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One player to start, bench, drop, trade and pick up in fantasy football ahead of NFL Week 4

Owen Stoltz, Copy Editor • October 3, 2023

The best fantasy football players to start, bench, trade, drop, and pick up ahead of week 4.

Start: Russell Wilson

Despite the Broncos giving up 70 points to the Dolphins last week, their quarterback has played well. After underperforming last year, Russell Wilson is the 8th best QB in fantasy this year. With more than 300 passing yards in 2 out of 3 weeks and an average of 2 touchdowns per game, Wilson is a viable option to start. This is especially true if a QB1 has not had the best start to the year or is injured already, like Joe Burrow or Anthony Richardson.

Bench: Jahmyr Gibbs

A player that many people took with high draft picks in this year’s draft, Gibbs has not performed as expected. Splitting reps with fellow back David Montgomery, Gibbs has averaged under 10 points per week coming into week 4 against the Packers, and is still without a touchdown. While he is still a viable player to keep on the bench if his workload increases, Gibbs is not worth a starting spot right now given his performance.

Drop: Justin Fields

A promising player coming into the season, Fields has greatly underperformed. Averaging less than 15 fantasy points per week with more interceptions on the season than passing touchdowns, if anyone is still hanging onto Fields as a backup QB, it’s time to let go. Coupled with an offensive line that can’t protect him, getting sacked 13 times in 3 games, and a lack of performance in the running game, something he did very well last year, with only 3 rushing yards in week 2, Fields is a lost cause unless something changes very soon.

Trade: Garrett Wilson

Wilson is a great receiver with no quarterback to throw him the ball. After Aaron Rodgers’ injury, top-three pick turned backup quarterback Zach Wilson stepped in to command the offense. Wilson’s production has not been bad, scoring touchdowns in two games and averaging around 10 points per week. However, the fact that many players took him with a high draft pick thinking Rodgers would be throwing to him coupled with his lack of production and lack of a competent quarterback, now is the time to trade him away. If the Jets pick up a different quarterback, his value could increase, meaning his trade value for a more reliable receiver should be high.

Pick Up: De’Von Achane

If he is still available, the breakout Dolphins running back is a great addition to any fantasy team. Putting up the most points of any player in week 3 with 53.1 points, Achane rushed for 203 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as adding another 30 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Achane’s breakout performance against the Broncos provides fantasy team owners an up and coming running back in a year when many players have either underperformed or gotten hurt. With no points in week 1 and just 2 in week 2, his consistency is a question mark right now, but the upside can’t be denied.

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About the Contributor

Owen Stoltz, Copy Editor

Owen Stoltz is a senior at Pleasant Valley High School and a copy editor for the Spartan Shield. His passion is bass fishing and he competes in tournaments both locally and regionally for organizations such as Major League Fishing and Bassmaster. He is an aspiring marketing manager, hoping to work for a fishing industry company managing the professional staff. Due to his love of business, Owen has taken or is taking classes including Principles of Marketing, Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, and AP Macroeconomics. He also hopes to pursue a career as a professional bass fisherman. When he’s not on the water, Owen enjoys watching and playing other sports including football, basketball, golf, and wiffleball with his friends. Finally, he works at Dicks Sporting Goods House of Sport in the fishing department, passing his knowledge of the sport to others and supporting his fishing tackle buying habits. Owen can’t wait to write for the Spartan Shield this year!