NFL DFS Salary Scroll: Initial Observations for the Week 4 Main Slate

Last week's FanDuel NFL DFS main slate is barely in the rearview mirror, but it's never too early to look ahead to the next main slate.

With that in mind, let's peek ahead to this coming Sunday's main slate and see what early-week observations stand out.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL DFS First Look at the Week 4 Main Slate Salaries

The Panthers Get Salary Increases Across the Board

The Carolina Panthers surprised many when they elected to bench second-year quarterback Bryce Young in Week 3 in favor of 36-year-old Andy Dalton. In his first start since Week 3 of last season, Dalton torched the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, finishing with 319 passing yards and 3 TDs en route to scoring the second-most FD points (27.6) among QBs on the main slate.

With Dalton injecting life into Carolina's offense, Chuba Hubbard and Diontae Johnson had their most productive outings of the season. Hubbard tallied the fifth-best FD points (28.4) among RBs on the main slate while Johnson scored the third-most FD points (25.2) at WR.

Following Sunday's lopsided win over the Raiders, Dalton, Hubbard, and Johnson all got salary increases ahead of a Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. Dalton went from $6,000 to $7,000, Hubbard made the jump from $5,800 to $6,500, and Johnson is now $6,200 after possessing a $5,300 salary in Week 3.

Even though the Bengals have a solid defense that can cause fits for opposing QBs, it's worth pointing out that Dalton now has 300-plus passing yards and 2-plus passing TDs in his last 2 starts for the Panthers.

Breece Hall Carries the 8th-Highest Salary at RB

Back in Week 2, Breece Hall was one of the highest-salaried RBs on the main slate at $8,500. Fast forward to now and Hall is holding the eighth-highest salary ($8,000) at the RB position entering the Week 4 main slate.

The emergence of rookie Braelon Allen is certainly a factor in Hall's salary decrease, but Hall is still receiving elite usage for the New York Jets. According to NextGenStats, Hall is averaging a healthy 28.0 adjusted opportunities per game while sporting the second-highest target share (20.7%) and most yards per route run (1.88) on the Jets among the players with a 40% snap rate or higher through Week 3.

Up to this point, Hall has yet to have a game this season where he has touched the ball fewer than 20 times. Touching the ball 20-plus times and scoring a TD in each game so far has helped Hall produce 17.7 FD points per game across the first three weeks.

New York is set to face the Denver Broncos at home in Week 4, and Hall should handle another heavy workload. The Broncos are allowing the 9th-most receptions (15), 2nd-highest target rate (27.9%), and 13th-most expected points added per rushing attempt (-0.10) to RBs.

Rashee Rice Finally Gets a Salary That Reflects His WR1 Status on Chiefs

Being the No. 1 option in a Patrick Mahomes-led aerial attack should make you a coveted option in DFS and fantasy each week. However, Rashee Rice wasn't being treated as such entering Week 3 as he still had just a $7,300 salary despite proving he's Mahomes' go-to target in KC's revamped offense early in the year.

After helping the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night to conclude the Week 3 main slate, Rice still leads the team in target share (34.5%), air yards share (33.6%), and yards per route run (3.69). Having that sort of usage with Mahomes makes Rice one of the most valuable WRs in any format.

Despite having a $7,300 salary in Week 3, Rice now boasts an $8,500 salary with the Chiefs set to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. With the change to his salary, Rice goes from being a must-play option to someone we'll have to decide on each week as he's the third-highest-salaried WR on the Week 4 main slate, putting him behind Justin Jefferson ($9,400) and Ja'Marr Chase ($9,200).

Barring an injury or change to KC's offense, we should get accustomed to seeing Rice as one of the highest-salaried WRs on the main slate.

Dallas Goedert Receives a Massive Salary Boost Amid Eagles' Injuries

The Philadelphia Eagles entered Week 3 with A.J. Brown sidelined due to a hamstring injury, and they could even be more shorthanded in Week 4. As a result of Brown's absence -- and the New Orleans Saints keying in on stopping DeVonta Smith -- Dallas Goedert exploded for 10 receptions for 170 yards and 25 FD points on 11 targets in Week 3.

Amid Goedert's impressive performance, Smith exited with a potential concussion, and Britain Covey left the game with a shoulder ailment. Aside from Goedert, the top receiving options left for the Eagles down the stretch in Sunday's win over the Saints was Jahan Dotson, Parris Campbell, and rookie Johnny Wilson.

Prior to the Week 3 main slate kicking off, Goedert held a $5,800 salary at the TE position. With Philly dealing with quite a few injuries to their pass-catchers, Goedert has been given a $7,500 salary in Week 4, which is the highest of the TEs on the main slate.

While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be without safety Antoine Winfield Jr. again in Week 4, it now becomes a much tougher decision on whether or not to play Goedert due to his salary jump this week.

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