Yahoo NFL – Daily fantasy football: Week four picks
By Raju Byfield
Yahoo NFL: Lamar Jackson ($37 salary)
After the first two weeks of the season Lamar Jackson was the QB1 in fantasy. Week 3 saw him put more than 10 less fantasy points on the board than he did in Week 1, but he still finished with a solid 21.28 points. Facing the Cleveland Browns in Week 4 appears to put Jackson on track for another 30 point fantasy outing.
The Browns top corners did not practice all week and appear to be in danger of missing this weekend’s contest. Jackson’s salary continues to spike ($26/$31/$36 over last three weeks) and it is getting harder and harder to fit him into lineups. With that said his upside is monumental and he has a home game against a team ravaged by injuries. Jackson should at least be considered for lineups this weekend.
Yahoo NFL: Mark Ingram ($24 salary)
Cleveland’s defensive front has been locked in this season and have allowed just 3.71 ypc against on the season. Digging deeper into the numbers reveals that they relinquished 4.42 yards per carry and a touchdown by ground and air to Derrick Henry.
They had success against Le’Veon Bell who was the only player on the field they needed to worry about stopping. They also had success against a Todd Gurley who does not appear to be playing at 100 percent. Mark Ingram is fifth in the league in rushing yards, third among backs with more than 20 carries with a six yards per carry average, and is third with 12 broken tackles.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Ingram’s broken tackle percentage is higher (27.3 to 26.3) than Dalvin Cook’s. Ingram has been priced peculiarly based on his success and the plus matchup on tap this weekend. Ingram should be considered for all lineups this weekend at Yahoo.
Yahoo NFL: Dalvin Cook ($37 salary)
Dalvin Cook has been unbelievable this season. The second coming of Purple Jesus through the first three weeks of the season, Cook is building a legend all his own. If he can run wild on Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears he will prove that he is match-up proof.
His salary may keep him out of many lineups, especially when this weeks opponent is factored in. The Bears have allowed just 3.2 yards per carry on the season.
Cook leads the league in broken tackles with 15, and his 220 yards after contact are more than all but nine running backs in the NFL have in total. To put this in context, he has more yards after contact than Aaron Jones, Leonard Fournette, Royce Freeman, Phillip Lindsay, Le’Veon Bell, and Adrian Peterson have on the year.
The Bears look like a tough defense on paper, but were gashed by the lone running back they faced this season that had been in consistent good form.
Royce Freeman dropped 4.9 yards per carry on them and finished the afternoon with 102 yards from scrimmage on 16 touches. The Bears’ defense is still one of the league’s most formidable, but they may not be as good as they first appear on paper.