Fantasy Football Week 4 Quarterback Start/Sit: Bryce Young, Justin Herbert, and More

Bye weeks start next week and will bring plenty of conundrums for fantasy owners who have to navigate the minefield of players randomly missing weeks in the middle of the season. The shuffling began last week at QB after we lost three big-time fantasy quarterbacks the week before, but it's about to get even tougher, especially as more injuries hit.

Let's look at three quarterbacks to start and three to sit in Week 4 of the NFL season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

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Start

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts @ Washington Commanders

Jones tore his Achilles last December, and it was reasonable to think that he wouldn't be ready for the start of the season. While he made it back for Week 1, Jones hasn't looked great, averaging just 6.2 yards per pass attempt with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Most concerningly for his fantasy performance, Jones has only run for 19 yards on seven attempts; he reached at least 16 yards in five of his 12 games last year (not counting the one in which he got hurt). In his best running season in 2022, Jones averaged nearly 45 rushing yards per game and scored seven times. Without that production on the ground, Jones has a low fantasy floor without much of a ceiling.

The matchup is what puts him here this week, as the Commanders have allowed the fifth-most yards per pass attempt and the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Washington similarly struggled last season, so I'm looking to target them in the passing game until we see real evidence of improvement (I'm not holding my breath on that one).

Jones brings plenty of risk, and he hasn't run the ball much coming back from a major injury, but things are in his favor here. While he's still just a low-to-mid-level streamer, things are set up for a somewhat successful day.

Jameis Winston, New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals

Oh boy. Winston hasn't been good in close to two full games in relief of Jaxson Dart, averaging 4.7 yards per attempt with just 229 total yards. It's unfair to expect a guy to come out on fire when he's thrust into a game after an injury, but Winston had a whole week to prepare for the Titans (who have been decent on defense, to be fair), and he didn't look much better.

Once again, we're here because of the matchup. Arizona has allowed the most yards per pass attempt and the fourth-most fantasy points per game to QBs. The Cardinals were right in the middle as a pass defense last season and could improve, but there's not a much better outlook for a passer right now based on the 2026 numbers.

Don't count on Winston as your savior. This is more of a low-level streaming option if you're in a deep league or just hurting to replace one of those injured stars (maybe even Dart). If you find yourself desperate later in the week, though, you could do worse than targeting Arizona with a veteran passer.

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers vs. Detroit Lions

After two fantastic games to start the season, Young labored in a loss to the Browns last week, averaging just 6.1 yards per attempt (though he finished with 291 yards because he threw it 48 times). Young leads the league in passing yards through three weeks but also ranks third in pass attempts, relying on volume along with good efficiency.

This is another chance to rack up numbers, as the Lions have given up the eighth-most yards per pass attempt and the most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Detroit struggled against the pass last season, so it's not a surprise to see them again acting like a sieve.

I love Young's outlook this week. Carolina hasn't been afraid to let their young QB air it out (sometimes out of necessity), and this could be a high-scoring affair if the Lions also find their way offensively.

Sit

Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs

As a Raiders fan, I was expecting the team to start about 1-5 before handing the reigns to top overall pick Fernando Mendoza so that we could see what the future would look like. Well, turns out the future is now, as Vegas is 3-0, and Cousins has racked up 661 yards with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. He has spread those TDs out, throwing three in each game, and Cousins is QB9 after three weeks.

Things are about to get tough, though, as the Chiefs have given up the third-fewest yards per pass attempt and the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. They held two of their three opponents under 6.0 yards per attempt, while Indy's Jones finished with a slightly below-average 6.8 number.

I'm not interested in testing Kansas City with anyone other than the best fantasy players. I'll be recommending sitting Las Vegas pass catchers too (other than Brock Bowers, of course). This could be the game that brings a little reality back to the Raiders.

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks

Coach Jim Harbaugh put it very simply when it comes to Herbert's performance so far: “Be better.” Some Herbert's numbers are pretty average overall, but he has thrown four interceptions and fumbled three times, though his team recovered each of those fumbles. With his team 0-3, both coach and quarterback are surely looking for better play under center.

This might not be the game to expect bigger things, though. The Seahawks have given up the fewest yards per pass attempt and the sixth-fewest fantasy points to QBs. Even while allowing 33 points to the Commanders last week, the defense still held Marcus Mariota to 5.9 yards per pass attempt while falling victim to their own offense turning the ball over.

I'm not looking to test Seattle with anyone but the very best fantasy players, and that doesn't describe Herbert right now. This is probably a week to sit almost every Chargers fantasy player.

Malik Willis, Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings

I talked about Willis as a good late-round fantasy pick before the season because he is going to run the ball, and QBs who use their legs are generally safer fantasy players (and have higher ceilings if they can marry that with good passing numbers). He showed strong efficiency during the first two weeks on a lower volume before struggling on more attempts against the aforementioned Chiefs last week, but Willis has run for 101 yards and a touchdown, showing that promise on the ground.

The Vikings are in the middle in terms of yards per pass attempt allowed but have given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. Caleb Williams was able to rack up 42 rushing yards in Week 2, but Minnesota otherwise held Jordan Love and Baker Mayfield to a combined six yards on the ground in the other two games.

This is an above-average defense against an inexperienced quarterback who is down one of his best offensive weapons in De'Von Achane (out for the year with a torn ACL). It's likely to continue to be a trying year for the Dolphins, and there will be much better times to deploy Willis in your lineup.