NFL Week 4 DFS Picks: Best DraftKings, FanDuel main slate optimal lineups, sleepers, and values | Sporting News Canada

We’re now entering our fourth Sunday slate of the NFL season. At this point, we have plenty of information on offenses, defenses, and individual players to make informed decisions while we set our lineups. Thankfully we have one more Sunday before things start getting a bit hairy with byes in Week 5.

In DFS, it all comes down to finding edges over your opponents. There are plenty of ways to attack this slate and find edges over other players, but we are given a finite salary, so we have to get a bit creative. But without further ado, here are the Sporting News’ optimal lineups and best picks for Week 4 DFS slates on both Draft Kings and FanDuel.

DraftKings DFS Picks Week 4: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments

Sunday Main Slate, $50,000 salary

QB: Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. Commanders ($6,800)

Arizona vs. Washington currently sits at a game total of 50.5, a healthy number that tops the Sunday slate. The Cardinals have an implied team total of 27.0, which is also the highest for the main slate. The lofty totals paint a strong outlook for Kyler Murray’s Week 4 fantasy outlook. His matchup against the Commanders is also one to get excited about. Washington has allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this year, most recently allowing Joe Burrow to go for 324 yards, three touchdowns, and 28.4 DK points. Murray and the Cardinals are an ascending offense and should have no issue lighting up the box score against Washington.

WEEK 4 DFS ADVICE
TNF Lineups | Best Stacks | Sleepers and Values

RB: Zack Moss, Bengals at Panthers ($5,900)

There’s no other way to put it… this is Zack Moss’s backfield. So far this season, he’s played 76 percent of the snaps, handled 70 percent of the backfield rush attempts, and been entrusted with all of the high-value touches. Looking to the Cincinnati offense as a whole, they don’t place a significant emphasis on the run, ranking 29th in overall rush rate. But when they do run, it’s been effective. Cincinnati ranks 2nd in EPA per rush and 3rd in rushing success rate. They now get a Carolina defense that ranks 24th in EPA per rush allowed and 23rd in rushing success rate allowed. The Bengals are favored by 4.5 points in this one, so Moss should be in a position to see his fair share of carries

RB: Chuba Hubbard, Panthers vs. Bengals ($5,700)

We’re actually going to be going with the starting running back on both sides of the Panthers vs. Bengals matchup. With Andy Dalton providing some stability within Carolina’s offense, Chuba Hubbard has become a legitimate fantasy option. Last week with Dalton under center, Hubbard played a hair under 60 percent of the snaps and handled 74 percent of the backfield opportunities. He was able to turn his 26 opportunities into 30.9 DK points in Week 3. Don’t expect Hubbard to have this many touches in Week 3, but a Cincinnati defense that ranks 31st in EPA allowed per rush could allow Hubbard to have a strong performance even on a lighter workload.

WEEK 4 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

WR: Nico Collins, Texans vs. Jaguars ($7,200)

Nico Collins is the undisputed alpha in Houston. Through three games, he’s been targeted on a quarter of his routes and accounts for nearly 45 percent of the air yards that C.J. Stroud has dished out. He is an absolute stud who should be viewed as a high-end option week in and week out. A matchup against the Jaguars gives Collins a chance to build on an impressive start to his 2024 campaign. Jacksonville is the only defense that has run man coverage on the majority of their defensive snaps this season. What does Collins do against man coverage? He crushes it. Since the start of last season, only CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill average more yards per route run vs. man coverage than Collins. Expect the Stroud-Collins connection to flourish this week.

WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals vs. Commanders ($7,500)

With Kyler Murray already on the roster, we were obviously going to make room for his No. 1 receiver. Marvin Harrison Jr. has lived up to the hype thus far and is clearly the future of this offense. There’s no need to rattle off a bunch of stats about Harrison; all you have to do is see how other talented receivers have fared against Washington’s secondary.

WR1s vs. Commanders [Over Last 16 Games]

1. Ja’Marr Chase: 6-118-2
2. Malik Nabers: 10-127-1
3. Mike Evans or Chris Godwin: both >22.0 PPR
4. CeeDee Lamb: 13-98-2
5. Brandon Aiyuk: 7-114-1
6. Cooper Kupp: 8-111-1
7. Tyreek Hill: 5-157-2
8. CeeDee Lamb: 4-53-1 (only flop)
9.…

— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) September 24, 2024

With Trey McBride likely sidelined, this is a smash spot for Harrison. He could very easily be the WR1 on the week.

WEEK 4 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Stock Watch | Trade Advice | Sleepers | Busts | Start/Sit | Usage Report | Weather

WR: Diontae Johnson, Panthers vs. Bengals ($5,600)

The Diontae Johnson “truthers” are all rejoicing after Week 3. Every single metric and number at our disposal pointed to Johnson being among the league’s best route runners, separators, and target earners. The only issue was that he spent his last 32 NFL games with Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky, and Bryce Young throwing him passes. Johnson finally got a legitimate quarterback, Andy Dalton, under center and exploded for eight receptions (13 targets, 38-percent target share) and a career-high 122 receiving yards. With Adam Thielen sidelined for at least four weeks, Johnson should be a PPR monster and the engine of Carolina’s aerial attack.

TE: Elijah Higgins, Cardinals vs. Commanders ($3,100)

This roster is set up with a Cardinals stack and a punt at tight end, making Elijah Higgins the perfect option. With Trey McBride likely sidelined due to a concussion, Higgins will have an expanded role in Week 4. Higgins is a far better pass catcher than Arizona’s other tight end, Tip Reiman, and is fairly athletic with an 8.94 RAS. Frankly, the hope here is that Higgins sees a strong snap share within the red zone and is able to convert on an end zone target as he did in Week 2. It’s never pretty when punting, but if you squint, you can see the path to 9.0 DK points.

FLEX: Christian Kirk, Jaguars at Texans ($5,200)

After a slow start to the year, Christian Kirk reprised his high-volume role in Week 3 to the tune of 10 targets. Kirk operates as Jacksonville’s primary slot receiver and typically provides a steady floor due to underneath targets that lead to a high catch rate. The Jaguars will likely be playing from behind against Houston, and Kirk should be featured in the pass-heavy approach. The 15.9 DK points that he scored last week would be a great result for this team.

D/ST: Vikings, at Packers ($2,900)

Brian Flores has been a madman calling this defense. One stat that really pops off the page is that Minnesota has a 60-percent blitz rate on 2nd down. Flores is getting creative with his defensive looks and play calling, and it’s working. The Vikings held the 49ers and Texans to a combined 24 points in the last two weeks. They should have another strong week against either Malik Willis or a slightly hobbled Jordan Love.

FanDuel DFS Picks Week 4: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments

Sunday Main Slate, $60,000 salary cap

QB: Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. Commanders ($8,700)

It’s probably going to be pretty chalky this week, but coming after the Washington secondary is too easy. They’re allowing the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and will likely allow yet another big day to Kyler Murray and company.

RB: Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders at Cardinals ($7,300)

Brian Robinson has sneakily been a strong fantasy option so far this season. He’s averaging 14.6 FD points per game and has a meaningful role within the Commanders’ offense. This role will be expanding in Week 4 with Austin Ekeler already ruled out due to a concussion. After Ekeler left the game in Week 3, Robinson played 75 percent of snaps, took eight of nine backfield carries, and had a route participation of 50 percent. Robinson has a chance to have a big day against a Cardinals defense that ranks 24th in fantasy points allowed to RBs this season.

RB: Carson Steele, Chiefs at Chargers ($5,800)

As many anticipated, Carson Steele filled in for Isiah Pacheco as the Chiefs’ early-down rusher. Steele looked good in his first NFL start, turning 17 carries into 72 yards. Steele’s lack of receiving work (two targets in Week 3) creates a fairly limited ceiling. His ability to have a spike week will be predicated on his ability to find the endzone. Steele was the recipient of both of the Chiefs’ goal line carries last week; it’s only a matter of time before he scores his first NFL touchdown. This roster would prefer that day to come in Week 4.

WR: Nico Collins, Texans vs. Jaguars ($7,700)

We’re getting more bang for our buck with Nico Collins on FanDuel, so it was impossible to keep him out of this lineup. He should have himself a day against Jacksonville’s man-heavy defense. An 8/120/1 stat line is well within the range of outcomes.

WR: Marvin Harrison Jr., Cardinals vs. Commanders ($8,200)

Of course we’re adding Marvin Harrison Jr. to a team that already has Kyler Murray locked in. Harrison has proven to be the real deal and should continue to tack on to his OROY resume against the league’s worst secondary. In case you missed the Tweet about what opposing WRs have done to this defense, here it is again.

WR1s vs. Commanders [Over Last 16 Games]

1. Ja’Marr Chase: 6-118-2
2. Malik Nabers: 10-127-1
3. Mike Evans or Chris Godwin: both >22.0 PPR
4. CeeDee Lamb: 13-98-2
5. Brandon Aiyuk: 7-114-1
6. Cooper Kupp: 8-111-1
7. Tyreek Hill: 5-157-2
8. CeeDee Lamb: 4-53-1 (only flop)
9.…

— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) September 24, 2024

WR: George Pickens, Steelers at Colts ($6,100)

Those who were hoping for a George Pickens breakout were anticipating that he would be the focal point of the offense. They were right – Pickens has a 24-percent target share and a 50-percent air yards share. The issue is that this has translated to double-digit FD points just once this season. However, Pickens has seen several of his big plays negated by penalties. Week 4 presents an opportunity to finally convert on an explosive play or two against a Colts defense that has allowed 100-plus yards against both vertical, “X receivers” they have faced – Rome Odunze and Nico Collins. Pickens is a strong boom-bust option with a reasonable salary.

TE: Tyler Conklin, Jets vs. Broncos ($5,100)

Tyler Conklin is the most boring archetype of fantasy tight end. He has a 76-percent route participation this season and is purely a routes-based bet. However, he has shown an ability to get involved in the offense to a significant degree when the situation is right. Last week against the Patriots, Conklin had six targets in a game where Garrett Wilson was stymied by budding superstar cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Wilson will likely have another tough day against shutdown corner Patrick Surtain, opening the door for secondary weapons (Conklin) to have meaningful contributions.

FLEX: Terry McLaurin, Commanders at Cardinals ($6,500)

The Washington offense has been firing on all cylinders for two straight weeks, but it wasn’t until last week that we saw Terry McLaurin truly unlocked. For the first time all year, it wasn’t just dink and dunk passes for the entire game. McLaurin has five deep targets on the year, three of which came last Monday. He turned these three targets into two receptions for 82 yards and a score. It seems that Kliff Kingsbury finally trusts his rookie quarterback to make the tough throws which is phenomenal for McLaurin’s fantasy outlook. He should have an opportunity to have another strong week in a back-and-forth matchup against the Cardinals

D/ST Vikings, at Packers ($4,300)

After shutting down the 49ers and Texans, Minnesota is looking like they will be one of the league’s most feared defenses this year. They should keep the good times rolling against Malik Willis or a banged-up Jordan Love.