Fantasy Football Week 4 Quarterback Start/Sit Decisions: Justin Fields, Bo Nix, and More
Comparing Justin Fields to five quarterbacks he has been matched up with most on FantasySP's start/sit tool.
Justin Fields will return to the lineup in Week 4 after a one-game absence due to a concussion. That has fantasy owners scrambling to determine Fields' spot in the fantasy hierarchy this week after two very different performances to start the year. As a result, Fields is showing up all over our FantasySP start/sit tool.
Let's look at Fields and then do some quick-hit start/sit decisions against five guys he has been compared to often on the Who Should I Start? tool. Most stats are from NFL.com.
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Justin Fields, New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins
It was a tale of two games for Fields to start the season:
- Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: 218 passing yards on 9.9 per attempt, one touchdown, no interceptions, 48 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns.
- Week 2 vs. Buffalo Bills: 27 passing yards on 2.5 per attempt, no touchdowns or interceptions, 49 rushing yards.
He left the second game injured, but that wasn't until the fourth quarter; Fields we thoroughly ineffective during that matchup with the Bills. The Steelers have since looked poor on defense, making it seem as though Fields just took advantage of a bad unit in Week 1.
The matchup in Week 4 is in his favor again, as the Dolphins have allowed the third-most yards per pass attempt and second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Specific to what Fields does best, Miami has been vulnerable to QBs running the ball: Daniel Jones had 26 yards and two touchdowns, Drake Maye 31 yards and a touchdown, and Josh Allen had 25 yards on the ground against the Dolphins.
With a great matchup, I expect Fields to get right back to being an effective fantasy player, throwing the ball but doing his best work on the ground. He has a good outlook to finish as a top-10 fantasy QB this week.
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns
This is a tough matchup for Goff and the Lions. Cleveland has allowed the 11th-fewest yards per pass attempt and 12th-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. They held Joe Burrow to 113 passing yards on just 4.9 per attempt in Week 1, then after Lamar Jackson had a better day in Week 2, the Browns were tough on Jordan Love, as he had a modest 183 yards on 7.3 per attempt. That Ravens game skews a very good start for the Cleveland D.
Goff is QB10, having a huge game against the Bears in Week 2 and modest fantasy performances against the Packers in Week 1 and Ravens in Week 3. The weapons are there, and he will sling it around, but Goff also has his share or weaker fantasy performances, and this could be one of them.
Advice: Start Justin Fields over Jared Goff because of his better matchup and running advantage.
Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts @ Los Angeles Rams
I've been ready to pounce as soon as Jones lets up, sure that his performance so far is a mirage more than his own greatness. That hasn't come yet, as Jones has average more than 9.0 yards per attempt in every game with three touchdowns, no interceptions, 55 rushing yards, and three more rushing TDs.
The matchup is a little tougher here, as the Rams have given up the eighth-fewest yards per pass attempt and an average number of fantasy points to QBs. The matchup was also tougher against the Broncos and Titans the past few weeks, and Jones handled those. I find it hard to doubt Jones in any situation right now.
Advice: This is a tough one, as Fields has the better matchup, but Jones has just been so good, ranking as QB4. Start Daniel Jones over Justin Fields, though it's close.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots vs. Carolina Panthers
Maye is tied for QB6, starting with a QB18 performance before topping 20 fantasy points and finishing in the top seven each of the past two weeks. He is averaging over 260 passing yards per game on 7.4 yards per attempt with five touchdowns and two interceptions; Maye also has 87 rushing yards and a score on the ground.
The Panthers are right in the middle in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed but have actually given up the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. Trevor Lawrence didn't do much as the Jaguars handled Carolina in Week 1, Kyler Murray had an efficient but low-volume day against the Panthers in Week 2, and Michael Penix had a bad day in Week 3.
I still see Carolina as a below-average defense that has some numbers in their favor due to circumstances, not their own quality play. Maye has the chance at another strong outing in this one.
Advice: Start Drake Maye over Justin Fields; they both have good matchups, but Maye is the safer player.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Nix has been mostly below average in 2025. He's averaging just 178.3 passing yards per game on a well-below-average 5.6 yards per attempt. He has five touchdowns and three interceptions, and Nix is averaging about 24 rushing yards per game, a little fantasy bump. He was drafted as a fantasy starter, though, and has been far from that level, ranking as QB20.
The Bengals offer a little easier matchup after tougher games against the Titans, Colts, and Chargers. Cincinnati has been just a little worse than average in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed and right at average allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks. Both the Browns and Jaguars had slightly-below-average numbers against the Bengals in the first two weeks, then Carson Wentz had a very efficient, very low-volume day in Week 3.
Advice: Start Justin Fields over Bo Nix. Fields has the better matchup, and Nix has struggled at times this season.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Chicago Bears
Smith has had two really good games and one really bad game with the Raiders:
- Week 1 @ Patriots: 362 passing yards on 10.6 per attempt, one touchdown, one interception, 10 rushing yards.
- Week 2 vs. Chargers: 180 passing yards on 4.2 per attempt, no touchdowns, three interceptions, 20 rushing yards.
- Week 3 @ Commanders: 289 passing yards on 10.0 per attempt, three touchdowns, no interceptions, five rushing yards.
Much of that Week 3 work came in garbage time, but Smith has put together two good fantasy outings, ranking as QB15 in Week 1, QB4 in Week 3, and tied for QB11 overall. He's a feasible fantasy streamer.
The Bears offer a favorable matchup, allowing the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. They are dealing with injuries on top of a lack of high-end talent, making Chicago a vulnerable team to go after.
Advice: Start Justin Fields over Geno Smith because Fields is going to run the ball more and has a higher ceiling because of it. Smith is still a good streaming player.
