Week 4 NFL FanDuel Salary Movers
Things can change quickly in fantasy football. To quote Ferris Bueller -- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
We're here to "look around" and make sure we don't miss any week-to-week salary changes that could pay dividends on FanDuel.
Maybe a player had an outlier performance and saw their salary rise too high, making them a sub-optimal play. Perhaps a player saw an increase in their role but played on Monday night after salaries for the following week's slate already came out, and therefore they haven't been priced accordingly.
This week's article will take a look at which players' salaries have changed the most from Week 3 to Week 4.
Now that you're ready, let's get to it!
Quarterback
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Week 3 Salary: $6,000
Week 4 Salary: $7,300
Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, the New York Giants ranked 17th in passing offense but dropped both games to the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills. Eli Manning posted 14.84 and 12.2 FanDuel points in those starts and committed three turnovers. The 38-year-old was benched ahead of their Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for rookie first-rounder Daniel Jones. His selection back in May at the NFL Draft left many scratching their heads when better prospects, such as Dwayne Haskins, were still on the board. While his collegiate profile falls short when viewed through the lens of certain statistical thresholds, Jones passed his first test with a 32-31 win on the road.
He tossed two touchdowns Sunday to go with 336 passing yards while also running for two touchdowns and another 28 yards. His 34.24 point performance is even more impressive considering the Giants lost Saquon Barkley in the second quarter. His $6,000 salary last week was locked in before he was named the starter. Now Jones sees the biggest salary increase at the position this week, up $1,300 to $7,300. Next up, Jones get NFC East rival Washington Redskins, numberFire's 30th-ranked defense at home. His projection of 19.3 FanDuel points ranks seventh on the main slate and carries the biggest value at the position.
Other Big Movers:
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns: $8,200 | $7,500
Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts: $6,800 | $7,300
Kyle Allen, Carolina Panthers: $6,000 | $6,800
Running Back
Wayne Gallman, New York Giants
Week 3 Salary: $4,500
Week 4 Salary: $5,800
Wayne Gallman was pressed into action in the second quarter against the Bucs Sunday as Saquon Barkley suffered an ankle injury. He played 63 percent of the snaps but failed to do much in the fantasy department; gaining just 13 yards on 5 carries and he failed to catch his lone target for a mere 1.3 FanDuel points. With Barkley on the shelf for multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain, Gallman will assume lead-back duties. This role change bumps Gallman off the minimum salary block up $1,300 to $5,800.
For now, Gallman and Elijhaa Penny are the lone running backs on the roster, though it seems likely the Giants add another running back before Sunday. The third-year pro from Clemson should see the most snaps, but his usage is in question. However, as home favorites, game script should allow Gallman more opportunities. His projection of 11.3 FanDuel points is in-line with David Montgomery and LeSean McCoy.
Other Big Movers
Mark Ingram, Baltimore Ravens: $7,100 | $7,800
Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos: $6,400 | $6,900
Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots: $4,600 | $5,600
Wide Receiver
Phillip Dorsett, New England Patriots
Week 3 Salary: $5,000
Week 4 Salary: $5,900
The Antonio Brown saga had more twists and turns than a $3 romance novel. Brown was released ahead of Week 3 by the Patriots, allowing Phillip Dorsett to step back into the third wide receiver chair behind Julian Edelman and Josh Gordon. In Week 1 on Sunday night versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, sans AB, Dorsett caught all four of his targets for 95 yards and two touchdowns. The following week Brown played against the Dolphins and Dorsett was the odd man out, scoring just 5.4 FanDuel points. Opportunity came back to former first-round pick this past week as both Gordon and Edelman missed time due to injuries. Dorsett caught six of his seven targets for 53 yards and a touchdown for 15.5 FanDuel points in an easy Patriots win and is the biggest mover at wide receiver, up $900.
New England hits the road this week to face the 3-0 Buffalo Bills as 7.5 point road favorites. Dorsett should once again see around 90 percent of the snaps and carries the cheapest salary of the Patriots wide receivers against numberFire's fifth-ranked passing defense.
Other Big Movers:
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7,100 | $7,700
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants: $6,000 | $6,500
Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons: $6,500 | $5,800
Tight End
Jordan Akins, Houston Texans
Week 3 Salary: $4,100
Week 4 Salary: $5,100
Welcome back to the tight end carousel, presented by the Houston Texans. Last year, the Texans drafted Jordan Akins with the 98th overall pick out of Central Florida. In the sixth-round, they went back to the tight end well for Jordan Thomas. In the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Texans drafted yet another tight end, Kahale Warring from San Diego State, and signed Darren Fells in free agency. Fells has led the Houston tight ends in snaps the last two weeks and had 49 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. However, it was Akins who scored on a 53-yard pass from Deshaun Watson, totaling 73 yards and a touchdown for 20.8 FanDuel points. Akins' salary takes a $1,000 jump to $5,100 after his blowup game.
Despite his two splash plays, Akins only had 5 targets and is clearly behind Fells in snaps. Whether this was a game-plan specific usage (11 tight end targets) or a glimpse of something to come remains to be seen. Betting on similar usage and results against the Carolina Panthers this week seems unwise. The Panthers have surrendered just eight receptions and 46 receiving yards to tight ends through three games. Don't chase the prior week production in this one.
Other Big Movers:
Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders: $5,600 | $6,700
Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons: $5,800 | $6,400
Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens: $6,800 | $6,100
