DraftKings NFL Week 4: Top Picks and Lineup Strategy

Sunday's Week 4 slate includes 11 games and features Colts-Rams with the highest total. Christian McCaffrey and Puka Nacua stand out at their respective positions, while bargain quarterbacks will rule the day for a third successive week. 

In this DraftKings breakdown, I've highlighted the top options for cash games and included some of my favorite options for GPPs as well. As usual, leverage and correlation are paramount to winning large-field tournaments. If you're only concerned with playing the "best plays," cash-games are better suited. Good luck.

Note: All prices listed come from DraftKings, but most of the logic can be applied to other sites across the DFS industry. Discussion is limited to players from the "main slate" of games kicking off at 1 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday. The strategy below is meant for large-field tournaments, where payouts typically are limited to ~20 percent of lineups, with the majority concentrated at the very top.

The Games

Point-Per-Dollar Value

These are the players with the best projections relative to their salaries — good plays both for cash games and large-field tournaments. While we don't want our GPP lineups to look like cash-game lineups top to bottom, there's nothing wrong with using a few chalky plays.

• RB Omarion Hampton @ NYG ($5,900)

The Chargers lost Najee Harris for the season last week, and Hampton responded with 25 touches, including six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. He's in line for big usage again Sunday in a matchup with Jaxson Dart making his first career start on the other side. It looks like a great spot, and I'm expecting him to be the second-most popular RB behind McCaffrey. Meanwhile, the Giants lost Tyrone Tracy last week, meaning Cam Skattebo ($5,500) should see an increased role. It's a tough matchup, but he offers plenty of upside as a dual threat.

• WR Davante Adams vs. IND ($6,200)

Adams missed practice Wednesday and Thursday due to a hamstring injury, but he and the Rams' passing-game project so well that it still makes sense to highlight him here. He's drawn at least eight targets in every game as a Ram, and he leads the league in red zone targets as well as targets inside the 10-yard line. The matchup against the Colts has the highest total on the board, and Adams is too cheap considering all of that. If you'd rather avoid the injury risk, there are plenty of others who looks like decent value: Ricky Pearsall ($5,700), especially if Jauan Jennings ($5,000) is out again, should see big volume, Drake London ($5,700) and Jakobi Meyers ($5,400) are discounted, as are Chris Olave ($5,100) and Michael Pittman ($5,100). Olave leads the league in targets, drawing 10+ in every game so far. 

Other Cash-Game Options

QB Caleb Williams at LV ($5,800)

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QB Drake Maye at CAR ($5,500)

QB Geno Smith vs. CHI ($5,400)

QB Marcus Mariota at ATL ($5,000)

RB Christian McCaffrey vs. JAX ($8,500)

RB Jonathan Taylor at LAR ($7,500)

RB James Cook vs. NO ($7,100)

RB Kyren Williams vs. IND ($6,300)

RB Omarion Hampton at NYG ($5,900)

RB Cam Skattebo vs. LAR ($5,500)

WR Puka Nacua vs. IND ($7,900)

WR Davante Adams vs. IND ($6,200)

WR Ricky Pearsall vs. JAX ($5,700)

WR Drake London vs. WAS ($5,700)

WR Jakobi Meyers vs. CHI ($5,400)

WR Keenan Allen at NYG ($5,300)

WR Chris Olave at BUF ($5,100)

TE Brock Bowers vs. CHI ($5,800)

TE Tyler Warren at LAR ($4,600)

TE Juwan Johnson at BUF ($4,200)

TE Hunter Henry vs. CAR ($4,000)

TE David Njoku at DET ($3,800)

TE Brenton Strange at SF ($3,200)

D/ST Houston Texans vs. TEN ($3,400)

D/ST Tennessee Titans at HOU ($2,300)

Passing-Game Stacks

Stacks are the centerpiece of most tournament lineups, seeking to take advantage of positive correlations between players. It rarely makes sense to use a quarterback without one or two of his pass catchers, even if the player in question scores a decent portion of his fantasy points with his legs. Ideally, a stack also includes a pass catcher from the other side of the game, hoping to take advantage of a back-and-forth shootout. (Implied team totals are listed in parentheses.)

Chicago Bears (23) at Las Vegas Raiders (24.5)

BEARS

Chicago's offense, in particular the passing game, looked great last week against Dallas. Caleb Williams ($5,800) threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns on his way to 29.1 DraftKings points. It would've been more had the Cowboys been able to keep pace. The Bears rank second in neutral pace on the season, and we're starting to see Ben Johnson dial up some explosive plays. Rome Odunze ($6,300) got things started with a 35-yard TD, and he seems to have established himself as the No. 1 WR. DJ Moore ($5,600) and Luther Burden ($4,700) each scored their first TDs of the season. Burden showed why the Bears spent a second-round pick on him, needing only three catches to put up 101 yards. Of the three, only Odunze will garner modest ownership. I'd choose him for single-entry and Moore for the larger-field GPPs. D'Andre Swift ($5,400) projects as one of the better cheap values at RB and makes sense for correlation in Raiders stacks. 

RAIDERS

I was surprised to learn that Las Vegas ranks third in neutral pass rate and fourth in explosive play rate. A matchup against Chicago's defense, missing their best cornerback, is about as good as we can hope for. Geno Smith ($5,400) projects among the best value at quarterback. He's topped 21 DraftKings points in two of three games as they haven't been able to get Ashton Jeanty ($6,200) going on the ground. Meanwhile, Jakobi Meyers ($5,400) and Tre Tucker ($4,200) have been Smith's top options. Tucker exploded for 145 yards and three scores on eight catches last week. Meyers will be popular as he projects among the best value at the position. Brock Bowers ($5,800) salary has dropped below $6K for the first time as he's yet to find the end zone. It's also notable that Michael Mayer (concussion) is out. Sunday's matchup presents a prime opportunity for Bowers.

• Favorite Bears Stack: QB Williams + WR Odunze + TE Bowers
• Favorite Raiders Stack: QB Smith + RB Swift + WR Tucker/WR Meyers and/or TE Bowers

Indianapolis Colts (23) at Los Angeles Rams (26.5)

COLTS

The Indianapolis offense, led by stellar play from Daniel Jones ($5,600) and Jonathan Taylor ($7,500) leading the league in rushing, has been one of the stories of the season as they've helped the Colts to a 3-0 start. Taylor has been optimal in consecutive weeks, posting scores of 32.5 and 35.8 DraftKings points. He's playing over 80 percent of snaps and averaging more than 22 touches. Jones has had success through the air and as a runner. Michael Pittman ($5,100) and Tyler Warren ($4,600) have been his top targets, with the latter being especially impressive. Alec Pierce (concussion) is expected to be out, which means increased opportunity for Josh Downs ($4,100) and Adonai Mitchell ($3,100). They're viable in large-field GPPs while Warren is my preferred option for single-entry. 

RAMS

Matthew Stafford ($5,900) continues to prove he's still an elite quarterback, as the Rams offense looks as good as ever. Puka Nacua ($7,900) leads the NFL in catches and yards, which is partially why I highlighted him below in the "High-Priced Heroes" section. He'll be the most popular WR on the slate and rightfully so. It will be important to monitor the status of Davante Adams ($6,200), who missed practice Wednesday and Thursday due to a hamstring injury. He has a touchdown in back-to-back games and drawn at least eight targets in all three starts as a Ram. He'd project among the best values at the position if healthy. Kyren Williams ($6,300) has had 19+ touches in every game and won't be overly popular if you're considering him leverage in Colts stacks. 

• Favorite Colts Stack: QB Jones + WR Nacua + TE Warren or WR Pittman
• Favorite Rams Stack: QB Stafford + WR Nacua and/or WR Adams + TE Warren

Other Stacks to Consider

QB Josh Allen + WR Chris Olave or TE Juwan Johnson

QB Lamar Jackson + WR Zay Flowers

QB Jalen Hurts + WR A.J. Brown or WR DeVonta Smith

QB Justin Herbert + RB Cam Skattebo + WR Keenan Allen or WR Quentin Johnston

QB Drake Maye + WR Tetairoa McMillan + TE Hunter Henry

QB Marcus Mariota + WR Drake London +/- TE Zach Ertz

QB Jaxson Dart + RB Omarion Hampton + WR Malik Nabers

High-Priced Heroes

• RB Christian McCaffrey vs. JAX ($8,500)

McCaffrey projects as the top value at RB despite being the most expensive. He leads the position in catches and receiving yards with 25 grabs on 37 targets through three weeks. Expect the high target share to continue as long as Kittle and Jennings remain out. The 49ers have a favorable home matchup against the Jaguars, making McCaffrey a lock for cash-games and great tournament option.

• WR Puka Nacua vs. IND ($7,900)

Nacua is the McCaffrey of the WRs. He leads the league in catches and yards and projects as the top value at the position by far. The Rams' matchup against the Colts has the highest total and Davante Adams might be less than 100 percent. Indianapolis is also missing their starting slot corner, which all sets up well for Nacua to go off. 

Honorable Mentions: WR Nico Collins ($7,400); TE Brock Bowers ($5,800)

Fading the Field

Every week we see at least one or two players who are popular without the backing of a top point-per-dollar projection. In some cases it even makes sense to fade a player with a strong projection, particularly when there are good alternatives at the same position and price range.

• RB Jonathan Taylor at LAR ($7,500)

I'm a big fan of Taylor, and he's been really impressive to start the season as he leads all position players in fantasy points. However, there are a few reasons I plan on fading him this week. The Rams have a great defensive line and their run defense has been elite. The Colts are also road underdogs, and I expect this will be a better spot for the passing-game. We just saw what Jalen Hurts did to the LA secondary in the second-half of last week's comeback. I'd also rather get as much exposure to McCaffrey as possible, and I'm content rostering some of the cheaper value at RB2. 

The Smash Spot

(Players in favorable spots to significantly outperform their salary.)

• WR Tre Tucker vs. CHI ($4,200)

Many will think last week was a fluke when Tucker went off for eight catches, 145 yards and three touchdowns. The facts are that he's played at least 90 percent of the snaps in all three games and drawn at least eight targets in back-to-back. He's always been explosive, and there was plenty of buzz in the summer. Sunday's matchup at home against the Chicago is a favorable one as the Bears remain without their best CB. 

The Bargain Bin

QB Drake Maye at CAR ($5,500)

QB Geno Smith vs. CHI ($5,400)

QB Marcus Mariota at ATL ($5,000)

QB Jaxson Dart vs. LAC ($4,500)

RB Omarion Hampton at NYG ($5,900)

RB Cam Skattebo vs. LAR ($5,500)

RB Quinshon Judkins at DET ($5,500)

RB D'Andre Swift at LV ($5,400)

WR Tre Tucker vs. CHI ($4,200)

WR Josh Downs at LAR ($4,100)

WR Elic Ayomanor at HOU ($3,900)

WR Kendrick Bourne vs. JAX ($3,700)

WR Adonai Mitchell at LAR ($3,100)

TE Kyle Pitts vs. WAS ($3,600)

TE Dalton Schultz vs. TEN ($3,300)

TE Brenton Strange at SF ($3,200)

TE Oronde Gadsden at NYG ($2,600)

Injuries to Monitor

• WR Davante Adams vs. IND

Listed questionable but expected to play, the status of Adams will be important to monitor. He projects well enough to be viable in any format if you're comfortable taking on the risk. 

• WR Jauan Jennings vs. JAX

As of Friday morning, Jennings had missed five straight practices. If he's ruled out, Ricky Pearsall ($5,700) would be viable in any format with Brock Purdy back under center. 

Weather

Nothing to worry about this week.