens haven’t really got it going on offense in terms of scoring points yet but they do lead the league in yards gained, so there is real shootout potential here. Shakir is a solid WR3/flex play this week. 

DraftKings Value: $7,600 (SNF Showdown)

ECR Rank (PPR): WR33

Greg Dortch vs Washington Commanders (Kev White)

Kev (@TheDynastyMind) is looking to take advantage of the Commanders porous defence with his pick of Cardinals Wide Receiver Greg Dortch. 

“Greg Dortch the ‘Human Torch’ with a week four matchup at home to the Commanders, now is his time to shine. Washington have been exposed by opposing teams’ slot receiver this season, conceding WR1 games to Chris Godwin and Malik Nabers, plus a seasonal best 16.2 fantasy points to Andrei Iosivas of the Bengals. The slot position is Dortch’s primary role, playing 63.4% of his snaps from this alignment. The matchup has one of the highest projected points totals on the slate, with two in-form quarterbacks battling it out and the possibility of Cardinals’ star tight end Trey McBride missing time, the pathway to a strong week is there for Dortch. He’s a player you can use in deeper DFS contests or as a viable flex play in deeper lineup leagues in week four.”

DraftKings Value: $4,300

ECR Rank (PPR): WR52

Xavier Legette vs Cincinnati Bengals (Lewis Wood)

Lewis (@ff_pancake)’s Must Start is another Wide Receiver, Panthers rookie Xavier Legette. Legette hasn’t been much of a factor early into his NFL career but after Lewis’s selections the last two weeks, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a breakout performance here. 

“It feels insane to have my start of the week be a Carolina Panthers player who is currently WR82 on the season. But hear me out – the Panthers offense looked completely transformed under Andy Dalton last week, as he became the first passer this season to throw for 300+ yards and 3 TDs. Adam Thielen has head to IR after a hamstring injury, and Legette is poised to benefit. In the second half v the Raiders, Legette had the highest snap share of any Panthers WR (including Diontae Johnson!) and will replace Thielen in 2WR sets. Combine that with a Bengals defense who have been torched all season, and the explosive Legette has a chance to be an under the radar star in week four.”

DraftKings Value: $4,800

ECR Rank (PPR): WR58

Jaxon Smith-Njigba @ Detroit LionsTom Strachan)

We have a Must Starts first from Tom (@NFL_TStrack) this week. His pick of Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t pay off last week but that hasn’t stopped him opting for the sophomore receiver again this time around in what looks to be a tasty matchup with the Lions. 

“Last week Jaxon Smith-Njigba looked to be in an incredible spot against a Miami defense that gave up plenty of production to the slot wide receiver role, but alas it wasn’t meant to be after Seattle ripped deep passes early and then wasn’t pushed at all throughout the game. This week however, the Lions should be a far better opponent capable of staying in the game and potentially pushing the Seahawks in a way we haven’t seen this year. Detroit’s biggest vulnerability is the slot receiver position where they cede a league-high 44% of targets, and Smith-Njigba averages an 86% slot rate through three games. With the Seahawks first in pass rate over expected and finally facing an offense that can push them, get ready for take off.”

DraftKings Value: $5,500 (MNF Two Game Slate)

ECR Rank (PPR): WR23

Feature image credit: Lapresse

JAMES COLLIER

Lead Fantasy Football Analyst

A Washington fan since the early 2010’s, James had no choice but to turn to fantasy football in search of happiness – and it wasn’t long until it became an obsession. You can follow him on Twitter @jamesc294.

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