Rashee Rice or Quentin Johnston Week 4 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Fantasy football projections for WRs

Rashee Rice is trending to be a top-five receiver in fantasy football if things continue at this pace. With Travis Kelce on lockdown most weeks, Rice's volume has seen a significant uptick. Until Hollywood Brown returns from injury, we're likely to see Rice's stock rise but with a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers later today, will Jim Harbaugh shake things up to keep one of the league's hottest receivers in check?

Harbaugh will also have to figure out how to get Quentin Johnston involved against a menacing Chiefs defense. While he has emerged as Herbert's preferred target through three weeks of football, Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo has made it a point to keep most receivers in check. So what does Week 4 have in store for Rice and Johnston?

Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs - Source: Getty

Rashee Rice fantasy outlook for Week 4

In August, the primary concern with drafting Rice was if he would be suspended at any point in the season. While that didn't come to pass, Hollywood Brown's injury has given Rice every opportunity to shine.

Rice had career-highs in both receptions (12) and targets (14) against the Falcons last week so the volume is clearly there to exploit. With teams focusing on keeping Travis Kelce in check (and with good reason), Rice has found himself leading this receiver room. Rookie Xavier Worthy has also been a notable contributor but make no mistake, this is Rice's time in the spotlight.

This week's matchup against the Chargers is also an encouraging one.

There's not much else to say about Rice other than the fact that at this time, he is probably among the premier set-and-forget options to deliver the goods.

Quentin Johnston fantasy outlook for Week 4

Like Rice, Johnston has found himself leading all Chargers receivers. Johnston had two targets last week and caught both for 44 yards and touchdown in a 20-10 loss to the Steelers. With Josh Palmer missing the game owing to an injury, Johnston had his time in the spotlight despite the loss.

The issue here is that the Chargers just aren't throwing the ball enough. Under offensive coordinator Greg Roman, Herbert is yet to throw for over 200 yards. That's not great given Herbert's reputation as an elite thrower. Week 3 against Pittsburgh saw Herbert attempt a season low of 18 throws for, again, a season low of 125 yards.

We just haven't seen the best of Herbert's talents so far and, as a result, this week's matchup isn't trending in the right direction for Johnston either.

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Rashee Rice or Quentin Johnston: Final verdict

Sportskeeda's Start/Sit Optimizer is higher on Rice this week and there's not much to dispute.

Rashee Rice vs Quentin Johnston: Week 4 fantasy outlook

With Hollywood Brown unlikely to return over the next couple of weeks and rookie speedster Xavier Worthy still getting accustomed to life in the National Football League, expect Rice to continue to dominate his matchups as a premier receiver.