Fantasy Football Week 4 Start 'Em Sit 'Em WRs: Should you drop Mike Evans?

Fantasy managers don't (or at least shouldn't) need help with the obvious choices at receiver each week. Barring the first sign of an apocalypse, players such as Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill should be in starting lineups every week.

Decisions get a bit tougher after that, and that is where I hope to help by providing a reason or two why we can trust certain WR3 or WR4 types that usually end up deciding fantasy matchups. Below are four receivers outside the top 24 scorers after two weeks who I believe can help you win this week and four wideouts who are generally considered surefire starters who I believe could disappoint:

Fantasy Football Week 4 Start 'Em Wide Receivers

Super Bowl LVI - Los Angeles Rams v Cincinnati Bengals

Tee Higgins, Bengals (@TEN)

Higgins needs to be in lineups barring an injury, so let this serve as more of a reminder that his rollercoaster start has not changed the fact he is still a high-end WR2 at worst with very big upside. Lest we forget, Higgins erupted for eight catches, 89 yards and two touchdowns in Week 2 - some of which came after Joe Burrow re-tweaked his calf injury.

The Titans are one of four teams yielding an average of at least 50 fantasy points (PPR) to receivers, surrendering at least one 20-point performance to a receiver in all three of their games. All told, seven wideouts have managed at least 11 fantasy points in part because Tennessee has been so stingy against the run.

Mike Evans vs Tee Higgins fantasy projection for Week 4

Our Start/Sit Optimizer also predicts a slightly higher return on Higgins this week.

The one concern here is that Burrow is still as limited by his calf as he was on Monday night, but the good news is that he has been able to keep at least one of his stud receivers happy over the last two weeks (Ja'Marr Chase was the featured attraction in Week 3). With Burrow reportedly feeling better this week and the softest matchup of the season so far, maybe Chase and Higgins will each light up the Music City.

Deep League Special: Darius Slayton, Giants (vs. SEA)

The Giants’ receivers have scored the fourth-fewest fantasy PPR points as a group, but that figures can change for the better against a Seattle defense that has surrendered at least 100 yards and/or a touchdown to seven receivers in three games. Included in that group are six WR1-level efforts (16-plus fantasy points) to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Adam Thielen and a few others who were likely on waiver wires before their huge days (Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell, Josh Reynolds and DJ Chark).

New York has played exactly one good half of football in three games and has been outscored 90-12 in the other five, so there is a risk in trusting any Giant to deliver the fantasy goods. Then again, the Seahawks are not getting much pressure on quarterbacks, so Daniel Jones should have more time to go through his reads than he had against the Cowboys or 49ers.

The lack of a pass rush from the Seahawks has greatly contributed to a deep threat (Atwell, Reynolds, Chark) burning them in each outing, so Slayton should be as close to a good thing as any New York wideout this week. Jalin Hyatt is another deep-league consideration for the same reasons Slayton is; he just runs significantly fewer routes.

Other potential strong start(s): Robert Woods (Steelers have yielded the fifth-most fantasy points to receivers and Woods leads Houston with 25 targets); Joshua Palmer (set to replace Mike Williams in a Justin Herbert-led offense)

Fantasy Football Week 4 Sit 'Em Wide Receivers

Bears Buccaneers Football

Mike Evans, Buccaneers (@ NO)

Twice a year, football fans are treated to a receiver-cornerback battle that has been very much one-sided throughout the course of Evans' rivalry with Saints CB Marshon Lattimore. Their history reads more like a grudge match between two MMA fighters: three physical altercations, an ejection and two suspensions since 2017.

While Evans is off to one of the best starts of his distinguished career with at least five catches, 60 yards receiving and a touchdown in every game, Lattimore might be playing as well as he ever has (19.4 passer rating against and 38.5-percent catch rate allowed). Since the start of the 2020 season (seven games, six of which Lattimore has played in), Evans has managed no more than four catches or 64 yards and has been held out of the end zone four times.

Perhaps the problem over that time was Tom Brady (he joined Tampa Bay in 2020) not wanting to force the ball into Lattimore's coverage, but that seems unlikely. Most fantasy managers will not have a more appealing option than Evans on their bench, but they should know starting the 30-year-old will probably end with his most disappointing result of the young season.

Jordan Addison, Vikings (@ CAR)

Addison seems to be adapting well to the pro game despite logging fewer snaps (191-135) and running fewer routes (146-115) than the man he was expected to replace in K.J. Osborn. Part of the rookie's success is a product of the Vikings attempting a league-high 138 passes (46 per game), which is more than enough opportunity to keep three and sometimes even four pass-catchers happy.

Arizona Cardinals v Minnesota Vikings

There are at least two very good reasons why Addison's strong start might hit a speed bump this weekend. Not only should the Vikings be able to play with positive game script in Week 4 (they have only held a lead for less than 23 of a possible 180 minutes this season), but Carolina has been among the stingiest defenses against fantasy receivers thus far.

Carolina will likely struggle on offense yet again and Minnesota should be able to take an early lead. From there, the Vikings should be able to take advantage of what has been a soft Carolina run defense and run out the clock, likely leaving only enough volume for Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson to prosper.

Other potential weak start(s): Zay Flowers, Ravens (George Pickens' 71-yard TD catch in Week 2 is the only reason Cleveland has not held every receiver it has faced below 10 PPR fantasy points); Jahan Dotson (he is averaging 5.3 targets and set to face a Philadelphia secondary that is getting healthy)

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