Three weeks into the NFL season, we now have enough information to begin trusting genuine usage trends, while Draftstars salaries are still adjusting to changing roles and injuries. Week 4 also provides several clear game environments to build around rather than simply searching for nine individual players with strong projections.
The obvious starting point is Jacksonville @ Cincinnati, which carries the highest total on the slate at 51.5 points. Jacksonville enters averaging 27.0 points per game, while Trevor Lawrence has thrown seven touchdowns through three weeks. Cowboys @ Texans is another game I want exposure to, particularly with Nico Collins returning to Houston's offense after missing the past two weeks.
There is also significant value emerging in Minnesota. Justin Jefferson has been ruled out against Miami, creating additional opportunity for Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson against a Dolphins defence that has struggled badly through three games.
As was the case last week, the aim isn't simply to identify good players. It's to construct lineups where multiple selections can benefit from the same result. Let's get stuck into it!
Also the NFL Star returns at Draftstars this year with $60,000 up for grabs! You can find out all the important NFL Star details here.
NFL 2026-27 Daily Fantasy Tips: Week 4
Quarterbacks
Trevor Lawrence - $15,940
Trevor Lawrence is my preferred way to begin attacking the highest totalled game on the slate.
Jacksonville's offense has made an excellent start, ranking tenth in scoring at 27.0 points per game and fifth in offensive success rate. Lawrence has thrown seven touchdowns against only two interceptions, averaging 7.6 yards per attempt with a 107.8 passer rating. Jacksonville has also been aggressive downfield, with Lawrence leading qualified quarterbacks in the percentage of throws travelling between 10 and 20 yards.
The appeal extends beyond Lawrence individually. Parker Washington leads Jacksonville in receptions, yards, and touchdowns, while Jakobi Meyers emerged with seven receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown last week.
At $15,940, Lawrence gives us affordable access to the 51.5-point total. Washington is the obvious stacking partner, but Meyers provides a considerably cheaper alternative if we need salary elsewhere.
C.J. Stroud - $13,650
C.J. Stroud hasn't started the season particularly well, but that's reflected in a very appealing $13,650 salary.
The more important development this week is the return of Nico Collins. Houston's offense struggled without its WR1 over the past two games, while Collins opened the season with seven receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. He practiced fully on Friday and has been removed from the injury report.
Dallas provides an opportunity for Stroud to rebound. The Cowboys have allowed the second highest passing success rate and EPA per dropback through three games, creating a far more appealing matchup than Stroud's early season numbers might suggest.
The construction is straightforward: Stroud-Collins with CeeDee Lamb coming back on the other side. At Stroud's salary, we can attack that game without sacrificing the rest of the lineup.
QB Strategy
Lawrence and Stroud both make considerably more sense as components of stacks than isolated quarterback selections.
Lawrence can be paired with Washington or Meyers before using Tee Higgins as a Cincinnati bring back. Stroud naturally fits alongside Collins and Lamb, effectively betting that Dallas-Houston develops into the second major passing environment on the slate.
Lawrence offers the stronger early season form; Stroud offers the salary discount and arguably the cleaner and less expensive three player construction. I'm happy letting the rest of the lineup determine which direction I take.
Running Backs
Derrick Henry - $18,060
Derrick Henry is the expensive standalone running back I'm interested in this week, with Baltimore hosting winless Tennessee.
The attraction is largely game state driven. Baltimore is a sizeable home favourite, creating exactly the environment where Henry can accumulate carries rather than relying on receiving production. Tennessee's struggling offense also increases the possibility Baltimore establishes control early and leans heavily on its running game.
At $18,060, Henry needs more than simply a solid afternoon, but his multi-touchdown ceiling remains among the highest at the position. Unlike several of the selections this week, I don't need to force correlation around him. Henry can sit comfortably within a lineup built around Jacksonville-Cincinnati or Dallas-Houston, and the King’s first game against his old team adds another narrative to the selection.
D'Andre Swift - $13,200
D'Andre Swift offers a mid-range alternative as Chicago hosts the Jets.
Swift's receiving involvement continues to make him useful in Draftstars because his production isn't completely dependent on Chicago playing from ahead. The Bears enter as home favourites, however, giving him the potential combination of rushing volume and receiving work we're looking for.
At $13,200, he occupies a useful salary tier between the premium backs and genuine value options.
He's particularly appealing in builds where we're paying for Lamb or Collins at receiver but don't want to drop all the way down to a speculative running back. Swift doesn't necessarily need to become the centrepiece of the lineup; he provides a balanced path through the position.
Jeremiyah Love - $14,030
This is the selection where Week 3 usage matters enormously.
Love handled 21 carries to Tyler Allgeier's two against San Francisco, rushing for 90 yards while catching all five of his targets for another 19 yards and a touchdown. His 26 touches were more than he received across the opening two games combined. Arizona hasn't formally declared the backfield exclusively his, but even the Cardinals' own coverage acknowledged the growing reality that Love has become the guy in that room.
That's precisely the type of role change we want to identify before Draftstars completely adjusts.
Love now gets the Giants at $14,030. If Week 3 represents his workload going forward, we're paying a mid-range salary for a back with 20-plus carry potential who also demonstrated legitimate passing game involvement.
RB Strategy
Henry gives us the premium game script play, Swift offers balance, while Love is my favourite role change selection.
Importantly, running back doesn't need to correlate directly with our primary stacks this week. The expensive passing combinations are concentrated around Jacksonville-Cincinnati and Houston-Dallas, so finding backs capable of producing independently makes sense.
The suggested lineup takes that even further, pairing Love with the cheaper Braelon Allen, with Allen assumed to take up the RB1 role at the Jets this week with Breece Hall out. That sacrifices some certainty at RB but creates the salary required to attack multiple receiving situations elsewhere.
Wide Receivers
CeeDee Lamb - $15,640
CeeDee Lamb has re-established himself as the focal point of Dallas' passing game, entering Week 4 after consecutive 100-yard performances, and averaging a touchdown per game through the opening three weeks.
Houston's defence presents a tougher challenge than many matchups on the slate, but the Texans have still allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game. Lamb's ability to move around the formation also makes it difficult for Houston to simply assign one defender to remove him.
More importantly, Lamb is my preferred bring back for Stroud-Collins constructions.
If Houston's passing game finally gets moving again with Collins back, Dallas should be encouraged to remain aggressive. Rather than hoping Lamb produces independently, we're building a lineup where his ceiling supports the same game environment as our quarterback.
Nico Collins - $14,700
Nico Collins returns at exactly the right time for Houston.
Collins missed the past two games with a hamstring injury but practiced fully Friday and carries no injury designation. Before going down, he opened the season with seven catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Houston's passing game has badly missed its primary downfield weapon since.
At $14,700, we're also getting a slight uncertainty discount because of the missed games.
Collins becomes my obvious pairing with Stroud, with Lamb coming back from Dallas. That three-player combination doesn't require an enormous shootout; it simply needs Houston's passing offense to rebound and Dallas to answer through its primary receiver.
Jakobi Meyers - $8,870
Jakobi Meyers is a very different recommendation. I'm not viewing Meyers as a core WR1 or WR2 play. He's a WR3/FLX salary saver who provides cheap access to the highest totalled game on the slate.
Parker Washington remains Lawrence's primary Jacksonville target, leading the team with 15 receptions, 221 yards and two touchdowns. But Meyers led the Jaguars last week with eight targets, catching seven for 64 yards and a touchdown.
If Washington isn't in the lineup, Meyers is the inexpensive alternative. He can complete a Lawrence stack or operate as the Jacksonville bring-back against Cincinnati pieces. At $8,870, he also creates the salary necessary to fit players such as Lamb and Collins elsewhere.
WR Strategy
This is where Week 4 lineup construction really comes together.
Lamb and Collins naturally belong together in Stroud builds. Meyers belongs in Jacksonville-Cincinnati constructions rather than being treated as an isolated value receiver.
The suggested lineup adds another layer through Tee Higgins and Jordan Addison. Higgins provides Cincinnati exposure opposite Meyers in the 51.5-total game, while Addison attacks an injury created role that Draftstars hasn't fully repriced.
We're therefore getting exposure to multiple attractive environments without simply selecting three unrelated receivers.
Tight Ends
Travis Kelce - $10,580
Travis Kelce is once again a premium selection at tight end, particularly when considering Kansas City stacks outside the primary builds discussed above.
The Chiefs travel to Las Vegas, and Kelce remains Patrick Mahomes' most established option over the middle and around the red zone. His $10,580 salary is also considerably easier to accommodate than paying premium prices with the likes of McBride, Bowers, and Kincaid.
Kelce works as a standalone tight end, but I'd still prefer using him when I'm intentionally increasing exposure to Kansas City's offense.
With plenty of cheaper receiver options available this week, paying up at TE is entirely viable.
T.J. Hockenson - $7,580
Hockenson is probably the more interesting selection because Justin Jefferson is officially out.
Jefferson suffered an ankle sprain early against Tampa Bay and will miss Sunday's game against Miami. Jordan Addison immediately became Minnesota's primary receiver after Jefferson left, catching five of nine targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. Minnesota is expected to lean more heavily on both Addison and Hockenson this week.
The matchup helps enormously. Miami has allowed an 80.3% completion rate through three games and has struggled to generate pressure.
At only $7,580, Hockenson provides inexpensive exposure to targets that suddenly need redistributing. Pairing him with Addison is also completely viable if we're betting on Minnesota's passing game concentrating around its two established weapons.
TE Strategy
Kelce provides the established premium profile; Hockenson gives us injury created value.
For this particular slate, I'm leaning towards Hockenson because the salary difference helps us construct the more expensive game stacks elsewhere. Addison-Hockenson is also an interesting mini-stack despite sharing the same offense because Jefferson leaves such a significant target vacuum.
If salary isn't an issue, Kelce remains perfectly viable. But Hockenson fits the overall Week 4 construction exceptionally well.
Defence / Special Teams
Minnesota Vikings - $7,430
Minnesota is expensive, but the early season defensive numbers are outstanding.
The Vikings have allowed only 13.7 points per game, while Brian Flores' defence has generated relentless pressure. Minnesota enters Week 4 among the league leaders in sacks and pressure and has already forced six turnovers.
Miami arrives 0-3 with an offense sitting near the bottom of the league, creating another strong environment for Flores to remain aggressive.
The $7,430 salary is significant, but Minnesota offers genuine sack and turnover upside rather than simply relying on keeping the score low. Likely finishes in the top 2 in this slate.
Buffalo Bills - $5,580
Buffalo is the more interesting roster construction option.
New England has struggled offensively, and this is also a divisional road matchup against a Buffalo team favoured by around a touchdown.
The game state thesis is simple. If Buffalo establishes an early lead, New England is forced into increased passing volume. More dropbacks mean more opportunities for sacks, interceptions, and fumbles.
At only $5,580, Buffalo doesn't need to completely shut New England down. It needs the Bills offense to create a situation where the Patriots become predictable.
D/ST Strategy
Minnesota is the stronger standalone defensive selection, while Buffalo is the better roster construction play.
That's why Buffalo appears in the suggested lineup. Saving $1,850 from Minnesota creates meaningful flexibility elsewhere, particularly when we're attempting to fit Lamb, Higgins, and several correlated pieces together.
Defence remains volatile enough that I'm generally happy accepting additional risk if the salary materially improves the offensive ceiling of the lineup.
Slate Strategy & Roster Construction
Week 4 gives us two primary games I want to attack.
Jacksonville-Cincinnati carries the slate-high 51.5 total. Lawrence can be paired with Washington or the cheaper Meyers, while Higgins or Chase provide natural Bengals bring-back options. The suggested lineup uses Higgins-Meyers as a secondary correlation rather than paying for Lawrence, allowing us to attack the game without committing three premium salaries.
Dallas-Houston provides the other major construction. Stroud at $13,650 is inexpensive enough to pair with Collins before bringing Lamb back from Dallas. Collins returning is the key: we're betting that Houston's passing game looks materially different with its WR1 restored.
Then we have Minnesota. Jefferson's absence creates value through Addison and Hockenson without requiring us to build the entire lineup around Vikings-Dolphins, with the game script likely not allowing the Dolphins a bring back option. Addison became Minnesota's clear WR1 once Jefferson exited last week, while Hockenson should also benefit from the redistributed targets.
That's what I like about the suggested team. Stroud-Lamb creates the primary Dallas-Houston correlation. Higgins-Meyers attacks the highest-total game. Addison-Hockenson attacks the Jefferson injury. Love provides a potential workhorse at a salary that hasn't completely adjusted, while Braelon Allen and Buffalo D/ST provide the savings required to make everything fit.
Every selection doesn't need to correlate with the quarterback. But most selections should have a reason for occupying that particular lineup.
Final Thoughts
The further we move into the season, the less interested I become in constructing Draftstars teams as collections of individual player projections.
This week provides several clear stories.
Jacksonville-Cincinnati could justify its high total. Houston could rebound offensively with Collins returning, forcing Dallas to respond through Lamb. Minnesota's passing volume could become heavily concentrated around Addison and Hockenson without Jefferson. Love's Week 3 workload could represent a genuine changing of the guard in Arizona's backfield.
We don't need all of those things to happen in every lineup. We need to decide which outcomes we're betting on and build accordingly.
The suggested lineup does exactly that: Stroud-Lamb, Higgins-Meyers and Addison-Hockenson create three separate pieces of correlation, while Love, Allen and Buffalo provide the workload and salary structure around them.
Don't just chase last week's points. Chase this week's opportunity, and build a lineup where the pieces work together.
Suggested NFL Draftstars Lineup
