Three weeks of the 2022 NFL season have now passed, and NFL fans know a lot more about the league's 32 teams than they did in the preseason. NFL DFS aficionados certainly appreciate the extra workload and matchup data when crafting Week 4 lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. It helps when looking for sleepers and stacks that can earn key differentiation in cash games and tournaments alike.
Stacking is a key strategy that involves selecting two or more players from the same team. It's become popular with both season-long and DFS players. Why? Because it gives you a chance to earn double points on any given play or at least have the success of certain players correlated within your lineup.
There are a few different ways to approach stacking. You can roll with top-tier players in top offenses to raise the floor of your lineup, or you can go with contrarian options that provide you with key lineup differentiation. Often, rolling with more contrarian choices is a good strategy in DraftKings and FanDuel tournaments; choosing "safer" stacks helps in cash games.
WEEK 4 DFS: Best values
DraftKings and FanDuel remain the top DFS platforms worldwide, but DraftKings has the more variable pricing. That makes it a bit easier to craft creative stacks, especially when targeting cheaper receivers. That's not to say you can't stack on FanDuel; it's just sometimes harder to find value when doing so.
Below are some of our favorite sets of teammates for Week 4 DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.
WEEK 4 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Week 4 NFL DFS Picks: Top cash game stacks for DraftKings, FanDuel
QB Jalen Hurts, WR A.J. Brown and WR DeVonta Smith, Eagles vs. Jaguars (DK Stack)
Some may be scared off the Eagles this week because of their matchup with a Jaguars team that has allowed just 10 total points in its past two outings. Don't fall into that trap. Jacksonville has played well to start the 2022 season, but its defense is beatable, as Carson Wentz proved. Matt Ryan and an injured Justin Herbert with a beat-up O-line were sitting ducks.
However, the Eagles have much better and healthier offense than both the Colts and Chargers. Hurts is averaging 305 passing yards, 55 rushing yards, and one rushing TD per game. That's good for 30.8 DraftKings fantasy points per game (FPPG). His dual-threat ability will give the Jaguars fits, and their secondary won't be able to contain Hurts' weapons.
Rolling with Brown and Smith in this stack is certainly chalky, but Brown is averaging 20 DK FPPG while Smith just had eight catches, 169 yards, and a score against Washington (33.9 DK points). They are safe, high-floor players and should each do plenty in what could end up being a higher-scoring matchup than many originally anticipated.
It's unlikely that any of these three Eagles will let you down. None are too expensive on DraftKings either, so you can use them as a core part of any DK lineup in Week 4.
WEEK 4 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
RB Austin Ekeler and Los Angeles D/ST, Chargers at Texans (DK/FD Stack)
There aren't a lot of good cash game quarterback stacks this week. Part of the reason for this is that the Buffalo-Baltimore game could be a rain-soaked affair which will eliminate the desire of DFS players to have high exposure to that contest.
With that said, cash game participants may want to look more at running back and defense stacks. One great option is Ekeler and the Chargers. Neither was effective in Week 3 against the Jaguars, but both have bounce-back potential against the Texans.
Houston's run defense has long been a problem for the team, and the Texans are once again leading the league in rushing yards allowed with 477. No other team has exceeded 400 to date. Ekeler is poised to have his best day as a runner in this matchup, and his receiving upside will play well in both DraftKings' PPR and FanDuel's half-PPR formats.
Trusting the Chargers' defense may be a tougher sell for some, but remember — this team still has Khalil Mack and Derwin James and is playing Davis Mills. They should have a high enough floor to trust in this spot, especially as the Chargers look to avenge a shocking, late-season loss at the hands of the Texans last season.
WEEK 4 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
RB Nick Chubb and Cleveland D/ST, Browns at Falcons (DK/FD Stack)
Here's another running back/defense stack that could be one of the weekend's most popular. Chubb has been one of the NFL's most consistent runners to start the season and has averaged 113.7 rushing yards per game to date. The Browns will continue to lean on him in a matchup against the Falcons, who have been middle-of-the-pack against the run this year.
Meanwhile, the Browns' defense has had its share of late-game issues, but it has the pass rushing weapons needed to pressure and contain Marcus Mariota. Of course, the status of Myles Garrett, who suffered "minor injuries" in a car accident on Monday, will need to be watched, as his absence could weaken this unit. (UPDATE: Garrett is officially out.)
Still, Cleveland's stop unit has scoring potential, and it limited Mitchell Trubisky in the second half of its "Thursday Night Football" game against the Steelers in Week 3. They might not be a perfect play, but they could end up being a solid value pickup since they have extra time to rest for Week 4.
WEEK 4 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
Week 4 DraftKings, FanDuel Picks: Best stacks for daily fantasy football tournaments
QB Cooper Rush, WR CeeDee Lamb & WR Noah Brown, Cowboys vs. Washington (DK/FD Stack)
Is it time to buy into the Cooper Rush hype? Not exactly, but the backup quarterback has been solid in two starts after Dak Prescott suffered a thumb injury. He has led the Cowboys to two wins and has averaged 225 passing yards per game in those outings.
Some would look at that and categorically eliminate Rush. However, this is a juicy matchup for him, and he is one of the cheapest starting quarterbacks on the slate. He might not break out, but he could certainly post multiple scores against Washington. The Commanders possess a bottom-five mark in DVOA, a Football Outsiders metric that measures a team's efficiency based on situation and opponent, on both offense and defense.
If Rush is on the field often during this contest, he will be able to rack up yardage and scores. Pairing him with his No. 1 receiver Lamb seems like a strong move given the rapport those two have. Meanwhile, Brown will have a chance to continue his ascension and expose what has proven to be a weak Washington defense.
The nice part of this stack is that Rush and Brown are relatively cheap, so, we can spend up elsewhere to bolster our lineup while still maintaining a pretty high ceiling.
QB Russell Wilson, RB Javonte Williams and WR Courtland Sutton, Broncos at Raiders (DK/FD Stack)
I know, I know. You want nothing to do with the Broncos offense. Nathaniel Hackett is incompetent; Russell Wilson is washed; the team doesn't have proven weapons. We've heard it all. Still, that's the reason that the Broncos are such a good play this week. We're buying low on them.
None of Denver's players have looked good to start the season, but Sutton has double-digit PPR fantasy points in each of his three outings. Williams is averaging 4.8 yards per carry and is facing a Raiders team that has allowed the second-most receiving yards to running backs this season. As such, both could produce in a solid-looking matchup.
Wilson's inclusion is a bit riskier, as he hasn't quite been himself through three games in Denver. Still, he showed flashes of playmaking ability during the Broncos' game-winning drive against the 49ers and has averaged just under 250 passing yards per game.
Wilson's touchdown floor is low, but if he gets into the end zone one or twice or runs the ball more frequently against Las Vegas, he could have a strong day. Adding him would also (likely) give us lineup differentiation, which is key in tournament play.
QB Aaron Rodgers, RB AJ Dillon and Green Bay D/ST (DK Stack)
This contrarian stack may puzzle some at first, but this could pay off in spades if the game script goes right in Week 4.
The Patriots are likely to be without starting quarterback Mac Jones (ankle) in this contest and will start Brian Hoyer. That will make the Packers defense a strong and popular play. So, if you want to use them, you should probably pair them with one of the offense's running backs: Dillon or Aaron Jones.
In this stack, we're going with Dillon for two reasons. First, he's cheaper than Jones, so that gives us more flexibility. Second, if the Packers can build a big lead on the Patriots, Dillon will likely get more of the groundwork late in the game as Green Bay tries to run the clock out and keep Jones fresh.
Jones will catch more passes in all likelihood, so he can work here, too, but Dillon gives us similar potential given his TD upside.
As for the Rodgers portion of this stack, it's a simple proposition. The Patriots are better against the run than the pass, so Rodgers will have to throw early to help the Packers build a lead. Essentially, he'll be important to this lineup's performance in the first half while Dillon will carry this stack down the stretch.
