TreVeyon Henderson or Javonte Williams: Start or Sit in Fantasy Football in Week 4

The Cowboys running back is off to a great start in 2025 but the Patriots rookie rusher is expected to see more playing time in Week 4.

Sep 14, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Javonte Williams (33) carries the ball against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

Changing gears at the running back position isn’t easy, especially when comparing a hot player to a high draft pick who has underperformed expectations. Each week in the NFL, there will be players who post career games while coming off losing outcomes. Based on pre-regular season value, there is an easy winner in this start/sit decision: TreVeyon Henderson or Javonte Williams?

Last week, Rhamondre Stevenson had another bad fumble, which may be the green light for Henderson to get more chances in Week 4. Over the past two games, he gained only 38 yards on 14 carries (2.7 YPR) with five catches for 49 yards. New England gave him a season-high 46% of their snaps against the Steelers.

New England plays its third game at home over four weeks, but it has yet to win in Foxboro. The Carolina Panthers come into this week with a dominating shutout win vs. the Falcons. They opened the season with massive struggles vs. the run to the Jaguars’ running backs (25/173/1), followed by a respectable showing against the Cardinals (14/48/1 with five catches for 48 yards). Atlanta had success with their backs (161 combined yards with six catches on 27 touches) in Week 3. Carolina had massive issues vs. running backs in 2024 (509/2,663/21 with 75 catches for 609 yards and four touchdowns on 89 targets).

Javonte Williams now has 194 total yards and 3 touchdowns in 2 games.

4.57 yards per rushing attempt, btw.

Are you a believer yet❓

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— Outl✭w (@OutlawCowboyNFL) September 14, 2025

Williams has outperformed expectations over his first three starts, leading to surprising value on all three downs (286 combined yards with three touchdowns and 13 catches on 56 touches). Dallas has had him on the field for 69.2% of their plays. He ranks seventh in fantasy points (58.60) in PPR formats, with two running games (20.40 and 25.00).

Green Bay has been very good at defending the run over the first three games (60/193/1 – 3.2 yards per rush). Running backs have 21 catches on 25 targets, but they are gaining only 3.2 yards per catch with no touchdowns.

Sep 7, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) rushes the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

At this point in the year, Henderson trails Williams by 33.80 fantasy points, 26 touches, and 77 snaps. Volume and opportunity are friends to running backs, and value in the passing game helps a running back's floor. All data points and my projections favor the Cowboys’ ball carrier, but both matchups suggest Henderson is the better start in Week 4.

I’m declaring Henderson the winner in the lineup decision. His potential explosiveness and matchup outweigh Williams' better opportunity vs. a good defense.