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Scoring
#1 Start

Fant

TE · NO vs ATL

Questionable
Mon 8:15 PM

Proj pts

6.4pts

market

Lower Conf
Bench

Ertz

TE · PHI vs LA

Sun 1:00 PM

Proj pts

6.2pts

market

Lower Conf

Noah Fant or Zach Ertz: who should I start in Week 4?

Toss-up: lean Noah Fant over Zach Ertz by 0.2. Noah Fant leads at 6.4. Zach Ertz is the first one out, 0.2 short.

Crowd: 38% of managers started Fant.

Availability & news

  • Noah FantQuestionable

    Fant was limited in practice Thursday due to an abdominal injury.(rotowire, Oct 1, 2026)

  • Zach Ertz

    Ertz reverted to the Eagles' practice squad Tuesday, per the NFL's transaction log.(rotowire, Sep 29, 2026)

Highlights

Noah FantStart
TE · NO vs ATL

Pros

  • Spike upside14.8 ceiling

Cons

  • Low TE usage9% target share
  • Thin volume3.2 targets/g
Zach ErtzBench
TE · PHI vs LA

Pros

  • Spike upside15.0 ceiling

Cons

  • Low team total19.5 team total

Some recent form, opportunity and matchup figures still lean on the 2025 season (not enough games played this season yet).

FantStart
ErtzBench
Projection6.46.2
Floor1.65.2
Ceiling14.815.0
Target share9%19%
Matchup grade(recency weighted)D-C+
Implied team total25.019.5

Week 4 · Updated Tue 29 Sep, 6:00 AM ET

The widest gap between them, in proportion, is red zone targets: Fant 4, Ertz 9.

Fant (Questionable): “Fant was limited in practice Thursday due to an abdominal injury.” — RotoWire, Oct 1, 2026.

Ertz: “Ertz reverted to the Eagles' practice squad Tuesday, per the NFL's transaction log.” — RotoWire, Sep 29, 2026.

Latest game on the card: Ertz 1.9 (PPR points).

Why Noah Fant

Start Noah Fant — projects 6.4, a tough matchup vs ATL, with a rising role.

Noah Fant projects 6.4 points on a 1.6–14.8 range. The matchup grades as tough against ATL. Usage: targets / game at 3.2. Net: start Noah Fant this week.

Working for Fant: Spike upside (14.8 ceiling).

Working against Fant: Low TE usage (9% target share), Thin volume (3.2 targets/g).

Where Fant leads the head-to-head: Projection (6.4 vs 6.2); Implied team total (25.0 vs 19.5); Last 3 avg (10.9 vs 8.2); Last 5 avg (10.9 vs 8.4); vs season (+6.2 vs -0.2); Boom rate (27% vs 23%); Touchdown dependence (24% vs 19%).

Why Zach Ertz

Sit Zach Ertz — projects 6.2, an even matchup vs LA.

Zach Ertz projects 6.2 points on a 5.2–15.0 range. The matchup grades as neutral against LA. Usage: targets / game at 5.5. Net: bench Zach Ertz this week.

Working for Ertz: Spike upside (15.0 ceiling).

Working against Ertz: Low team total (19.5 team total).

Where Ertz leads the head-to-head: Floor (5.2 vs 1.6); Ceiling (15.0 vs 14.8); Target share (19% vs 9%); Matchup grade (recency weighted) (C+ vs D-); Consistency (41% vs 40%); Bust rate (15% vs 27%); Targets / game (5.5 vs 3.2); Snap share (66% vs 40%); Red zone targets (9 vs 4).

Recent form

Noah Fant's last 3 games: PPR points 0, 13.3, 19.3 (low to high; the card does not say which came first).

Zach Ertz's last 5 games: PPR points 9.4, 8.2, 20.6, 2.1, 1.9 (oldest to newest).

Fant has already beaten Ertz's 6.2 projection in 2 of his 3; Ertz has beaten Fant's 6.4 in 3 of his 5.

At least 1 of these 5 games was played before the 2026 season.

Matchup

Noah Fant (NO) faces ATL, kickoff Mon, Oct 5, 8:15 PM ET. The matchup is rated tough. Betting line: implied team total 25.0, spread -2.5.

Zach Ertz (PHI) faces LA, kickoff Sun, Oct 4, 1:00 PM ET. The matchup is rated neutral. Betting line: implied team total 19.5, spread +3.5.

What flips it

Fant's edge is 0.2 points (6.4 to 6.2). Ertz's ceiling (15) clears Fant's projection, so a big game from Ertz flips it. Fant's floor (1.6) sits under Ertz's projection, so a quiet game from Fant flips it too. Confidence in the call: lower.

How to read these numbers →

More start/sit comparisons from this week's PPR projections. Open a pair for the call and the reasoning.

This week's toughest calls