The first game of the NFL week on Thursday night is always tricky for fantasy football mangers who want to make sure they get off to a good start — either by starting the right players or avoiding certain players.
Week 4 brings to us another heated division rivalry in New York between two NFC East teams with the Giants hosting the Dallas Cowboys (Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). Here's a start 'em and sit 'em breakdown of the potential low-scoring affair, including some DFS recommendations.
Start 'Em: Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants regular plays
CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Lamb is off to a frustrating slow start as the average WR23 out of the gate, a disappointing follow-up to signing his lucrative contract extension. Teams are focusing on Lamb a lot when Prescott throws a lot, but his ability to get open in the slot and pluck balls before getting into his quickness after the catch is exceptional. He should have a big get-well game vs. the Giants' secondary.
WEEK 4 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Nabers is the WR1 after three games with A.J. Brown on the shelf and Jauan Jennings riding his big Week 3. He's the latest superstar wideout from LSU who commands the ball, and the Giants have been relentless with his target share with Daniel Jones and are being well rewarded for it. He keep it up against a DaRon Bland-less secondary.
Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys
Ferguson is up from the average TE10 to TE7 after two games, given he needed to miss the Saints matchup. Ferguson is trusted all over the field on short-to-intermediate routes by Prescott, and the Giants can give plenty to the position.
Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas Cowboys
Aubrey finished last season as the surprise K1 overall as an older rookie sensation. He's back on top with some big field-goal outputs, thanks to a good offense that often stalls well before the end zone and his range being so extended. He's the new best reality kicker in the game, and his hot scoring will continue.
WEEK 4 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Stock Watch | Trade Advice | Sleepers | Busts | Start/Sit | Usage Report
Start 'Em: Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants strong plays
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott is up to QB7 in average scoring in three games thanks to exploding for 379 passing yards and 3 total TDs in major comeback mode vs. the Ravens after relative clunkers vs. the Browns and Saints. The defense has become bad, and the running game stinks. That sets up more high volume from Prescott going forward whether trying to build a big lead or erase one. Prescott is finding more weapons behind Lamb at the right time, and he should light up the Giants enough to be a top-12 play in Week 4.
Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants
Singletary has been a solid RB2 in half-point PPR, while Saqoun Barkley has hit the top of the charts with the Eagles. He would be a borderline RB1 had he taken the TD against the Browns. He's been a pleasant surprise running while being reunited with Brian Daboll with high-leverage volume. The Cowboys are giving up a league-worst 185.7 rushing yards per game so far, so giddyap.
Dallas Cowboys defense/special teams
The Cowboys have plummeted to D/ST18 after getting ripped by the Saints and Ravens in consecutive weeks. They have a fair chance to rebound with some sacks and takeaways vs. Daniel Jones if they use their offense to get into a positive game script so their defense can get into tee-off mode.
WEEK 4 DFS ADVICE
TNF Lineups | Best Stacks | Sleepers & Values
Thursday Night Football sleepers
Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys
After doing next to nothing in the opener vs. the Browns, Tolbert has caught a combined 9 passes on 14 targets for 124 yards and a TD. They once loved this kid as a rookie, but now he's back in the coaches' good graces with his dynamic skill set. He is working on displacing Brandin Cooks as the No. 2. In their 11 personnel, he's seen as many snaps as Cooks and Lamb. He's an integral part of a high-volume passing game, so it would be nice if his volatile upside would be replaced by consistent youthful usage. The Giants' cornerbacks, for example, can't handle him well.
Sit 'Em: Thursday Night Football busts
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants
Jones has been on the verge of being benched for real, but after the mess against the Vikings, he's rebounded with two fine statistical games, buoyed by two TDs each in Week 2 and Week 3. But he can fall apart with turnovers at any point, and the Cowboys' defense comes in angry. Also, his running has been only a limited factor thus far. It's a lot of Nabers and a little of others, which won't add up to a reliable start on a non-bye.
Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, RBs, Dallas Cowboys
This has become an uninspiring situational split as Elliott is struggling to run and produce well on early downs, and Dowdle has needed to be the de facto hurry-up back. This game script isn't guaranteed to go one way or another, making it difficult to trust either. You can find much better RB2 and FLEX options on the weekend.
DraftKings mock Showdown lineup for Thursday night
- Captain (1.5x): Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants ($12,300)
- FLEX: Malik Nabers, New York Giants ($10,800)
- FLEX: Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys ($10,400)
- FLEX: Jake Ferguson, TE, Dallas Cowboys ($7,000)
- FLEX: Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys ($5,800)
- FLEX: Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants ($2,800)
FanDuel mock single-game lineup for Thursday night
- MVP: (1.5x): Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys ($16,000)
- AnyFLEX: Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants ($15,000)
- AnyFLEX: Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants ($12,000)
- AnyFLEX: Brandon Aubrey, K, Dallas Cowboys ($9,000)
- AnyFLEX: Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys ($8,000)
Singletary, Prescott, and Nabers made sense as the core group with Lamb being too rich. Tolbert is well priced for his recent production.
