Daily Fantasy Football Week 4: Winners, Losers and Best Picks

Another week, another chance for daily fantasy football owners to forget LeSean McCoy and DeMarco Murray and ride Joseph Randle to the promised land.

So it goes three weeks into a wild season for owners. Below, let's sort through the remnants of Week 3 quicker than a referee can figure out what a catch is and look ahead to Week 4 in this week's edition of winners, losers and best picks.

What Went Great Last Week

DraftKings.com.

Monday Night Football madness, of course. Anytime Las Vegas puts a high over-under on a game featuring the league's best quarterback and probably the best back, it's stack time, grabbing those guys and the signal-caller's favorite wideout for good measure.

Mike Evans at $6,600 was a slick play given his injury woes to start the season. So too was Brandon Marshall at $6,200 once he got over his butterfingers and failed lateral attempts. 

Seriously, just looking at the screen grab had us pulling our hair out before he got it together with Eric Decker not around to steal his targets:

Wideouts continue to make or break lineups, so finding those guys who will soak up a ton of targets, maybe while playing from behind with iffy quarterbacks looks like the way to go.

What Went Hilariously Bad

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Whoops.

In theory, at last to me, Eddie Royal looked like a great play. What could go wrong with Alshon Jeffery out of the lineup and Jimmy Clausen under center in Seattle? Everything, obviously.

At least many owners felt the same as me when it came to Matt Jones. Alfred Morris' plodding ways hadn't seen him hit a home run in the end zone all season, but Jay Gruden did what Jay Gruden does and ran his talented rookie just 11 times, partially because the guy has two fumbles his last two times out.

The good news? Major whiffs on punts such as those two are manageable hurdles, as they didn't stop the lineup from finishing in the money.

Tweets of the Week

"

DAL RB Joseph Randle is the first @dallascowboys player with 3 rushing TD in the first half of a game since Ron Springs in Week 2 of 1981.

— B/R Insights (@BR_Insights) September 27, 2015"

Must-Have Sleeper for Week 4

David Richard/Associated Press

It's Derek Carr time, folks. 

Yeah, it's never fun to take a lesser-known name, but think about the cash one could spend elsewhere with Carr at a cool $5,300. That's $2,500 cheaper than Andrew Luck, who has yet to break the 20-point barrier. Or $2,100 cheaper than Drew Brees, whose arm resembled a limp noodle the last time he actually took the field.

You get the idea. Carr got injured in Week 1 but since has 30.34 and 23.46-point performances. He's got a yards-after-catch monster by the name of Amari Cooper, one of the league's most underrated targets in Michael Crabtree and a pass-catching back by the name of Latavius Murray.

Oh, and he's also got a matchup with the Bears, a team that has already allowed 709 yards and eight touchdowns to quarterbacks and is already hosting a fire sale that would make Tobias Funke blush.

Question of the Week

When do you fade big-name backs?

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

There's a theory out there that says always start stars no matter what, but it applies to a select few.

For example, I've been fading Jeremy Hill, Marshawn Lynch and DeMarco Murray all season. Hill's struggling with fumbles and in a situation where the staff doesn't mind rolling with the "backup," Giovani Bernard.

Last week it didn't make sense to roll with Beast Mode, not on an iffy hamstring against the Bears (he carried five times in a 26-0 knee-slapper). Murray is hobbled and now Ryan Mathews went off. And Chip Kelly's either a mad genius or on his way back to the collegiate level.

Due to the nature of the position, a big name doesn't mean much anymore. There's plenty of predictable value down the board, hence Devonta Freeman exploding for 45.3 points at $4,600 last week. Maybe an extreme example, but fading a recognizable back isn't some big no-no like it used to be.

DFS Fantasy Zen Moment

It's no butt fumble, but you knew it was coming. 

My Lineup

DraftKings.com.

I'm going to ignore one of fantasy's most important rules—don't chase last week's production.

Really, I'm not sure it even qualifies here with the Carr-Cooper stack at a smooth price. The two combined for 46.86 points last week against Joe Haden and Cleveland on the road, and both have gone for more than 20 points in two straight games.

Besides, even if it blows up in my face, which it shouldn't against the Bears, look at the cash it freed up elsewhere. I get every-down back with no competition Matt Forte against the Raiders.

Also aboard is Frank Gore, whom the Indianapolis coaching staff decided to admit existed last week just in time for a date with Jacksonville, which just gave up three scores to LeGarrette Blount.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Then there's Julio Jones, who averages 37 points per game. He's going against one of fantasy's worst defenses against wideouts. So is Donte Moncrief at a cool price.

At tight end, the Raiders just let in-line blocker Gary Barnidge score 25.5 points, making Martellus Bennett a no-brainer.

My flex is a punt with Victor Cruz, who makes his season debut this weekend against a Buffalo defense that has already surrendered five touchdowns to wideouts. New York figures to be playing from behind, which means plenty of chances for Cruz to strike a salsa. 

Good luck to all this week. Feel free to comment below with any questions; there's a chance it will appear in-depth in next week's column. 

Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise specified.