Yahoo DFS Football: Week 4 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 4 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

Another exciting slate of NFL action is on tap in Week 4, with 13 games scheduled for Sunday, the Eagles and Packers facing off Thursday, the Bengals and Steelers meeting Monday, and the Jets and 49ers on bye. Whether it's building on certain trends or trying to find new ones before they emerge, there are plenty of ways to find value and construct an effective lineup. The suggestions below include a reliable quarterback option who seems to have taken his game to another level, a tight end in the midst of a breakout campaign and a pair of explosive rookie wide receivers.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Daniel Jones, NYG vs. WAS ($29): Jones was incredible in his first career start last week against Tampa Bay, throwing two touchdowns and rushing for two more. Meanwhile, the Redskins have surrendered three passing touchdowns to each of the three quarterbacks they've faced this season. While one great performance doesn't necessarily make Jones a go-to option at the quarterback position, his upside is undeniable, especially given the matchup.

RB: Dalvin Cook, MIN at CHI ($37): Chicago's defense made a statement in Washington on Monday Night Football last week, but the formidable unit will now face a short week before having to defend the league's leading rusher. Cook already has 375 yards and four touchdowns on the ground (plus nine catches for 79 yards) through three weeks, and he'll be well worth his $37 valuation if he can maintain that pace, even though seeing the Bears opposite him will scare plenty of owners off.

WR: Kenny Golladay, DET at KC ($20): It's hard to trust Golladay after he caught just two balls for 17 yards in what seemed like an excellent matchup against the Eagles in Week 3 while watching fellow wideout Marvin Jones thrive, but he gets an excellent bounce-back opportunity in Kansas City. Detroit will almost certainly fall behind and need to throw, and Golladay was by far the team's greatest receiving threat prior to his Week 3 dud, with 12 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns through the first two games.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Case Keenum (WAS, $28), Philip Rivers (LAC, $38)

RB: James Conner (PIT, $28), Kerryon Johnson (DET, $19), Phillip Lindsay (DEN, $18)

WR: Davante Adams (GB, $28), Amari Cooper (DAL, $26), Mike Williams (LAC, $21)

TE: O.J. Howard (TB, $16), T.J. Hockenson (DET, $18)

DST: Chicago Bears (vs. MIN, $15), New York Giants (vs. WAS, $10)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

QUARTERBACK

Russell Wilson, SEA at ARI ($33): Wilson's playing some of the best football of his career, with a 7:0 TD:INT through the air and a pair of rushing touchdowns through three weeks. This hot start includes multiple touchdown passes in every game and over 700 passing yards over the last two. With fumbles plaguing Seattle's running game, Wilson and the aerial attack should continue to see heavy usage against a Cardinals team that's allowing 29.3 points per game -- fourth-most in the league.

RUNNING BACK

Marlon Mack, IND vs. OAK ($24): Mack is averaging north of 20 carries per game behind one of the league's best offensive lines, and the Colts could go even more run-heavy with No. 1 wide receiver T.Y. Hilton potentially sitting out. The visiting Raiders gave up over 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground to Minnesota in their first road game of the season, and Mack's 88 scrimmage yards and a touchdown last week suggest the minor calf injury he had been dealing with is firmly in the rear view mirror.

Leonard Fournette, JAX at DEN ($20): Fournette's yet to find the end zone, but the workhorse running back has a great opportunity to end that touchdown drought against a Broncos team that's allowed multi-touchdown games to two of the three starting running backs it has faced (Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones). Thanks to greater involvement in the passing game (14 catches through three weeks), Fournette's averaging a robust 19 touches per game, and you'll be hard-pressed to find him as cheap as $20 once the third-year running back finally breaks out.

WIDE RECEIVER

Keenan Allen, LAC at MIA ($33): Miami continues to look like arguably the worst team in NFL history, getting outscored 133-16 through three games. The Dolphins have particularly struggled against No. 1 wide receivers, giving up two touchdowns apiece to Marquise Brown and Amari Cooper in Weeks 1 and 3, respectively, as well as a receiving score to Antonio Brown in Week 2. Allen's off to a phenomenal start with 29 catches for 404 yards and three touchdowns through three weeks, so the sky's the limit for him in this highly favorable matchup.

Terry McLaurin, WAS at NYG ($23): McLaurin's emergence has been a silver lining to Washington's 0-3 start, as the rookie wide receiver has been the crown jewel of the Redskins' passing attack with 16 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns, including at least five catches and a touchdown every week. A Giants defense that's allowing a league-high 332.3 passing yards per game and is tied with Washington for the second-most points allowed per game (31.3) will have a hard time slowing the standout rookie down.

Mecole Hardman, KC at DET ($16): It only takes one big play per week for Hardman to significantly outperform his modest valuation, and it's hard to bet against the speedy rookie continuing to do so with Patrick Mahomes throwing him the football. Hardman scored a 42-yard touchdown in Week 2 and added an 83-yard score in Week 3, reaching the highest speed on a scoring play in the NFL this season on the latter. With plenty of other weapons for the defense to worry about in Kansas City's offense, don't be surprised to see Hardman pull down another long touchdown here.

TIGHT END

Darren Waller, OAK at IND ($18): Waller has been the go-to option for quarterback Derek Carr, hauling in 26 of 29 targets for 267 yards. The one blemish on the tight end's resume is a lack of touchdowns, but that should change against a Colts defense that just allowed Falcons tight end Austin Hooper to post the first multi-touchdown performance of his career.

DEFENSE

Houston Texans, HOU vs. CAR ($16): After a quiet Week 1 performance in New Orleans, Houston's pass rush has come alive with nine sacks over the past two weeks. Carolina's offense got by without Cam Newton (foot) just fine against a dreadful Cardinals defense, but it wouldn't be surprising to see fill-in quarterback Kyle Allen struggle against a much more formidable Texans unit.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Patrick Mahomes (KC, $40), Jared Goff (LAR, $28)

RB: Austin Ekeler (LAC, $31), Mark Ingram (BAL, $24), Chris Thompson (WAS, $13)

WR: Julio Jones (ATL, $38), Mike Evans (TB, $23), Tyler Lockett (SEA, $23)

TE: Greg Olsen (CAR, $19), Vernon Davis (WAS, $14)

DST: Los Angeles Chargers (at MIA, $21), Jacksonville Jaguars (at DEN, $13)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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