NFL Week 4 DFS: Matchups, Slates & Lineup Strategy
Week 4 brings the season's first international game: Indianapolis at Washington plays a 9:30 AM ET kickoff in London, ahead of the rest of the Sunday slate. Pittsburgh at Cleveland opens the week Thursday night, and the other 13 teams play the standard Sunday-Monday schedule.
This is also the last week before bye weeks start cutting into player pools — Week 5 is when the first teams sit out. If you're planning multiple weeks out, Week 4 is the last week to build around the full 32-team slate.
Full Week 4 schedule
| Matchup | Date | Kickoff | DFS window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns | Thursday, October 1 | 8:15 PM ET | Thursday Night — Thursday Night Football |
| Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49ers | Sunday, October 4 | 4:25 PM ET | Late afternoon |
| Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers | Sunday, October 4 | 8:20 PM ET | Sunday Night — Sunday Night Football |
| Green Bay Packers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Indianapolis Colts at Washington Commanders | Sunday, October 4 | 9:30 AM ET | Special — London, England — the season's international game |
| Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders | Sunday, October 4 | 4:25 PM ET | Late afternoon |
| Los Angeles Chargers at Seattle Seahawks | Sunday, October 4 | 4:25 PM ET | Late afternoon |
| Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings | Sunday, October 4 | 4:05 PM ET | Late afternoon |
| New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| New York Jets at Chicago Bears | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens | Sunday, October 4 | 1:00 PM ET | Early window |
| Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints | Monday, October 5 | 8:15 PM ET | Monday Night — Monday Night Football |
How the Week 4 slates break down
Early slate — eight games, 1:00 PM ET
Arizona at the Giants, Dallas at Houston, Green Bay at Tampa Bay, Jacksonville at Cincinnati, the Rams at Philadelphia, New England at Buffalo, the Jets at Chicago, and Tennessee at Baltimore.
Afternoon slate — four games, 4:05 and 4:25 PM ET
Miami at Minnesota kicks at 4:05 PM ET. Denver at San Francisco, Kansas City at Las Vegas, and the Chargers at Seattle kick at 4:25 PM ET.
Primetime, showdown, and the international game
Pittsburgh at Cleveland opened the week Thursday night, Indianapolis at Washington plays the early 9:30 AM ET London kickoff, Detroit at Carolina closes Sunday on Sunday Night Football, and Atlanta at New Orleans play Monday Night Football.
Lineup strategy for Week 4
The London game has its own DFS considerations
A 9:30 AM ET kickoff means both teams' body clocks are off from a normal Sunday, and public ownership on international games historically runs thinner than a standard slate. Build it as its own showdown if you're playing it. Folding a 9:30 AM kickoff into a 1:00 PM-start main-slate build doesn't line up with how DraftKings and FanDuel actually split these slates.
Byes start next week — plan your player pool around it
Week 5 is the first week with teams on bye, so Week 4 is your last shot at building around the full league for a few weeks. If you're rostering a player this week you plan to use again in Week 6 or later, check he's not on a Week 5 bye before you commit to a longer-term build.
Three-plus weeks of role data separates the real breakouts from the flukes
By Week 4, a player's role has been tested against enough different opponents and game scripts to trust. The field is slower to adjust than the data is — a genuinely expanded role that hasn't shown up in a big box score yet is still underpriced relative to what the usage says.
Short weeks are starting to add up for teams with early byes
Some teams are already managing snap counts ahead of a Week 5 bye. Check the injury report and beat-writer notes closer to kickoff than usual this week — a team resting a banged-up starter ahead of its bye is a real possibility by Week 4.
Build your Week 4 lineup
Take these matchups into the NFL lineup builder to lock in players and build for DraftKings or FanDuel, check this week's projections before you lock anyone in, and scan the injury report for status changes that land after this page publishes.
Common Week 4 DFS questions
- What time does the Week 4 London game kick off?
- Indianapolis at Washington kicks at 9:30 AM ET, ahead of the rest of the Sunday slate. It's typically built as its own showdown slate rather than folded into the main 1:00 PM-start build.
- Which Week 4 game is Thursday Night Football?
- Pittsburgh at Cleveland opens the week on Thursday night.
- How many games are on the Week 4 main slate?
- Twelve: the eight 1:00 PM ET games and the four games in the 4:05-4:25 PM ET window. The London game, Thursday night, Sunday night, and Monday night each run separately.
- Do any teams have a bye in Week 4?
- No. The first byes land in Week 5 — Week 4 is the last week with the full 32-team player pool before bye weeks start thinning it out.