CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 24: Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (22) tries to elude New Orleans Saints strong safety Kenny Vaccaro (32) during the second half of the game on September 24, 2017 between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC..(Photo by Jim Dedmon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
So, last week didn’t go so well. The lineup I chose to feature in this column ended up with a measly 68.18 points, and for the most part likely turned you off from taking my advice ever again. That’s OK. I get it. However, I’m not going to quit playing because that’s what winners do!
You’re bound to have weeks like this unless you’re a pro playing hundreds of lineups every week. I didn’t make money this week, but thanks to last week I’ve still got some reserves ready to go. Such is life in the daily fantasy football game. Let’s analyze (quickly) what went right and (mostly) wrong last week.
The Good
DeShone Kizer – 25.08
The Bad
It’s never a good thing when your quarterback scores more than a third of your points. I am still proud of the sleeper pick in Kizer, though there were some terrific cheap options like Jared Goff or Brian Hoyer you could have used as well. That’s about all that went well. Kelvin Benjamin got hurt, J.J. Nelson laid a goose egg while Larry Fitzgerald went off, Jack Doyle was quiet and my faith in Terrelle Pryor is waning.
The beauty of daily fantasy? It’s a new week! Let’s get some money.
QB — Jared Goff
Salary — $5,600
Matchup — Dallas Cowboys (25th OPRK)
Goff has looked like a new quarterback so far this season. He had his first 300 yard game last week against a stingy San Francisco 49ers defense and is facing a Dallas defense that has given up a lot of yards through the air.
RB — Christian McCaffrey
Salary — $6,800
Matchup — New England Patriots (29th OPRK)
After Benjamin went out with an injury during their Week 3 contest, and having already lost Greg Olsen, Cam Newton looked McCaffery’s way 11 times against the New Orleans Saints. Benjamin is questionable right now, but even if he plays the Patriots have been giving up tons of points to running backs and the rookie has looked like a fantastic weapon so far this season.
RB — Leonard Fournette
Salary — $6,700
Matchup — New York Jets (24th OPRK)
The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning on the run game this year and Fournette is the feature back on first and second down. Even though he’s been coming off the field on passing downs, he still has 12 targets and eight receptions. The former LSU standout has transitioned nicely to the big time and has a nice matchup with the Jets in Week 4.
WR — Jarvis Landry
Salary — $6,500
Matchup — New Orleans Saints (28th OPRK)
I love picking Landry because no matter who is quarterback is, he gets open for them and always has a high volume of targets. His floor is about as high as it gets for a wide receiver. The Saints surprisingly shut down the Carolina Panthers, but they were missing their top two weapons for most of that game. That won’t be the case for Miami.
WR — DeAndre Hopkins
Salary — $6,400
Matchup — Tennessee Titans (25th OPRK)
Hopkins and fellow Clemson alum Deshaun Watson have shown to have fantastic chemistry early in the rookie quarterback’s career. Hopkins is averaging 10+ targets per game so far, and the Titans have given up a lot of points and big plays to No. 1 wide receivers.
WR — Robert Woods
Salary — $3,900
Matchup — Dallas Cowboys (26th OPRK)
Woods had a breakout game against the 49ers in Week 3, which was nice considering he has led the Los Angeles Rams in snaps at the position for the first three games. Sammy Watkins entered concussion protocol this week and that doesn’t bode well for his availability. The Cowboys have struggled against the pass so far, and it’s tough to get better value than $3,900 for a No. 1 wideout.
TE — Cameron Brate
Salary — $3,800
Matchup — New York Giants (31st OPRK)
The Giants have been bad against tight ends for years due to ignoring the linebacker position early in the draft. They’ve given up a touchdown to a tight end in all three games this season, and Brate scored against the Minnesota Vikings last week. He should find some openings against the Giants and likely even score again.
FLEX — Keenan Allen
Salary — $7,200
Matchup — Philadelphia Eagles (24th OPRK)
The Eagles were torched by the Giants’ quick passing attack with their top four cornerbacks out with injury. That unit is depleted and now faces a desperate Los Angeles Chargers squad looking for their first win. Allen is a target monster and I like him to bounce back after an average Week 3 performance.
DST — Minnesota Vikings
Salary — $3,100
Matchup — Detroit Lions (9th OPRK)
While the Lions have looked good on offense thus far, the Vikings defense swallowed up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and typically play very well at home. Matthew Stafford takes chances and they have a pass-happy offense; they are ripe for a pick-6. The matchup makes the value a little low in my opinion, so take advantage.
Possible Tinkers
Golden Tate or Demaryius Thomas replacing either Landry or Hopkins or both.
Dalvin Cook for Fournette
Melvin Gordon or Doug Baldwin for Allen
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