DraftKings NFL Week 4 Positional Breakdown

I think it is safe to say that week 3 left a lot to be desired, but if you read this article last week, you probably found at least a little bit of success, as some of the bigger outputs were talked about as tournament plays. I hope we can keep that momentum going this week. If you are playing the main slates, we are down to 12 instead of 14 games due to a game in London and Green Bay and Philadelphia bye weeks.

 

Without further adieu, let’s get this thing started!

 

QUARTERBACKS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP: Cam Newton ($7800) always sees high ownership, and he definitely should this week against a poor Atlanta defense. Here’s the thing though: he has REALLY, REALLY struggled in Atlanta, where he plays once a year. Out of 5 games in Atlanta, he’s put up one good, but not great, game. I think Drew Brees ($7600) will also see high ownership, even though he doesn’t play that well on the road either. As a result of playing this horrible New Orleans defense, Philip Rivers ($6900) will get some looks too. Kirk Cousins ($6500) will be a relatively high owned quarterback, as Cleveland is getting beat up on by quarterbacks, and the running back play hasn’t been there for Washington this year, at least yet. Finally, Trevor Siemian ($5400) will see some love due to his outburst last week against Cincinnati, and he gets another good matchup against Tampa Bay. I don’t know that I am buying into him, but his price is cheap and he clearly has a ton of upside.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP: One player I am definitely intrigued by this week is Ben Roethlisberger ($7100). He’s coming off a poor game, and goes up against a Kansas City defense that just slashed through Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets. This game is at home, and I think that Ben will actually come through, and I have him as one of my top tournament plays. Matt Ryan ($7000) is probably my top tournament play, as he should have to throw a lot to stay in the game, and has been really solid this year. At worst, I don’t think he’ll crush your team. Carson Palmer ($6300) broke hearts last week, but with this game at home against a susceptible defense, I think Palmer makes an excellent tournament play. Ryan Tannehill ($5800) gets absolutely no love, but should have to throw a lot and plays a Bengals defense that has been giving up a lot of yards. Finally, Alex Smith ($5600) is an intriguing tournament option for me. He will end up with 2-3 big games a year, and this screams like it could be one of them. He’s cheap and you can build a nice squad around him.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Cousins/Ryan/Palmer

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Ryan/Tannehill/Smith

 

RUNNING BACKS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – There is very little doubt in my mind that Le’Veon Bell ($7500) will have high ownership coming off his injury. It is also likely that Melvin Gordon ($6300) will have monster ownership with this matchup against New Orleans. I don’t see why he isn’t in a lot of your lineups. David Johnson ($7800) will also have a high level of ownership, especially since he’s been very productive this year. Theo Riddick ($5200) against a bad Chicago team seems like he’ll carry a high level of ownership this week. Legarette Blount ($5000) is just priced too low, and he should see a lot of carries again in this one. Cameron Artis-Payne ($3400) gets a much better matchup this week and is just way too cheap for his upside. Finally, Jordan Howard ($3700) isn’t in a great matchup, but he will likely see a ton of opportunity with really no one except Joique Bell behind him.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – With all of the enticing options around him, I’m wondering if Lamar Miller ($7000) will see lower than expected ownership. I like the matchup, but I wonder if people will just try to go cheaper. Todd Gurley ($6700) had a big game last week, but I think people will stay away with this matchup. C.J. Anderson ($6500) didn’t come through last week, and I think many will go the route of the passing options, but I really like him for tournaments. Mark Ingram ($5900) is cheap, and is being used enough that I think this matchup against San Diego will work to his advantage. Isaiah Crowell ($4400) will likely go overlooked, but he has been running well and I think Cleveland will continue to run the ball. Carlos Hyde ($4200) just seems way too cheap this week going against a Dallas defense I am not convinced can defend the run. Dwayne Washington ($3800) makes an excellent tournament option, as I think Detroit will focus on handing him the ball a lot and I think he might have a huge game, so he’s one of the guys I’m putting a lot of stock into this week.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Gordon/Bell/Blount/Riddick/Howard

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Gordon/Washington/Ingram/Anderson/Hyde

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – Antonio Brown ($9700) will be highly owned until further notice, and I really like the spot for him this week. Allen Robinson ($8000) could be the highest owned player in the London game, as the Colts have been awful this year. Julio Jones ($9200) and Odell Beckham Jr. ($8700) will always carry high ownership, but I think you could do better this week. In a perceived good matchup, Marvin Jones Jr. ($7300) should see high ownership, especially after last week’s outburst. Jarvis Landry ($6900) is a PPR monster and should be both highly owned and in your consideration this week. Demaryius Thomas ($6700) and Emmanuel Sanders ($6400) will be high owned after last week at their prices, and they are in a good matchup. Travis Benjamin ($5900) and Tyrell Williams ($4400) are both going to be used a lot due to the matchup and prices. Jamison Crowder ($4200) is both very cheap and productive, as well as in a good matchup, so I could see high levels of ownership. Terrelle Pryor ($4300) is also likely to benefit from the fact that he had a huge week last week and is in a good matchup this week.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – A.J. Green ($8500) had two less than stellar weeks in a row which could pull his ownership position down, though it is tough because people LOVE playing Thursday night players on the week long slate. Amari Cooper ($7600) hasn’t been doing much either, but something tells me that changes this week. Alshon Jeffery ($7500) is not popular among users, despite being relatively consistent and eventually he is going to bust through. Kelvin Benjamin ($7100) will get no love after his goose egg but I will gladly buy in. Mike Evans ($6500) is going to see double digit targets in this game, so I don’t know why we wouldn’t at least give him a look in tournaments. Stefon Diggs ($6100) is in a prime bounce back spot Monday night against the Giants. Jeremy Maclin ($6000) could be in for a big game after falling way short while traveling to Revis Island last week. Steve Smith ($4500) is getting the targets and it is only a matter of time before he puts together a monster game. John Brown ($4300) is priced way too low, and I think this is a prime situation to use him in tournaments.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Brown/Landry/Evans/Smith/Maclin

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Brown/Brown/Smith/Cooper/Jeffery

 

TIGHT ENDS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – I think there are four guys here that we will see having relatively high ownership. The first is Jordan Reed ($6300) against a bad Browns defense. I think collectively, owners are waiting for that big game out of Reed and this could finally be it. Greg Olsen ($6000) is the next guy on my list, as he always sees a high level of ownership and this is a very, very good matchup. After that, I think we’ll see higher ownership on Jimmy Graham ($4000) because we all know how good he can be and he finally put together a nice game last week. Lastly, Hunter Henry ($2700) will be in most cash game lineups if Antonio Gates is unable to suit up for the second straight week.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – Travis Kelce ($4800) finally had a big game, and I think he could very well end up having another one this week. Jason Witten ($4500) continues to be one of Dak Prescott’s top targets, and eventually he will get into the end zone and have a monster game. Eric Ebron ($3700) is very cheap, and Stafford has looked his way often this year. Jacob Tamme ($3400) disappointed on Monday night, but I think he will have a great deal of success against the Panthers this week. Finally, Coby Fleener ($3200) is on the same page as Drew Brees, and is a candidate to have another big game this week.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Henry/Olsen/Reed

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Reed/Ebron/Fleener

 

DEFENSES

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – There are a few ways things could go this week. Despite losing J.J. Watt for the season, I love the Houston Texans ($3200) against the awful offense of the Tennessee Titans. Next, I think the Washington Redskins ($3500) against the Browns will be a popular target. Next, the Denver Broncos ($3700) against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be a popular target. Finally, I think it is very possibly to see the Arizona Cardinals ($3900) being used thinking that they will take their frustrations out on the Los Angeles Rams.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – The Minnesota Vikings ($3600) have been the best defense in all of football, but I think they could see a low level of ownership due to other cheaper options being favored. The New England Patriots ($3300) could be avoided due to the Bills having a big game last week. I actually like the spot for them this week. The Baltimore Ravens ($2400) are ridiculously cheap, and have been pretty decent overall this year. This could be a tough game for the Raiders traveling across the country for a game against the Ravens, so they are my top tournament option.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Texans/Vikings/Redskins

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Ravens/Patriots/Cardinals

 

I hope you enjoyed this article, and I will be back next week. I hope to see you on the leaderboards!

 

Nicholas Volinchak is a correspondent at FF Nation. To read more from Nicholas, follow him @researchandwin. You can find more of Nicholas’ football work at Research Fantasy.