National Football League

FanDuel NFL: Picks and Pivots for Week 4 Monday -Thursday

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:15 p.m. ET

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FanDuel NFL: Picks and Pivots for Week 4 (Monday Night – Thursday Night)

Welcome to the NFL edition of Picks and Pivots, a fantasy football column focused on helping you find the best FanDuel NFL lineup! The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

In Week 3, FanDuel has changed the game for us as we can no longer get exposure to the Monday night game through the Main Sunday slate but that does not mean we cannot play this game.

Fellow Fantasy CPR Expert, Matt Rogers introduced me to this Monday Night- Thursday Night two game slate last week and it is quickly becoming a favorite play for me.

Typically playing the Monday/Thursday night games became more of a strategic decision in how to weight ownership as the nationally televised games tended to be more heavily owned. As a result these became strategic fades for me most times, but by isolating these two games into one slate we get to enjoy these games and get some added fantasy football time!

So let’s get started on this two game slate and dig into the top FanDuel NFL plays from the Vikings-Giants and Cardinals-49ers!

Sep 11, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) warms up prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Bradford ($7,100): Looking over this slate, we are faced with two games that lack offensive fireworks and we have significant injury concerns that make it even more difficult to navigate.

Carson Palmer would have been the clear-cut top QB but left Sunday’s game with a concussion and on a short week it would seem likely he will not be cleared for Thursday night. So ultimately that leaves us with Sam Bradford versus Eli Manning (unless you really like Blaine Gabbert).

To me, this choice comes down to match up and the edge clearly goes to Bradford against the Giants. The Giants secondary is shredded right now by injury with FS Darian Thompson out and CB’s Eli Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie likely out as well. Without Adrian Peterson in the fold this is a spot where the Vikings will need to lean on Bradford to move the offense and at only $7,100 allows you the ability to spend up throughout your roster.

On the other side of this game, Eli Manning faces a Vikings defense that leads the NFL in hits and sacks and has limited Cam Newton and Aaron Rodgers to 1 TD and 4 INT’s over the past two weeks.

I am happy to take the slight discount and let others chase Eli in the one of the most difficult match ups a QB can have while locking in Bradford against a depleted New York secondary.

Oct 2, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) carries the ball during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

David Johnson ($8,700) makes for the absolute clear-cut top play on this small slate and should be the foundation for which you build all your lineups around. With so much value to be had across the board, paying up at running back to snag Johnson should be your first order of business on this two game slate.

The 49ers have given up 100 yards rushing to opposing backs in three straight weeks and with Carson Palmer likely out for Thursday, I expect Drew Stanton to feed the ball to Johnson who should be a workhorse for the Cardinals.

Carlos Hyde ($6,800): The running back options in the Monday Night game are not overly appealing as the Giants will likely be without Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen is on IR which will likely lead to a whole lot of Orleans Darkwa against a brutally tough Vikings run defense. On the other side, the Giants have been one of the best rushing defenses on this young season and I do not expect Jerick McKinnon to do much after only rushing for 45 yards last week.

This leaves us with Carlos Hyde and although the match up with Arizona is not ideal, Hyde has rushed for 175 yards the last two weeks including 3 rushing TD’s. Two games ago, Hyde rushed for over 100 yards against the tough Seattle Seahawks defense so we have recent history that Hyde can put up solid fantasy numbers in even tough spots!

Sep 18, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) catches a touchdown pass past Green Bay Packers cornerback Damarious Randall (23) in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Stefon Diggs ($7,100) may be my favorite WR on this slate and he makes for a great stacking option by pairing him with Sam Bradford as your QB.

Diggs started off the season strong, with 20 targets, 300 yards and a touchdown in the first two weeks. Diggs struggled last week, putting up only 4 catches for 40 yards but do not overlook the fact that Diggs was targeted 7 times in Week 3.

As mentioned, the Giants secondary is reeling right now and Diggs should be able to exploit this spot. Diggs runs nearly half his routes in the slot which is a spot that has already given opposing WR’s touchdowns in 2 of the last 3 weeks and with all the injuries in the New York secondary Diggs becomes a near must play on this slate.

Odell Beckham Jr. ($8,700): Although I may not want to have exposure to Eli Manning, I am happy to take his clear top target in the passing game as no WR on this slate has the elite upside that OBJ possess each week.

Odell is averaging 10 targets per game this season and gives you exposure to the Giants passing game without having to roster Manning. Although the Vikings defense is tough, they did give up 73 yards and a touchdown to Jordy Nelson in Week 2 which shows you that even in a tough spot, elite talent can still produce!

John Brown ($6,200): The Cardinals passing game is a complete question mark heading into Thursday and with rosters locking Monday Night, it is doubtful we will get any official word on who will start at QB. Regardless of the QB under center for Arizona, Brown has been on fire the last two weeks, racking up 27 targets as one of the top play makers on the Cardinals. After putting up 144 yards on Sunday, Brown is one of the better value options as his price does not reflect his Week 4 performance.

Oct 2, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; The Los Angeles Rams offense squares off against the Arizona Cardinals defense during the first half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Rudolph ($5,600): The Vikings passing game is a relatively simple formula as Stefon Diggs and Kyle Rudoph take up the majority of all passes thrown by Sam Bradford. Rudolph is coming off a 10 target game in Week 3 and has no fewer than 8 targets in nay game this season which makes Rudolph one of the safer plays at a relatively bare TE position.