DraftKings: Week 4 Main Slate

Week 4 NFL DraftKings main slate lineups are right around the corner. Sample sizes are increasing, which is leading to a sharper field. And that means most will gravitate toward Parker Washington, Ja’Marr Chase, and others from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals. The game total is 51.5 points, which is the highest of the week by three points. Josh Allen and the Bills are facing the New England Patriots with a 48.5-point total. However, neither of my DraftKings quarterbacks will come from this game.

Week 4 Main Slate DraftKings Picks

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Quarterback

Favorite Play: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers ($6,700)

No quarterback is hotter than Brock Purdy. He has scored no less than 22.1 DraftKings points. Purdy is only one of two main slate quarterbacks who have scored 20+ DraftKings points in all three games. The only other is Josh Allen. Purdy is cruising right now. He has almost double the estimated points added compared to Josh Allen. He is also second on that leaderboard at 28.39 estimated points added, while Purdy has added 56.42.

Enter the Denver Broncos, who are giving up the ninth-most passing yards. That includes a staggering 390 passing yards from Matthew Stafford last week. They are 10th in estimated points added against the pass. Despite that, Purdy is still well worth the fourth-highest salary on DraftKings. Mike Evans may even miss this game with a rib injury. I would still play Purdy on DraftKings. He should be the MVP frontrunner through three weeks.

Contrarian Play: Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans ($4,700)

Ward has been terrible to start the season. And there is no other way around it. The team has three losses, and the offense is averaging the third-fewest points in the league. Playing Ward on DraftKings is simply a matchup play. The Dallas Cowboys have allowed the second-most estimated points added through the air. The secondary has been about the same as last year. The Cowboys got beat severely in the passing game. They allowed the second-most passing touchdowns and the most passing yards.

Ward hasn’t inspired confidence, but that will keep his DraftKings ownership low. Carnell Tate had his best game as a pro last week with nine targets for six receptions and 59 yards. The film backed up the numbers, too. Things could be turning a corner for the Titans offense. Or it could have been a flash in the pan. Either way, I am finding out with one of the lowest starter salaries on DraftKings at $4,700. Ward is a risky play, but could pay dividends for DraftKings users alike.

Running Back

Favorite Play: Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars ($5,600)

Considering his quarterback is kneeling on the one-yard line to get him touchdowns. He should end up being everyone’s favorite play. Jokes aside, Tuten has a great situation for Week 4 on DraftKings. The Cincinnati Bengals allow the most yards before and after contact on the ground. Couple that with the fact that Tuten leads the league in 15+mph runs. And it is turning out to be a smash spot for the Jaguars running back.

His role leaves a little bit on the bone, with only 48% of the snaps in Week 3. However, that keeps his DraftKings salary low. The Bengals have improved significantly against the run. Adding Dexter Lawrence will do that. His addition did not stop Jaylen Warren last week, who totaled 176 yards from scrimmage. Tuten is a perfect RB2 or RB3 for DraftKings lineups this Sunday.

Contrarian Play: Treveyon Henderson, New England Patriots ($5,200)

Henderson looked great in Week 2, but poor in Week 3. And that makes it a great potential bounce-back spot for DraftKings users. All the metrics say he’ll sink your DraftKings lineups. He’s the RB2 on his offense. And not being used in passing-game scenarios. He has one target in his first two games.

Henderson’s role is clearly undefined. And it looks unlikely that New England’s offense gets back on track. I will mention that he finished as an RB3 overall against Buffalo last year, even though it doesn’t quite matter. It does matter that Henderson is the most explosive player left on the offense.

Buffalo is 16th in rushing yards allowed. And they allow the seventh-most estimated points added on the ground. I’m not the biggest fan of this play, but in the end, accounting for everything. I’ve talked myself all the way into Henderson having a big DraftKings showing in Week 4.

Wide Receiver

Favorite Play: Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars ($6,500)

You know what? I’m going to double down on the Jaguars. Like some did with the Detroit Lions or New York Jets on DraftKings last week. Picking the right game is the biggest edge on DraftKings. This one is obvious, and many will play those players on DraftKings. Parker Washington is still a must-play on DraftKings.

No matter how high his DraftKings ownership gets, $6,500 is not high enough. With the stats Washington is posting, he should be in the $8,000 range on DraftKings. He hasn’t eclipsed 20 DraftKings points in a game, but all of the underlying stats are there for a monster game. He has a monster target share of 30.26%, which is good for fifth in the league. Add to that Washington being fifth in air yards. This three-game stretch could be the start for Washington. He’s already a WR1, but even that role could grow. DraftKings is not properly pricing his upside yet.

Contrarian Play: Malik Nabers, New York Giants ($6,000)

The season has not gone as planned for Nabers thus far. He is second on the team in targets. Nabers’ DraftKings salary has dropped to $6,000. That was partly due to the horrendous weather at MetLife. Partly because he lost his quarterback two weeks ago. Jameis Winston has not looked like his old gunslinger self. That could be the coaching with Harbaugh or something else.

Now, even with the quarterback play, it was always going to be a slow ramp-up for Nabers. Nabers was expected to be at full speed about a month into the season.

The Matchup

And a fantastic matchup against the Cardinals could be just what the doctors ordered. Arizona is allowing the third-most passing touchdowns, the 10th-most passing yards, and the third-most estimated points added through the air. New York is also an underdog against the Cardinals. So, a passing script will be encouraged, and it’s something we haven’t seen from the Giants thus far. They are 29th in passing attempts per game.

Granted, they haven’t had great game scripts either. The talent and suboptimal start are enough for me to take a chance on Nabers on DraftKings.

Tight End

Favorite Play: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders ($6,900)

When DraftKings users can plug in a wide receiver at tight end, they have to do it. Bowers usage was mainly as a wide receiver in Week 3. He ran 33 routes on Sunday. Eight of those 33 came from the tight end.

So, Klint Kubiak is using his offensive weapon everywhere. And DraftKings users should take advantage of that. They are 4.5-point underdogs in a 47.5-point total game. A positive game script for Bowers could lead to another DraftKings slate-breaking week.

Contrarian Play: Ordone Gadsden III, Los Angeles Chargers ($3,600)

Playing a tight end who scored a zero last week on DraftKings is as contrarian as it gets. Still, he ran the third-most routes on the team. He ran 28 routes on Sunday, only behind the top two wide receivers. Gadsden only drew three targets, but is still involved heavily on passing snaps.

The Seattle Seahawks allow the 12th fewest points to the tight end position. However, as seven-point underdogs, the Chargers will have to throw a lot. And they’ve definitely warranted that spread with their 0-3 start. So a positive game script may not lead to targets, but he still has the opportunity to be excellent for DraftKings lineups.

Final Thoughts

Week 4 for DraftKings lineups could prove to be a doozy. Several high-scoring games on the slate, and a taste of a shortened slate due to an international game. Remember, bye weeks start next week. So after next week, only the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs are on bye. They then start rolling in over the coming weeks. I wish everyone the best of luck on this DraftKings slate.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!