Yahoo DFS Football: Week 4 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 4 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The Sunday-only NFL main slate for Week 4 features 13 games, excluding the Panthers and Redskins (bye), Vikings-Rams (Thursday Night Football) and Chiefs-Broncos (Monday Night Football). That's a lot of fantasy star power being taken off the table, but there are still plenty of options ready to pop in Sunday's games, including a pair of sub-$30 quarterbacks that have been flying under the radar despite hot starts.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Ryan Tannehill, MIA at NE ($26): Just as everyone expected, Miami has raced out to a quick two-game lead in the AFC East. All kidding aside, Tannehill has quietly put together a strong start to the season with multiple touchdown passes and a completion rate over 70 percent in each of his team's first three games. He's also racked up 70 rushing yards over the past two weeks. New England has surrendered a combined 638 passing yards and six touchdowns to Blake Bortles and Matthew Stafford during its two-game losing streak, so Tannehill is in prime position to provide sneaky value at $26.

RB: Tarik Cohen, CHI vs. TB ($15): Tampa Bay's tied for the most passing yards allowed per game (362.7) while holding opponents to the third-fewest rushing yards (70.7). What better opponent for Chicago's receiving back to make his mark against at the expense of workhorse rusher Jordan Howard? Cohen's also trending up heading into this contest, as his 68 yards from scrimmage last week topped the 66 he managed in Weeks 1 and 2 combined. Don't discount the possibility of catching lightning in a bottle on special teams as well, since Cohen's average of 15.9 yards per punt return this season suggests he's capable of taking one to the house if things break right.

WR: Mike Evans, TB at CHI ($30): Great players can make even the best defenses look silly, and Evans is certainly in the "great player" conversation after racking up 23 catches for 367 yards and three touchdowns through three games. He could easily stretch his touchdown streak to four despite facing a difficult Bears defense that's allowing only 223.7 passing yards and 18.3 points per game. At $30, it's hard not to be enticed by Evans against any opponent.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Eli Manning (NYG, $35); Carson Wentz (PHI, $33)
RB: Bilal Powell (NYJ, $17); LeSean McCoy (BUF, $20); Kenyan Drake (MIA, $17)
WR: Josh Gordon (NE, $16); Kenny Stills (MIA, $19); Nelson Agholor (PHI, $22)
TE: Rob Gronkowski (NE, $29); Ben Watson (NO, $10)
DST: Cleveland Browns ($19); New York Jets ($16)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

Quarterback

Joe Flacco, BAL at PIT ($26)

Flacco was among the least effective quarterbacks in the league last season, so it's easy to forgive owners who have no idea about his hot start. That being said, he looks like a completely different player this season and has clicked wonderfully with Baltimore's revamped receiving corps. Through three contests, Flacco has averaged 296.3 yards on 43 passing attempts per game to go with a 6:2 TD:INT. He could easily exceed those averages against a Steelers defense that's allowing 288 passing yards and 30.0 points per game.

Running Back

Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. DET ($34)

Elliott has been his usual excellent self on the ground with 274 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries through three weeks, and he's even thrown in 11 catches already. He's still yet to exceed 17 rushing attempts in a game this year after averaging 22.6 per contest in his first two NFL campaigns, but that workload should climb back up against a Lions defense that's allowing a league-high 149.3 rushing yards per game.

Chris Carson, SEA at ARI ($20)

Carson created some major separation between himself and rookie Rashaad Penny last week, managing 124 yards and a touchdown on 34 touches while Penny touched the ball just three times and was benched after a fumble. The second-year man out of Oklahoma State couldn't have picked a better time to get a stranglehold on volume out of the backfield, as up next is a Cardinals defense that's allowing 131.3 rushing yards per game. Arizona has also given up five rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown to the running back position in just three games.

Wide Receiver

Tyler Boyd, CIN at ATL ($16)

Boyd has 223 yards and two touchdowns over the past two weeks, and he feasted after A.J. Green left last week's game in the third quarter with a groin injury. He'd be an even stronger option if Green sits, but Boyd should be a nice play either way against a Falcons secondary that just let Drew Brees throw for 396 yards.

Will Fuller, HOU at IND ($26)

Fuller's chemistry with Deshaun Watson is growing harder to ignore with each game they play together. All six contests in which they've both participated have involved the pair hooking up for at least one touchdown -- nine in all -- and Fuller's also topped 100 receiving yards in both of their mutual appearances this season. Until their streak comes to an end, Fuller should be trotted out on a weekly basis.

Odell Beckham, NYG vs. NO ($36)

Beckham hasn't exactly been shunned with 24 catches on 34 targets through three weeks, but he should see even more balls thrown his way with pass-catching tight end Evan Engram sidelined due to an MCL sprain. Considering Beckham has already amassed 109 or more receiving yards in two of the season's first three weeks without making any particularly noteworthy plays, one can only imagine what he's capable of on a good day against a Saints defense that's allowing 336.7 yards per game through the air.

Tight End

Dallas Goedert, PHI at TEN ($14)

Goedert showed immediate chemistry with Carson Wentz in the star quarterback's season debut last week, tying Zach Ertz for the team lead with 73 receiving yards while catching all seven of his targets and also getting into the end zone. At just $14, it's worth seeing if the rookie tight end can pull off another strong performance in Week 4.

Defense/Special Teams

Jacksonville Jaguars, JAX vs. NYJ ($19): Rookie Jets quarterback Sam Darnold looked like a deer in the headlights against a potent Browns pass rush last week, so Jacksonville's even stouter front should overwhelm New York's subpar offensive line and eat him up. Given the offense's dreadful performance in last week's 9-6 loss to the Titans, the numerous playmakers on this defense will likely take it upon themselves to put some points on the board. Given Darnold's interception-prone tendencies (five through three games), a pick-six or two could certainly be in the cards.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Deshaun Watson (HOU, $32); Andrew Luck (IND, $28)
RB: David Johnson (ARI, $28); Giovani Bernard (CIN, $20); Melvin Gordon (LAC, $34)
WR: Calvin Ridley (ATL, $17); Allen Robinson (CHI, $20); Michael Thomas (NO, $36)
TE: Eric Ebron (IND, $18); O.J. Howard (TB, $18)
DST: Seattle Seahawks ($17); Los Angeles Chargers ($13)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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