Kirk Cousins or Anthony Richardson: Who should I start in Week 4 Fantasy Football?

Kirk Cousins and Anthony Richardson present two intriguing prospects as quarterbacks for fantasy football managers heading into Week 4 of the 2024 NFL season. Both offenses have their weaknesses but both players have the potential to be a star for their teams.

The Falcons are 1-2 for the season and they have not really shown consistency in their performances yet. In Kirk Cousins' first rodeo with his new franchise, Atlanta's offense struggled to get into gear as they lost to the Steelers in Week 1.

That was followed up by the quarterback rolling back the years as he engineered a drive in the two-minute warning to snatch a come-from-behind win against the Eagles in Week 2. If that was cause for optimism, Week 3 brought it down a notch as the Falcons lost again, albeit to the Chiefs, who are the reigning Super Bowl champions and 3-0 for the season.

The Colts are 1-2 for the year and began with a narrow loss to the Texans in Week 1, which also marked Anthony Richardson's return from the injury that he suffered in 2023. Since then, Indianapolis lost to the Packers even with backup quarterback Malik Willis starting on the other side before finally arresting the slide and recording their first win versus the Bears in Week 3.

Chicago is bottom of the pile in the NFC North and it remains to be seen if a win against them should be seen as a sign of a revival. Due to this uncertainty, fantasy football managers might be struggling to hang their hat on Anthony Richardson when they have the option of Kirk Cousins also available.

Is Kirk Cousins a good pick in Week 4?

Kirk Cousins is coming back from an Achilles injury that ruled him out for the 2023 season and he is with a new franchise, having moved to Atlanta from Minnesota. That could have been why he was shaky in Week 1 as he recorded two interceptions and one touchdown and threw for just 155 yards.

That output has since improved with more than 200 passing yards in each of his last two games but while he had two touchdowns in Week 2 against the Eagles, he threw a pick to go with a touchdown pass in Week 3 against the Chiefs.

Overall, he has 626 yards, four interceptions and three touchdowns. He is also aware of the NFC South rivalry between the Falcons and Saints and is looking to bring his best for the upcoming game.

Is Anthony Richardson a good pick in Week 4?

Anthony Richardson was coming off of an injury too that curtailed his 2023 NFL season but he looked good in his first start this year against the Texans. Even though the Colts lost, he had two touchdown passes and just one interception and threw for 212 yards.

Since then, though, his production has dropped. In Week 2, he had three picks and just one touchdown pass. His production diminished to 204 yards. If that was not concerning enough, last week he had 167 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, which was masked by Indianapolis' victory against Chicago.

Whom should I start between Kirk Cousins and Anthony Richardson in Week 4?

Given this situation, fantasy football managers need to think hard about whether Kirk Cousins is a better option than Anthony Richardson. Thankfully, Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer tool can do the job by taking into account data and analytics.

Kirk Cousins v Anthony Richardson - Fantasy Football Start 'Em Sit 'Em - Week 4 - 2024 NFL Season

And it shows that fantasy football managers should choose Anthony Richardson over Kirk Cousins. Even though the Falcons' quarterback has a higher chance of throwing passing touchdowns and yards, the Colts youngster has 117 yards and 1 rushing touchdown this season, which makes it more likely that he picks up points on the ground.