Week 4 Kings: QB & RB
In 2014, Mike “Hoop2410” Petta was able to quit his full-time job as an accountant in order to pursue Daily Fantasy as a full-time pro. He is a primary contributor to RotoGrinders, and you can hear more about his story in this interview on the RotoGrinders podcast. Each week, “Hoop” will bring you his exclusive picks for DraftKings to FantasyPros readers. Here are Hoops top WR & TE recommendations for Week 4.
Week 3 left us looking for more from the top target Drew Brees as he put up a mediocre 290 yard and two TD performance. Hopefully persistence pays off in this case because as you will see, Brees is my top target yet again this week in an equally soft match-up with the defensively inept Dallas Cowboys. Kirk Cousins and Andrew Luck stole the show at the QB position week 3. Week 3 running back performances were somewhat all over the map, LeSean McCoy laid a complete dud (he was not the same after the helmet to helmet shot), Kniles Davis excelled as predicted, and DeMarco Murray produced yet another very consistent performance. Let’s dive into week 4.
Quarterback
Drew Brees ($8900) – This is the no brainer pick of the week. If you can afford him, play him. The match-up does not get much better than this, Dallas is not very good against the pass and the Saints love to air it out. The Dallas defensive unit let Austin Davis throw for 327 yards and three TDs. Vegas has set the O/U at 53 for this Sunday night showdown, therefore scoring will be plentiful. Drew Brees has a very high floor and ceiling in this match-up which is ideal at the QB position.
Aaron Rodgers ($8200) – The Green Bay Packers looked beyond awful against the Lions last week, much of the blame has been placed on the nonexistent run game. The Packers have played three of the five toughest team against the run this year (SEA, NYJ, DET). On Sunday the Packers will face a Bears defense that currently ranks 26th in the NFL against the run, therefore leaving a real opportunity to get the run game going. I like the Packers offense as a whole in this game, Aaron Rodgers will do everything in his power to prevent the Packers from falling to 1-3 on the season.
Philip Rivers ($7700) – This is a very cut and dry selection, Jacksonville is a terrible football team yet again this season. Teams have been able to basically do whatever they want on the offensive side of the ball against the Jags. There is some risk here due to the high spread (SD favored by 14), but Rivers will easily finish with a minimum of 250 yards and 2-3 TDs.
Value
Teddy Bridgewater ($5700) – Bridgewater is taking over at QB for a bad Minnesota Vikings team. The Vikings will faceoff off against a poor Atlanta defense; this game has a rather high O/U 47 with Atlanta favored by 2.5. Bridgewater has the ability to earn FP’s on the ground as we saw in Week 3 when he carried the ball six times. Bridgewater will have no problem reaching value in this Week 4 match-up.
GPP
Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5800) – The Fitzgerald/Andre Johnson combo is going to win somebody a big tournament at some point this season. Both players have had some big time performances throughout their careers. Buffalo is certainly a weak opponent, if you looking for an under owned QB-WR combo capable of a huge performance look no further.
Running Back
Matt Forte ($7800) – Matt Forte’s recent fantasy production has taken a hit due to a couple tough road match-ups with San Fran and the New York Jets, both of these teams defend the run very well. Forte enters Week 4 looking to turn things around against a much weaker defense in the Green Bay Packers. This game features an O/U of 50; targeting players here will be a profitable option.
Lamar Miller ($6200) – I was hoping the price tag was a little bit less on Miller, but he still makes for a great play this week. The injury to Knowshon Moreno has opened up a great opportunity for Miller, and he took advantage of that opportunity last week with 132 total yards, four catches and a TD. You can expect a similar performance this week against a bad Oakland Raiders team.
Eddie Lacy ($5600) – Lacy was called out by his head coach after a third straight disappointing performance. There are a couple ways to look at this situation. First, Lacy has performed poorly due to three straight tough match-ups (SEA, NYJ, DET). Two, Lacy is not very good and last year was a fluke. I am a believer in the first as those three defenses currently all rank in the top five against the run this season, while the bears are currently sitting at 26th. I’m a believer in Lacy and expect him to turn things around this week.
Value
Donald Brown ($5400) – I anticipate this being a very popular value play this week and rightfully so. Brown was an absolute work horse last week (31 carries and five receptions), due to the absence of Matthews and Woodhead. Brown will be in the same role this week against an even weaker opponent in the Jacksonville Jaguars. San Diego should get an early lead and lean on Brown to work down the clock in this match-up.
GPP
LeSean McCoy ($7000) – McCoy was written off by many daily fantasy players after a brutal 2.2 FP performance last week. I truly believe his lack of production was due to the helmet to helmet collision he suffered early in the game, he did not look like the same player after receiving medical clearance to return. DeMarco Murray was able to put up over 100 yards on the ground Week 1 against the Niners run defense, proving that they are not as dominant as they once were. McCoy is still an elite RB in the league and you can expect a much better performance this week.