Matchups to target for Week 4 in fantasy football

It may only be Monday, but it still isn’t too early to look ahead at the favorable fantasy football matchups for Week 4 of the NFL season — especially if you had a tough Week 3 like I did. Let’s see which matchups stand out above the rest.

Oh, and you don’t need to tell me that players like Josh Allen, Davante Adams and Derrick Henry have good matchups because, well, you are starting them every single week anyway. 

Running backs vs. the Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have been very vulnerable to the ground game so far, and that continued in Week 3. After struggling to start the season, Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 100 yards against the Chargers Sunday, adding a receiving touchdown. Through three weeks, 45.7% of the yardage surrendered by Los Angeles has come via the run, the highest rate in the NFL. The Chargers are also allowing a league-worst 5.8 yards per attempt so far. This is a good spot for the Raiders rushing attack, though we have to monitor this backfield throughout the week. Josh Jacobs has missed the last two games with ankle and toe injuries. During that span, Peyton Barber has operated as Las Vegas’ early-down running back, recording 36 carries. If he starts again in Week 4, Barber would be a viable flex option.

Cole Beasley vs. the Houston Texans

Cole Beasley is coming off a very productive Week 3 outing, hauling in 11-of-13 targets for 98 yards against the Washington Football Team. The Buffalo Bills offense finally had that dominating performance Sunday, and they could have a repeat showing in Week 4 against a bad Texans secondary. The Texans played a lot of Cover 2 zone Thursday night against the Panthers, leading to a bunch of easy completions in the middle of the field. If that trend continues, Beasley could wreak havoc, as he currently leads the NFL in targets (23) and receptions (19) against zone coverage on the season, while also ranking ninth in receiving yards (169) against the coverage. Consider Beasley an extremely safe WR3 option in PPR leagues with more upside than usual in this awesome matchup.

Odell Beckham vs. Minnesota Vikings

After missing the first two games of the season, Odell Beckham made his 2021 debut Sunday against the Bears, hauling in five balls for 77 yards. He was targeted a team-high nine times, resulting in a market share just north of 31%. And in terms of playing time, Beckham was logging nearly every snap of this game until the fourth quarter, as the Browns were in full control of this contest. I thought Beckham looked very good in this game, immediately showing that he’s still one of the best receivers in football when healthy, especially off quick slants, which he ran quite a bit in this game. With Jarvis Landry sidelined, Beckham will continue to be the unquestioned top target for Baker Mayfield, and this is a very favorable matchup against a Vikings team that is allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers, as well as the third-most receiving yards per game to the position.