I got up very early this morning to write and post this column. But life got in the way, in the form of three kids 6-and-under waking up earlier than expected. More than 90 minutes later, I'm taking a break to get this piece out. They're currently all crowded around me. One's in my face. One's trying to type on the keyboard. The other's asking to see a picture of a lion on my phone. If you're a parent, you get it.
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My DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week changes throughout each week, usually right up until Sunday morning. When I went to sleep last night, I was still banking on a Stafford-Golladay stack, loved Todd Gurley's cheap price tag, and was prepared to roll with the Broncos because I had $4,100 remaining, and they cost $4,100.
But there are not contingencies to 50/50's. Gotta go with whoever's safe and capable, because once I click "publish," that's it.
So Matthew Stafford's out due to a bum hip (which one report suggests is a far more serious back issue), meaning I can't trust the guy I thought would be a top-3 receiver this week, Kenny Golladay. And that's set off a chain reaction that's upended more than half the lineup.
So here's my official Week 4 DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week. As always, it's based on FanDuel pricing. If you use some other DFS site and are over-budget, you could probably downgrade at QB to Jared Goff or Daniel Jones and still be safe.
QB Lamar Jackson ($8,300) -- After dismissing him all summer, I'm admitting defeat. Jackson is the new Cam Newton: aside from Patrick Mahomes, he might have the lowest floor in fantasy football.
RB Marlon Mack ($7,300) -- This week's RB slots are the toughest to fill. The elite RBs have tough matchups, Austin Ekeler's role is now less clear, and I can't lean on Saquon Barkley as I have many weeks this past year. Melvin Gordon ($4,500) would be an insanely good pick, except he's no guarantee to earn more than 6-8 touches. CMC would be solid, but he's also the most expensive option out there. So I'm going with Mack against a soft Oakland D, particularly in light of T.Y. Hilton's "doubtful" status, which makes Mack more of an offensive centerpiece.
RB Derrick Henry ($7,000) -- There will be regret of the slightly cheaper Todd Gurley comfortably outperforms Henry. I keep going back and forth. In fact, while writing that last sentence, I took a moment to seriously considered switching out Henry and rewriting this paragraph. But I love his floor as a bellcow and like his upside as, quite simply, a talented back facing a middling defense.
WR DeAndre Hopkins ($8,700) -- 50/50's can be won with one dominant performance. Hopkins is primed for a breakout after two straight muted games.
WR Keenan Allen ($8,100) -- Last Sunday I joked my opponent should bench Allen. He destroyed Houston as expected. With Mike Williams and Travis Benjamin sidelined, it's hard to imagine Allen crashing back to earth against the sub-hapless Dolphins.
WR Dontrelle Inman ($4,800) -- Six targets are realistic. A 4-50 line is very realistic. I'd take those numbers at this price.
TE Evan Engram ($6,800) -- Another likely blow-up for this top-3 fantasy tight end.
FLEX Paul Richardson ($4,700) -- Whether or not Terry McLaurin plays, Richardson is facing a bad Giants D and already has rapport with Case Keenum.
DST Rams ($4,300) -- Jameis Winston has averaged more than one interception per game during his career. Tampa Bay's running game is sub-par. The Rams' D is quite good. That's enough for me.
Good luck today.
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My DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week changes throughout each week, usually right up until Sunday morning. When I went to sleep last night, I was still banking on a Stafford-Golladay stack, loved Todd Gurley's cheap price tag, and was prepared to roll with the Broncos because I had $4,100 remaining, and they cost $4,100.
But there are not contingencies to 50/50's. Gotta go with whoever's safe and capable, because once I click "publish," that's it.
So Matthew Stafford's out due to a bum hip (which one report suggests is a far more serious back issue), meaning I can't trust the guy I thought would be a top-3 receiver this week, Kenny Golladay. And that's set off a chain reaction that's upended more than half the lineup.
So here's my official Week 4 DFS 50/50 Lineup of the Week. As always, it's based on FanDuel pricing. If you use some other DFS site and are over-budget, you could probably downgrade at QB to Jared Goff or Daniel Jones and still be safe.
QB Lamar Jackson ($8,300) -- After dismissing him all summer, I'm admitting defeat. Jackson is the new Cam Newton: aside from Patrick Mahomes, he might have the lowest floor in fantasy football.
RB Marlon Mack ($7,300) -- This week's RB slots are the toughest to fill. The elite RBs have tough matchups, Austin Ekeler's role is now less clear, and I can't lean on Saquon Barkley as I have many weeks this past year. Melvin Gordon ($4,500) would be an insanely good pick, except he's no guarantee to earn more than 6-8 touches. CMC would be solid, but he's also the most expensive option out there. So I'm going with Mack against a soft Oakland D, particularly in light of T.Y. Hilton's "doubtful" status, which makes Mack more of an offensive centerpiece.
RB Derrick Henry ($7,000) -- There will be regret of the slightly cheaper Todd Gurley comfortably outperforms Henry. I keep going back and forth. In fact, while writing that last sentence, I took a moment to seriously considered switching out Henry and rewriting this paragraph. But I love his floor as a bellcow and like his upside as, quite simply, a talented back facing a middling defense.
WR DeAndre Hopkins ($8,700) -- 50/50's can be won with one dominant performance. Hopkins is primed for a breakout after two straight muted games.
WR Keenan Allen ($8,100) -- Last Sunday I joked my opponent should bench Allen. He destroyed Houston as expected. With Mike Williams and Travis Benjamin sidelined, it's hard to imagine Allen crashing back to earth against the sub-hapless Dolphins.
WR Dontrelle Inman ($4,800) -- Six targets are realistic. A 4-50 line is very realistic. I'd take those numbers at this price.
TE Evan Engram ($6,800) -- Another likely blow-up for this top-3 fantasy tight end.
FLEX Paul Richardson ($4,700) -- Whether or not Terry McLaurin plays, Richardson is facing a bad Giants D and already has rapport with Case Keenum.
DST Rams ($4,300) -- Jameis Winston has averaged more than one interception per game during his career. Tampa Bay's running game is sub-par. The Rams' D is quite good. That's enough for me.
Good luck today.