We are almost done with a quarter of the season and this season has brought lots of interesting occurrences. The Detroit Lions finally had a running back go over 100 yards rushing, Team ACL claimed added another player to the roster in Jimmy Garoppolo, and rookies continue to perform like veterans as Patrick Mahomes displays his dominance in the NFL and Calvin Ridley had a break-out game that put the rest of the league on notice.
So with all those interesting things that happened, it may be hard to predict who will perform every week. Everyone anticipated the Minnesota Vikings to run roughshod through the Buffalo Bills in week 3, but it clearly went the other direction. Watching the Monday night game made people think that the Ryan Fitzpatrick may not have the magic anymore, but then the second-half happened and he almost willed the Buccaneers to a win.
So when you are reading this guide, this is just one person’s opinion on how to build your daily fantasy lineups. There are lots of great options out there and this guide should hopefully help you build the best lineup to stay under salary and still come away with lots of points. With that all said, let’s jump into this week’s great DFS starts.
Week 4 DFS Plays
Quarterbacks
Premium Playmaker – Philip Rivers vs. San Francisco 49ers
Rivers is currently tied for third in passing touchdowns in the league. If Mahomes was not having the hot start to his season that he is having, he would be tied for second. Rivers faced a tough Rams secondary last week, but his match-up against the 49ers this week is very exploitable. Although there is a chance San Francisco may rally behind the loss of Garoppolo, Rivers is too good of a quarterback to fall victim to that rallying effort. He should be able to pick apart this 49ers porous secondary with ease.
Other options: Drew Brees vs. New York Giants, Aaron Rodgers vs. Buffalo Bills
Bargain Baller – Andy Dalton vs Atlanta Falcons
Offensive coordinator, Bill Lazor, is reviving Dalton’s career in Cincinnati. Through three weeks this year, Dalton is fifth in fantasy points. He gets to possibly rise in that ranking as he faces an Atlanta Falcons team that has suffered some serious losses to their defense. Not only did they lose starters Keanu Neal and Deion Jones in week 1, but they just lost another starter in Ricardo Allen last week. This means Dalton will get his chance to feast which means that he becomes a great value choice to build your DFS roster.
Other options: Russell Wilson vs. Arizona Cardinals, Baker Mayfield vs. Oakland Raiders
Running Backs
Premium Playmaker – Alvin Kamara vs. New York Giants
Is there really anything else that needs to be said about Kamara? He can run, he can catch, he can leap tall buildings in a single bound…ok, maybe that last one isn’t true. That still doesn’t diminish the fact that he has become one of the elite players in the NFL. His rushing line last week was rather pedestrian with 16 attempts for 66 yards. The real shocker was the 20 targets he got in the passing game, converting 15 of those for 129 yards. His involvement is evident in the Saints offense and a match-up against a weak Giants defense will offer no resistance to Kamara having another big day at the office. Pay the high-amount for him because even at such a high-cost, his return is going to be astronomical.
Other options: Jordan Howard vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ezekiel Elliott vs. Detroit Lions
Bargain Baller – James White/Sony Michel vs. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are going to give the New England Patriots a surprising run for the AFC East division crown. So while everyone may be picking the Dolphins to upset the Patriots on Sunday, that doesn’t mean you should avoid Patriots players in fantasy and daily fantasy lineups. White will get heavy involvement in the passing game as the Patriots have no reliable options besides Rob Gronkowski (for at least one more week).
While White will lead the backfield with passing targets, Michel will be the leading rusher. Rex Burkhead was just put on the injured reserve list and this gives the rookie a chance to establish his role in the Patriots backfield. Both players are solid cheap options this week and can really pay big dividends in both cash and tournament contests.
Other options: Carlos Hyde vs. Oakland Raiders, Javorius “Buck” Allen vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Wide Receivers
Premium Playmaker – Odell Beckham Jr. vs New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints finished 2017 as a top-10 fantasy defense. Clearly, this year’s defense is not as high-caliber. This is a perfect opportunity for Beckham to garner a serious number of receptions and receiving yards. Another boon to the fantasy stock for Beckham is the injury to starting tight end, Evan Engram. Now there may be some hesitation as the pocket is not always there for Eli Manning to throw the ball with time on his side. This may make you a little more wary for choosing Beckham, but this match-up with the Saints is too appealing to pass up. Currently, the Saints have five sacks through three games and four of them have come from Cameron Jordan. If the Giants can contain Jordan, Manning can feed Beckham more than enough times to make him a solid addition to your fantasy roster. Start OBJ with confidence!
Other options: Michael Thomas vs. New York Giants, Jarvis Landry vs. Oakland Raiders, A.J. Green vs. Atlanta Falcons, DeAndre Hopkins vs. Indianapolis Colts
Bargain Baller – Tyler Boyd vs. Atlanta Falcons
We already talked about how Dalton is a great frugal option this week and that leads to Boyd being a solid cost-saving option as well. The speedster John Ross has yet to emerge in the Cincinnati passing offense and all the while Boyd has come in and become a reliable option to pair with A.J. Green. He currently leads the team in receiving yards and has been able to take advantage of the opposing defense on a weekly basis. This week 4 game against the Falcons can help boost Boyd’s fantasy value and his pricing this week is too good to pass up. Jump on this great value because his stock is rising every week.
Other options: Geronimo Allison vs. Buffalo Bills, Christian Kirk vs. Seattle Seahawks, Mike Williams vs. San Francisco 49ers, Tyler Lockett vs. Arizona Cardinals
Tight Ends
Premium Playmaker – Rob Gronkowski vs. Miami Dolphins
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks know that Gronkowski is the number one option in the New England passing offense. This will not change even with the return of Julian Edelman next week. Gronkowski is going against a surprisingly good Dolphins defense, but Gronk is a matchup nightmare for any defense. No need to worry about getting enough opportunities to get some fantasy points, Gronkowski is a sure-fire start every single week. Worth the money because he will get targets by the droves and he will convert them into lots of yards, receptions, and a few touchdowns.
Other options: Zach Ertz vs. Tennessee Titans
Bargain Baller – Jimmy Graham vs. Buffalo Bills
Graham has yet to find the end zone in his 2018 campaign, but that will change in this week 4 battle against the Bills. Buffalo is riding high after pulling off the startling upset of the Minnesota Vikings last week. Although the defense looked good against the Vikings, the sustainability will not continue into week 4 and Graham should be able to rack up serious points. His pricing is low for this week because he has not been as productive as expected, but that will all change this Sunday. Take advantage of his low pricing this week and reap the rewards in tournament style contests.
Other options: Eric Ebron vs. Houston Texans, Trey Burton vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Defense/Special Teams (DST)
Premium Playmaker – Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New York Jets
The Jaguars defense is looking just as dynamic as they did last season. They currently have allowed only 44 total points through three weeks and are limiting opposing quarterbacks to only 513 total yards in that same span. Now even though their run defense is not as buttoned up, the advantage will be being able to force rookie Sam Darnold into throwing some passes he may not want to. The pass rush should be able to generate easy pressure and make Darnold turnover the ball a few times. This can lead to defensive scoring opportunities and getting lots of fantasy points by forcing turnovers and possibly getting into the end zone. Start the Jaguars defense and you will not be misled.
Other options: Los Angeles Chargers vs. San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tennessee Titans
Bargain Baller – Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This might be the best bargain baller this week. The Bears are facing a quality offense in the Buccaneers, but this Bears defense is looking straight nasty. Khalil Mack is an early favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award and the bigger thing that Mack is doing is raising the talent level of everyone else on the field for the Bears defense. Chicago will not fall apart in the second half like the Pittsburgh Steelers did on Monday night and this defense is going to an absolute steal this week. A very worthy option in all DFS contests because the value is through the roof. Don’t let the Bucs offense worry you, the Bears will have things locked down and they will have an answer for every trick the Tampa Bay offense will throw at them.
Other options: Cleveland Browns vs. Oakland Raiders, Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions