This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Before jumping in headfirst into the whirlwind of fun that is Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football, be sure to differentiate from the variety of games offered. Since Head-to-Heads, 50/50s and Double Ups pay nearly half of entrants, your best bet to cashing is to target players with higher floors. Think heavily-targeted number one WRs, RBs who get the bulk of a team's carries and upper echelon QBs in match-ups with a tight Vegas point spread and a high total.
Tournaments / Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) require a bit more of your inner contrarian – target offensive players with higher ceilings in advantageous matchups. Huge point totals can come from the most unpredictable of places – the most obvious plays are not always the right ones. Though previous week's performances should be noted, each new week of action should be considered its own season. Don't chase last week's stats!
TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
Colin Kaepernick (SF, $26) - Wait. Don't X out of this just yet, hear me out. Kaepernick had an all-time stinker last week, getting picked by the Cardinals four times, finishing with just 67 passing yards on 19 attempts and a 3.2 QB-rating. He is in a bounce-back spot at home, in what lines up as the highest projected point total (48.5) of Week 4. Kaepernick has a history of stepping up against the Packers, the team he idolized growing up. It may have been eons ago, and with different defensive personnel (and better Niners o-line), but Kaep is 3-0 in his career against the Pack (two playoffs wins) and threw for his career-high (412 yards) against them in Week 1 of 2013. Kaepernick could just as easily get benched for Blaine Gabbert in this one as he could surprise us with a good performance. If he does make it through to the fourth quarter, a garbage-time scenario with deep threat Torrey Smith is certainly in play. Or maybe some nitty gritty, check-down city with Anquan Boldin. Not to mention the fantasy points Kaepernick can provide with his legs. If you're throwing multiple lineups in the NFL Million Dollar Baller, it behooves you to give him a shot in at least one lineup this week.
Melvin Gordon (SD, $20) - This is it. This is the breakout game for the Chargers' shifty and talented first-round back. It shapes up nicely in what is expected to be a contest with positive game flow for the Chargers, against a Browns squad ranking dead last against the run (158.3 YPG). Latavius Murray gashed the Browns last week to the tune of 139 yards and a touchdown, including a 54-yard burn. Woodhead has received all seven of the team's red zone carries this year, but Gordon has out-touched him (31 to 21) and is capable of taking a couple of them to the house from between the twenties. He had three carries of 20-plus yards against the Bengals in Week 2 and is averaging just under 15 carries through the first three games. Gordon is priced to profit this week and requires your full attention before setting tourney lineups this week.
T.Y. Hilton (IND, $27) - Far too often, fantasy football is a game of 'what have you done for me lately'. How soon we forget that Hilton amassed 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns on 82 receptions in route to WR1 status in season-long leagues. The price difference between Hilton and teammate Donte Moncrief ($25) this week is too close, and it would be criminal to overlook Hilton too hastily. Hilton saw seven targets in each of the last two weeks as he was recovering from a bruised knee. In Week 1, Hilton was targeted 14 times, and caught seven of those balls for 88 yards. Last season, Hilton had two games with at least 32 fantasy points, two other games with 20-plus, and four more games where he either pulled down 100 yards or scored a touchdown. With Hilton, you've got to pick your spots. At a heavily depressed cost, at home, against a division rival, and with an ace QB in Andrew Luck who plans to take back control of his team's season, there is no better place to stay this weekend than at the Hilton. Plug him in, then rest comfortably. Update: Andrew Luck was limited at practice on Wednesday with a possible right shoulder injury. Keep tabs on Luck this week before jumping on Colts receivers.
Other Against-the-Grainers:
QB: Blake Bortles (JAX, $26)
RB: Jonathan Stewart (CAR, $23), Lance Dunbar (DAL, $13)
WR: Anquan Boldin (SF, $22), Vincent Jackson (TB, $22), Nelson Agholor (PHI, $11)
TE: Coby Fleener (IND, $14)
DEF: Philadelphia Eagles ($13)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
Quarterback
Andy Dalton (CIN, $32) - Dalton will be a popular selection for Week 4 cash games as the Bengals offense has been firing on all cylinders. Dalton has an 8:1 TD:INT ratio through his first three games and is completing a career-high 66.3 percent of his throws, albeit, in a small sample. Most importantly, all of Dalton's weapons (A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, Marvin Jones, Giovani Bernard) are healthy. His 23.9 FPPG are tied for second (with Cam Newton, behind Aaron Rodgers) among Sunday's options. While Rodgers, Newton and Andrew Luck are all strong Sunday selections, you can't beat a bargain price that has yet to be properly adjusted for his recent performance. This should be a competitive matchup (-3.5 spread, 44 total), so don't expect the Chiefs secondary to lie down and allow another five touchdown passes, though. Simply put, Dalton is the best bang for our buck at QB this week – best not to overthink this spot.
Running Backs
Latavius Murray (OAK, $28) - Murray joins us for the second week in a row after posting the best outing of his young career last week with 139 Yds, 1 TD, 1 REC, 10 REC Yds (21.4 FP) against the defenseless Browns. Speaking of defenseless, this week's victim, the Bears, allowed Seahawks rookie Thomas Rawls to roll for 104 yards on 16 carries in Week 3. The Bears are the only team to have allowed 100 points against through the first three weeks, and are allowing 135.7 yards to opposing runners (28th in the NFL). The Bears defense has been further compromised, as they traded away veteran linebacker Jared Allen to the Panthers this week. Murray is the Raiders three-down back and provides added value on passing plays (68 yards on 11 receptions). This isn't a case of chasing last week's stats. We're playing an underpriced up-and-coming star running back in his prime with a juicy matchup.
Karlos Williams (BUF, $15) - Williams will be an easy choice in cash game lineups so long as LeSean McCoy (hamstring) does not suit up, as expected. The Bills fifth-round selection out of Florida State, Williams has out-produced McCoy so far (39.2 FP to 32.4) and has scored a touchdown in each of his first three games. He gashed a putrid Dolphins defense for 102 yards on 12 carries, including a 41-yard burst. The Giants have been stout against opposing backs (74.7 YPG, 3.4 YPC) but won't be able to sell out to stop the run with QB Tyrod Taylor proving to be a threat to scramble for a dozen at any given snap. If you think the Giants harness Williams like they did Redskins' rookie Matt Jones last week, fade him in your tourney lineups, but let him be in cash games for the nearly bottom-barrel price.
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones (ATL, $38) - With Antonio Brown now down his starting quarterback, Jones is the undisputed top option at wide receiver for Week 4 cash games. He'd likely fit the bill as top dog regardless, leading the free fantasy world with 28.3 FPPG. The Falcons are favored at home (-6.5) with the third highest projected point total (47) of Week 4. The Texans will likely be rolling double coverage on Jones, especially with Roddy White ineffective and target-less in his last two outings. But Jones appears to be unstoppable and matchup-proof. Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph has been solid thus far, but the 31-year-old isn't as spry as he once was (are any of us?) and gives up nearly four inches and 35 pounds to the overpowering Falcons wideout. If you lose your cash games this week, it won't be because of Julio Jones.
Demaryius Thomas (DEN, $32) - Should you choose to save on Julio Jones' pricey tag, or go with two big WRs, the incredibly consistent Thomas is your man. Thomas is the only receiver in football with 90 receptions, 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons. Though it took Thomas three games to catch his first touchdown pass this season, he has seen double-digit targets in every one of them (11, 14, 13). The Vikings' cornerbacks are solid, but one suffered a concussion last week (Xavier Rhodes) and the other (Terence Newman) is old and slow (for a 37-year-old, of course). We can count on one hand receivers who have weekly multi-touchdown upside, and Jones and Thomas sit atop that list.
Allen Hurns (JAX, $15) - With stud wideout Allen Robinson likely set to tango with Colts shutdown corner Vontae Davis, the stage may be set for a handful of targets and a possible trip to the end zone for Hurns this Sunday. The divisional matchup between the Jaguars and Colts boasts the second highest projected point total (48) and sets up a potential fourth-quarter garbage time (Colts favored by 7.5) for Blake Bortles and company. Hurns was relatively quiet against the Patriots last week until Bortles connected with Hurns on a 59-yard bomb in the third quarter. Though Hurns usually fits better as a tournament play most weeks, the sub-$20 options we can rely on are far and few between (and they're cheap for a reason). A stars-and-scrubs approach this week could bode well with Hurns falling in as our third receiver in cash game lineups.
Tight End
Jordan Reed (WAS, $20) - Greg Olsencame through last week (8 Rec, 134 Yds, 2 TD for 29.4 FP), but this week's matchup against a porous Bucs run D feels like a game for Jonathan Stewart to get back on track. Cam Newton steals goal-line runs as well (five rushing touchdowns in his last six regular season games) and the Panthers are projected for just 21 points in the lowest over/under (39.5) of the week. Though Olsen is the offensive focal point, this Week 4 matchup may very well be a point-chasing situation. Pivoting to the cheaper, reliable Reed should work in our favor this week. Reed has at least six receptions in every game so far with Yahoo fantasy point totals of 12.6, 11.2 and 15.8. The Eagles are stingy against opposing tight ends and have yet to allow one to score, but haven't faced a worthy TE outside of Jason Witten in Week 2. The Redskins improved defense should keep this game close. Expect quarterback Kirk Cousins to connect with Reed in the end zone at least once this week.
Defense/Special Teams
Seattle Seahawks ($15) - Call me cheap, but I'll save two bucks off my favorite defense of the week (Denver Broncos, $17) and go with the field on this one. The Broncos have the highest FPPG through three weeks (17.7) as well as a juicy matchup at home against Teddy Bridgewater. The Seahawks accrued 18 FP in the season opener, 19 FP in last week's shutout of the Bears and get another home game against Lions' QB Matthew Stafford (5 INT in three games). Kam Chancellor is back and wreaking havoc. It's another good spot for the Seahawks, so we take what the expected game script give us.
Honorable Mentions:
QB: Cam Newton (CAR, $38)
RB: Matt Forte (CHI, $35), Frank Gore (IND, $22)
WR: A.J. Green (CIN, $30), Jordan Matthews (PHI, $27), Steve Johnson (SD, $18)
TE: Travis Kelce (KC, $24)
DEF: Denver Broncos ($17)
