Fantasy Football Start and Bench Advice: Week 4

Below is our Fantasy Football Start ‘Em and Sit ‘Em Advice for week 4 of the 2007 season. Also, make sure you check out our Weekly Projections for Week 4 , and if that isn’t enough, swing by our Start / Bench Forum, where Tavaner, Craphonso and myself (Smitty) attack all of your questions daily.

Smitty’s Week 4 Studs & Duds

	Donovan McNabb (@NYG) – Projections: 405 passing yards, 4TDs, 0 INTs McNabb is going to destroy the Giants’ 29th ranked passing defense this week. That entire Giants unit has given up 8TDs through the air so far in just three games — McNabb could have as big an outing as he had in week 3.
	Derrick Ward (vs. PHI) – Projections: 35 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards, 0 TDs I like Ward a lot, but he faces a top 5 rushing defense this weekend (Eagles). The Eagles surrender just 71 yards per game on the ground, so I just don’t see Ward having a solid performance. Expect the Giants to be passing their way back into this one, which means that Ward won’t get a lot of rushes in the second-half.
	Larry Johnson (@SD) – Projections: 125 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards, 2TDs This is going out on a limb, as the Chargers rushing defense only gives up 88 yards per game on the ground, but I have faith that this is the breakout week! I firmly believe that the Chiefs will get back to smash-mouth football and force-feed Larry Johnson until he reaches the end zone… twice. If the Chargers get off to an early lead, my prediction could turn for the worst, but the Chargers aren’t playing good football right now, so I think this game will be closer than most think… the Chiefs may surprise.
	Brian Leonard (@DAL) – Projections: 40 rushing yards, 18 receiving yards, 0TDs Leonard is a great grab right now, as Jackson could be out at least 2-3 weeks. That said, the rookie might have a tough debut as an NFL starter, as he faces a pretty solid Dallas rushing defense in week 4. The other problem with this match-up is that the Rams should be playing from behind in a hurry, so there will be a ton of passing in the second-half of this game. Leonard probably wont get the touches that he needs in week 4.
	Brian Griese (@DET) – Projections: 275 passing yards, 3TDs, 0 INTs Call me crazy, but if you have Drew Brees or Vince Young on a bye this week (and have no legit back-up), you may want to consider picking up, and starting, Brian Griese. What a week to step in and be the team hero… Griese is facing the Lions on Sunday, a team that is 31st against the pass. The weapons are all there in Chicago, and I believe that Griese will be the spark that gets this offense going.
	Jay Cutler (@IND) – Projections: 250 passing yards, 1TD, 3 INTs I like Culter a lot this year, but the Colts are playing tough defense and I don’t think Culter is going to be 100% healthy for this match-up.
	LaMont Jordan (@MIA) – Projections: 125 rushing yards, 35 receiving yards, 1TD The Dolphins are giving up 166 yards per game on the ground and have allowed 4 rushing TDs in just three games. Jordan is playing fantastic football and I don’t see that changing in week 4. Even if the Dolphins take over this game, Jordan will just pick-up more receiving yards than expected. He is one of those guys that has a great match-up every single week because he is used in both the passing attack and rushing attack. He is a beast right now.
	Philip Rivers (vs. KC) – Projections: 190 passing yards, 0TDs, 2 INTs I think L.T. will do very well in week 4 against the Chiefs, but I think Rivers is going to struggle and throw the ball a lot less than expected. Norv Turner will get back to the run and give Tomlinson his first 100-yard/multiple touchdown game of the season.

Ballgame’s Week 4 Studs & Duds

	Marion Barber (vs. STL) – Projections: 90 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards, 2TDs The Rams are going to get worked in week 4, and since they won’t be able to run the football without Jackson, I see the Cowboys controlling this game. That means Dallas will run the football a lot.
	Larry Johnson (@SD) – Projections: 50 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards, 0TDs The Chargers should pull away early, forcing the Chiefs to throw more than they would like. I don’t see Johnson getting even 20 carries in week 4.
	Chris Chambers (vs. OAK) – Projections: 7 receptions for 100 yards, 1TD Chambers is playing great, but he still has yet to score a touchdown. That should change in week 4, as I expect the Dolphins to pass a lot against the Raiders defense. Green will surprisingly have a great fantasy day.
	Jamal Lewis (vs BAL) – Projections: 35 rushing yards, 5 receiving yards, 0TDs Not much needs to be said here. The Browns rushing game will be shutdown from the start. So will their passing game. The Ravens defense could have one of those 3TD games.
	Willis McGahee – (vs. NYJ) – Projections: 140 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards , 1TD I think McGahee could near 100 yards rushing before the first half comes to a close. This game is going to be put away early, which means we will see a lot of Willis McGahee.
	Edgerrin James (vs. PIT) – Projections: 42 rushing yards, 8 receiving yards, 0TDs The Cards are going to find it tough to run the football on Sunday, which means that if they want to stand a chance at all against the Steelers, they will have to throw in a huge way. I think Boldin and Fitz could put up decent numbers, but Edge will be held in check most of the game.
	Cedric Benson (@DET) – Projections: 110 rushing yards, 1TD I know! Benson has looked awful, but look at what the Eagles just did to the Lions! There is no way Benson has 3TDs and total 200 yards, but he should have no problem rushing for 100 and a score in this contest.
	LaMont Jordan (@MIA) – Projections: 50 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards, 0TDs Jordan has played great up to this point, but for some reason I think the Dolphins are going to play very good football on Sunday. Jordan is still a solid RB2 in all leagues and formats, I just think that he and the Raiders will have a rough week 4.

Be sure to check out all of our Week 4 Projections.

Ask The Experts: Who Do I Start?

Carson Palmer (vs. NE) or Ben Roethlisberger (@AZ) ?

ASK THE EXPERTS – A questioned asked by a FFX Forum user.

	Belive it or not, I’m struggling with this one. I always tell fantasy owners to start their studs, but Big Ben’s match-up against Arizona is pretty sweet, even though the Cards are playing pretty solid defense this year. Despite my hesitation, I don’t think I could ever bench Palmer. Start Carson Palmer.
	It’s tempting to say Roethlisberger because I think the Steelers are going to dominate the Cards on Sunday, but you can’t sit Carson. Ever! Start Carson Palmer .

Adrian Peterson (vs. GB) or Thomas Jones (@BUF) ?

ASK THE EXPERTS – A questioned asked by a FFX Forum user.

	Wow, this is actually a tough one. Jones faces the Bills in week 4, the worst rushing defense in the entire NFL (giving up 177 rushing yards per game). While it’s tough to bench a runner like AP, he has a much tougher match-up, as he faces a pretty impressive Packers defense (10th in the league against the run). It is tough to spit this out — Start Thomas Jones.
	Jones has a gret match-up this week against the Bills. They give up 170+ yards per game! He should run all over Bills on Sunday. He could have 130+ rushing and at least one score given his week 4 match-up. Start Thomas Jones .

Need Advice before kickoff? Swing by our FFX Start / Bench Forum and post your “tough calls” there!

Week 4 Fantasy Football Projections

Chiefs @ Chargers

Sunday at 4:15PM EST

Player	Match-Up	Week 4 Projections
QB Philip Rivers	vs. KC	240 yards, 1TD, 1 INT
RB LaDainian Tomlinson	vs. KC	155/30 yards, 2TDs
RB Michael Turner	vs. KC	35/20 yards
WR Vincent Jackson	vs. KC	5 rec, 65 yards, 1TD
WR Craig Davis	vs. KC	3 rec, 35 yards
WR Malcom Floyd	vs. KC	2 rec, 18 yards
TE Antonio Gates	vs. KC	6 rec, 85 yards

Player	Match-Up	Week 4 Projections
QB Damon Huard	@SD	195 yards, 1TD, 1 INT
RB Larry Johnson	@SD	110/12 yards, 1TD
RB Michael Bennett	@SD	30/8 yards
WR Sammie Parker	@SD	2 rec, 14 yards
WR Dwayne Bowe	@SD	3 rec, 35 yards
WR Jeff Webb	@SD	0/0
TE Tony Gonzalez	@SD	4 rec, 45 yards, 1TD