Fantasy Football Week 4 Quarterback Start Decision: Anthony Richardson, Dak Prescott, Sam Darnold, Brock Purdy, Jayden Daniels and More

Week 4 is about to begin with a Thursday night battle between the Giants and Cowboys, and that means fantasy football owners are wondering who to start.

Let’s take a look at several quarterbacks and determine the best starters of the bunch. We’ll cover a mix of above-average options, along with some weekly streaming options: Dak Prescott, Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy, Jayden Daniels, Derek Carr, Daniel Jones, Kyler Murray, Anthony Richardson, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, C.J. Stroud and Justin Fields.

Looking for start/sit help? Be sure to check out the FantasySP Who Should I Start tool.

Season Stats

Prescott has completed 60.7% of his passes through three weeks. He has 851 yards, but two interceptions and just four touchdowns. Prescott has 22 rushing yards and a score on five attempts

Burrow has completed 70.9% of his passes, tallying 746 yards, five touchdowns and no picks along the way. He has 28 rushing yards on 11 attempts.

Purdy is at 72.6% for his completion percentage. He has 842 passing yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Purdy has 64 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

Daniels has thrown for 664 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He has an 80.3% completion mark and has rushed for 171 yards and three touchdowns on 38 attempts.

Carr fell back to earth in week 3, but still has six touchdowns this season. He’s completed 68.8% of his passes and has thrown two picks. Carr has 17 rushing yards and a score on five attempts.

Jones has completed 59.6% of his passes and tossed four touchdowns to two picks. He has 600 passing yards, along with 67 rushing yards on 19 attempts.

Murray has thrown for 635 yards, five touchdowns and an interception through three weeks. He has a 68.6 completion percentage and has 161 rushing yards on 15 attempts.

Richardson has struggled through three games, with 583 yards, three touchdowns, six interceptions and a 49.3% completion mark. He has 117 rushing yards and a score on 18 attempts.

Goff has completed 66% of his passes for 723 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions so far. He has 18 yards on six rushing attempts.

Mayfield is up to 637 yards, six touchdowns and two picks on 74.4% passing. He’s added 55 yards and a touchdown on eight carries.

Darnold has 657 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and a 67.9 completion percentage. He has 35 rushing yards on eight attempts.

Stroud has completed 67.7% of his passes through three weeks. He has four touchdowns, two picks and 709 yards in the air and 24 yards on eight rushing attempts.

Fields has the Steelers at 3-0, but his numbers aren’t very good. He’s got 518 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception while completing 73.3% of his passes. Fields has 90 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 attempts.

Week 4 Matchups

Prescott plays on Thursday night against the Giants. It’s a pretty average matchup, as New York’s defense allows opposing QBs to score 15 fantasy points per contest.

Burrow has a very favorable clash against the Panthers. Carolina allows 19 points to opposing QBs.

Purdy’s matchup against the Patriots is pretty average. New England allows 16 fantasy points per game.

Daniels has a slightly above-average matchup against the Cardinals, who allow 17 points per game. Carr takes on the Falcons, who also allow 17 points per game.

Jones’ matchup against the Cowboys is very favorable. Dallas allows 20 points per game to opposing QBs.

Murray has the most favorable matchup of the week against the Commanders. At the opposite end of things is Richardson and his clash with the Steelers. Washington allows 24 points per game, while Pittsburgh is at just eight.

Goff’s clash with the Seahawks is below average as well. Seattle allows QBs to score just 10 points per game.

Mayfield’s matchup with the Eagles is a bit tougher, as Philly allows 14 points per game. Darnold takes on a Packers’ defense that allows QBs to score 13 points per contest.

Stroud has a very favorable matchup against the Jaguars, who allow 22 points. Fields’ battle with the Colts is more average, as Indy allows 16 points.

Projections and Starting Recommendations

Daniels is the highest projected quarterback in week 4, set for 24 points. Stroud is at 21 points.

Murray and Purdy both sit at 20 projected points. Prescott is at 19 points, while Burrow is at 18. Mayfield and Darnold are projected for 16 points.

Fields, Goff and Richardson are projected for 15 points each. Jones and Carr both sit at 14 projected points.

You drafted Stroud with an earlyish pick, and you need to trust him to deliver over all these other fantasy quarterbacks. I’d take him first with confidence, and his favorable matchup gives him a chance to finish as QB1 this week.

I like Murray next for a lot of the same reasons. Trust your draft pick to get the job done, especially as he’s going up against a weak, weak defense. 

I’m sticking close with the projections so far, and will take Daniels next. He’s been spectacular so far, and I think he keeps things rolling in week 3. It’s wild that he’s already the top projected fantasy QB - the sky's the limit with this youngster.

Give me Burrow next. His solid play has been diminished by the team being 0-3 so far. The matchup is favorable, and he should pass early and often with the lack of a consistent ground game in Cincy.

Things get much tougher from this point on. A lot of the decisions come down to the quarterbacks I trust most.

I’d take Purdy here. The matchup isn’t all that great, and he’s got several playmakers out with injuries, but he always takes care of the ball and has a pretty safe floor.

Give me Prescott next. The matchup isn’t all that good, but I’m just trusting that he can get going.

I’m going to surprise you here and take the other side of the Thursday matchup, Jones. I don’t trust him as much as many of these other quarterbacks, but the matchup is favorable and Jones has been good the past two weeks. 

I’d take Mayfield here. He struggled in week 3, but I think he bounces back in a big way for week 4.

Give me Goff next. He’s struggled, and the matchup isn’t great, but I’m trusting in him to post a good score this week.

I will take Carr here. I think he also bounces back in week 4 - not to the level he was at in week 1-2, but to a more average fantasy QB.

Darnold would be my next choice. He continues to play well, and I continue to reward him with spots near the bottom of my streaming list. A falloff is coming, and a takeaway-happy Packers’ defense might just be the matchup that sets Darnold back.

I’ll take Fields here. He hasn’t had too many negative plays this season, but he also hasn’t wowed with positive numbers. I expect the Steelers to run a bunch against the Colts, and while Fields should be involved in that, I don’t see him outscoring the better passers ahead of him.

That leaves Richardson for the final spot. The last thing he needs is a tough matchup after a brutal start to the season, but it’s there with the Steelers’ defense. He’ll be started by a bunch of people out of necessity, but I’m not expecting a big game, and some turnovers will hurt his fantasy total again.