Each week of the 2021 NFL season, I will be listing certain players as potential fantasy football busts for the upcoming week. No, this does not mean I believe these players are trash and should not be rostered.
The players I name in this article each week may have unfavorable matchups, situational changes that negatively impact their value, injury concerns, and other various reasons to avoid having them in your lineups for that specific week.
The adage “stick with your studs" only applies to a few elite fantasy options. You should not be married to all of your starters every week, but instead, pick and choose which players have the best matchups and highest potential of fantasy points each week.
I know that can be a lot of work, but don’t worry, I have you covered with fantasy football tips!
This weekly fantasy football bust article, partnered with my weekly waiver wire article, will assist you in your sit/start decisions every single week for the 2021 season.
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2021 Fantasy Football Busts for Week 4 - Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans @ New York Jets
From a fantasy perspective, Ryan Tannehill is coming off his best performance of the season, completing just 18 passes on 27 attempts for 197 passing yards. Clearly, he has set the bar low for himself so far.
What really put him into respectable fantasy production was his 3 touchdown passes. He also ran the ball 5 times for a total of 56 yards. However, Tannehill did throw 2 interceptions against the Colts, which negatively impacted his ceiling in Week 3.
Tannehill has not been playing at the level we all expected. You would think having the addition of Julio Jones would have made him even more appealing as a fantasy football quarterback in 2021.
Week 4 also presents a few concerns for him. His opponent (the New York Jets defense) has given up the third-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Additionally, his star wide receiver, A.J. Brown is considered week-to-week with a hamstring strain and is unlikely to play this week.
The Jets are vulnerable against running backs and the Titans have one of the best in the league in Derrick Henry. Sometimes, you just have to listen to all the signs, and there are plenty of red flags for Tannehill in Week 4.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Derek Carr has been one of the best quarterbacks through the early part of the season. He’s the only QB to throw for over 300 passing yards in each of his first 3 games this year. In fact, he’s thrown for over 380 yards each week!
Carr has thrown a pair of touchdowns in each of those games as well. “So why should I be fading him this week?" Great question, random citizen!
Unfortunately, Carr draws a very difficult matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers defense. They have given up the seventh-fewest fantasy points to QBs this season, which is an amazing feat considering the Chargers opposed Dak Prescott in Week 2 and Patrick Mahomes in Week 3.
The Chargers haven’t allowed a quarterback to throw for more than 260 passing yards. This could be the week Carr’s streak of over 300 passing yards ends.
This is a Monday Night game, so I understand expectations will be high, but we can’t get caught up in the primetime slot. This will be a tough game against a division opponent.
If there is ever a week to consider benching Derek Carr, it’s this week.
More Week 4 Busts To Avoid:
- Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
Find better Week 4 fantasy football players to start with our 2021 Fantasy Football Sleepers Predictions.
2021 Fantasy Football Busts for Week 4 - Running Back
Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans
The Buffalo Bills rushing attack isn’t a huge part of their offensive success. Devin Singletary has been fairly consistent this season with 11 or more rushing attempts in each game.
Last week, against a tough Washington defense, Singletary struggled. He still rushed 11 times, but was only able to muster up 26 yards on the ground.
Zack Moss stepped up for the Bills as the more effective back last week, rushing 13 times for 60 yards. He also out-performed Singletary through the air, catching all 3 of his targets for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Since the Bills don’t heavily rely on their run game, you can expect them to go with the hot hand, and right now, it favors Moss.
Ultimately, though, the Texans are a middle-of-the-pack defense, so I’d expect Josh Allen to exploit them through the air this week. That doesn’t bode well for either back.
Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New England Patriots
I think this one is self-explanatory. I doesn’t matter who the Buccaneers have at running back, Tom Brady is going back to Foxborough in a revenge game like we’ve never seen and unleash the ball 50+ times.
All the narratives in the world point to it being a non-stop Brady show. I understand you may want more than that if you are going to make a roster change this week, so let’s get to it.
The New England Patriots have held opposing running backs to the ninth-fewest fantasy points this year. They have done very well against quarterbacks, but they have faced the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Zach Wilson, and Jameis Winston.
Brady is going to put on a clinic against his former team, and it’s going to be a spectacular event to witness.
I’d expect the Buccaneers running backs to have little involvement this week. Leonard Fournette has just 92 total rush yards on the season.
More Week 4 Busts To Avoid:
- Mike Davis, Atlanta Falcons vs Washington Football Team
- Damien Harris, New England Patriots vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With Tom Brady expected to show out against his former team, it may be wise to bench Leonard Fournette — and any other Tampa Bay running backs you have rostered (Image: USA TODAY Sports).
2021 Fantasy Football Busts for Week 4 - Wide Receiver
Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles
Mecole Hardman entered this season with an opportunity to be the Chiefs WR2.
The good news? Through 3 games, he has been. The bad news? He’s totaled just 15 targets, 11 catches, and 107 receiving yards.
It’s obvious this team runs through Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. There is no reason for that to change, especially this week.
The Philadephia Eagles have given up the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. This would be bad news for the No. 1 option in an offense, let alone Hardman, who is the third option at best for Mahomes and the Chiefs.
Of course, Hardman has the ability to make one play that can salvage fantasy production for your teams, but he’s just not worth the risk in Week 4.
It will be interesting to see how much newly reinstated and acquired receiver Josh Gordon is involved in the weeks to come as well. Hardman could be someone you fade the rest of the season.
Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos
Marquise Brown began the first two weeks of 2021 looking like a true WR1 for the Baltimore Ravens. He caught 6 balls in each game, totaling 182 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Last week against the Detroit Lions, though, Brown was only able to grab 3 of his 7 targets for 53 yards. Yes, it’s just one week, but this is the type of inconsistency we can expect from Brown as he dropped 3 touchdown opportunities last week.
The matchup does not help matters for Brown this week. The Ravens find themselves in Denver against a Broncos defense that has given up the 11th-fewest fantasy points to wideouts.
Brown will have to face top coverage and minimize his butterfingers in Week 4 if he’s going to have a fantasy impact. It feels like a tall order for him to fill, given the difficult matchup in Denver.
More Week 4 Busts To Avoid:
- K.J. Osborn Minnesota Vikings vs Cleveland Browns
- Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans
Find better Week 4 fantasy football players on the waiver wire with our 2021 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Top Pickups.
2021 Fantasy Football Bust for Week 4 - Tight End
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons @ Washington Football Team
Shocker! A rookie tight end is off to a slow start to his NFL career.
Kyle Pitts has fewer than 36 receiving yards in two of his first three games. His targets have been decent, especially from a tight end perspective, but he just hasn’t been able to turn it into fantasy production.
The Washington Football Team’s defense has underperformed their expectations as well. I see them getting on track, at home, against a struggling Falcons offense.
Although they have given up the 16th-fewest fantasy points to tight ends, the bar is set pretty low. Washington has yet to allow a tight end to reach 60 receiving yards this season — something Pitts has only been able to accomplish once.
To me, Pitts is a fade until we see him more productive with his volume.
More Week 4 Busts To Avoid:
- Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs Arizona Cardinals
- Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns @ Minnesota Vikings
2021 Fantasy Football Bust for Week 4 - Defensive Team
New England Patriots vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Up until this point, the New England Patriots defense has been very good. They just haven’t had to face any competition in the same stratosphere as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense.
Their opponents have been the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and the Drew Brees-less New Orleans Saints.
Tampa Bay has given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing defenses this season. As I mentioned in the Leonard Fournette section, Brady is going to go off against his former coach and team.
There’s absolutely no reason for you to have this defense in your starting rosters in Week 4. It will be a nightmare.
More Week 4 Busts To Avoid:
- San Francisco 49ers vs Seattle Seahawks
- Cleveland Browns @ Minnesota Vikings
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