Fantasy Football Countdown Week 4

Davis Mattek selected Aaron Jones as one of two Vikings to play in cash games this week. Mattek identifies Aaron Jones as offering exceptional value in DFS, stating 'you don't really find spots this good for guys in fantasy football all that often,' and recommends Jones over both Braelon Allen and Chase Brown in cash lineups. Mattek prefers Aaron Jones over Chase Brown in cash and lists him as a 90% sim ROI play alongside Tyson Beant and Chase Brown. Mattek states 'I am not fading Aaron Jones personally,' indicating confidence in his role and usage. Mattek notes that Aaron Jones 'projects so good' and expressed frustration that the DFS optimizer kept suggesting him, indicating strong projection metrics. Mattek includes Jones in multiple lineup constructions as a core running back option.

The source notes that Antonio Williams had a 90-yard touchdown that was called back due to a holding penalty, and mentions starting him in a couple of leagues, expressing frustration about the negated score and the penalty itself.

Austin Ekeler was playing third downs early in the Week 4 game. Davis Mattek notes Ekeler previously played with Ben Johnson for two seasons and maxed out at 489 receiving yards with Johnson, suggesting limited upside under Johnson's play-calling. Mattek is not interested in playing Ekeler.

Davis Mattek includes Christian McCaffrey in the chalk cash DFS lineup—the consensus build most establish-the-run users will play in Week 4 cash contests. Despite questioning why they're 'playing dusty ass CMC,' Mattek notes McCaffrey is 'projected for like a billion points,' indicating high projection confidence overrides skepticism about current form. Mattek also expresses that fading McCaffrey is 'probably fine' and 'not that bad,' suggesting the fade is viable but McCaffrey remains a core play. However, Mattek prefers Kenneth Walker over McCaffrey in some lineup constructions, indicating McCaffrey is less optimal than alternatives in certain spots.

Davis Mattek drafted DJ Moore in 12% of his 117 main slate DFS contests for Week 4 and evaluated a DJ Moore over/under 40 fantasy points prop. He considered Moore an okay DFS play for the day but noted he would not be heavily owned, suggesting contrarian value at his salary point.

The source considers Deebo Samuel a good play for the week and drafted him in DFS contests, indicating confidence in his value. Prefers Debo Samuel over A.J. Wicker in full point per reception scoring, suggesting Debo has better value in PPR DFS contests.

Davis Mattek lists Derrick Henry as one of his favorite plays for Week 4, captaining him in his DraftKings lineup for the London game. However, Mattek notes that 'Henry is just not going to sim that well at this price,' indicating personal conviction to play him despite salary cap constraints making him difficult to fit into optimal simulations. Mattek includes Henry in his preferred DFS lineup construction and uses him as a core piece in his final cash game lineup.

DeVonta Smith sounds like he might miss a couple of weeks due to injury, impacting his availability going forward.

Davis Mattek believes runthesims.com's projection for Emanuel Wilson was too low and adjusted it upward to approximately 60 carries/targets and 51 yards, moving Helani down to 30 and reducing his touchdown share; Mattek expects Emanuel Wilson to see much more goal-line work. Mattek prefers Wilson over both RJ Harvey and Lemon in DFS, positioning him as a preferred play. Wilson is listed among top optimal running backs in FanDuel DFS and included in cash game lineups as a complementary piece.

Davis Mattek checked Garrett Wilson's target share at 32%, which he deemed accurate for the week. Wilson is included in the chalk cash DFS lineup—the consensus build most establish-the-run users will play—positioning him as a core play in Week 4 cash contests. Mattek preferred Wilson over Rashaad Rice at the same salary point, stating 'I don't love Rice at 6,400. I probably should just play Garrett Wilson instead,' suggesting Wilson offered better value. Wilson appears in Mattek's top optimal DFS team, indicating he is a commonly selected option in daily fantasy contests.

Price is out, forcing the source's team to start Ty Johnson at running back.

Jalen Coker was added to the injury report but has no game status determination for week four, indicating uncertainty about his availability.

The source considers Javonte Williams as a running back option for salary cap fit in lineup construction, noting he is a 'bring back GMGM new member,' indicating he's being tested as a value option.

Jaylen Lane was carted off for the Commanders during Week 4, indicating a significant injury that will impact his availability going forward.

Davis Mattek identifies Jeremiah Love as 'probably my favorite play of the day,' indicating strong conviction and preference for Love as a DFS selection. Love shows 66% rush share and 11% target share, which Mattek assessed as 'looking pretty good.' Mattek includes Love in the chalk cash DFS lineup—the consensus build that most establish-the-run users will play—positioning him as a core play in Week 4 cash contests. Love is also featured in Mattek's ship-chasing pick'em combo with a scrimmage yards projection and 50% move-the-chains boost applied to the parlay.

Davis Mattek identifies Joe Burrow as one of the top optimal rate quarterbacks in DFS simulations, appearing alongside Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, and Pat Mahomes. Mattek also identifies Burrow as 'the highest optimal rate quarterback' and considers him for a Burrow-Chase stack, indicating strong projected value and efficiency in the optimizer's assessment.

Coleman is out, contributing to the running back shortage on the source's team.

Davis Mattek selected Jordan Addison as one of two Vikings to play in cash games this week. Mattek includes Addison in the chalk cash DFS lineup, part of the consensus build that most established run users will play, positioning Addison as a core play in Week 4 cash contests. Mattek feels very good about Jordan Addison as a tight end premium play in cash games, ranking him among the top options alongside Golden Sadik. Addison is listed among the top optimal wide receivers in FanDuel DFS, indicating he is a commonly selected option in daily fantasy contests.

Davis Mattek identifies Josh Allen as one of the top optimal rate quarterbacks in DFS simulations, appearing alongside Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy, and Pat Mahomes. Mattek also expresses strong conviction in Allen's value, stating he would not trade Josh Allen and Parker Washington for Burrow and Love, indicating Allen is valued higher than the alternative package.

Davis Mattek expresses desire for Josh Downs to score a touchdown in Week 4, suggesting upside potential in the matchup. However, during game action, Mattek expressed frustration about Downs' usage, noting 'Josh Downs not out here right now on this drive' and calling the situation 'horrendous,' indicating Downs was not getting expected playing time or opportunities despite pre-game optimism.

Davis Mattek explicitly excludes Khalif Raymond from Week 4 lineups, citing his decade-long NFL career without ever exceeding 600 receiving yards in a season. Mattek questions how often Raymond has scored 16 points in his career since 2016, suggesting it is a rare occurrence ('he's probably got 16 points like four times ever'), implying skepticism about high projections for him. Mattek states 'I gotta exclude Khalif Raymond. Cannot contain Khalif Raymond' and notes Raymond's career-high of only 616 yards (four years ago), indicating insufficient production history to justify fantasy exposure. Mattek has no interest in playing Raymond in cash games.

The source expresses enthusiasm about Keandre Lambert-Smith's early performance, calling him 'the greatest wide receiver of all time' after his first reception and questioning whether the ninth round is too early to draft him; the source also notes Auburn pedigree and compares him to Darius Slayton vibes, suggesting breakout potential.

Davis Mattek identified Kyler Murray as the highest upside quarterback play early in the week, but later noted Murray threw three interceptions in the game being analyzed, which negatively impacted DFS performance. Mattek explicitly rules out Murray for cash game play, stating 'I'm not playing Kyler on cash. No,' indicating clear avoidance despite Murray appearing as the top optimal rate quarterback in FanDuel DFS simulations.

Davis Mattek adjusted Luther Burden III's target share to 26% and touchdown share to 23%, taking touches away from Khalif Raymond and Colston Loveland; Mattek agreed this was the correct allocation. Mattek lists Burden as one of his favorite plays for Week 4 and includes him in multiple lineup constructions. Mattek expresses hope that Burden finds the end zone, stating 'Does Luther Burden the third find the end zone today? I sure hope so,' indicating belief in red zone upside potential.

Davis Mattek prefers Tyler Higbee over Malik Washington in FFPC lineups and deprioritizes Washington in favor of Higbee, stating 'Higgby over Malik Washington,' indicating Higbee is the preferred tight end option. Mattek also prefers J.Mo over Malik Washington when seeking upside in Week 4 lineup decisions.

Nico Collins is going to be pretty big on FanDuel based on chat feedback, suggesting strong expected ownership and appeal in daily fantasy contests. The source has no interest in him for cash games on DraftKings, though notes he is probably fine as a general play and good for GPP (guaranteed prize pool) tournaments.

Davis Mattek expresses strong conviction in Parker Washington, stating 'Pwash is just uh he's too good, man' and 'I am not fading Lawrence and Parker Washington today.' Mattek checked Washington's inputs and assessed them as 'looking pretty pretty good on these inputs.' Washington is included in the chalk cash DFS lineup—the consensus build most establish-the-run users will play—positioning him as a core play in Week 4 cash contests. Mattek also expresses belief in Washington's upside ceiling, stating 'I think Pwash can go mega nuclear personally, dude,' indicating significant ceiling potential for the week.

Davis Mattek characterized Patrick Mahomes as a 'vintage Mahomes game,' suggesting strong upside for the week. Mattek identifies Mahomes as one of the top optimal rate quarterbacks in DFS simulations alongside Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Trevor Lawrence, and Brock Purdy. Mattek considered naked Mahomes (Mahomes alone without a complementary star receiver) as a viable DFS build strategy, noting that naked Mahomes teams simulate well despite initial skepticism. Mattek selects Mahomes as the quarterback for a red zone/high-upside tournament build.

Davis Mattek expresses strong conviction about playing Puka Nacua in DFS, stating 'I want to find a way to play Puka is is my big thing' and 'Puka is just so obviously a good play. I can't I cannot get away from playing Puka on these teams.' Constructs a specific lineup with Nacua at $7,500 salary, noting that playing him 'does feel like one that is going to be uh very evident.' Nacua's return from injury significantly changes the range of outcomes for Tyler Higbee. Mattek also checked Puka's receiving share and projected him for 17.6 DraftKings points, which he deemed accurate. Nacua will 'probably run about 75% of the routes,' providing solid usage metrics. Mattek lists Nacua as one of his favorite plays for Week 4 and features him prominently in multiple lineup constructions.

At $7,500 salary, Puka Nakua is flagged as an obvious fade in DFS cash games. The source states it 'does feel like one that is going to be uh very evident' to avoid, and explicitly will not play him in cash this week, though notes the pairing of Puka and Chase together could be fun in tournament lineups.

The source upgrades Rashee Rice into the cash DFS lineup, replacing Jaylen Waddle. Spends 28 dollars to acquire shares of Rice, indicating conviction in his Week 4 value at his DFS salary.

Davis Mattek expresses reluctance to play TJ Hockenson in cash DFS, stating 'I don't really want to play Hawinson' and noting that 'Hawinson's usage is it doesn't it doesn't really um doesn't really get um worse than that.' This indicates poor target share or snap count concerns for the tight end, making him undesirable for cash game construction.

Davis Mattek reviewed Chiefs target shares and noted that Kelce's share might be slightly higher than the runthesims.com projection. Mattek considers Kelce as a tight end option but expresses marginal preference, stating 'I think I'm going Kelsey over Higgby, but that one's real close,' indicating Kelce is the marginal preference despite Tyler Higbee being competitive. Mattek ultimately questions whether to 'IB the projections and play Higgby' before declining, suggesting uncertainty in the Kelce-Higbee decision.

Davis Mattek identifies Trey Harris as part of the top optimal DFS lineup in simulations, appearing in the optimal GPP lineup alongside Darnold Love, Chase Brown, JSN, Shaheed, Bowers, Aaron Jones, and Cardinals defense. However, Mattek explicitly notes 'Trey Harris not playable in cash, I don't think,' indicating Harris is not a cash game recommendation despite appearing in GPP simulations.

Ty Johnson is a forced starter due to injuries to Jadarian Price, Rico Dao, and Jonah Coleman. Davis Mattek expresses frustration about the situation, stating 'We are starting freaking Ty Johnson' and noting the team has multiple running backs out, indicating Johnson is an unattractive option due to limited talent and depth concerns.

Davis Mattek identifies Tyler Higbee as a strong DFS play in Week 4 with multiple layers of conviction. Mattek projects Higbee for 44.5 receiving yards and calls him 'a straight up like huge smash in fantasy football now,' indicating strong upside. Higbee appears in multiple lineup constructions Mattek is interested in and is repeatedly preferred over competing tight ends including Kyle Manungai, Colston Loveland, Malik Washington, and Malik Neighbors. Mattek credits Higbee with 'saving my season' in a spite league. However, Puka Nacua's return from injury 'changes the range of outcomes for Tyler Higgby um a good bit,' reducing his ceiling. Despite this, Mattek positions Higbee as the pivot option if needed, with projection line of 29.5 receiving yards and 3.5 receptions, suggesting he remains a better alternative to other tight end options.