Start 'Em & Sit 'Em is the ultimate look at the weekly NFL matchups and how they'll affect your fantasy football team. Sleeper alert features an under-the-radar player who could produce good numbers. Owners beware features a regular fantasy starter who could fail to meet expectations based on the strength of his opponent. Obvious fantasy starters like Aaron Rodgers and Adrian Peterson will not be featured. For your final lineup decisions, check our lineup rankings.
Byes:Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers
Start of the week
Robert Griffin III at Oakland Raiders: For as much as we have heard about his struggles on the field, Griffin III has scored 19-plus fantasy points in two of his first three starts of the season. He should continue that success against the Raiders, who have allowed an average of 21.41 fantasy points to quarterbacks in 2013 - that's the seventh-highest. (Maximum value: High-QB1)
Start 'em
Tony Romo at San Diego Chargers: Romo was in the start 'em portion of this column last week, and he proceeded to throw three touchdown passes in a win over the St. Louis Rams. Up next is a date with the Chargers, who have given up more fantasy points to quarterbacks than any other team in the league after three weeks. Expect a major shootout in San Diego. (Maximum value: Mid-QB1)
Andrew Luck at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars are a serious mess on both sides of the football heading into Week 4, making them a prime matchup for fantasy owners to exploit. That's certainly the case with Luck, who will go up against a defense that has allowed an average of over 21 fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers this season. (Maximum value: High-QB1)
Philip Rivers vs. Dallas Cowboys: The fifth-highest scoring player based on fantasy points after three weeks, Rivers has had a surprisingly strong start to the 2013 campaign. He should post another nice stat line against the Cowboys, who have allowed an average of close to 22 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Consider Rivers a nice bye-week choice. (Maximum value: Mid-QB1)
Sleeper alert - Terrelle Pryor vs. Washington Redskins: Assuming Pryor clears concussion protocols and is under center for the Raiders, he'll be a tremendous sleeper candidate in Week 4. The Ohio State product goes up against the Redskins, who have surrendered eight touchdown passes and the second-most fantasy points to opposing signal-callers in 2013. (Maximum value: Low-QB1)
Sit of the week
Eli Manning at Kansas City Chiefs: Anyone who watched the Giants offense (or lack thereof) last week should be terrified to start Manning and most of his teammates. One week after the entire roster was outscored by Cam Newton, the G-Men must now go to Kansas City to face one of the NFL's toughest defensive units. Keep Manning on your bench if possible. (Maximum value: Mid-QB2)
Sit 'em
Cameron second to one
Jordan Cameron's fast start to 2013 didn't go unnoticed in Adam Rank's weekly fantasy tight end rankings. More ...
Matt Schaub vs. Seattle Seahawks: Here's the deal, folks - any quarterback facing the Seahawks, even the elite players, will come with some level of risk. This week, that quarterback is Schaub. The inconsistent Texans field general should be considered no more than bench fodder this weekend - even if you're very desperate. (Maximum value: Mid-QB2)
Carson Palmer at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Palmer has had a bad start to the season, ranking a meager 29th in fantasy points among quarterbacks after three weeks. His fortunes aren't likely to be reversed against the Buccaneers, who held Drew Brees to under 13 fantasy points in their last home contest. Palmer's value is limited at best this weekend. (Maximum value: Low-QB2)
Geno Smith at Tennessee Titans: Smith showed flashes of potential last week, throwing for 331 yards with three total touchdowns and over 24 fantasy points. However, that doesn't make him someone to trust against a tough Titans defense. This unit has given up just 12.67 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, and held Rivers to a meager 10.46 last week. (Maximum value: Mid-QB2)
Owners beware - Jay Cutler at Detroit Lions: This might look like a good matchup, as the Lions have long been a poor defensive team. However, this new cast of cats has been tough on quarterbacks in 2013. In fact, opposing signal-callers have scored an average of just 10.37 fantasy points against them. That makes Cutler a far less attractive starter. (Maximum value: Mid-QB2)
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on NFL.com and NFL Network and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Have a burning question on anything fantasy related? Tweet it to _**@MichaelFabiano**_ or send a question via **Facebook**!
