Week 4 features another massive 13-game main DraftKings NFL slate on Sunday afternoon. The player pool does not include the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers or Las Vegas Raiders since those six teams are playing in primetime.
It’s a very well-stocked pool of RB options for the week, although there are some key injury situations to keep close tabs on for the Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets. After three weeks, we’re starting to get a good idea of what to expect from backfield rotations and which opponents provide favorable matchups. Listed below are the RBs that I think will return the best value at their price point and their opportunity projections for Week 4.
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Studs
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers at Green Bay Packers, $6,800
Harris was in my picks last week partly due to his increased role in the passing game, but I didn’t think he’d go off quite that much. The rookie finished as the No. 1 RB in Week 3, racking up an impressive 31.2 DKFP despite not finding the end zone. He only had 40 rushing yards on 14 attempts but set a new NFL record for RB with 19 targets, converting 14 into catches for 102 yards. Harris had 16 carries and one catch in Week 1 followed by 10 carries and five catches in Week 2. He has played an astounding 96.4% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps and is one of the few remaining truly every-down options. His huge workload makes him low-risk since he’ll be involved regardless of game script, and he hasn’t even hit his ceiling yet since he only has one touchdown on the year. When he starts adding scores, he should quickly vault to the top tier of elite options.
Projections
Rushing: 16 attempts
Receiving: 9 Targets; 6 Receptions
Total: 22 Touches
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers at Dallas Cowboys, $5,900
With Christian McCaffrey (hamstring) expected to miss multiple weeks, Hubbard is primed to step up as the top RB in Carolina. Last season, current Falcon Mike Davis ($5,100) got plenty of volume as a direct replacement for CMC in the feature-back role, and it looks like Hubbard will get his chance to do the same this season. He had 52 yards on 11 carries against Houston in Week 3 and also had three catches for 27 more yards. Despite the Cowboys’ defensive improvement, Hubbard stepping into such a prominent role definitely deserves attention.
Projections
Rushing: 15 attempts
Receiving: 5 Targets; 4 Receptions
Total: 19 Touches
David Montgomery, Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions, $5,800
Last week was a disaster on offense for the Bears with rookie Justin Fields ($5,200) struggling in his first NFL start. While Fields, Andy Dalton ($5,300; knee) and Nick Foles ($5,100) are all potential starters, the real answer to getting the offense back on track may be giving the ball to Montgomery more and relying on the running attack. He only managed 7.5 DKFP on 10 carries against the Browns, but he’s in a great spot to bounce back against the Lions, who have allowed an average of 92.7 rushing yards per week to opposing RBs along with a league-high six RB touchdowns.
Projections
Rushing: 18 attempts
Receiving: 5 Targets; 3 Receptions
Total: 21 Touches
Values
Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts at Miami Dolphins, $4,900
Hines had his first touchdown of the season in Week 3 against the Titans and finished with 18.9 DKFP. He has played 45.6% of the team’s snaps while sharing time fairly evenly with Jonathan Taylor ($6,300). Hines is typically involved in passing situations and was second on the team last week in catches and receiving yards. With the Colts still expected to be missing T.Y. Hilton (neck), Hines should stay busy this week and gets a great matchup against the Dolphins, who were just trampled by Peyton Barber last week.
Projections
Rushing: 8 attempts
Receiving: 8 Targets; 5 Receptions
Total: 13 Touches
Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Football Team, $4,900
The Falcons continue to use Patterson as their change-of-pace RB and a hybrid WR option. In Week 2, He found the end zone twice and delivered 23.9 DKFP as the No. 5 RB and followed that up with six catches and 16.2 DKFP against the Giants in Week 3. He also had exactly seven carries in each of his first three games with the Falcons and should continue to bring both a high ceiling and a high floor due to his steady involvement and PPR safety net.
Projections
Rushing: 7 attempts
Receiving: 6 Targets; 5 Receptions
Total: 12 Touches
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs, $4,300
Like Patterson, Gainwell has worked himself into a well-established role. He’s playing about a third of the Eagles’ offensive snaps and brings skills as a receiver and pass protector while also offering some splash potential on the edge. He didn’t break free for a big gain but still produced 6.4 DKFP against the Cowboys last Monday and is averaging a solid 8.6 DKFP over three weeks. He’s very involved in the hurry-up and two-minute offense, which may mean he’ll be busier this week against the Chiefs depending on game flow.
Projections
Rushing: 6 attempts
Receiving: 5 Targets; 3 Receptions
Total: 9 Touches
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