Start 'Em, Sit 'Em quarterbacks: Week 4 fantasy football

As all fantasy football owners expected, Jayden Daniels, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield have been among the top-five scoring fantasy quarterbacks to open the 2024 NFL season.

Will that continue into Week 4 and beyond? Those are the critical questions fantasy managers face as the NFL season rolls on.

The emergence of players like Daniels, Darnold, and Mayfield has created difficult start-sit decisions across all fantasy football formats. The quarterback position is deep, as most NFL signal-callers, with the notable exceptions of Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa, have remained healthy over the first few weeks of the campaign. Fantasy players have had to decide whether to trust the hot starters in good matchups or to roll with more touted players.

Here's a breakdown of who you should start and who you should sit at quarterback in Week 4 of the fantasy football season.

Fantasy football start 'em: Week 4 QBs

Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers were short on weapons in Week 3 — Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and George Kittle all missed the game with injuries — but that didn't stop Purdy from having a great outing. He threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns while making Jauan Jennings look like a No. 1 wide receiver against a weak Los Angeles Rams defense.

Purdy faces tougher defensive competition in Week 4 against the New England Patriots, but he should be able to attack them over the middle of the field. New England greatly missed their star linebacker and defensive signal-caller Ja'Whaun Bentley against the Jets and allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw for 281 yards and two touchdowns against them.

Purdy should be poised for similar production if the Patriots continue to miss Bentley's presence. The third-year quarterback's chances of doing so will only improve if either Samuel or Kittle can return to action. Of course, Purdy is also managing some back soreness, so check his injury status before plugging him into lineups on Sunday.

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Daniels dismantled the Cincinnati Bengals' defense in the Washington Commanders' Week 3 "Monday Night Football" matchup. He led the Commanders to points on 6-of-8 drives, totaled three touchdowns, and threw just two incompletions in his record-setting display.

Daniels' breakout isn't a fluke. The five-year college starter entered the NFL as a pro-ready product, and he is showing that his combination of downfield passing chops and mobility makes him a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Start him confidently in Week 4 against an Arizona Cardinals defense that is allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks and is one of three NFL defenses to allow multiple rushing touchdowns to QBs.

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Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mayfield threw a league-high five touchdown passes in the Buccaneers' first two games of the 2024 season, but he struggled to make downfield plays against the Denver Broncos in Week 3. He will get a much more favorable matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.

Mayfield performed well against the Eagles in the postseason last year, throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns, and Philadelphia's secondary has similar issues now as it did then. The Eagles are one of just 10 teams that have allowed at least five passing touchdowns through the first few weeks of the season, so Liam Coen should scheme up plenty of opportunities for Mayfield to take downfield shots.

Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears

Trusting any member of the Bears' offense may not look appealing after their slow start to the 2024 season, but Williams is coming off a game during which he attempted 52 passes. He should continue to see that upper-echelon volume as Chicago struggles to run the ball.

It also helped that the rookie quarterback faces one of the easiest matchups of his young NFL career in Week 4. The Rams are one of three teams to allow at least seven passing touchdowns through three games and have allowed the fifth-most passing yardage to quarterbacks at 775 yards. That would dictate another pass-heavy game plan, so this may be the spot for Williams' breakout game.

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Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 4 QBs

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Love may be healthy enough to start for the Packers in their Week 4 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, but it might be a bit soon to plug him back into fantasy football lineups.

The Vikings' defense is playing very well during Brian Flores' second season with the team. Minnesota has bent at times but has seldom broken, allowing just 10 points per game (good for second-best in the NFL) and allowing just 10.6 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks (seventh-best league-wide).

Love could still post a solid yardage total against the Vikings, but it's hard to trust him coming off an injury in what could be a low-scoring matchup. Malik Willis may have a higher floor because of his rushing ceiling if he starts over Love, but either way, this doesn't look like the best spot to back a Packers quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

Rodgers looked like his old self in the Jets' 28-3 throttling of the Patriots, but the 40-year-old quarterback will face a tough matchup against the Broncos in Week 4. While Denver hasn't earned much love early in the season, its pass defense has played quite well. The Broncos have allowed a league-low 150.3 passing yards per game to opposing quarterbacks and just limited a red-hot Baker Mayfield to 163 yards and a touchdown in an upset road win.

Rodgers has the experience and talent needed to succeed even in touch matchups. However, if Pat Surtain II can successfully render Garrett Wilson a non-factor, the 40-year-old veteran's ceiling will be capped. As such, targeting a better streaming option this week might be better while stashing Rodgers for future use.

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Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints

Carr was one of the NFL's hottest quarterbacks in the first two weeks of the season. Despite this, he failed to take advantage of a quality matchup against a porous Eagles secondary, leading the Saints to just one touchdown in a 15-12 loss.

What went wrong? Carr lost his center, Erik McCoy, early in the game. Without him, New Orleans' offensive line struggled to block and didn't allow Carr the time needed to take advantage of Philly's problematic back end.

McCoy is out 6-8 weeks with a groin injury, which could position Carr for a tough outing against the Falcons. Atlanta has played well against the pass thanks to the skills of star cornerback A.J. Terrell and safeties Jessie Bates and Justin Simmons.

Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'ems, Week 4

Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports has you covered:

→ Kickers are people, too: Here are some of the most clutch kickers to have on your fantasy team in Week 4.

→ The wide receiver position has been decimated this season. Protect yourself in Week 4 with start 'em, sit 'em advice for wideouts.

→ Tight ends can be the perfect X-factor for any fantasy team. Here's who you should start and sit in Week 4.

→ A good running back makes all the difference. A bad running back can cost you a lot of points. Here's who to start and who to sit in Week 4.

→ A good defense can shut down your fantasy opponent's offense. Here are some D/ST options to start and sit for Week 4.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 4: 7 QBs to start or sit