This Week 4 FanDuel lineup will be the first week with teams on byes this year, which means there will be two fewer teams to choose players from. Remember – no Eagles or Packers – and there’s an early London game Sunday morning!
At this point last year, I was writing for FanDuel, working on the other side of the glass, and hating my own company for all their ridiculous commercials.
This year, their content team has been dispersed among the fields, and now I’m back writing for other sites, and I’m able to play on FanDuel once again! But this time, I’m doing it with the help of the Lineup Optimizer and the other DFS tools at DailyFantasyCafe.com!
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Week 4 FanDuel Lineup
The Week 4 FanDuel lineup below is for Sunday’s 1pm games through the Monday night game, and it does NOT include the early 9:30 game between Jacksonville and Indianapolis in London. I’m going to share my pick – and an alternative play – for each lineup slot. This DFS lineup is for 50/50 games, Head-to-Heads and Double-Ups.
Kirk Cousins, QB, WAS vs. CLE $7,600
I like to sort the table by “CV” or “Café Value,” which is a number generated using the FanDuel salary and the projected points to be scored by that player.
Cam Newton is actually the best Café Value at 17.24, but I’m hoping to save some dough and go with Cousins against a Browns defense whose best player, CB Joe Haden, is struggling with a groin injury. Cleveland is allowing more than two TD passes per game, also.
Alternative: Blake Bortles, JAC vs. IND $7,700
David Johnson, RB, ARI vs. LA $8,700
He’s the best player in Fantasy right now, and his price isn’t too exorbitant. The Rams defense has been a mild disappointment so far this season, and the Cardinals are coming off an embarrassing loss.
Alternative:
Jordan Howard, RB, CHI vs. DET $5,600
This price is just too low to ignore, as it was set before Howard earned a bigger role after Jeremy Langford was carted off the field Sunday. The Lions haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown yet this season, but this game is in Chicago, and they’ll have to rely on the run again with Jay Cutler out. Add in the fact that the Lions could be without DeAndre Levy (quad) and Ezekiel Ansah (ankle) and Howard will have room to run.
Alternative: Dwayne Washington, DET at CHI $4,500
Antonio Brown, WR, PIT vs. KC $9,400
The best Fantasy player in the game (going along with the best running back which you already have in your lineup) makes this team hard to beat! The return of Le’Veon Bell to the huddle means defenses will have to start cheating toward the line a little more than when they were facing old-man DeAngelo Williams.
Alternative:Kelvin Benjamin, WR, CAR at ATL $7,700
Julio Jones, WR, ATL vs. CAR $8,500
Jones is set to rebound after a rough one-catch game against new Orleans, and he’s also coming off a calf injury. Normally, I steer away from injured players in my 50/50s, but I’m not crazy about a lot of the WRs this week and their matchups.
Alternative:Marvin Jones, DET at CHI $7,600
Michael Thomas, WR, NO at SD $5,300
Keep an eye on the health status of Willie Snead, as the rookie could be set for another big game with Snead sidelined for a second game in a row.
Alternative:Cole Beasley, DAL at SF $5,200
Dennis Pitta, TE ,BAL vs. OAK $5,400
Pitta has 20 targeted passes to him in the past two weeks, and the Raiders defense always seems to have trouble with tight ends. They are currently allowing 17.5 yards per catch to tight ends, which ranks them worst in the NFL.
Alternative:Greg Olsen, CAR vs. ATL $7,900
Josh Lambo, K, SD vs. NO $4,500
The over/under line on this game is 53, and Vegas believes it’s going to be the highest scoring game of the weekend. Getting a bargain-basement price for a kicker in a high-scoring game is good enough for me.
Alternative: Dustin Hopkins, WAS vs. CLE $4,500
Patriots Defense vs. BUF $4,500
I love the fact the Pats had 10 days to prepare for this game, making them well-rested and ready for a home game against their division rivals, who are dealing with coach controviersies.
Alternative: Vikings Defense vs. NYG $4,700
Salary Remaining: $500
Either use the excess salary to upgrade at one of your lineup spots, or go buy yourself something pretty!
That’s our Week 4 FanDuel lineup for 50/50 games, which means these are the safe plays. For tournaments or multipliers, consider riskier plays with higher ceilings, but also probably lower floors. But whatever you do, make sure you use the DFS tools over at DailyFantasyCafe.com!
Kirk Cousins Photo Credit: Keith Allison