Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 4: Smart Sleepers to Exploit and Lineup Advice

Whether your fantasy football team is 3-0, 0-3 or somewhere in between, there's still much of the season ahead. Things could quickly turn, though, depending on what situation you're facing three weeks into the 2023 NFL season.

That's why it's always important to stay focused on strengthening your roster and assembling the best starting lineup each week. The fantasy season is a marathon, and only the managers who do that will be built to have long-term success.

It's not too early to start thinking about some of the tougher lineup decisions that could come in Week 4. So, here's a bit of early start/sit advice for the upcoming week of action.

In past years, it had been tough to trust a Buffalo Bills running back, as the team often used a by-committee approach out of the backfield.

That's shifted a bit in 2023, though, as James Cook has emerged as the clear lead RB in his second NFL season.

The 24-year-old has received at least 16 touches in each of the Bills' first three games, and he is averaging an impressive 6.1 yards per rushing attempt (44 carries for 267 yards). However, he has not yet gotten into the end zone this year.

That could change in Week 4, when Buffalo hosts the Miami Dolphins in what should be a high-scoring AFC East matchup.

The Dolphins are coming off a 70-point performance in Week 3, so the Bills will need to score a lot to keep up, with Cook likely to serve a vital role in them attempting to do so.

It's going to be tempting to stick with Justin Fields in Week 4, as the Chicago Bears will be hosting the 0-3 Denver Broncos, which allowed 70 points to the Dolphins in Week 3.

The Bears quarterback could be a bounce-back candidate after a tough showing against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

However, it's too risky to stick with the 24-year-old at the moment, unless you have no better options. He has gotten off to a disappointing start in his third NFL season, throwing only three touchdowns and four interceptions in three games.

Plus, Fields hasn't been much of a factor in the ground game, rushing for only 109 yards and one TD thus far. So, it's time to move him to the fantasy bench until he can start putting up the types of numbers he did at times in 2022.

There's a good chance Tank Dell could still be on the waiver wire in your fantasy league this week. He was a sleeper after Week 2 (when he had seven catches for 72 yards and a touchdown), but that's unlikely to be the case after his breakout Week 3 performance.

The 23-year-old rookie starred in the Houston Texans' victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, recording five catches for 145 yards and a touchdown in the AFC South rivalry matchup. He's also now been targeted 17 times over the past two weeks.

Because of Dell's heavy involvement in the Texans' offense, he's becoming fantasy relevant. And with Houston set to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4, he should be considered as a flex starter for fantasy managers needing a boost at the skill positions.

Entering the season, many thought Garrett Wilson was going to be a breakout star. But that was when Aaron Rodgers was going to be the New York Jets' quarterback, not Zach Wilson.

Now that Rodgers is injured and Zach Wilson has reclaimed the starting QB role, Garrett Wilson's production has been much less than expected.

The 23-year-old wide receiver has scored two touchdowns, but he has only 12 catches for 165 yards. And in Week 3, he had only five receptions for 48 yards and no TDs in a loss to the New England Patriots.

Unless New York makes a quarterback change, Garrett Wilson isn't likely to put up huge numbers. There are better wide receivers to start in Week 4, when the Jets have a challenging home matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.