Lineup Breakdown: Analysis of Week 4 Winning Lineups

Our big winner this week was “brettrau24," who has won 382 total games on FanDuel, with just 108 of those wins coming in NFL action. There were just a few players on this roster that were less than 10% owned, and there was a difference of just 1.5 FP between 1st and 2nd place. Unfortunately for 2nd place finisher “mcmagin," that difference was worth $650,000!. This lineup was a combination of low ownership and solid performances. Let's break down the winning lineup:

QB – Philip Rivers ($7,400) vs. Cleveland (3.5% owned) – Rivers was one of the few QBs who exceeded our expectations this week, throwing for 358 yards and a trio of scores against the Browns. He flew way under the radar at just 3.5% owned, and with a lack of high-scoring gunslingers in Week 4, he helped set this lineup apart from the field in a big way.

RB – Devonta Freeman ($7,200) vs. Houston (12.5% owned) – Freeman continued his torrid pace since the injury to Tevin Coleman, finding the end zone THREE more times against the Texans. He finished the day with 149 total yards and 5 receptions as Atlanta posted another massive offensive total. This marks the second straight week Freeman has been on the Million-Dollar lineup.

RB – Karlos Williams ($6,300) vs. New York Giants (42.1% owned)- Everyone's favorite Week 4 chalk play struggled for the majority of the game, but finally broke through with a 23-yard TD catch from Tyrod Taylor. His 14.5 FP was just enough to pay off his small salary and help “brettrau24" push his way to the top.

WR – DeAndre Hopkins ($7,900) at Atlanta (12.9% owned) - Another mainstay on the Million-Dollar winning lineups on FanDuel, Hopkins once again broke out for a big-time performance against the Falcons. His big fourth quarter in a game that was already out of hand helped him post an impressive 9-157 stat line on the day.

WR – Demariyus Thomas ($8,500) vs. Minnesota (9.1% owned) – Peyton Manning had plenty of struggles against the Vikings, which led to Thomas having a pedestrian performance (9-93). However, with very few WRs putting up big weeks, his 13.8 FP was just enough for our big winner.

WR – Keenan Allen ($7,700) vs. Cleveland (10.4% owned) – Yet another player who found his way onto the top lineup again, Allen had another solid performance against the Browns on Sunday. He finished with 4 grabs for 72 yards and a score, and was the perfect pairing for Philip Rivers in Week 4.

TE – Martellus Bennett ($5,500) vs. Oakland (14.5% owned) – Bennett was a fairly popular play at TE this week, and he certainly didn't disappoint. He hauled in 11 catches for 83 yards and a wide-open TD against a weak Raiders secondary, serving as Jay Cutler's safety blanket yet again.

K – Graham Gano ($4,700) vs. Jacksonville (3.3% owned) – On a week where kickers made an enormous impact, Gano was solid. He made 3 FG and all 4 XP for the Panthers.

D/ST – Carolina Panthers ($4,800) at Tampa Bay (9.1% owned) – Despite missing Luke Keuchly, the Panthers D/ST was solid once again, led by Josh Norman's 2 INT. They finished the day with 1 TD, 4 INT, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

If any of you know where we can find "brettrau24" shoot us a tweet @dfcafe! We would love to have him on for an interview and lineup breakdown!

The DraftKings $20 Millionaire Maker produced yet another $1.2 Million dollar winner, and in Week 4, it was top-25 grinder “ChipotleAddict" taking down the top prize after Calvin Johnson's fumble at the goal line! Let's break down the $1,200,000 winning lineup:

QB – Blake Bortles at Indianapolis (1% owned) – Despite falling just 2 yards shy of the 300+ yard bonus on DK, Bortles posted a solid line at just 1% ownership, finishing with 329 total yards and a TD pass to Allen Hurns (more on him in a second).

RB – Devonta Freeman vs. Houston (16.1% owned) – As anticipated, Freeman made his way onto the $1.2 Million roster. His 3 TDs skyrocketed this lineup, and his 37.9 FP were the most by any player in Week 4.

RB – Matt Forte vs. Oakland (17.5% owned) – Forte had a solid all-around game, compiling 155 total yards, including 4 catches. His 18.5 FP were a disappointment for that sort of production, considering he didn't find the end zone. However, the 18.5 was more than adequate at his price tag of just 7.1K on a low-scoring week.

WR – Amari Cooper at Chicago (33.5% owned) – Cooper was a popular play this week, and after catching an early touchdown, looked like he was well on his way to a monster outing. He ended up with just 4 catches for 49 yards and the aforementioned score, which was just enough.

WR – DeAndre Hopkins at Atlanta (10.1% owned) – The Texans got manhandled by the Falcons in this one, leading 42-0 before the Texans even came close to getting on the board. Hopkins was the beneficiary of garbage time, racking up 157 yards on 9 grabs, with the bulk of his yardage coming in the fourth quarter of a blowout.

WR Allen Hurns at Indianapolis (2.6% owned) – With Allen Robinson locked up by Vontae Davis most of the afternoon, Hurns exploded for 11-116-1 against the Colts. Number-2 WRs have had some huge games against the Colts over the past few seasons, and Hurns is just the latest to take advantage.

TE – Charles Clay vs. New York Giants (19.6% owned) – Clay was a popular target for Tyrod Taylor in the absence of Sammy Watkins, posting a huge 9-111 line. His afternoon could have been even bigger, but he had a TD pass called back on a questionable chop block on the offense in the fourth quarter.

FLEX – Demariyus Thomas vs. Minnesota (9.8% owned) – Thomas was the rock for Denver in this one, finishing with 9-93 against the Vikings. Peyton Manning struggled much of the game, but Thomas managed to produce a solid line in spite of his struggles.

D/ST – Seattle vs. Detroit (12% owned) – As mentioned earlier, this one turned on Calvin Johnson's fumble into the end zone late in the fourth quarter. After the game, there were reports that the officials botched the call and it should have been Lions ball following an “illegal bat." Nonetheless, the call stood and the Seahawks weren't the only ones to benefit. Congrats to “ChipotleAddict" on the HUGE win!

That wraps things up for the big winners in Week 4! Hopefully you had yourself a profitable Week 4 as well, and gained some insight and knowledge from these lineup breakdowns. Lineup construction is absolutely essential in taking down a big tournament, and determining the right combination of low ownership and upside is always the way to set yourself apart from the field. Dig deep in your research, check out all of our content at DFC, and you may just find yourself atop the leaderboard next week!