DFS Building Blocks – Week 4
SUNDAY UPDATE:
Sticking to Burrow and Fields as my starting points. Claypool is inactive in case you stacked him with Fields, but we’re on Kmet.
Some great pivots off chalk this week – Higgins instead of Chase, Smith instead of Brown, Meyers or Jacobs instead of Adams, Johnston instead of Palmer and Allen. We have Javonte Williams with Fields, but Mims is a great pivot there if you want.
Jimmy G out for the Raiders so rare chance to get a starting QB at min pride if you want to play O’Connel. He’s not a bad way to lower the individual ownership on Adams if you want to stack them.
————————————————————–
What a crazy week last week. We were on Tua + Hill on DK and, if you read the Sunday morning update, we moved to a secondary lineup of Fields + Kmet on FD and since that lineup was moving away from the Dolphins passing game, we moved Mostert in. We also talked about the ownership of Mike Williams getting higher and higher so we opted to instead pay up for Keenan Allen and lower ownership. He totaled 215 yards on 20(!!!) targets and also threw a 49-yard touchdown for good measure. We also talked about the potential for McKinnon to get on the scoreboard this week. So we had Mostert and Allen crushing things and McKinnon hitting his value at 1% ownership. But we also had Fields + Kmet. Womp womp.
In our primary FD lineup, we were on the right side starting with Herbert and moving from Williams to Allen, but our ancillary pieces fell short. Hopefully you were able to find yourself with a better supporting cast last week. Congratulations if you were one of the few people smart (lucky?) enough to start De’Von Achane!
Week 4 features a mouth-watering early afternoon clash between the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, but those games sometime turn into letdowns. Let’s dig into that and see what else the week 4 slate has for us.
Game Overviews
Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Moneyline: Miami Dolphins +120, Buffalo Bills -140
Spread: Miami Dolphins +3 (-115), Buffalo Bills -3 (-105)
Total Points: Over/Under 53.5
This AFC East clash is a true footballing treat. Miami is fresh off a 70-point shellacking of Denver, and everyone knows what damage a Josh Allen lead offense can do.
The Miami offense has been a revelation so far this season, with Mike McDaniels showing just what a fantastic play designer he is. The way that he gets Tyreek Hill and his fellow playmakers open by using pre-snap motions is a joy to watch, and his running backs have been running through massive lanes. Jaylen Waddle should be back in this one, which only makes life harder for the Bills’ defense.
Buffalo may come and try to keep with Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami offense. But these two teams are familiar with each other and we could be in for a letdown. The duo of tight ends, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox take away from each other at the moment, but in a back-and-forth matchup like this, one of them is bound to have a good game. And this could be a lot of action between the 20s, but, ultimately, in a lower-scoring game. I’m likely to shy away from this game, but if you want to attack, go all-in. Built your lineup as if you’re predicting something like an 80-point game total. Stack up both sides.
It’s worth mentioning that Tua is projected to be way lower owned than I was expecting, so he makes a great starting point if stacking this game up. Same for the RBs, who actually should be pretty successful, just need to bank on some scores.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Tua + Hill + Cook
Allen + Diggs + Mostert
Allen + Gabe Davis
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Josh Allen
Tyreek Hill
James Cook
Raheem Mostert
De’Von Achane
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Dalton Kincaid
Denver Broncos @ Chicago Bears
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Moneyline: Denver Broncos -167, Chicago Bears +140
Spread: Denver Broncos -3 (-115), Chicago Bears +3 (-105)
Total Points: Over/Under 45.5
We go from one of the most exciting games of the season to potentially the least inspiring game. On the plus side, someone does have to win this, so maybe we can find some points.
It has been miserable so far for Justin Fields, who is overthinking everything and turning down too many throws. With Denver having just been dismantled by Miami, it would be fair to say that this is a do-or-die moment for Fields, who needs to show that he can be an NFL quarterback.
With the passing game seeming to downright confuse Fields, maybe this is the week they unleash him as a running back. You desperately want to be starting people against Denver at the moment, but with the way Fields has been playing, I’d say he is more of a lottery pick, but that’s exactly what we want to target in large-field tournaments. If tournaments could be predicted and won just off historical (or recent) performance DFS wouldn’t exist. It’s the times when you’re early on a player – or the times you’re willing to let Fields tank your lineup two weeks in a row – that you win the money.
Khalil Herbert, who is a very talented running back but is just not getting the opportunities in this offense, whilst also splitting with Roschon Johnson. Generally, avoiding the Bears RBs is smart.
On the Denver side, there is a little bit more life. Russell Wilson is not enjoyable to watch, but he can get the ball to his playmakers just about enough for us to trust them. The matchup against the Bears is about as good as they come, and Sutton, Jeudy and Javonte Williams aren’t bad options. We were on Mims last week and will be again this week as a potential breakout. Javonte is looking popular, but his price on FD is enticing.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Fields + Javonte Williams + Mims + Kmet/Moore/Mooney
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Jerry Jeudy
Javonte Williams
Courtland Sutton
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Justin Fields
Marvin Mims
Cole Kmet
Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, OH
Moneyline: Baltimore Ravens +120, Cleveland Browns -140
Spread: Baltimore Ravens +2.5 (-105), Cleveland Browns -2.5 (-115)
Total Points: Over/Under 40.5
This one could be ugly. These AFC North rivals haven’t been the slickest on offense so far in 2023, and this one could well be dominated by the defenses. The Cleveland Browns are looking like one of the best defenses in the league, led by a surging Myles Garrett, who is hunting down a Defensive Player of the Year award.
While that doesn’t automatically put me off Lamar Jackson, who always remains in play thanks to his legs, it does make me worry about any of the secondary Ravens players. The volume should be there for Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews, but I wouldn’t be looking anywhere else.
When Cleveland is on offense, the defensive matchup isn’t quite so daunting, but question marks still remain over quarterback Deshaun Watson’s play. He looked much better last week, but that was against the Tennessee Titans’ pass-funnel defense. This will be a much stiffer test and it will be interesting to see how he does.
Even if he struggles, he has shown enough of a connection with Amari Cooper to make him an every-week option, and Elijah Moore and Jerome Ford are interesting plays as well. Ford especially could be a good play after Zack Moss went wild on Baltimore in week 3.
This is not the game to get cute with, but an overstack here on a $5 milly entry would be very low-owned.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Lamar Jackson + Zay Flowers + Mark Andrews + Cooper
Amari Cooper + Jerome Ford + Zay/Andrews
Lamar Jackson + Flowers/Andrews + Cooper + Ford
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Jerome Ford
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Nelson Agholor
Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
Moneyline: Cincinnati Bengals -150, Tennessee Titans +125
Spread: Cincinnati Bengals -2.5 (-110), Tennessee Titans +2.5 (-110)
Total Points: Over/Under 40.5
We just talked about the pass-funnel defense of the Titans. Maybe the awful Tennessee pass defense can help bring this Bengals offense back to life. Although the team does look destined to struggle while Joe Burrow suffers with his calf injury. His movement is clearly limited and it bleeds into the running game, with Burrow seemingly preferring not to take snaps under center at the moment.
Nevertheless, the Titans are on deck, so you fire up the receivers. Ja’Marr Chase finally had a good game last week and he should be able to do it again this week. It has been up and down for Tee Higgins, but you can feel confident in a bounce back for him as well. I really wanted another Chase dud last week so we could take advantage of a bounce back at low ownership this week, but it appears he’s not sneaking up on anyone. There’s a great DFS lesson here… Chase is projected to be the top one or two owned WR at nearly 20% but Burrow isn’t even cracking the top-ten in QB ownership. Players like Chase, who are so expensive that they need 25 or 30 FD points to be worth paying for, generally are only going to succeed if their QB is also succeeding, making them better to stack than to play individually. Burrow + Chase cuts the combined ownership way down and could easily be the top duo of the week. At this point, I’m on Burrow and Fields as my starting points.
The running backs are less enticing in this one. Henry has been struggling and is operating behind an awful offensive line. To make matters worse, he isn’t being used at all when the Titans fall behind, which is unfortunately a regular occurrence. The Titans’ run defense is stingy, and while Mixon’s usage in the passing game gives him a solid floor, you can probably find more upside elsewhere. Should note though, Henry keeps getting cheaper and more low owned each week. It will right itself one of these weeks.
In terms of the Tennessee Titans passing game, I think they are better left alone until something drastic changes at the quarterback position.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Burrow + Chase
Burrow + Higgins
Burrow + Chase + Higgins/Boyd + Henry
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Higgins
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Derrick Henry
Tyjae Spears
Tyler Boyd
Los Angeles Rams @ Indianapolis Colts
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Moneyline: Los Angeles Rams -110, Indianapolis Colts -110
Spread: Los Angeles Rams +1 (-115), Indianapolis Colts -1 (-105)
Total Points: Over/Under 46.5
After two electric weeks for Matthew Stafford, his play declined slightly in week three, and he has now thrown 2 interceptions in each of the last two weeks. He putting up attempts and yards, just needs TDs. Despite this, the Colts are a good matchup for the Rams and most of their playmakers are solid options in week 4.
Tutu Atwell appears to be breaking out, and he and Puka Nacua remain very good plays at wide receiver. Nacua has a great matchup and is very popular, he’s probably best suited in a mini-stack to cut down on his individual ownership. Kyren Williams is also a good option, as he remains the bell-cow running back for the Rams, receiving an incredible 17 targets over the last two weeks. It doesn’t get much better than that for running backs in the PPR format.
For the Colts, it looks like Anthony Richardson is back, which brings up one of the most fascinating decisions to make at the quarterback position. Richardson put up 18 points in just over a quarter before going out with a concussion in week 2. He remains a potential game-changer every single week.
His return does however create some question marks at the wide receiver position. Josh Downs was a target hog with Gardner Minshew under center, but I don’t think he is an option now. Michael Pittman, on the other hand, does remain usable and is in a great spot against a poor Los Angeles secondary.
Richardson’s return also could affect Zack Moss, who has turned into a very solid bell-cow running back option, but coming off a concussion they may want Richardson to take it easy this week, so he may not eat into Moss’ upside as much as expected. The Rams are projecting to be a top owned DEF this week, and Richardson is popular, so starting with Moss is a great contrarian play. I’d rather wait another week on Richardson. We were correctly early on him in when he put a monster quarter before his concussion, but he’s not surprising anyone anymore. Hoping for a Moss game this week so we can return to Richardson at lower ownership in the future.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Anthony Richardson + Zack Moss + Nacua
Matthew Stafford + Puka Nacua + Moss
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Anthony Richardson
Zack Moss
Puka Nacua
Tuu Atwell
Tyler Higbee
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Van Jefferson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Moneyline: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +150, New Orleans Saints -182
Spread: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +3.5 (-115), New Orleans Saints -3.5 (-105)
Total Points: Over/Under 39.5
The 39.5 over/under tells you that this will probably be low-scoring. Baker Mayfield had a great first couple of weeks as a Buccaneer, but this is a very tricky matchup. The Saints defensive line is cooking and Marshon Lattimore will continue his heated rivalry with Mike Evans.
If Lattimore can take Evans out of the equation, this could finally be the game we have been waiting for from Chris Godwin, who has played second fiddle to Evans so far. Godwin costs $600 less than Evans on DraftKings this week, which I think is the smarter play.
Rachaad White is just too inefficient at the moment, so I won’t be looking his way. The volume is fantastic, but I would wait for a better matchup before you use him.
For the Saints, the Derek Carr injury is a shame. I don’t think it will hinder Chris Olave, who was still peppered with targets after Jameis Winston came into the game, but it does create question marks for the rest of the offense. Alvin Kamara returns, but I think I would prefer to see his usage before trusting him. Especially as Winston is not known for checking down to his running backs.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Chris Godwin + Chris Olave
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Chris Olave
Chris Godwin
Alvin Kamara
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Rashid Shaheed
Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Moneyline: Washington Commanders +350, Philadelphia Eagles -450
Spread: Washington Commanders +8.5 (-110), Philadelphia Eagles -8.5 (-110)
Total Points: Over/Under 43.5
I love the Eagles wide receivers in this one. The offense has been a bit rusty to start the season and this is a great opportunity to find some form. Both AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are in play here and make for brilliant stacking options with Jalen Hurts, but I’ll lean toward Smith as having a better shot at returning his value.
D’Andre Swift has had an incredible couple of weeks. His recent form has got to have the Detroit Lions questioning their decision to part ways with him, although, operating behind this offensive line does look quite enjoyable. He is finding some massive lanes to exploit and, in a game where the Eagles are favorites, his $5,700 price tag on DraftKings does look appealing. Gainwell is still involved though, so don’t forget about him at what should be much lower ownership, especially paired with the Eagles DEF telling the story that Gainwell racks up some TDs in a blowout.
For the Commanders, it is not so appealing. The Eagles are a brutal defensive matchup and they should have Sam Howell seeing ghosts. As a result, I don’t think you can trust any of the Commanders’ playmakers. Dotson seemed a great option coming into the season, but it is just not working out for him. Terry McLaurin has had a couple of good games, but I don’t think Washington get anything going this weekend. Sit them all!
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Hurts + Smith
Smith + Eagles DEF
Hurts + Brown/Smith + Swift
Gainwell + Eagles DEF
Hurts + Eagles DEF
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Hurts
Brown
Swift
Smith
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Kenneth Gainwell
Minnesota Vikings @ Carolina Panthers
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Moneyline: Minnesota Vikings -200, Carolina Panthers +165
Spread: Minnesota Vikings -4.5 (-110), Carolina Panthers +4.5 (-110)
Total Points: Over/Under 46.5
Kirk Cousins is dealing in 2023, and his connection with Justin Jefferson continues to appear unstoppable. The Panthers are surprisingly stingy against wide receivers though, so I wouldn’t be getting too much exposure to Osborne and Addison.
Hockenson remains one of the best options at tight end, but he is the most expensive option at the position this week, sitting at $6,500, which is $1,100 more than Andrews in second place.
In Carolina, Miles Sanders is operating as a bell-cow running back and is being utilized heavily in the passing game. He is a good option going up against a Vikings defense that has given up 305 rushing yards across the first 3 weeks.
It looks like Bryce Young will be returning for this game, which means we might have to say goodbye to the surprise PPR goldmine that was… Adam Thielen. Thielen did have a good connection with Young before his injury, but I am not sure we will see another 14-target game.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Cousins + Jefferson + Hockenson
Sanders + Jefferson
Mattison + Vikings DEF
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Hockenson
Miles Sanders
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Jordan Addison
Mattison / Akers
Pittsburgh Steelers @ Houston Texans
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Venue: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Moneyline: Pittsburgh Steelers -150, Houston Texans +125
Spread: Pittsburgh Steelers -2.5 (-115), Houston Texans +2.5 (-105)
Total Points: Over/Under 42.5
The Houston Texans have been one of the pleasant surprises of the 2023 season, led by CJ Stroud who is looking very much like the best rookie quarterback of the most recent draft class. When he was selected by the Texans, he asked for them to get wide receiver Tank Dell to pair him up with, and there have been some very nice early returns.
Meanwhile, production has been hard to come by for Dameon Pierce and he can’t be trusted at the moment, especially against this Steelers defense.
It has not been pretty in the Steelers’ running back room either, with Najee Harris looking far from explosive. It is a shame because the Texans are a brilliant matchup for running backs, but his lack of efficiency and the fact that he is splitting work with Jaylen Warren makes him hard to trust.
Kenny Pickett looked rough in two very tricky matchups to start the season, and while he didn’t exactly light up the Raiders in week three, he could be a sneaky good play here. At only $5,100 on DraftKings, he is about as cheap as they come for a quarterback, and going up against the Texans is always appealing. Especially when they can’t rely on their running back to take over the game. I wanted to target Freiermuth but he appears he’s very popular this week, driving me more to a fade, unless stacking with Pickett.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Kenny Pickett + Pat Freiermuth + Dell
CJ Stroud + Tank Dell + Freiermuth
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Pat Freiermuth
George Pickens
Najee Harris
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Jaylen Warren
Tank Dell
Las Vegas Raiders @ Los Angeles Chargers
Time: 4:05 EST
Venue: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Moneyline: Las Vegas Raiders +195, Los Angeles Chargers -240
Spread: Las Vegas Raiders +5 (-110), Los Angeles Chargers -5 (-110)
Total Points: Over/Under 48.5
The afternoon slate starts with an AFC West matchup between the Raiders and the Chargers. I’d expect this to be a continuation of Justin Herbert’s high-class start to the season. He currently sits as the number one quarterback in fantasy and has a lofty price tag as a result.
Since Austin Ekeler has been out with injury, the Chargers have not been able to rely on the running game to move the ball. Therefore, it has been a passing overload, which featured 20 targets to Keenan Allen in week three. Allen is priced at $7,900 on DraftKings, which I think is great value. While 20 targets will be a push, the injury to Mike Williams and the Chargers’ lack of running game mean that Allen will continue to be fed the ball in the foreseeable future. Johnson and Palmer make great fliers this week. Palmer has been hyped in the past, just needs more opportunities. Johnston is a big-play threat, perfect for a FD lottery pick.
For the Raiders, you have to believe that this is the big Josh Jacobs game we have been waiting for. The rushing leader from 2022 has had a disappointing start to the campaign, but the opportunities have been there for him. Look for him to dominate this poor Chargers run defense. If others have given up on him, picking him this week could give you a good edge.
You can also trust the Raiders wide receivers, Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. There is simply no one else in this receiving game that is getting a look in. Meyers has looked great in his two games this season, so maybe opt for him and free up some cash to spend elsewhere. I did build some lineups with Renfrow though… scary, but if the Adams chalk fails, perhaps it’s because Renfrow finally has a decent game. Or perhaps it’s because Josh Jacobs finally has one…
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Jacobs + Allen
Adams + Allen
Herbert + Allen + Jacobs/Adams
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Jacobs
Adams
Meyers
Allen
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Quentin Johnson
Josh Palmer
Hunter Renfrow
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
Time: 4:25 EST
Venue: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Moneyline: Arizona Cardinals +600, San Francisco 49ers -900
Spread: Arizona Cardinals +14 (-110), San Francisco 49ers -14 (-110)
Total Points: Over/Under 44.5
Surely the Arizona Cardinals can’t topple the Cowboys and 49ers in back-to-back weeks? Dobbs has been really impressive given that he only signed for the team a few weeks before the season started, but don’t get too carried away.
The Niners defensive line should limit Dobbs’ production and Marquise Brown will see a lot of Charvarius Ward, which probably won’t be fruitful. Zach Ertz is also not an option this week, with the 49ers giving up just 62 yards to tight ends this season.
You can, however, roll out James Conner, who is guaranteed production and generally makes the most of it. The matchup isn’t great, but a $5,900 price tag on DraftKings makes him an okay option, albeit with limited upside.
The 49ers situation is completely different, especially with Deebo Samuel struggling with injury. As heavy favorites, they may not feel the need to rush him back, which means that Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle are in great spots. Expect those two to feast, with Christian McCaffrey offering up another surefire option.
The 49ers should have no trouble racking up points this week, so you’ll want plenty of exposure to their playmakers.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Purdy + Aiyuk + Kittle
CMC + Aiyuk
CMC + 49ers DEF
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Kittle
CMC
Aiyuk
Conner
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Rondale Moore
New England Patriots @ Dallas Cowboys
Time: 4:25 EST
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
Moneyline: New England Patriots +240, Dallas Cowboys -300
Spread: New England Patriots +6.5 (-110), Dallas Cowboys -6.5 (-110)
Total Points: Over/Under 43.5
Tony Pollard has proven to be everything we hoped he would be, feasting in all phases of the game and getting plenty of red zone carries. He comes in $1,400 cheaper than CMC this week, which is likely because of the tough Patriots’ defense. That wouldn’t scare me off though, and it seems like some nice value for a true fantasy stud.
CeeDee Lamb has had a couple of quiet games, and he also seems to have a bit of a Patriots discount this week, coming in as the 10th most expensive wide receiver on DraftKings at $7,500. If people are going to be scared off by the Patriots’ defense this week, then getting some exposure to Lamb and Pollard could be a fruitful play. Surely that offense bounces back after their embarrassing loss to the Cardinals.
For the Patriots, Rhamondre Stevenson has had a lackluster start to the season, posting some solid scores but not showing any of the explosiveness we come to expect from him. The Cowboys’ defense is legit and will be angry after last week’s loss. I would leave Stevenson out of your lineups this week.
The Cowboys’ strong defense is a solid argument to opt for minimum exposure to the Patriots in general. Hunter Henry could be a good option at tight end, but I would sit the rest.
Building Blocks (stacks to build around)
Dak + Lamb
Pollard + Lamb
Pollard + Cowboys DEF
Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)
Pollard
Lamb
Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field
tournament)
Michael Gallup
Jake Ferguson
The Lineup Build
I’m starting with Burrow and Fields this week. Just like with hot peppers though, know your limits. Fields is not for those with weak stomachs.
Some other appealing stacks this week come from the NFC powerhouses, with the 49ers and Cowboys catching my eye. The 49ers have a fantastic matchup with the Arizona Cardinals, and if Deebo Samuel misses, it makes the decision to home in on Aiyuk and Kittle even more appealing.
I also like the Cowboys as a bit of a contrarian play. CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard won’t normally be contrarian picks, but I am hoping that the DFS community is scared by the matchup against the Patriots and the Cowboys’ recent loss to the Cardinals. Dallas should come out with something to prove this weekend, and if Pollard and Lamb blow up, it could put us at a nice advantage. Prescott is looking really low owned, meaning you can add him to any chalk player for leverage in your overall lineup ownership.
The final stack that I just can’t get away from is Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen. Justin Herbert is throwing the ball as well as anyone in the league so far in 2023, and their matchup against the Raiders secondary is delightful. Keenan Allen had 20 targets in week three and he could come close again in week four. Maybe Jacobs can get an early TD and driver the Chargers to pass even more, so I’d look to add him to that stack.
FD
Starting with Burrow + Chase and playing around with these other mini-stacks… Moss + Nacau, Jacobs + Johnston/Palmer, Gainwell + Eagles DEF, Mattison + Vikings DEF. Have locked Kittle into TE, but that’s an easy spot to save on salary and drop down to someone like Knox/Kincaid or Jake Ferguson if you need the savings. Also like Godwin + Olave.
With my secondary lineup starting with Fields, DJ Moore makes the cut, because, Denver… Even Mike White and Chosen Anderson had a long touchdown against them. Then playing around with the same mini-stacks from above.
DK
The Cowboys will be the high-profile tickets in my DraftKings lineup, with Tony Pollard and CeeDee Lamb slotting in for $7,800 and $7,500 respectively. After paying up for Pollard, I will go for Swift as a cheaper option to complete an NFC East backfield.
While I am opting for some Cowboys in this one, I am not going to go for Dak. In this instance, I see a $5,100 price tag on Kenny Pickett as a great opportunity to free up some cash.
Will be playing around with a WR mini-stack to round it out.
I am opting to save some money at tight end, $3,400 for Pat Freiermuth is great value given the number of red zone targets he receives. It is also a nice stack with Pickett.
The Cowboys’ defense has to be the one here, as I expect an aggravated Dallas team to make up for last week’s embarrassment.
Yahoo
Yahoo will be the home of my Chargers stack this week, with Keenan Allen coming in $11 behind Justin Jefferson here, in a week where I think he can put up very similar numbers. Herbert is the 6th most expensive quarterback on Yahoo, which I also think is great value.
Godwin is the next pick here, at only $17, which puts him around players like Adam Thielen and DJ Moore. Surely, he has a higher ceiling than them. Elijah Moore rounds off the wide receivers at $16, before turning my attention to running backs. The RBs of choice are James Cook and Raheem Mostert, who are facing off in what looks set to be an explosive AFC East matchup.
At tight end, I can’t turn down Kittle at $16. After going for the Saints with my defense, I had enough money to add Josh Jacobs in at the flex position.