GPPs are not won by using a lineup with all the most popular players on the slate. Being a contrarian in a big-field event in your roster construction can help separate your lineup and gain you leverage over the field when some of the more popular names bust.
Hence, the goal of this article won’t be to just highlight the popular “play-it-safe” names. We won’t avoid all the chalky names, because good players are still good players most of the time. However, highlighting contrarian roster constructions and ways to make your lineup unique while maximizing upside will be the goal.
Remember, in most cases, the person who finishes in 10,000th place and the person who finishes in 1,269th place receive the same amount of money in many of these larger field contests, so there is no reason to simply follow the crowd to feel comfortable.
Let’s dive into Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season.
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Top DFS Contrarian Stack
Game Stack: Detroit Lions vs. Cleveland Browns
Jared Goff ($6,200) – Jahmyr Gibbs ($7,700) – Jameson Williams ($5,900) – Jerry Jeudy ($4,900)
The Lions have the largest implied team total on the slate, but as a whole, their skill players may not be heavily-owned this week, given the Browns held the Packers to just 10-points in Week 3. It’s true, Cleveland’s defense has been great to start the season, but this game is on the road in Detroit, and with Cleveland coming off an emotional win as heavy underdogs, this week vs Detroit marks itself as a clear letdown spot for the defense and team as a whole.
Jared Goff has handled pressure well this season and comes into the week ranked second in passer rating and 4th in EPA per play. While Cleveland has been lights out at home defensively, they allowed 4 passing TDs in their one road start in Baltimore. Goff has thrown 45 TD passes since 2023 in games played in Detroit.
Goff isn’t projected to be heavily rostered so you don’t necessarily have to get too contrarian with stacking options for him, but I wouldn’t hesitate to think we may see Jameson Williams play a heavier role in the scoring this week. Detroit chose to keep things closer to the line of scrimmage vs the Ravens, but being in the dome in Detroit may bring about more deep balls to Williams. 35 of his 58 receptions came at home last season, and he put up one 100+ yards and a TD game in his only game played in Detroit this year. Williams may also benefit from Amon Ra St. Brown ($7,300) seeing primary coverage from Denzel Ward in this game, who has given the likes of Ja’Marr Chase trouble in the past.
While I can see Williams outperforming Brown, I’m not so sure that I would make a Lions stack without both Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, who found the end zone twice vs the Ravens, and figures to be busy as an outlet target vs this Browns’ front. Just like Goff and Williams, Gibbs typically excels when he’s on the fast track in Detroit and saw 12 of his 20 TDs come in Detroit last season, while catching 10 more passes at home compared to on the road.
As far as comeback plays to use in a game stack, this should be a spot where we finally see Jerry Jeudy act and produce as a true WR1 for Cleveland. The Lions still don’t have a true shutdown cornerback and have continued to struggle with number one WRs this season. For the year, they’ve allowed the 10th most FP to opposing WRs and 4 receiving TDs to the position already as well. Jeudy will be tough to project/predict most weeks, but vs the Lions, in a game where his offense could be down multiple scores for 2+ quarters, he’s a great upside play and a player capable of returning 5x value at under 5k.
Quarterback
Daniel Jones ($5,600)
The matchup this week gets tougher for Jones, but with the Colts sitting as +3.5 underdogs, the potential for more dropbacks gives him some hidden upside that makes him a nice contrarian target once again. Indianapolis has been phenomenal as a passing offense this season, with Jones averaging 9.3 yards per pass while continuing to make plays with his legs like he did last week when he rushed for 27 yards on just 4 carries vs the Colts.
That athleticism may be a big factor again for Jones vs the Rams who have a solid pass rush but have been partially lax in defending the rush from the QB position as they allowed CJ Stroud to go for 32 yards against them in Week 1 and Jalen Hurts for 40 yards in Week 3. While I don’t expect Jones and the Colts to be able to push around the Rams like they have their weaker opponents, this is a game that should remain competitive, and has a solid 49.5 total attached. At just $5,600, it makes Jones a great cheap value to build around this week from the QB position.
Running Back
Higher End: Ashton Jeanty ($6,200)
Jeanty is in a great spot to break out of his rookie slump in Week 4. Chicago ranks 28th in success rate vs the rush and for the season has allowed the third most FP per game to opposing RBs. Last week, even in a gamescript that saw the Bears ahead for most of the game, they still yielded a healthy 6.15 YPC to the Cowboys tandem of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders. This week, they’ll face a Raiders offense who would love nothing more than to get Jeanty going early to try and take some of the pressure off their QB who has averaged 35.3 pass attempts per game to date.
Jeanty still carries some risk even in this plus matchup, but at just $6,200, his upside looks like it’s been discounted a little too much for his poor start. If he can get going early, he’ll have a great shot at getting 20+ touches vs this weak defense and putting in his first big fantasy game of the year.
Lower End: TreVeyon Henderson ($5,200)
I don’t have an issue with loading up some Henderson shares into GPP lineups again in Week 4. The rookie was the only Patriots’ RB not to lose a fumble vs the Steelers in Week 3 and led the backfield in touches as well. While his efficiency vs Pittsburgh leaves a little to be desired, it still won’t be overly shocking to see him get to a bigger touch count early on in Week 4 and be given a chance to lead this backfield.
Match-up wise, the Panthers make for the perfect victim for Henderson to go off against as well. They’re just 24th in EPA per rush defensively and have allowed 5.4 yards per carry against them this year, which is just 30th in the league. Overall, at just $5,200, I’d much rather be a buyer this week than a seller and find some spots to deploy him in big field GPPs if possible. He’s still a highly variable play, but certainly has the most upside of any Patriots RB this week vs the weak Panthers rush defense.
Wide Receiver
Higher End: Drake London ($5,700)
It’s been a poor start for London, but at just $5,700, a lot of that poor start is already baked into his salary for Week 4. The WR is still projected as the number one target for the Falcons with a 26% target share, which leads the team, and will face off against the Commanders secondary this week that has allowed the third most FP to the WR to date this season and allowed London to go for 106 yards on 7 catches (13 targets) with Penix as his QB late last season.
It’s true that Atlanta has really struggled as a passing offense in 2025 (27th in EPA per dropback) but after firing their WR coach after last week’s embarrassing loss, I do expect we’ll see a bit of bounceback this week from London and Atlanta as a whole. At just $5,700, if you do end up getting some version of the old Penix/London connection we saw late last year vs this Washington secondary, it’ll be well worth the risk in Week 4.
Lower End: Chris Olave ($5,100)
Olave has yet to score, or clear 60 yards in a single game but he does come into Week 4 leading the NFL in targets and with an elite 31% target share in the New Orleans offense. While the efficiency with Spencer Rattler is always a huge concern this Bills defense isn’t necessarily the worst matchup for this Olave/Rattler duo to get going. Buffalo doesn’t feature a true shutdown corner and has now allowed two TDs to the WR position in two of their three games (including two last week to Miami’s WRs).
The gamescript for New Orleans also plays a role in liking Olave this week as the Bills are currently -16.5 favorites and could be ahead by multiple scores before halftime, giving Rattler plenty of reason to fire 12+ targets Olave’s way again. At just 5.1k, taking your chances with Olave is warranted given the volume he’s seeing alone, but with a somewhat shaky secondary on tap as well, he’s one of my more favorite upside values at any position on this week’s main slate.
Tight End
Travis Kelce ($4,800)
I expect we may see a bit of a throwback game from Travis Kelce this week, who has a terrific matchup with the Ravens. For his career, Kelce has typically dominated vs Baltimore, going for 80 or more yards in three of his last four games against them and Baltimore comes into this week having allowed the seventh-most FP and 2nd most receiving yards to opposing TEs on the season.
Teams have had some success against Baltimore running the ball of late, but long term that proves to be more of an anomaly than a trend. They’re still just 19th in EPA per dropback and, as mentioned, weakest vs the TE position. Add in the fact that the Ravens secondary will likely have to deal with shutting down the speed of Xavier Worthy ($5,800 – shoulder) this week, and it should create more room for Kelce to operate underneath and near the goal line. At under $5,000, he’s a terrific upside play in a position with few big name options in Week 4.
Defense/Special Teams
Los Angeles Chargers ($3,300)
Even if you’re bullish on Jaxon Dart long term, you have to admit this is a pretty sweet spot for the Chargers’ defense. They enter this week 3rd in EPA per dropback and face a Giants team that doesn’t block all that great or create plenty of lanes for their RBs. That’s going to potentially leave their rookie QB in a lot of tough 3rd and long dropback scenarios where the Chargers will be able to make plays on the ball.
Dart’s ability to make plays with his feet could certainly help the Giants move the chains, but it should also open up some chances for fumble or sack-fumble plays that can often lead to defensive scores. Overall, with the Giants defensive line only average in pass protection and having allowed over 2.0 sacks per game on the year, I expect the Chargers DST do at least enough to force a mistake or two from Dart, who is making his first NFL start and didn’t have the luxury of taking starters reps all preseason.
It makes sense to pay up for Los Angeles this week while Dart is still adjusting, and take advantage of his inexperience and the steep learning curve he’s on while you still can.
