The Week 4 NFL DFS Yahoo main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT and features 12 games. Bye weeks won't come into play until Week 5, but teams playing on Thursday Night Football (Steelers-Browns), Sunday morning in London (Colts-Commanders), Sunday Night Football (Lions-Panthers) and Monday Night Football (Falcons-Saints) are excluded from the main slate.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) Yahoo DFS football contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared toward head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS football contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. NFL DFS Yahoo lineups consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Love is in the air and on the ground when it comes to the recommended Week 4 picks, which also include a couple of breakout WRs.
QUARTERBACK
Jordan Love, GB at TB ($34): Green Bay's defense is likely to find success against a Buccaneers offense playing without starting QB Baker Mayfield (thumb) and create more possessions for the offense. The Packers have been unable to move the ball effectively on the ground, so the team will likely continue to lean heavily on Love's arm against a Tampa Bay defense that's giving up 26.3 PPG despite allowing the second-fewest rushing yards. Love has the fourth-most passing yards (844) and second-most pass attempts (124) this season, along with a 6:2 TD:INT.
Honorable Mentions: Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. TEN ($39); Trevor Lawrence, JAC at CIN ($36); Jacoby Brissett, ARI at NYG ($28)
Against the Grainers: Matthew Stafford, LAR at PHI ($32); Drake Maye, NE at BUF ($27); Case Keenum, CHI vs. NYJ ($21)
RUNNING BACK
Jeremiyah Love, ARI at NYG ($28): Jordan (no relation) isn't the only J. Love primed for Week 4 success. The Cardinals brought their rookie third overall pick along slowly following a preseason ankle injury, but Love handled a full workload in the Week 3 loss to San Francisco, as his 26 touches exceeded the 25 touches he accumulated in Weeks 1 and 2 combined. Love turned his heavy volume into 109 scrimmage yards and a TD against the 49ers. The talented RB is likely to find plenty of running lanes against a Giants defense that gives up 5.1 yards per carry, and Love should stay involved as a pass catcher coming off a five-reception game, as Big Blue is one of four teams with multiple receiving TDs allowed to RBs through three weeks. Grab Love now before his price catches up to his increased usage level.
Braelon Allen, NYJ at CHI ($13): Allen is set to work as the lead back for the Jets in the expected absence of Breece Hall (thigh), who is week-to-week. The 2024 fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, who is listed at 235 pounds but reportedly weighs closer to 250 these days, should get his first opportunity to truly wear down a defense with his bulky frame, as Allen hasn't exceeded 12 carries in a game in his career. Allen's career-long run in the NFL is 20 yards, but he had a 31-yard touchdown run this preseason and a would-be 23-yard rushing touchdown wiped away by a holding penalty in Week 1 against the Titans, so he isn't just a big-bodied plodder. The Bears are giving up 4.8 yards per carry to RBs, and the absence of Chicago's starting QB Caleb Williams (hamstring) should help the Jets avoid a negative game script.
Honorable Mentions: Derrick Henry, BAL vs. TEN ($40); D'Andre Swift, CHI vs. NYJ ($31); Cam Skattebo, NYG vs. ARI ($28)
Against the Grainers: Chase Brown, CIN vs. JAC ($28); Bucky Irving, TB vs. GB ($26); Saquon Barkley, PHI vs. LAR ($25)
WIDE RECEIVER
Parker Washington, JAC at CIN ($32): In his last seven games, including the playoffs, Washington has accumulated a 41-675-5 line on 64 targets. The 24-year-old WR has broken out as the favorite target of Trevor Lawrence and is one of the most productive pass catchers in the NFL. A Bengals defense that just allowed TDs to three different Steelers WRs last week is unlikely to cool off the red-hot Washington.
Matthew Golden, GB at TB ($23): Both Golden and Christian Watson ($31) are viable options, especially if stacked with Love, but Golden is easier to fit because he's $8 cheaper. These two WRs have carried Green Bay's offense, combining for 537 yards and five TDs on 59 targets. Watson has four of those five TDs and a 284-253 edge in yards over Golden, though the latter actually has one more target. TE Tucker Kraft is a distant third option with 106 yards on 17 targets, and Love should continue peppering Golden and Watson with downfield looks against a Buccaneers secondary that's allowing 12.8 yards per catch to WRs, including a 55-yard Denzel Boston TD in Week 2 and 41-yard Jordan Addison TD in Week 3.
Malik Nabers, NYG vs. ARI ($21): The Giants have struggled to move the ball through the air since losing starting QB Jaxson Dart (knee), but Nabers is the team's clear No. 1 WR with 19 targets this season compared to 21 for all other Giants wideouts combined. Jameis Winston looked unprepared in relief in Week 2, while inclement weather limited passing production in Week 3, setting up a buy-low opportunity on Nabers against a Cardinals defense that's tied for the most TDs allowed to WRs (six) and is one of 10 units with at least 500 yards allowed to the position already. Winston projects to be under center again for the Giants, who acquired QB J.J. McCarthy from the Vikings to add more meme potential, and arguably more talent, to their QB room this week.
Honorable Mentions: Nico Collins, HOU vs. DAL ($30); Garrett Wilson, NYJ at CHI ($29); Jordan Addison, MIN vs. MIA ($18)
Against the Grainers: George Pickens, DAL at HOU ($23); Carnell Tate, TEN at BAL ($16); Kalif Raymond, CHI vs. NYJ ($13)
TIGHT END
Mark Andrews, BAL vs. TEN ($15): Baltimore's top offensive players come with exorbitant cap hits against the lowly Titans, but that isn't the case for Andrews. The veteran TE leads the team with 18 targets and has reached 49 receiving yards in two of three games. He has yet to score a TD, but he's reached at least five in every season since his rookie year in 2018, so it's likely just a matter of time before he starts contributing in that department. A home game against the lowly Titans could help Andrews break the touchdown seal. Tennessee has allowed a league-low 48 receiving yards to TEs this season, but Jets rookie TE Kenyon Sadiq scored a rushing TD against the Titans in Week 1.
Honorable Mentions: Trey McBride, ARI at NYG ($27); Kenyon Sadiq, NYJ at CHI ($17); Dalton Schultz, HOU vs. DAL ($16)
Against the Grainers: Tucker Kraft, GB at TB ($15); Colston Loveland, CHI vs. NYJ ($14); Brenton Strange, JAC at CIN ($14)
DEFENSE
Buffalo Bills vs. NE ($13): The wheels have fallen off New England's offense while QB Drake Maye has rapidly regressed. The Patriots have scored just 36 points through three weeks, including a defensive touchdown, while turning the ball over eight times. Maye has six interceptions and a lost fumble, while fumble-prone RB Rhamondre Stevenson has put the ball on the ground as well. Buffalo's defense ranks sixth in the league with 9.0 sacks in the early going, and this unit is coming off its sturdiest performance of the season, having limited the Chargers to 16 points.
Honorable Mentions: Seattle Seahawks vs. LAC ($16); Baltimore Ravens vs. TEN ($12); Green Bay Packers vs. TB ($10)
Against the Grainers: New York Jets at CHI ($13); Los Angeles Chargers at SEA ($12); Arizona Cardinals at NYG ($11)
