Week 3 is in the books and we’re back in the full swing of the NFL season. One of my favorite parts is fantasy football. One of my favorite aspects of fantasy football has become playing on DraftKings. Every week is like a new puzzle to figure out. Whether you are more of a cash game player or a tournament player, each presents a unique challenge. Let’s take a look at my favorite Week 4 DraftKings plays.
Week 4 DraftKings Plays: Derrick Henry, Davante Adams, and Others
Week 3 Recap
It’s always good to be completely transparent and demonstrate accountability. That’s what I like to do with everything I do and that goes for fantasy football as well. Whether it’s bold takes or DraftKings recommendations, I always like to keep track of wins and losses. It’s not only good for the readers to know, but also helps me learn from mistakes moving forward.
🚨RECAP THREAD🚨
For full transparency each week I'll recap my suggested #DraftKings plays to see if they hit the 2.5x we generally shoot for each week in cash builds!#FantasyFootball#NFL#NFLTwitter#DFS@BlazedRTs@MyFantasyLeague@LastWordOnNFL
https://t.co/WfFWNg18sd— ✴️Rob Norton✴️ (@norton0723) September 27, 2021
Looking back at Week 3, it was better than Week 2. This week 64% of my recommendations hit the 2.5x value we look for in cash game lineups. This time the running back group led the way once again with an 85.7% success rate. Meanwhile, the tight end group brought up the rear again with a 40% success rate. It was another week in the profits. The cash build won all seven double-ups and went 8-10 in H2H’s. We’ll look to do even better with the picks and keep profiting in the Week 4 DraftKings plays.
- Week 3 – $270 → $408 ($138 PROFIT)
- Year Total – $812 → $1,122 ($310 PROFIT)
Quarterbacks
Josh Allen (BUF) – $8,000 v HOU
After a slow start to the season, Josh Allen is emphatically back after last week’s 40 point fantasy performance. He’s now averaging more than 42 pass attempts and 25 fantasy points per game. This week’s matchup is a tasty one against the Houston Texans. The Texans are by far one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They are currently allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. The Buffalo Bills have the highest implied total on the slate and are the biggest favorites. For this reason, there is some worry that the Bills will get such a big lead that Allen won’t need to throw anymore. Those concerns can be put at ease knowing that Buffalo throws at a higher rate than any team in the NFL. If they do happen to get out to such a huge lead, it’s likely that Allen was a big reason why.
Josh Allen is the 4th player in NFL history to record multiple career games with at least 300 Pass Yds, 4 Pass TD, and one Rush TD.
The other 3 players:
Drew Brees
Aaron Rodgers
Peyton ManningJosh Allen is 25 years old. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/ahP9U8WzWv
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) September 27, 2021
Jalen Hurts (PHI) – $6,900 v KC
A lot of people have been bashing Jalen Hurts for his performance this past Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys. While it may be justified, from a fantasy standpoint it was perfectly fine. He’s now scored 21+ fantasy points in all three games and is averaging more than 25 fantasy points per game. This week he gets another nice matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have allowed the most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks so far. This game also has the highest combined total on the slate at 54 and the Philadelphia Eagles are seven-point underdogs. If the Eagles are going to compete, Hurts will need to have a big game and even if they are trailing by a lot, garbage time should be favorable.
Others to Consider: Patrick Mahomes (KC) – $8,100 @ PHI, Dak Prescott (DAL) – $6,700 v CAR, Justin Fields (CHI) – $5,200 v DET
Running Backs
Derrick Henry (TEN) – $8,800 @ NYJ
Uh oh, Derrick Henry learned how to catch. Or maybe it’s that the coaching staff finally learned that it’s a good thing to throw it to this behemoth and let him get a full head of steam heading towards a defensive back. Either way, Henry is seeing targets at a rate he’s never seen before. That’s a scary thought as that was really the only weakness in his game. This week he could be used in the passing game even more with both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones out. Even with the Tennessee Titans missing two of their best offensive weapons, they are still favored by six points on the road. That’s how bad the New York Jets are right now. This week could easily be another 30+ touch week for the big dog and that’s worth paying up for.
Derrick Henry’s updated Week 4 projection: 74 carries, 496 yards, 5 TD. https://t.co/NFRxsnnsKW
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) October 1, 2021
D’Andre Swift (DET) – $6,200 @ CHI
There haven’t been many bright spots on the Detroit Lions so far but D’Andre Swift has definitely been one of them. He’s currently the RB4 in fantasy points per game with 20. Swift is second to only Najee Harris among running backs in both targets and receptions. He’s still splitting snaps and touches with Jamaal Williams but he’s making the most of it. Swift also sees such a good amount of high-value touches that it hasn’t mattered. That should continue with how devoid the Lions are of playmakers. The game environment in this one against the Chicago Bears isn’t favorable as it has one of the lowest combined totals but with that kind of usage, it doesn’t matter.
David Montgomery (CHI) – $5,800 v DET
On the other side of that game, David Montgomery makes for a nice value play. He’s seeing a workhorse level of snaps and touches right now. Damien Williams stole some passing down reps in the opening week but since then Montgomery has seen four targets in each game. It’s very likely that Montgomery will see another 15+ carries and multiple targets. That should be plenty against this Lions defense that can’t stop anyone right now. They allowed Elijah Mitchell to shred them in week 1, Aaron Jones to destroy them in week 2, and then it was Lamar Jackson doing the most damage on the ground last week. This week, David Montgomery should add his name to the list of guys doing damage on the ground against Detroit.
Others to Consider: Alvin Kamara (NO) – $8,400 v NYJ, Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) – 6,500 v CAR, Chuba Hubbard (CAR) – $5,900 @ DAL, Najee Harris (PIT) – $6,800 @ GB
Wide Receivers
Davante Adams (GN) – $7,900 v PIT
Davante Adams is simply unguardable. It’s truly baffling that his price has dropped to the lowest of the season despite coming off an 18 target game where he caught 12 of them for 132 yards and a touchdown. He scored 34.2 fantasy points last week and his price dropped? Make it make sense. There’s not a wide receiver safer than Adams most weeks and this week is no different. This Pittsburgh Steelers defense is no “Steel Curtain.” They’ve allows the 11th most fantasy points to wide receivers so far and Adams should have no problem doing whatever he wants on Sunday. This makes Adams one of the safest Week 4 DraftKings plays on the entire slate.
Davante Adams: THE WR1 😤 pic.twitter.com/HZl5Thmk3V
— PFF (@PFF) September 27, 2021
Amari Cooper (DAL) – $6,000 v CAR
Amari Cooper started the year off with an incredible 41.9 point game. Since then, he’s scored 11 points combined in the past two games. Somewhere in between is what should be expected. He is a nice value since his price dropped and really not much of the circumstance has changed. He’s still in an offense that is high-scoring and fast-paced. He’s still one of the main targets on that offense. This week’s matchup against the Carolina Panthers is not as tough as it seems at first glance, not to mention the projected combined total sits at 51.5 currently. The Panthers have been good so far but haven’t faced many good offenses. Rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn is injured so expect Cooper to have a nice bounce-back game this week.
Curtis Samuel (WFT) – $3,000 @ ATL
Curtis Samuel is fresh off the IR and jumps right back in as the premier punt play of the week at WR. Samuel had a ton of buzz early in the off-season as he was coming off a great season and now heading to a situation where he could see a boost in target share. He was also returning to former head coach Ron Rivera. The injury bug bit right before preseason and setbacks have kept him out until now. There’s certainly risk in that he’s coming off an injury but it’s doubtful that Washington would allow him to play and risk aggravating it unless they were confident he could play. This week he gets a beautiful matchup against the Atlanta Falcons defense or lack thereof. With so many high-priced studs, a talent like Samuel at minimum price is one of the best ways to jam more studs in, especially in cash builds.
Others to Consider: Stefon Diggs (BUF) – $7,600 v HOU, D.J. Moore (CAR) – $6,600 @ CAR, Corey Davis (NYJ) – $5,000 v TEN, Emmanuel Sanders (BUF) – $4,900 v HOU, Robert Woods (CHI) – $5,300 v ARI
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce (KC) – $8,100 @ PHI
At this point, somebody might need to test Travis Kelce to make sure he’s not actually an alien sent here from another planet to destroy football teams. Every week players are faced with the choice of whether to pay up for Travis Kelce or spend down on a value option and almost always it turns out to be perfectly fine to pay up for Kelce. It’s simply a matter of whether or not some of the other high-priced players are a bigger priority. This week’s matchup is a nice one. The Eagles just allowed Dalton Schultz to have a massive game against them and Dalton Schultz is no Travis Kelce. If you have the cash, Travis Kelce makes for one of the safest Week 4 DraftKings plays.
Travis Kelce has more fantasy points than every WR except for Cooper Kupp and Tyler Lockett.
Kelce is the fantasy WR3 … at TE.
— Matthew Freedman (@MattFtheOracle) September 24, 2021
Evan Engram (WFT) – $3,000 @ NO
There’s no doubt about it, this one feels gross. Evan Engram has been injured most of the year and most of the past couple of years really. He made his season debut last week against the Falcons and saw six targets right away. He only turned them into two catches for 21 yards but it was encouraging to see the targets there right away. This week Engram could see another nice target total as the New York Giants will be without both Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton. The matchup against the New Orleans Saints is not the best but it is in a dome and the Giants are seven-point underdogs. Those two factors combined with the injuries make for a good game environment for Engram.
Others to Consider: George Kittle (SF) – $5,900 v SEA, Tyler Higbee (LAR) – $4,600 v ARI, Logan Thomas (WFT) – $4,900 @ ATL
Defense/Special Teams
In terms of choosing a defense/special teams, it’s the last spot I fill in every week. It’s pretty random but there are a few areas to gain an advantage. I look to target the heavily favored teams as they usually are playing with a lead. This forces their opponent to throw it more often which can help lead to extra sacks and turnovers and hopefully a touchdown. Another aspect to target is turnover and sack-prone quarterbacks. My advice is to fill out the rest of your lineup first and then pick your favorite D/ST out of the remaining money.
My Tentative Cash Game Lineup
- QB – Dak Prescott
- RB – Derrick Henry
- RB – Davis Montgomery
- WR – Davante Adams
- WR – D.J. Moore
- WR – Amari Cooper
- TE – Evan Engram
- Flex – Curtis Samuel
- DST – Detroit Lions
Make sure to tune in next week to see the results from my Week 4 DraftKings plays and to see the best picks for Week 5. Best of luck to everyone and let’s all enjoy some football and win some money!
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Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
