Best Daily Fantasy Football Plays for Cash Games – Week 4

By Ha Kung Wong  Daily Fantasy Football

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

I hope you followed my advice in past weeks for your cash games, because if you did, you won money.  But now I’m back to help you out in Week 4 of the 2016 NFL season!

Cash Games, for those who don’t know, are essentially the lowest risk games.  They include “50/50” games, in which half the entrants win about 1.8x the entry fee, and “Double Ups”, in which slightly less than half the entrants win 2x the entry fee.

Since there’s so many different sites, and I can’t cover them all, I’ve decided to cover just the most popular sites, including Fan Duel, Draft Kings and Yahoo! Daily Fantasy.

First of all, as a general rule for 50/50 Cash Games, there’s a basic target of points per salary cap spent that you’d like to look for:

• For Fan Duel try to target at least 2 fantasy points per $1000 spent.
• For Draft Kings, try to target at least 2.5 fantasy points per $1000 spent.
• For Yahoo! Daily Fantasy, try to target at least 0.6-0.7 fantasy points per $1 spent.

Remember, this article is not focused on GPP (Tournament) Games, JUST Cash Games.  Feel free to use a few of these suggested players as a base when constructing a GPP lineup, but you’ll have to take some chances on a few low cost, upside players as well.

So, without further to do, here are my suggestions for the Best Daily Fantasy Football Plays for Cash Games for Week 4 contests, along with they’re prices on Fan Duel (“FD”), Draft Kings (“DK”) and Yahoo! Daily Fantasy (“Y!”).

Quarterback

There’s plenty of QBs to pick from, but I don’t tend to take too many chances at QB for cash games because they’re so important for anchoring your team’s performance, so I’ll give you three “safe” choices, then one that’s more of a gamble if you’d prefer to take chances on QB and spend money at the other positions.

Andrew Luck @ JAC (FD: $8900 / DK: $7400 / Y!: $37)

• The Jacksonville pass defense is not terrible, as they don’t allow many yards, but they have allowed 6 TDs over the first three games of the season.  More importantly, the combination of poor defense and an mediocre running game behind Frank Gore will continue to force the Colts to pass the ball to stay competitive. Andrew Luck already has two games of 330+ yards passing, so there’s definitely potential here against Jacksonville.

Philip Rivers vs. NO (FD: $8500 / DK: $6900 / Y!: $37)

• The Saints defense is horrific against the pass, having allowed the 5th highest completion percentage to opposing QBs (69.7) without a single interception, and this game has the highest over/under this week at 53.5 with the Chargers favored by 4.  In addition, Rivers found a new best friend in Travis Benjamin, and Tyrell Williams and Hunter Henry have also stepped up.  Clearly, the Chargers is a pass first offense, and regardless of the semi-dud in Week 3, I think Rivers is a safe pick for points for his price.

Drew Brees @ SD (FD: $8600 / DK: $7600 / Y!: $40)

• I’m continuing to go back to the well this week because the way the Saints defense has looked so far, they’re going to have to throw it to stay competitive.  In three games so far, Drew Brees put up a total of 1062 yards and 8 TDs with only 1 INT.  As per usual, the Saints are in the matchup with the highest over/under by far of all the Week 3 games at 53.5.  And the San Diego defense has allowed the third most passing yards per game (322) of any team in the NFL so far this year.  The upside and opportunity is still there, so I’m sticking with the “lock him in and enjoy the ride” strategy this week.

Kirk Cousins vs. CLE (FD: $7600 / DK: $6500 / Y!: $38)

• Washington hasn’t been great on offense, but Kirk Cousins finally put it together and threw for 296 yards and 2 TDs against the Giants without an INT. Without a solid ground game, Washington will continue to attack the air. Cleveland ranks 24th in pass defense this season, and could be even worse if Joe Haden continues to miss time.  Good value here for the price.

Dak Prescott @ SF (FD: $7200 / DK: $5700 / Y!: $28)

• Dak Prescott has been incredibly solid over his first three weeks in the NFL.  In fact, I wonder if Tony Romo will get his job back when he finally returns from injury.  Prescott is averaging 256 yards per game with no INTs, and finally got a TD pass in Week 3.  In addition, he’s had 2 rushing TDs this season.  The 49ers have been mediocre on defense, so Prescott has the opportunity to keep things rolling in Week 4.

Running Back

As usual, RB is a position where I want some “guaranteed” volume.  And by that, I mean we need 10+ touches to even be considered.  So here are my thoughts.

David Johnson vs. LA (FD: $8700 / DK: $7800 / Y!: $37)

• Although the Cardinals were surprisingly shut down by the Vikings in Week 3, David Johnson didn’t let them down.  Just goes to show that regardless of the score, Johnson will be in the game.  Other than being a good floor, he has terrific upside as well, particularly with this favorable matchup against a subpar Rams defense.  The Rams have allowed an average of 100 rush yards per game and a total of 4 rushing TDs.  If 100 yards is Johnson’s floor, just imagine what his upside will be as he runs to kill clock after the Cardinals develop a comfortable lead over the Rams.

Ezekiel Elliott @ SF (FD: $8100 / DK: $6900 / Y!: $29)

• Ezekiel Elliott has at least 20 carries in every game this year, and had a whopping 30 carries in Week 3. San Francisco has allowed an average of 122.7 rush yards per game so far this year, so Elliott should get plenty of run this week.  The only problem is if the Cowboys have to rest him since he runs for so many yards and he gets vultured at the goal line again.

Melvin Gordon vs. NO (FD: $7600 / DK: $6300 / Y!: $30)

• The Saints defense has allowed the MOST rush yards per game (149.3) and the second most total rushing TDs (6) of any team in the NFL so far.  The Saints got blasted by both Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman in Week 3.  With Danny Woodhead out of the picture, Melvin Gordon’s snap rate went up to 87% in Week 3.  Gordon isn’t the most skilled back available, but the opportunity and matchup make he an excellent value this week.

Charles Sims vs. DEN (FD: $6500 / DK: $5300 / Y!: $23)

• With Doug Martin is now out with a hamstring injury for at least another 2 weeks, Sims is apparently in control of the backfield with 85% of the offensive snaps in Week 3.  Unfortunately, the Buccaneers were behind and didn’t utilize the ground game much, but Sims did fine catching 6 passes for 69 yards, and also managed a TD.  At his price, he’s well worth a look based on usage and the PPR bump alone.

Jordan Howard vs. DET (FD: $5600 / DK: $3700 / Y!: $14)

• Jeremy Langford is now on the shelf due to injury, but he wasn’t doing so well when healthy anyway.  There was already talk that rookie Jordan Howard would eat into a timeshare once he was up to speed.  And when he took over in Week 3, he almost totaled 100 yards in about half game, split mostly evenly between running and catching passes.  Detroit’s defense is middle of the pack, so this isn’t a particularly good matchup, but Howard’s ability to catch passes in comeback mode makes his floor relatively safe, while providing a little upside for a very reasonable price.

Wide Receivers

Remember, in DFS, you not only want yards, you want receptions, though its more valuable in Draft Kings, which is a full PPR, than FanDuel, which is a half PPR.  So with that in mind, here’s my thoughts for WR plays.

A.J. Green vs. MIA (FD: $8100 / DK: $8500 / Y!: $37)

• A.J. Green saw 11 targets a week ago against Denver, while the next closest pass catcher had four. Without Tyler Eifert on the field, no one has stepped up so far this season.  Green may receive extra attention from Miami’s secondary, but does that even matter?  The Dolphins have allowed the 7th most fantasy points to receivers, and third most receptions (47), plus they got carved up by Cody Kessler and Terrelle Pryor of the Browns in Week 3.  Need I say more?

Travis Benjamin @ NO (FD: $6600 / DK: $5900 / Y!: $28)

• See Philip Rivers above.  That all applies here for Travis Benjamin.  With Keenan Allen on the shelf, Benjamin is Rivers’ go to guy.

Kelvin Benjamin @ ATL (FD: $7700 / DK: $7100 / Y!: $32)

• I know, I know, I said that Kelvin Benjamin was matchup proof.  Unfortunately, it turns out that he wasn’t scheme proof, as the Vikings completely took Benjamin out of the game to the point that Cam Newton only threw one pass his way the entire game, and not until the end of the 4th quarter.  Newton has specifically stated that Benjamin won’t be blanked again, and offensive coordinator Mike Shula has blamed himself for the surprising lack of usage of Benjamin in Week 3.  I think the Panthers will push targets at Benjamin to make up for last week against a weak Falcons defense.

Terrelle Pryor @ WAS (FD: $7000 / DK: $4300 / Y!: $17)

• Terrelle Pryor went nuts last week on the field with Josh Gordon suspended and Corey Coleman out with a broken hand.  He caught 8 of 14 targets for 144 yards, threw a couple passes from behind center and rushed for a TD in Week 3. He’s basically everywhere, including in your lineup, particularly on Draft Kings.

Cole Beasley @ SF (FD: $5200 / DK: $3900 / Y!: $18)

• Dez Bryant wasn’t lighting the world on fire on the field, but now with a bone fracture, he’s unlikely to suit up at all for Week 4.  That leaves Cole Beasley (!!) as Prescott’s primary target.  In fact, Prescott already loved Beasley, targeting him 7 times in Week 3, so in a PPR scenario, this is only going to get better.

Quincy Enunwa vs. SEA (FD: $5600 / DK: $4400 / Y!: $15)

• This call depends entirely on Eric Decker’s health.  If Decker sits out, Enunwa would become a WR2 in a pass heavy (but turnover heavy) Jets offense.  He’s shown propensity to garner targets in the first two weeks, so could be a breakout for him even with the tough matchup against Seattle.  That’s assuming, of course, that Ryan Fitzpatrick actually completes enough passes to his own receivers this week as opposed to the opposite team.

Tight Ends

Dennis Pitta vs. OAK (FD: $5400 / DK: $3900 / Y!: $18)

• I spoke about Dennis Pitta in my Waiver Favors article two weeks ago, and those reasons still apply here.  He’s back and one of Joe Flacco’s favorite targets.  Plus the Raiders allow the MOST receiving yards per game of any team in the NFL so far (340).  Someone has to catch passes other than Mike Wallace.

Jason Witten @ SF (FD: $6000 / DK: $4500 / Y!: $20)

• Dak Prescott really likes Jason Witten.  Witten caught 9 of a whopping 14 targets for 66 yards in Week 1.  He came back to Earth with 3 of 4 for 51 yards in Week 2.  And he caught only 2 passes, the only ones he saw, for 25 yards in Week 3.  Yes, he’s trending down, but with Dez Bryant likely to sit out, I think he’ll see more along the 4-6 target range this week with TD upside.

Hunter Henry vs. NO (FD: $4500 / DK: $3500 / Y!: $10)

• With Antonio Gates sitting out last week, Hunter Henry slid in without issue in Week 3, as he caught all 5 of his targets for 76 yards.  Except, of course, for that fumble at the end of the game that cost the Chargers a chance at a comeback.  But heck, he’s a rookie, and he clearly has skills, so if you’re looking for a cheap option with upside in light of Gates likely sitting out another game, go for it against the afore mentioned terrible Saints pass defense.

Defenses

Seattle @ NYJ (FD: $5000 / DK $3800 / Y!: $17)

• Listen, I just don’t want to take any chances anymore on defenses, as the price difference is pretty insignificant.  So I’m going with the Seahawks this week against the mega-turnover-prone New York Jets.  I don’t think Fitzy will throw 6 picks again, but 2 or 3 are potentially in the cards.  This game also has the lowest over/under of any game this week at 40, with Seattle favored by 2.5.  That means the Jets are expected to score around 18 points, which I think is pretty generous.  Just slot Seattle in and move on.