6 QBs we need FIXED in fantasy + 8 players to start, sit in your flex in Week 4
Matt Harmon and Nate Tice break down six struggling QB situations (Jordan Love, CJ Stroud, Drake Maye, Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts, Cam Ward) to determine whether the quarterback or their offensive ecosystem is to blame, then preview the Steelers-Browns Thursday night matchup. Later, Justin Boone joins for a new weekly 'Flex Fit Check' segment debating start/sit calls on eight flex-caliber skill players.
This episode of Yahoo Fantasy Forecast centers on a recurring diagnostic question: when a quarterback underperforms, is it his fault or his offensive ecosystem's? Matt Harmon and Nate Tice work through six struggling passers to assign blame, then pivot to a Thursday Night Football preview and a new recurring segment with Justin Boone sorting start/sit calls for Week 4 flex plays.
The arguments
Jordan Love is being failed by one of the worst situations in football, not the other way around. Tice lays out that Green Bay's third-down distance has ballooned from 6.4 to 8.1 yards, their third-and-long attempts have nearly doubled, and their rush EPA has collapsed from neutral to negative 0.38 per attempt. With Jaden Reed lost for the season and the offensive line patched with street free agents like Mekhi Becton, Tice still calls Love a locked-in top-eight quarterback whose numbers will look great in garbage-time counting stats but stay wildly boom-bust.
CJ Stroud is playing better than his supporting cast deserves. Tice notes Stroud's success rate is up, his sacked-yards-lost is down over a yard, and his down-to-down process ranks 12th in EPA per dropback, but Houston's outside receivers beyond Nico Collins are barren and their run game still posts nearly 30% negative-or-zero runs. Both hosts flag Jalen Knoll as a confusing afterthought in the game plan and peg Stroud in the QB12-16 range until Collins returns healthy.
Drake May is in a mostly broken system but is compounding it with bad decisions at the worst times. Tice splits blame 80/20 toward the Patriots' archaic scheme, citing Romeo Doubs being miscast as a vertical X-receiver instead of running his natural out-breaking routes, and May's historically extreme reliance on 21+ air-yard throws to create anything. Harmon and Tice agree May's end-zone interception against the Jaguars and a similar late-game mistake versus Seattle show him making a bad environment worse rather than just surviving it; Harmon says he already dropped May in fantasy.
Justin Herbert is more of a "realist" case than a defender's case — his flashes of trying too hard are costing the Chargers winnable moments. Tice cites the egregious red-zone interception against Buffalo and the static Cover 3 look he should have recognized, while also noting the run game has quietly improved to 10th in success rate. Harmon pushes for more Tre Harris and less Quentin Johnston given the route-running mismatch evident on the broken play.
Jalen Hurts' offense hasn't changed at all despite the offseason promises — it's the same structural problems resurfacing. Tice points to dead-last play-action usage, minimal motion, and shaky tight end blocking (specifically Zach Ertz struggling on a screen) forcing an ultra-spread, receiver-heavy approach that leaves little margin. Both hosts agree to shelve judgment on Philadelphia as a "slow start" team rather than sound an alarm yet.
Cam Ward and the Titans remain close to unwatchable, and Tice is genuinely neutral on whether Ward can be salvaged. He cites predetermined-looking throws, receivers running duplicate routes in the same game, and a borrowed read from Bill Barnwell suggesting the coaching staff may not fully trust Ward yet, despite an improved offensive line anchored by JC Latham. Tice says he'll reserve real judgment until after the Week 9 bye.
What it means for your roster
- Start Jordan Love's pass-catchers for upside, not floor — Christian Watson and Matthew Golden remain viable starts given volume and shot-play usage, but temper expectations for weekly consistency; Tice floated Sky Moore as a sneaky PPR streamer in the slot.
- Sell or bench David Montgomery — both hosts agree he was a one-week sell-high after his Week 1 touchdowns and no longer fits Houston's zone-heavy, struggling O-line context.
- Start Dalton Schultz down, not up — with Nico Collins expected back, Schultz reverts to streamer-only status at tight end.
- Drop or bench Drake May in redraft leagues — Harmon already cut him; hold only in dynasty given the long-term talent evaluation separate from this year's scheme fit.
- Chase Jameson Williams' ceiling this week only — both hosts like him as a start against depleted Panthers/Lions defenses for a potential boom game, while still ranking him as a true WR40 the rest of the season.
- Sit Emeka Egbuka, Rome Odunze, and Amarion Hampton — Boone flags Egbuka and Hampton as sell-high trade targets given poor offensive context, while Odunze slides outside the top-30 WR range as a touchdown-or-bust flex given Chicago's four-way receiver split behind Kalief Raymond.
- Avoid the Dolphins backfield entirely — Ollie Gordon drew inflated waiver bids the hosts call a mistake; both Gordon and Jaylen Wright face a brutal Vikings run defense and project for the league's lowest implied team total.
“Most coaches are cowards. And that like that is what it is.” — Nate Tice
Players in this episode
↓ About 80% of his struggles are attributed to an archaic, poorly scheme-dressed offense and injury-depleted weapons (no AJ Brown), but he's also making bad situations worse with forced throws at key moments; hosts have dropped him in redraft leagues.
↓ Boone calls him a 'sell' due to a bad offense, tough upcoming schedule, and declining route participation (16% of dropbacks) with Kamani Vidal and Eaton Mitchell also involved; still a reluctant start given shallow RB pool.
↑ Expected to return this week vs. Dallas; his absence has been a major reason for the Texans' passing-game struggles.
→ Same systemic issues as last year persist (low play-action/motion rate, poor tight end blocking with Zach Ertz/Stowers), described as 'same old, same old' with a high-wire-act offense.
↓ Hosts say he's making bad plays worse (e.g., forcing a post into a disguised-but-actually-static cover 3) despite decent surrounding circumstances; tough Seahawks matchup up next.
↓ Recommended as a sit vs. the Jets; his routes break too far downfield (less 'gimme' usage) and the Jets haven't allowed a big tight-end game yet.
↓ Labeled a 'sell' due to the offense's dysfunction and now a rookie UDFA QB (Jalen Daniels) starting; recommended sitting him despite a good matchup.
↓ Hosts call him a 'great sell high' after a touchdown-driven week one; recommend trading him due to poor fit/reads in the current scheme.
↑ Had 91% of Steelers' RB touches last week (21.5 fantasy points); called an auto-start against Cleveland with Kaleb Johnson/Jaylen Warren backfield now clearer.
↑ Boone/Harmon say to start him with confidence this week vs. Carolina's depleted secondary (both starting corners on IR) in a projected shootout, despite being a boom/bust WR3 rest of season.
↓ Boone considered buying low but ultimately calls him a sit against Buffalo given the split backfield and non-functional Patriots offense.
↑ Called a likely fantasy starter this week given Cleveland's tight end-friendly usage against Pittsburgh.
→ Playing well despite the offensive chaos, but hosts flag a possible injury concern from the Falcons game that could affect his availability.
↓ Recommended as a sit this week vs. the Jets; he's the deep-ball/X receiver in an offense where easier targets are going to Kalief Raymond, Luther Burden, and others; average depth of target nearly double teammates.
→ Hosts say Love is being failed by a collapsing offensive line and thin receiver room after Jaden Reed's season-ending injury; he's historically one of the most-hit QBs through 3 weeks, but still viewed as a locked-in top-8/tier-two QB long term.
↓ Next Gen Stats show his average route speed has dropped nearly a full mph over two years, indicating a real decline in separation ability.
↓ Placed on IR with a season-ending neck injury, removing a key piece of Green Bay's run/pass game.
↓ With Nico Collins expected back, hosts say Schultz reverts to a streamer-only tight end, not a TE1.
↓ Hosts say he looks ineffective and not explosive, with the run game's EPA cratering; even a Josh Jacobs return likely won't fix the run game.
↑ Hosts say Stroud is playing better down-to-down (improved success rate, quicker ball release) but is being let down by a porous run game and a depleted receiver corps without Nico Collins.
↓ Hosts want to see less of him and more of Trey Harris, who looked sharper on out-routes.
→ Hosts are 'neutral'/Switzerland on him; stats are dire, coaching staff reportedly doesn't fully trust him, and they'll reassess around the bye/Halloween; offensive line has improved but passing game hasn't.
↓ Misused as a vertical X-receiver this year (44% vertical routes) instead of his strength in out-breaking routes, tanking his efficiency despite being talented.
↑ Both hosts rank him ahead of Amarion Hampton and would start him over Hampton this week filling in for Breece Hall.
↑ Strongly recommended as a start/prop play vs. Pittsburgh's poor outside-receiver defense; hosts cite heavy outside-route usage and favorable matchup stats (91% outside routes, big weight/height mismatch vs Steelers DBs).
↑ Flashed well on out-breaking routes and hosts want increased usage over Quentin Johnston.
→ Offense looked better due to improved O-line play (Fontenot, Hennessy) and ability to hit third-down throws, though hosts credit some of it to a weak Bengals defense.
↓ Hosts warn against high waiver bids on him since Jalen Wright may return and reclaim work; tough matchup vs. Vikings' top run defense makes him a clear sit this week.
→ Now the slot receiver by default with Reed out; was targeted on 27% of routes vs. Falcons and looked better than expected, floated as a potential sneaky PPR streamer.
→ Surprisingly the Bears' leading receiver this season on layup-type routes; not expected to sustain this role long-term but currently outproducing the younger receivers.