Tag: daily fantasy football

Hopefully, everyone enjoys our holiday gift of bonus #DFS coverage this weekend. Of course, we still have Sunday to play through as well. With two days of DFS, I’m looking for more than two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree. That said, I guess I would settle for five golden rings. Because the only thing better than fiat currency in our e-wallets is real physical gold in our homes.

The Primetime Slate:

This should be fun. Kansas City is traveling to Chicago on Sunday night. Chicago is not the big bad defense they were last year and KC isn’t the record-setting offense that they were last year. Still, any offense led by Pat Mahomes cannot be ignored, even on the road. I’m not going to overplay the Chiefs’ offense, but I’d be lying if I said that I don’t intend to do a few Mahomes-Hill-Kelce style stacks. I’m less bullish on Mitch Trubisky. Yes, he has been better the last couple of weeks. The problem is, KC’s defense has also been better the last few weeks. Seven of the last ten QBs to face the Chiefs have failed to record more than one passing touchdown. Figuring out the Chiefs’ backfield is on par with comprehending theoretical physics. If we could make heads or tails of it, I would be happy to play one of them against a defense that has been solid but which has allowed a fair number of scores recently. Damien Williams practiced earlier this week. If he can go, he might be as safe of a play as you will find in this matchup. Of course, it also could just further muddy this four-headed monster. David Montgomery has been a huge bust this year, and it won’t get any prettier here. If I was going to roster a Chicago back this week, it would be Tarik Cohen. I’m even likely to use Cohen as my FLEX or RB2 this week because the Chiefs have been beaten by pass-catching backs. As I mention above, Tyreek Hill is certainly in play at WR1, and I may even pair him with another high-dollar WR. Five of the last six WR1s to face Chicago have scored, and Tyreek can score at ease and at will. Chicago hasn’t been great against WR2s either, but Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson have both been more miss than hit this season. At this point, neither is more than a dart throw WR3/FLEX. I almost prefer Mecole Hardman, if I want a boom/bust option. Allen Robinson is white-hot right now. Good luck fading him at WR2. There are a lot of WRs to choose from though, including Anthony Miller, who is also a possible WR3. As for the TEs, I tried the J.P. Holtz gimmick last week, it didn’t work, lesson learned (even against a beatable KC defense). On the other hand, Travis Kelce is a stud and he is facing a team that struggles with quality TEs. I doubt that I can afford him, but I will certainly try. The Chiefs’ defense will likely be my go-to.

Green Bay and Minnesota renew their rivalry on MNF. Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers should each post solid numbers. I give a slight edge to Rodgers, because the Minnesota secondary has been flaky of late. Dalvin Cook is out with a shoulder injury. Assuming that Alexander Mattison is also out, Mike Boone becomes the lock RB1. This is a pure indictment of how rotten the Packers’ run defense is. Aaron Jones is a better RB than Jamaal Williams. Still, Green Bay wants to give both of them touches. Jones should be the RB2 or RB3 on this slate. Williams is no more than a flier at FLEX. The Packers struggle with quality WRs, so both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are in consideration at WR2. Davante Adams gets the better matchup against the Vikings’ cornerbacks. He is the deserving WR1 and either a pivot from Hill or a pair with him. Good luck deciphering the rest of the Green Bay WRs. Allen Lazard is the only one I’d consider, and then only at WR3. Green Bay’s TEs are easy ignores, despite a decent matchup. Both Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith are great plays for the Vikings. Rudolph needs to be the favorite TE pick this slate, since Kelce is so pricy. Both teams have good defenses, but I’d choose Minnesota at home before considering the Packers.

The Main Slate:

There are three rock star options this week. I hope to have one of: Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson or Dak Prescott in my lineups. I also don’t mind Kyler Murray or Philip Rivers as a pivot. Andy Dalton is the only punt play that I will consider. Lamar will run 16% on either site, while Russell and Dak will be 14% and 13% respectively on DK and Dak will be only slightly higher on FD.

Each of the three highest dollar options are appealing. That said, I am going to be lean thin here with some great values on the docket. My goal is to use two of the following: Joe Mixon, Mark Ingram, Leonard Fournette, Marlon Mack, Austin Ekeler and Devonta Freeman. If I want to spend up, I might consider using one of them at FLEX. In truth, my plan is to use DeAndre Washington at FLEX on the majority of my rosters. The only other RBs of interest to me: Phillip Lindsay, Patrick Laird or one of the Redskins. Target two of my value seven for no more than 28% on DK and 26% on FD. Washington will run you 8% on DK and 9.3% on FD.

We’ve spent a ton at QB/RB, so I will go cheap at WR. Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen and Davante Parker are the only high-priced options that I trust will hit 3x. Michael Thomas will as well, but he is far too expensive for my roster this week. There are a few decent WR options between $5K and $6.5K. I will likely use two of them at WR1 and WR2. If I do choose Cooper, Allen or Parker, then expect my WR2 to be at the bottom end of this price grouping. At this point, I am leaning Darius Slayton and Hollywood Brown. I will also dumpster dive with WR3 by using: John Ross, Randall Cobb, Albert Wilson or Russell Gage. There are just so many possibilities here this week. Try to keep your WR1/WR2 spending to 24% on DK and 20% on FD. Your WR3 should be no more than 9% on either site.

Zach Ertz is the only sure thing at TE this week. Whenever possible I will use him. That said, much like WR, I may be forced to spend down for a risky choice such as: Noah Fant, Kaden Smith or Jacob Hollister. Ertz is 13% on DK and 11.5% on FD. Otherwise, your cheaper TE options on DK will top off at 8.5% and your FD choice should rate in around 9%.

The Broncos are the safest play and at only 7% on DK and 8.3% on FD, they are a great option. If I need to pay down, I’ll probably take a shot on the Giants, Redskins or Lions. None should be above 5.6% on either site. The Jets at $3.6K on FD remains a cheap option too.

Here are my recommended lineups.

At DK: $8K for Lamar Jackson. $12.2K for Devonta Freeman and Marlon Mack. $6.3K for Keenan Allen. $5.2K for Marquise Brown. $4.2K for John Ross. $6.4K for Zach Ertz. $4K for DeAndre Washington at FLEX. $3.5K for the Broncos’ defense.

At FD: $9.3K for Jackson. $13.5K total for Freeman and Mack. $6.7K for Keenan. $12.6K total for Hollywood and Davante Parker. $6.9K for Ertz. $5.6K for Washington. $5K for the Broncos’ defense.

At Fanball (classic – includes Sun Night): Jackson, Christian McCaffrey, Phillip Lindsay, Michael Gallup, Hollywood Brown, John Ross, Hunter Henry, and the Redskins’ defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Jackson, Andy Dalton at SF, Freeman, Mack, Allen, Hollywood, Mark Andrews, Ertz, and D. Washington at FLEX.

At Fantasy Draft (includes Sun Night): Jackson, Mack, Joe Mixon, Hollywood, Darius Slayton, Ertz, Freeman, D. Washington, and the Broncos’ defense.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Lamar Jackson	$8,000	$9,300
Russell Wilson	$7,000	$8,300
Drew Brees	$6,900	$8,200
Ryan Tannehill	$6,600	$7,800
Dak Prescott	$6,400	$8,000
Matt Ryan	$6,200	$7,700
Kyler Murray	$6,100	$7,700
Ryan Fitzpatrick	$6,000	$7,400
Daniel Jones	$5,900	$7,300
Jacoby Brissett	$5,900	$7,500
Carson Wentz	$5,800	$7,700
Matthew Stafford	$5,800	$7,500
Eli Manning	$5,700	$7,100
Philip Rivers	$5,700	$7,500
Drew Lock	$5,600	$7,300
Gardner Minshew II	$5,500	$6,800
Baker Mayfield	$5,400	$7,400
Derek Carr	$5,300	$7,300
Sam Darnold	$5,300	$7,400
Andy Dalton	$5,200	$7,100
Devlin Hodges	$5,100	$6,900
David Blough	$4,900	$6,800
Dwayne Haskins Jr.	$4,700	$7,000
Will Grier	$4,300	$6,000

Weekly strategy – Lamar Jackson is a cheat code, even at a high price. If I don’t use him, I may pivot to Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray or Philip Rivers. If I need to save money, I might consider Andy Dalton. I shouldn’t have to though since I am going cheaper than normal at WR, and avoiding all the super expensive players at RB.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Lamar Jackson, Ravens @ CLE ($8000 DK, $9300 FD)
The Browns’ secondary has improved over the course of the year. They still are beatable, especially deep, which is Lamar Jackson’s thing. They have also given up rushing TDs to three of the five running QBs they have faced. One of the two that didn’t score against them on the ground was Jackson, but he finished their earlier meeting with three passing scores and 66 yards on the ground. This week’s line will be higher than that.

Russell Wilson, Seahawks vs. ARI ($7000 DK, $8300 FD)
Speaking of running QBs, this game features two of the second-tier of that class of QB. Lamar Jackson is the only running QB to do much damage against the Cards this year, but he produced RB1 numbers against them in his meeting. In their earlier meeting, Russell Wilson only notched seven rushing yards and only one score. At home (and with playoff implications) Wilson should triple that line.

Dak Prescott, Cowboys @ PHI ($6400 DK, $8000 FD)
Dak Prescott is dealing with a few minor maladies. This shouldn’t reduce his value against a rotten Eagles’ pass defense. Philly has allowed seven passing TDs over their last three contests, despite facing subpar QBs. In their earlier meeting, Prescott only threw for one score, but he added one on the ground. It is tough to run the ball on this defense, so Dak will be the primary beneficiary if Ezekiel Elliott struggles to move the ball on the ground.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals @ SEA ($6100 DK, $7700 FD)
Our top four QBs for this week are all capable “Rushing QBs”. Kyler Murray is not Lamar Jackson. He doesn’t even have half the rushing yards as the likely MVP. That said, Murray is number two at the position in rushing yards. With Russell Wilson throwing the ball all over the yard with playoff positioning on the line, Murray will need to throw it a ton also to keep up. He won’t beat Seattle, but Murray should post 250-2, 35-1 in a shootout.

Sleepers:

Philip Rivers, Chargers vs. OAK ($5700 DK, $7500 FD)
Oakland’s pass defense is nonexistent. Since Week 4, only one QB (other than Ryan Finley – who is not an NFL QB) has not thrown for multiple TDs. That QB at least added a rushing TD as well (and that game was a windstorm). Philip Rivers is no longer an elite QB, but he does have the third most passing yards of any QB this season. 300-2 is a guarantee here, and I love stacking him with Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and/or Hunter Henry.

Andy Dalton, Bengals @ MIA ($5200 DK, $7100 FD)
No team has allowed more total TDs to opposing QBs than Miami. This includes six different teams recording three or more TDs. Andy Dalton has only two passing TDs in his three games since retaking the reins in Cincy, but at least this week he won’t be having nightmares of Stephon Gilmore.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey	$10,100	$10,800
Chris Carson	$8,500	$8,200
Saquon Barkley	$8,300	$8,800
Ezekiel Elliott	$7,900	$8,700
Derrick Henry	$7,700	$8,800
Alvin Kamara	$7,500	$7,200
Leonard Fournette	$7,200	$7,500
Nick Chubb	$6,900	$8,000
Mark Ingram II	$6,800	$7,600
Joe Mixon	$6,600	$7,800
James Conner	$6,500	$7,400
Miles Sanders	$6,400	$7,400
Kenyan Drake	$6,300	$7,100
Marlon Mack	$6,200	$7,300
Austin Ekeler	$6,100	$6,800
Devonta Freeman	$6,000	$6,200
Le’Veon Bell	$5,800	$7,100
Melvin Gordon III	$5,600	$7,000
Kareem Hunt	$5,500	$6,100
Phillip Lindsay	$5,300	$6,300
Jordan Howard	$5,200	$6,900
Latavius Murray	$5,100	$5,500
Adrian Peterson	$5,000	$6,500
Kerryon Johnson	$4,900	$4,500
Patrick Laird	$4,600	$5,500
Nyheim Hines	$4,400	$5,700
Gus Edwards	$4,200	$5,000
Bo Scarbrough	$4,000	$5,900
Boston Scott	$4,000	$5,400
DeAndre Washington	$4,000	$5,600
Jaylen Samuels	$4,000	$5,600
Royce Freeman	$4,000	$5,500
Wes Hills	$3,900	$5,600
Myles Gaskin	$3,800	$5,200
Chris Thompson	$3,700	$5,000
Bilal Powell	$3,600	$5,000
J.D. McKissic	$3,200	$4,900

Weekly strategy – DeAndre Washington at FLEX is the mortal lock. After that, there are several possible choices all in the same price range: Leonard Fournette, Mark Ingram, Joe Mixon, Marlon Mack, Austin Ekeler, Devonta Freeman and Phillip Lindsay. I will choose two of them on most of my lineups. It should be known that I actually like Saquan Barkley, Christian McCaffrey and Chris Carson. I just want to save money here, so that I can afford Lamar Jackson and maybe afford Zach Ertz. If I choose to go cheaper at TE or QB, then I might opt for one of the expensive threesome. If I choose to go extremely cheap here, I may pair Washington with one of the Redskins, Patrick Laird, or Royce Freeman. I shouldn’t have to though.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers @ IND ($10100 DK, $10800 FD)
Christian McCaffrey is basically a lock for 30 DFS points every week. You get what you pay for. The Colts have only given up six running back TDs all year, but they have given up 166 combo yards per game over the last three weeks. With a rookie QB under center, expect C-Mac to handle a larger than normal workload, including a ton of short receptions. Six of their last eight opponents have gotten seven or more RB receptions against Indy. That is well below Christian’s floor.

Chris Carson, Seahawks vs. ARI ($8500 DK, $8200 FD)
Speaking of RB receptions, Arizona has allowed double-digit receptions to opposing RBs in four of their last seven games. With no Rashaad Penny, Chris Carson will see most of the pass-catching opportunities this week. This is in addition to his rushing yardage. Over their last seven contests, Arizona is giving up just under 175 combo yards per game to opposing RBs. As long as Carson doesn’t drop the ball (literally), he will net most of that figure.

Devonta Freeman, Jaguars @ ATL ($6000 DK, $6200 FD)
Devonta Freeman is not the back he used to be. He still has value when the matchup is right. This week the matchup is so right, that it feels wrong. Freeman will do things to this group of slappies that are illegal in most states. Since Week 9, Slacksonville has given up 222 combo yards per game to opposing backs, to go along with ten TDs allowed. I’m always a little concerned about Freeman getting vultured on the score, but the yardage alone makes him a top-5 play this week.

Joe Mixon, Bengals @ MIA ($6600 DK, $7800 FD)
Joe Mixon is the only member of the Bengals that hasn’t given up yet. Since Andy Dalton’s return, only Derrick Henry has more rushing yards than Mixon. He did get added to the injured list on Thursday with a calf injury, so pay attention to his status as the game approaches. If he cannot go, Giovani Bernard will be a slate-winner.

Sleepers:

DeAndre Washington, Raiders @ LAC ($4000 DK, $5600 FD)
Speaking of slate-winners, DeAndre Washington gets the start for Oakland against a Chargers’ defense that has been bad at stopping RBs who catch passes. At this price, it will be hard to fade Washington. If you want some exposure to this game without being chalk, consider Jalen Richard instead.

Adrian Peterson, Redskins vs. NYG ($5000 DK, $6500 FD)
The New York Giants have allowed 31 RB receptions over the last four weeks. That isn’t exactly the strong suit for Adrian Peterson, but he does catch a few passes here and there and he has scored on the ground in three straight games. If Peterson somehow misses this game, Chris Thompson would be an A+ play.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Michael Thomas	$9,300	$9,000
Julio Jones	$8,000	$8,000
Tyler Lockett	$7,600	$7,600
A.J. Brown	$7,000	$7,200
DJ Moore	$6,900	$6,600
DeVante Parker	$6,800	$6,900
Amari Cooper	$6,700	$7,700
JuJu Smith-Schuster	$6,600	$6,800
Kenny Golladay	$6,500	$7,400
T.Y. Hilton	$6,400	$7,300
DJ Chark Jr.	$6,300	$6,300
Keenan Allen	$6,300	$6,700
Courtland Sutton	$6,200	$7,100
Terry McLaurin	$6,200	$6,500
Sterling Shepard	$6,100	$6,300
Zach Pascal	$6,100	$6,600
Jarvis Landry	$6,000	$6,900
DK Metcalf	$5,900	$6,300
Odell Beckham Jr.	$5,800	$6,700
Tyler Boyd	$5,800	$6,300
Robby Anderson	$5,700	$6,100
Christian Kirk	$5,600	$5,900
Darius Slayton	$5,500	$6,000
Michael Gallup	$5,500	$6,500
Jamison Crowder	$5,400	$6,000
James Washington	$5,300	$6,600
Marquise Brown	$5,200	$5,700
Dede Westbrook	$5,100	$5,700
Mike Williams	$5,000	$6,500
Danny Amendola	$4,900	$6,000
Tyrell Williams	$4,900	$5,600
Golden Tate	$4,800	$6,200
Diontae Johnson	$4,700	$5,700
Nelson Agholor	$4,600	$5,400
Curtis Samuel	$4,500	$6,000
Russell Gage	$4,400	$5,100
Chris Conley	$4,300	$5,800
Marcus Johnson	$4,300	$5,900
Greg Ward	$4,200	$5,700
John Ross III	$4,200	$5,200
Larry Fitzgerald	$4,200	$5,700
Randall Cobb	$4,100	$5,300
Corey Davis	$4,000	$5,200
Steven Sims Jr.	$4,000	$5,700
Allen Hurns	$3,900	$5,300
Ted Ginn Jr.	$3,900	$5,300
Albert Wilson	$3,800	$5,400
Seth Roberts	$3,800	$5,100
Damiere Byrd	$3,700	$5,000
Tajae Sharpe	$3,700	$4,700
Hunter Renfrow	$3,600	$5,400
Keelan Cole	$3,600	$5,400
Tim Patrick	$3,600	$5,400
Demaryius Thomas	$3,500	$4,800
JJ Arcega-Whiteside	$3,500	$5,100
Tre’Quan Smith	$3,500	$4,500
Willie Snead IV	$3,400	$4,600
Vyncint Smith	$3,000	$4,900

Weekly strategy – By spending up at QB and TE, I will be forced to spend down slightly at WR. Fortunately, there are some great values this week. Much like RB, I won’t argue with Michael Thomas or Julio Jones here. I just want to spend less. The high dollar guys I really like here are: Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, Davante Parker, Courtland Sutton and Kenny Golladay. I hope to squeeze one of them into each of my lineups. Worst case scenario, I will use two of the following to tie up WR1 and WR2: Christian Kirk, DK Metcalf, one of the Giants, Michael Gallup, Marquise Brown, Mike Williams, Danny Amendola and James Washington. My WR3 will just be someone under $5K on DK and under $6K on FD. My favorite choices there are John Ross and Albert Wilson.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Michael Thomas, Saints @ TEN ($9300 DK, $9000 FD)
It doesn’t matter who he faces, Michael Thomas is approaching Christian McCaffrey level DFS trustworthiness. Thomas has topped 100 yards in eight of his last ten games, and he has eight or more receptions in all but one of those games. Tennessee has allowed nine WR1 TDs in their last seven games. Michael Thomas is a lock for at least 10-100-1, and 14-150-2 is not out of the question. If you can afford him, get him into your lineup.

Keenan Allen, Chargers vs. OAK ($6300 DK, $6700 FD)
Keenan Allen has been a PPR beast all season, but he has only scored in four games. Fortunately for Allen, two of those have come in the last four weeks. Over their last five meetings, Allen has averaged 7-79 against the Raiders with two scores. The yardage and receptions should be a lock, and I’d say he has a decent chance of scoring too.

Julio Jones, Falcons vs. JAX ($8000 DK, $8000 FD)
In addition to sucking against the run, Jacksonville has started to get sloppy at covering bigger outside WRs. I’m not sure that Julio Jones will have as big a game as he did last week, but without Calvin Ridley the opportunities will be there. Jones got 20 targets last week, the rest of the team got 18.

Amari Cooper, Cowboys @ PHI ($6700 DK, $7700 FD)
Amari Cooper has battled some injuries and now his QB has some injuries of his own. Nevertheless, this is Philadelphia, and they cannot stop most high school passing offenses. In the last three weeks, the Eagles have given up 5-130-1 to Terry McLaurin, 5-154-2 to Darius Slayton and 7-159-2 to Davante Parker. Cooper is a better receiver than any of them. Plus, Cooper may be low-owned coming off a bad performance which was stunted by Dak’s injury and shadow coverage by Jalen Ramsey.

Sleepers:

Darius Slayton, Giants @ WAS ($5500 DK, $6000 FD)
Speaking of Darius Slayton, the Giants’ receiver has seven scores in his last seven games. Not bad for a guy who is technically the third receiver in his offense. Washington has been hit or miss this year at covering WRs. This week they will have their hands full with all three WRs healthy for the Giants. Any of the threesome could be a worthy play, but Slayton is the hot hand.

John Ross, Bengals @ MIA ($4200 DK, $5200 FD)
So, you want a discount stack to place in your lineup to build around? Consider John Ross and Andy Dalton. Ross has three targets and two catches in each of the last two games since his return. Meanwhile, Miami has given up multiple WR Scores in ten different games. There is a fair amount of risk here, but the price is cheap, and the opportunity shines.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Zach Ertz	$6,400	$6,900
Darren Waller	$6,100	$6,500
Mark Andrews	$5,900	$6,500
Jared Cook	$5,000	$6,600
Hunter Henry	$4,700	$6,100
Jack Doyle	$4,500	$6,200
Austin Hooper	$4,400	$6,000
Jacob Hollister	$4,200	$5,700
Dallas Goedert	$4,100	$5,900
Jason Witten	$4,000	$5,800
Greg Olsen	$3,900	$4,900
Jonnu Smith	$3,800	$5,400
Noah Fant	$3,700	$5,900
Mike Gesicki	$3,600	$5,300
David Njoku	$3,500	$5,000
Rhett Ellison	$3,300	$5,000
Kaden Smith	$3,200	$5,100
Tyler Eifert	$3,200	$4,700
Hayden Hurst	$3,100	$5,100
Ian Thomas	$3,100	$5,100
Vance McDonald	$3,100	$5,000
Ricky Seals-Jones	$3,000	$5,300
Blake Jarwin	$2,900	$5,300

Weekly strategy – Zach Ertz for the win…assuming you can afford him. If you can’t afford him, there are some cheaper pivots: Mark Andrews, Jacob Hollister, Hunter Henry or Noah Fant. Kaden Smith is the only punt play I’ll consider this week.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Zach Ertz, Eagles vs. DAL ($6400 DK, $6900 FD)
Zach Ertz remains the WR1, WR2, and WR3 for Philadelphia. This is a slate-breaker matchup against a Dallas secondary that has given up six or more receptions to opposing TEs eight times this year. This includes them allowing 21-218 to the position over the last two games. Ertz could get 20 targets in this game.

Mark Andrews, Ravens @ CLE ($5900 DK, $6500 FD)
The Browns haven’t been horrible at covering TEs. They have however given up seven TDs to the position. One of those TDs went to Mark Andrews back in Week 4. Andrews’ reception and yardage numbers have slipped in recent weeks, but he has scored five times in his last six games. If Andrews hauls in 4-40-1 this week, I will be happy. Especially, if he is part of my stack with Lamar Jackson.

Hunter Henry, Chargers vs. OAK ($4700 DK, $6100 FD)
Oakland has been almost as bad at covering TEs as Arizona has been. Eight times this year, the Raiders have given up 60 or more yards to the position. Plus, they have given up the second-most TDs to the position. Hunter Henry has been busy blocking of late and his target share has dipped. Still, you have to like his chances against this sagging defense. Henry has only faced Oakland four times in his career. He has averaged 4-53 over those games, scoring in three of them.

Jacob Hollister, Seahawks vs. ARI ($4200 DK, $5700 FD)
Jacob Hollister hasn’t done much since Week 10. Fortunately for him, he gets to face the Cardinals this week. Arizona has given up 15 TE scores and only three teams have failed to score against them. This includes a bunch of TEs that are crappier than Hollister.

Sleepers:

Noah Fant, Broncos vs. DET ($3700 DK, $5900 FD)
Noah Fant has quietly been the second-best receiving option for the Broncos this season. He doesn’t catch a ton of passes, but the ones he catches, he does a lot with. Meanwhile, Detroit has given up 16-138 to the position over the last two weeks.

Kaden Smith, Giants @ WAS ($3200 DK, $5100 FD)
No Evan Engram and no Rhett Ellison has meant plenty of Kaden Smith the last few weeks. He has been targeted 22 times over the last four games. Over the last five weeks, Washington is allowing an average of 6-78-1 to the TE position. All of that usage will be funneled through Smith this week.

I love these smaller slate game dates, so I decided to deliver a holiday present to all of my followers and readers. This weekend, you get two chances to line your holiday stocking with some greenbacks. So, get cracking on those lineups.

Houston Texans @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Let us start with the most exciting game (from a fantasy perspective) on the docket. These two teams have the most electric offenses among the six teams playing today, so prepare to roster several players in this game.

The Bucs’ Jameis Winston is battling a thumb injury, but you wouldn’t have known it by watching the last two weeks. Winston is what he is, he will throw for more than 300 yards and 3 scores. He will also throw three interceptions. This sets him up as QB2 on the slate. Those numbers might take a slight dip with both of his Pro Bowl caliber WRs out this week. That won’t stop him from whipping the ball around willy-nilly. This week, Breshad Perriman will need another huge outing and Justin Watson will need to step up too. I love both of them and believe you need at least one of them in your lineup to have a chance. Either, Ronald Jones or Peyton Barber could be a stud this week. That is, only if the other wasn’t on the active roster. Since both will be active, they will eat into each other’s numbers. I prefer Jones, but neither is better than a FLEX here. Jameis has promised to target both O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate frequently this week. Howard out-targeted Brate last week, but both are playable here. They have to be considered TE3 and TE4 respectively. I could easily see using one of them at FLEX in a Double-TE lineup. Ignore the Bucs’ defense.

Deshaun Watson is my QB1 on this slate. Tampa Bay has no chance of slowing down this offense (especially if Will Fuller is 100% this week). Of course, this means DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller and Kenny Stills are all elite plays. Hopkins is WR1 on the slate, and the other two are WR2/WR3 options. Carlos Hyde has a rough matchup, but he might be worth a pivot at FLEX. That said, I’d prefer to use Duke Johnson if I targeted a Houston RB this week. This is a great matchup for TEs, but Darren Fells has disappeared recently and is TD-dependent. Jordan Akins is also salary-relief at best. I’ll likely fade both of them. Houston’s defense could be a sneaky play despite the high scoring likelihood since Winston will make some mistakes.

Buffalo Bills @ New England Patriots:

The Patriots typically have had Buffalo’s number. That said, Tom Brady may have his own issues with a seriously hardcore Bills’ defense. I really don’t see any way that I can rank Brady as better than QB4 on this slate (and that is giving him a boost because he is the GOAT). Sony Michel has the tools to move the ball against this defense, but his usage is frustrating. You have to consider him as a possible FLEX, but no more. James White is the best play for this offense. With Julian Edelman battling a ton of injuries (and possibly Tre’Davious White), expect Brady to target White double-digit times. With shady matchups elsewhere, White is no worse than RB2 on this slate. I also might consider vulture Rex Burkhead as a FLEX play. As I just mentioned, ignore the usual stud performer Edelman, but consider Mohamed Sanu as a WR3. Someone has to catch passes from Brady, and Sanu was the guy who got the bump in targets last week. Nkeal Harry, Phillip Dorsett and Jakobi Meyers are WR3/FLEX plays at best, but choosing which one to trust is asinine. The best TE on the Patriots is Rob Gronkowski, and he is retired. That should tell you all you need to know about Ben Watson and Matt LaCosse. Starting the Patriots’ defense is never a bad idea.

Josh Allen has a rough matchup, but he has a big arm and a speedy weapon in John Brown. The deep pass has been the best weapon against the Patriots in the last few weeks, so Allen has slight appeal, just not a lot. He also can do some damage with his legs, so a single GPP stack with him and Brown (and/or Cole Beasley) is worth the risk. As I mention, Brown is in play at WR3 despite the likely Stephon Gilmore coverage. Beasley is probably the safer play, and he can be rolled out at WR3 as more of a PPR play than a shot in the dark like Brown. You can beat the Patriots on the ground, so Devin Singletary is in play at RB2. Don’t stretch for Frank Gore though. Dawson Knox isn’t a strong play this week with so many great TE options. There is too much Foxboro magic to over-employ the Buffalo defense here, but give them a little run.

Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers:

This matchup has some potential for points but also has the potential to be a defensive snoozer. San Francisco has been “touchable” lately, but they aren’t being ravaged. Jared Goff could rise to QB3 on this slate. This is by no means a positive indictment of him, but a positive indictment of all the other defenses on this slate. Todd Gurley has re-emerged as a fantasy force, and San Fran can be beaten by receiving backs. With a lack of big-time RB talent to choose from on this slate, Gurley is certainly in RB1/2 consideration. I wouldn’t risk Malcolm Brown though in limited usage. Cooper Kupp has been adequate recently despite getting sporadic snap counts. I like him as a WR pivot, but you cannot trust him at his price as a regular option. Robert Woods has been the golden goose for this team recently. In the last two weeks, San Francisco has been torched by WR1s. This means that Woods should be a lock at WR1 or WR2 for you. Is Brandin Cooks still alive? I seriously don’t know. Josh Reynolds is a sneaky WR3 punt play if you need to save money. Tyler Higbee and George Kittle are options 1A and 1B at TE. I’m likely to use both in a Double-TE configuration. The Rams’ defense is good, and their price is super low. That is a combination that I adore.

Jimmy Garoppolo is a solid QB, but the Rams’ pass defense is elite. He will battle Brady for QB4 on the docket. You can pair him with Deebo Samuel or George Kittle, but Emmanuel Sanders did jack squat last week, and this week he faces Jalen Ramsey. Yuck! The Rams’ run defense is suspect. Raheem Mostert is a great RB1/RB2 option, but his split usage hurts him. Tevin Coleman is TD dependent at best and Matt Breida is reception-dependent. Neither is better than a deep FLEX play. If Breida misses the game due to one of his 573 injuries, bump Mostert up slightly. As I said above, ignore Sanders. Deebo Samuel could be an option at WR3, but don’t force him into your lineup. George Kittle was a target hog last week. Los Angeles is not very good at covering TEs, so he is basically a must start. At worst, toggle between him and Higbee. Jared Goff does have the turnover gene, so the Niners’ defense can be used here.

Here are my recommended lineups.

At DK: $7K for Deshaun Watson. $11.9K for James White and Raheem Mostert. $8.5K for DeAndre Hopkins. $6.2K for Robert Woods. $4.6K for Justin Watson. $9K for O.J. Howard and Tyler Higbee at TE and FLEX. $2.5K for the Rams’ defense.

At FD: $8.6K for Watson, $12.9K for White and Devin Singletary. $7.2K for Woods. $7.4K for Breshad Perriman. $6.1K for Will Fuller. $13.7K for George Kittle and Higbee at TE and FLEX. $3.5K for the Rams’ defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Watson, Jameis Winston at SF, White, Mostert, Fuller, Woods and TRIPLE-TE: Higbee, Kittle, Howard.

At Fanball (Classic): Watson, White, Mostert, Hopkins, Woods, Kittle, Cameron Brate, Duke Johnson, Rams’ Defense.

At Fantasy Draft: Watson, White, Gurley, Hopkins, Woods, Kittle, Mostert, Howard, Rams’ Defense.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Deshaun Watson	$7,000	$8,600
Jameis Winston	$6,900	$8,400
Jared Goff	$5,800	$7,500
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,500	$7,900
Josh Allen	$5,300	$7,600
Tom Brady	$5,200	$7,400

Weekly strategy – Don’t get too crazy, just use Jameis Winston or Deshaun Watson. If you have to be weird, use Tom Brady or Josh Allen. That said, don’t be surprised when that strategy fails.

Pay to Play:

Deshaun Watson, Texans @ TB ($7000 DK, $8600 FD)
Tampa’s pass defense is so bad that even David Blough threw for more than 250 yards against them. Deshaun Watson should be good for 300-2 through the air and at least one score on the ground.

Stay Away:

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers vs. LAR ($5500 DK, $7900 FD)
Facing an elite defense like the Rams is not the optimal time for using Jimmy Garoppolo. He is coming off of a so-so game where he only targeted George Kittle. If I was Los Angeles, I would have Jalen Ramsey shadow Kittle. That isn’t going to happen, but it is what I would do.

Value Play:

Josh Allen, Bills @ NEP ($5300 DK, $7600 FD)
I don’t love this play, but Josh Allen is always a danger on the ground, and New England has had some issues with rushing QBs this year. Plus, Allen has a deep arm and a speed weapon in John Brown. New England has been susceptible to the deep bomb the last couple of weeks.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Todd Gurley II	$6,300	$7,400
Raheem Mostert	$6,100	$7,100
James White	$5,800	$6,500
Devin Singletary	$5,500	$6,400
Carlos Hyde	$5,000	$6,600
Sony Michel	$4,600	$6,100
Ronald Jones II	$4,400	$5,500
Duke Johnson	$4,100	$5,400
Peyton Barber	$3,900	$5,400
Matt Breida	$3,800	$5,300
Tevin Coleman	$3,700	$5,200
Rex Burkhead	$3,600	$5,800
Malcolm Brown	$3,500	$4,900
Frank Gore	$3,400	$5,000
Dare Ogunbowale	$3,300	$4,800

Weekly strategy – James White is the only must-start on the slate. RB2 is a choice between Todd Gurley, Devin Singletary and Raheem Mostert. I could see using two of them as well, with one at FLEX, assuming you don’t use Double-TE. Sony Michel, Duke Johnson and the Bucs’ backfield are the only other options slightly appealing.

Pay to Play:

James White, Patriots vs. BUF ($5800 DK, $6500 FD)
With Julian Edelman, hurt and covered by the dominant CBs of the Bills, James White will be the most frequent target of Tom Brady. Buffalo is beatable on the ground, and Bill Belichick only trusts White this time of year. So, expect him to get a solid share of the carries too.

Stay Away:

Carlos Hyde, Texans @ TB ($5000 DK, $6600 FD)
Based on volume alone, Carlos Hyde could have some value. That said, Tampa has given up some rushing TDs this year, but they have given up absurdly low rushing yardage per game. The only way Hyde hits 3x is with a pair of short TDs, and I think Deshaun will vulture those this week.

Value Play:

Duke Johnson, Texans @ TB ($4100 DK, $5400 FD)
Values are few and far between at the position this week. If you knew which TB running back would be the lead option, I’d recommend that. Tampa’s run defense is elite, but they have been beaten by pass-catching backs. Duke Johnson could play a sneaky role in what could be a pass-heavy game.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
DeAndre Hopkins	$8,500	$8,700
Chris Godwin	$7,400	$8,400
Cooper Kupp	$6,600	$7,300
Julian Edelman	$6,400	$7,500
Robert Woods	$6,200	$7,200
Breshad Perriman	$6,000	$7,400
Will Fuller V	$5,900	$6,100
John Brown	$5,700	$6,600
Emmanuel Sanders	$5,500	$6,400
Deebo Samuel	$5,100	$6,200
Cole Beasley	$4,800	$5,800
Justin Watson	$4,600	$5,700
Kenny Stills	$4,400	$5,500
Brandin Cooks	$4,300	$5,700
N’Keal Harry	$4,000	$5,500
Mohamed Sanu	$3,800	$5,300
Kendrick Bourne	$3,600	$5,100
Josh Reynolds	$3,400	$4,900
Jakobi Meyers	$3,100	$5,100
Phillip Dorsett II	$3,100	$4,900
Keke Coutee	$3,000	$5,400

Weekly strategy – DeAndre Hopkins and Robert Woods are options 1A and 1B here. I’ll try my darndest to fit both of them in. If not, I might use Will Fuller or Kenny Stills as a different Texans’ option. Cooper Kupp is also a possible pivot from Woods. You need to roster one of the Buccaneers’ pair of Breshad Perriman and Justin Watson. Watson is a lot cheaper, so he is easier to roll out at WR3. Others to consider at WR3: John Brown, Cole Beasley, Mohamed Sanu and Deebo Samuel.

Pay to Play:

Robert Woods, Rams @ SF ($6200 DK, $7200 FD)
I wanted to list DeAndre Hopkins here, but I trust Houston’s other WRs more than I trust the other Rams’ WRs. San Francisco has been crushed by WR1s the last two weeks and Robert Woods has been the primary beneficiary of Cooper Kupp and Brandin Cooks going MIA recently.

Stay Away:

Julian Edelman, Patriots vs. BUF ($6400 DK, $7500 FD)
Julian Edelman is battered, bruised and broken. Plus, he may see shadow coverage from Tre’Davious White. The rest of the Buffalo secondary is also elite, so escaping White won’t guarantee success. At this price, just don’t do it.

Value Play:

Justin Watson, Buccaneers vs. HOU ($4600 DK, $5700 FD)
Justin Watson was a popular sleeper last week, but Breshad Perriman got all the love behind Chris Godwin, Godwin is also out this week, so Watson will have to step up opposite Perriman. Both are great plays in what should be a shootout, but only Watson could be considered a value based on their prices.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
George Kittle	$6,500	$7,400
Tyler Higbee	$5,000	$6,300
Gerald Everett	$4,000	$5,300
O.J. Howard	$4,000	$5,500
Cameron Brate	$3,500	$5,000
Darren Fells	$3,000	$4,500
Jordan Akins	$2,900	$4,900
Dawson Knox	$2,700	$4,800
Ben Watson	$2,600	$4,500
Tyler Kroft	$2,600	$4,500
Matt LaCosse	$2,500	$4,500

Weekly strategy – This is the slate for Double-TE or even Triple-TE. George Kittle and Tyler Higbee are elite plays and both Buccaneers’ tight ends are in play. Heck, even both Texans’ TEs could be used in a pinch.

Pay to Play:

George Kittle, Niners vs. LAR ($6500 DK, $7400 FD)
George Kittle was the only option that Jimmy Garoppolo looked at last week. 17 targets while the rest of the team saw 15 targets. That partly explains how he has accrued 70 yards and/or a score in seven of his last nine games. The Rams have been poor against TEs recently. The only thing that could hurt Kittle is if the Rams decide to shadow him with Jalen Ramsey.

Stay Away:

Gerald Everett, Rams @ SF ($4000 DK, $5300 FD)
There isn’t really a fair “Stay Away” candidate at a high price. Gerald Everett is unlikely to play due to injury, but if he does suit up, ignore him. Tyler Higbee has made him an expendable piece.

Value Play:

O.J. Howard, Buccaneers vs. HOU ($4000 DK, $5500 FD)
Both O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate make great value options this week with all the injuries to the Buccaneers’ WR corps. In fact, Jameis Winston even came out and said that he would be peppering those two with targets. You want exposure to this game, so consider using Howard or Brate as part two of the Double-TE strategy or even as option three in the Triple-TE.

Let us leave our discussion of last week with the following thoughts: Arguably, the two best defenses in the NFC faced off and gave up a combined 94 points. Sometimes, studying stats and trends doesn’t matter, we are just going to see some team(s) go gonzo. If you rostered Drew Brees or Jimmy Garoppolo congrats, just know that that was not the optimal play.

The Primetime Slate:

This is going to be a tricky week, as Indy is the only team on the docket that has a questionable defense. Sunday, Buffalo and Pittsburgh lock horns. Pittsburgh has held seven of the last ten QBs to under 200 passing yards, but they have given up a few TDs to the position. Making this even a shadier play for Josh Allen, only three teams all season have topped 10 rushing yards with their QBs against Pittsburgh. The only QB to have any success on the ground was Lamar Jackson and even he did lesser than his standard numbers. If you take Jackson’s rushing stats away, the Steelers are giving up six QB rushing yards per game. This doesn’t bode well for Allen, who needs those rushing numbers to boost him from mediocre QB2 level-play to 1QB-league playability. These trends should leave him on your bench. Devlin Hodges isn’t a great play either as Buffalo has held 10 of 13 teams to one or fewer passing scores. With Jaylen Samuels dinged up, expect James Conner to get a full complement of snaps in his first game Assuming that Conner can go, he moves into strong consideration as RB2 despite any potential rust. Mainly, because most of the other options on this slate are gross. Samuels, if he plays would be RB3 or RB4. Devin Singletary also needs to be strongly considered at RB2. Pittsburgh can be beaten on the ground, and with some rough options here, pairing Devin with Alvin Kamara is probably the safest pairing. Since I don’t like either QB, odds are that I won’t like their receivers either. Pittsburgh has given up two WR scores total over their last five games. That said, over that same stretch they have given up solid statistical days to WR1s. So, John Brown could post a reasonable line and might be a WR2 option. I’ll probably still fade him, but consider using Cole Beasley at WR2. There won’t be enough passing numbers to go around to make Robert Foster or Isaiah McKenzie anything more than a Showdown Slate lottery ticket. JuJu Smith-Schuster was on target to play this week, then he left practice early on Thursday and put him back on the wrong side of questionable. If he does play, he will look across the field and see Tre’Davious White smiling back at him. This is not optimal for Smith-Schuster. Even if White doesn’t get ahold of the Steelers’ play sheet, he might make it look like he has it. Plus, James Washington and Diontae Johnson would get better matchups. Still, neither screams play me. Diontae could be a sneaky WR3 here. If JuJu doesn’t play, then Johnson becomes an even stronger option based on volume, but Washington would be shadowed by White making him even less appealing. Arizona finally figured out how to stop a TE, concuss him. Vance McDonald is not likely to be ready for this one and Nick Vannett is just a guy. It is too bad, since Buffalo has actually allowed back-to-back strong games to opposing TEs. The Steelers have struggled against upper-echelon TEs all season. Dawson Knox is on the up-and-up, but he is not upper-echelon. I’ll place him at TE3 on this slate, with a chance at TE2 status, if Jared Cook cannot play. Choose one of these two teams as your defense. I am leaning Pittsburgh.

Unlike what they showed last week, the Saints’ defense is actually talented. They are stiff against both the pass and the run. Indianapolis is short-handed in their passing game. Still, Jacoby Brissett is the QB2 on this sloppy slate. Of course, you shouldn’t have to use him, because Drew Brees is far-and-away the best choice on this docket. The Colts are actually stingy against the run, but they do give up a ton of receptions to opposing RBs. This makes me feel comfortable trotting out Alvin Kamara despite his recent struggles. Latavius Murray is not used often in the passing game, but he still should produce enough in parallel usage alongside Kamara, to stay FLEX-worthy. Raheem Mostert, Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette are the only RBs to top 100 total yards against the Saints this season. Marlon Mack returned and scored last week. This week he feels TD-dependent as well. He is RB3 at best on this slate, and if Jaylen Samuels and/or James Conner are active, he may fall all the way to RB5. Considering his price, I’m likely to fade Mack, but I may consider Nyheim Hines as a cheap FLEX. Marshon Lattimore will shut down Zach Pascal leaving Marcus Johnson as the only consideration outside for the Colts’ passing game. Johnson actually had a pretty good game last week. I think you seriously have to consider using him at WR3 here. T.Y. Hilton is questionable at best, and I wouldn’t trust him unless I see him fully practice on Friday or Saturday. If he plays, he would likely have to deal with Lattimore, making him unusable anyways. The only upside would be that Pascal would get a boost in value to WR2 consideration. Michael Thomas is the obvious WR1 on the slate. Don’t get cute, just play him. Ted Ginn and Tre’Quan Smith both get some potential FLEX love, although I hate playing two WRs from the same team. I don’t have any reservations about stacking a QB-WR-TE though, so, if Jared Cook plays, I’ll use him as TE2 and possible Double-TE FLEX on this slate. Jack Doyle is actually my TE1, especially if Hilton doesn’t play. Also, if Cook doesn’t play, consider Josh Hill as a possible FLEX, and he makes a great Showdown slate play. This game should have more points, so avoid both these defenses.

The Main Slate:

Jameis Winston is the far-and-away best option this week (but he is also questionable). If he cannot go, there are several decent pivots including: Russell Wilson, Pat Mahomes, Ryan Tannehill and Deshaun Watson. One of those things is not like the others. Tannehill could be the slate-winner, if you are ballsy enough to play him instead of one of the bigger names despite the similar price tags. Tom Brady at a reduced price is a possible value play, as are both QBs in the MIA-NYG tilt. That said, if I choose to punt, it will likely be with Gardner Minshew or Kyler Murray. Winston and the other top four all will run you right around 14%. Gardner, Murray and Eli Manning will run between 11% and 11.5% if you go that route.

Christian McCaffrey should be back in play against the Seahawks. It also helps that his price has finally dipped a bit. He is still five-figures, but he is usable. That said, I don’t think I need to use him this week. There are three amazing matchups with high-dollar backs: Chris Carson, Dalvin Cook and Derrick Henry. My plan is simple, start two of them – perhaps even try to squeeze all three in. I’m most likely going to use two and then FLEX in from this list: Phillip Lindsay, James White, David Montgomery, Raheem Mostert and DeAndre Washington (my favorite assuming that Josh Jacobs doesn’t play). If Jacobs does play, then he joins the top three in RB1 consideration). If you need to save money, punt options could include: Adrian Peterson, Duke Johnson, Patrick Laird, Matt Breida and Chris Thompson. Two of the big three will run you 35% on DK and 30% on FD. Try to keep your FLEX under 10% here.

Kenny Golladay, Julian Edelman and Chris Godwin are my favorite top-dollar plays. Spending up at RB will limit me to just one of those three at WR. Edelman may be the wise choice because you can pivot to Danny Amendola, Breshad Perriman, or Justin Watson to get exposure to the other two offenses at a cheaper price at WR3. Even if I use Godwin or Golladay, I still may use the other’s mate at WR3. The other options that I like in that spot are: Dede Westbrook, Mike Williams, Larry Fitzgerald, Mohamed Sanu and perhaps one of the Eagles. WR2 is harder. I will choose one of the Niners, one of the Giants, A.J. Brown, Christian Kirk or Allen Hurns. Choosing one from each of those tiers should cost you no more than 41% on DK and 35% on FD. The 41% won’t work easily, so you are probably going to be forced to use two WR3 level choices on DK putting you at roughly 33%.

Spending so much at RB, I’ll likely pay less at TE. The only high-dollar TE that I love this week anyways is Zach Ertz. David Njoku and Dallas Goedert could be cheaper pivots if you choose to spend up here. I’m just not going to be spending big here when I can get so many good options on the cheap. Tyler Higbee is woefully underpriced on DK, but his FD price is just about right. Other bargains are: Jonnu Smith, Kaden Smith, Jason Witten, Darren Fells, O.J. Howard and Ian Thomas. There are even three potential punts: Logan Thomas, Jesse James and J.P. Holtz. Try to keep your DK cost under 7% and keep FD under 10%.

I’m still squished up against it trying to fit all the required positions under the cap. This means that I need to go super cheap at defense. If money wasn’t a factor, I’d go with the Patriots. I’d even be cool with the Vikings or the Buccaneers. In reality, I’ll be choosing from the Jaguars, Bears, Lions, Chargers and Cardinals. You will be probably forced to spend around 5% on DK and 6.5% on FD, and even then, you might not fit it all in. If you cannot get even the cheapest options in, cut slightly at FLEX, or WR2.

Here are my recommended lineups.

At DK: $6.9K for Jameis Winston (or Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson). $16K for Derrick Henry and Chris Carson. $4.7K for DeAndre Washington (if Josh Jacobs doesn’t play), otherwise $5.2K for Raheem Mostert. $7.1K for Julian Edelman. Two of: Dede Westbrook, Allen Hurns, Mike Williams, Darius Slayton, Justin Watson, Breshad Perriman and Danny Amendola for a combined $8.6K or less. $3.9K for Tyler Higbee. $2.3K for the Lions’ defense (yes, against my QB).

At FD: $8.2K for Jameis Winston (or Wilson or Watson). $25.3K total for Dalvin Cook, Henry and Carson. $7.7K for Julian Edelman. $9.9K total for Watson and Amendola. $5K or less for TE (leaning Jonnu Smith, Kaden Smith, J.P. Holtz or one of the Lions). $3.8K for the Buccaneers’ defense.

At Fanball (classic – includes Sun Night): Winston (or Watson), Cook, Henry, Carson, Watson, Amendola, Slayton, Higbee, and the Bills’ defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Jimmy Garoppolo, Eli Manning at SF, Henry, Carson, Chris Godwin, Slayton, Deebo Samuel, Ian Thomas, and D. Washington (or Mostert or James White) at FLEX.

At Fantasy Draft (includes Sun Night): Garoppolo, Henry, Cook, Samuel, Amendola, I. Thomas, Carson, D. Washington, and the Buccaneers’ defense.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes	$7,100	$8,300
Russell Wilson	$7,000	$8,100
Jameis Winston	$6,900	$8,200
Deshaun Watson	$6,800	$8,200
Ryan Tannehill	$6,500	$7,600
Baker Mayfield	$6,400	$7,700
Aaron Rodgers	$6,300	$8,000
Dak Prescott	$6,300	$7,800
Carson Wentz	$6,200	$7,700
Ryan Fitzpatrick	$6,200	$7,300
Jared Goff	$6,100	$7,800
Jimmy Garoppolo	$6,100	$8,400
Kirk Cousins	$6,000	$7,900
Mitchell Trubisky	$6,000	$7,500
Tom Brady	$6,000	$7,600
Matt Ryan	$5,900	$7,600
Matthew Stafford	$5,800	$7,500
Drew Lock	$5,700	$7,400
Daniel Jones	$5,600	$7,300
Derek Carr	$5,600	$7,300
Kyler Murray	$5,600	$7,600
Philip Rivers	$5,600	$7,400
Gardner Minshew II	$5,500	$6,900
Kyle Allen	$5,400	$7,000
David Blough	$5,300	$7,300
Eli Manning	$5,200	$6,800
Andy Dalton	$4,900	$6,500
Dwayne Haskins Jr.	$4,600	$6,600

Weekly strategy – If Jameis Winston plays, I will do everything I can to fit him in my lineup. That said, I know with the RBs that I want, I may have to spend down here. That means I will probably end up using: Eli Manning, Kyler Murray or Gardner Minshew. Then comes the concern about Winston’s injury. If I can afford him, but he doesn’t play, then I could pivot to Pat Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson or even Ryan Tannehill. Know that if I use Murray, Manning or Minshew, I will stack their top WR with them.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Jameis Winston, Buccaneers @ DET ($6900 DK, $8200 FD)
This is the ultimate injury watch. If Jameis Winston plays, he has the highest ceiling on the slate. With nine of his last eleven games over 300 yards passing (and two over 400 yards), Winston gets to face a very burnable Detroit defense. Dwayne Haskins is the only QB that has none posted a strong game against this secondary. 350-3 with 3 INTs is always the sweet spot for Winston.

Russell Wilson, Seahawks @ CAR ($7000 DK, $8100 FD)
Carolina has allowed six of their last nine opponents to throw for more than 300 yards. They haven’t allowed as many passing TDs, because teams just run the ball in against them with zero opposition. Wilson may be in play as a vulture for some rushing yards and possible scores, especially if Chris Carson’s fumblitis returns.

Pat Mahomes, Chiefs vs. DEN ($7100 DK, $8300 FD)
Denver’s defense has quietly fallen on hard times. Over their last four games, they have given up ten total TDs to opposing quarterbacks. Pat Mahomes’ numbers have been pedestrian since returning from injury, but at home versus a tilting secondary, he should be locked in for 300-3.

Deshaun Watson, Texans @ TEN ($6800 DK, $8200 FD)
Even when Deshaun Watson has a bad game, he still finishes out with a good fantasy line. He has especially fared well against Tennessee. In three career meetings, Watson has 803 passing yards, 138 rushing yards, and ten total TDs. Those numbers make him a great pivot play if Winston is unable to go. I’d feel even better if Will Fuller is able to go. If not feel free to stack Watson with DeAndre Hopkins, Kenny Stills and/or Darren Fells.

Sleepers:

Gardner Minshew, Jaguars @ OAK ($5500 DK, $6900 FD)
When two rotten defenses face off, points can come in bunches. Gardner Minshew didn’t set the world on fire last week, but he was facing an elite pass defense. This week he faces a putrid pass defense. In fact, they are so bad, I feel dirty using the word “Defense”. If you ignore Ryan Finley’s ugly Week 11 performance in a windstorm, Oakland has allowed 27 total QB touchdowns over their other nine most recent games. At this price, Minshew is a great GPP play, and he makes an even better pair in SuperFlex.

Eli Manning, Giants vs. MIA ($5200 DK, $6800 FD)
This shapes as another game featuring two horrible defenses. Eli Manning looked spry last week, let us see if the veteran can continue to lobby for another contract next season. Only twice this year has Miami not allowed multiple passing TDs, and six different times they allowed three or more total QB scores. Eli has a safe floor of 250-2, but he could easily exceed that number if this turns into a battle of who is worse in coverage.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey	$10,000	$10,400
Dalvin Cook	$8,900	$8,500
Derrick Henry	$8,500	$9,400
Nick Chubb	$7,900	$8,000
Ezekiel Elliott	$7,800	$8,500
Saquon Barkley	$7,700	$8,300
Leonard Fournette	$7,600	$7,700
Chris Carson	$7,500	$7,400
Aaron Jones	$7,300	$7,800
Josh Jacobs	$7,000	$7,700
Austin Ekeler	$6,700	$7,200
Melvin Gordon III	$6,500	$7,400
Kareem Hunt	$6,300	$6,700
Joe Mixon	$6,100	$6,700
Todd Gurley II	$6,000	$7,600
Miles Sanders	$5,900	$6,800
Devonta Freeman	$5,800	$6,100
Phillip Lindsay	$5,600	$6,400
David Montgomery	$5,500	$6,400
James White	$5,400	$6,800
Raheem Mostert	$5,200	$7,500
Sony Michel	$5,100	$6,100
Kenyan Drake	$5,000	$6,200
Jordan Howard	$4,900	$6,900
Damien Williams	$4,800	$6,000
Tarik Cohen	$4,800	$5,700
DeAndre Washington	$4,700	$6,300
Ronald Jones II	$4,600	$5,800
Carlos Hyde	$4,500	$6,000
David Johnson	$4,500	$5,400
Patrick Laird	$4,500	$5,500
Adrian Peterson	$4,400	$6,300
LeSean McCoy	$4,400	$6,100
Peyton Barber	$4,400	$5,700
Jamaal Williams	$4,200	$5,400
Malcolm Brown	$4,200	$4,900
Darwin Thompson	$4,100	$5,400
Duke Johnson	$4,100	$5,700
Matt Breida	$4,100	$5,600
Bo Scarbrough	$4,000	$5,900
Royce Freeman	$4,000	$5,300
Tevin Coleman	$4,000	$5,200
Chris Thompson	$3,900	$5,200
J.D. McKissic	$3,300	$4,900
Ty Johnson	$3,000	$4,900

Weekly strategy – There are three obvious plays this week: Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry and Chris Carson. I will do everything I can to get two (if not all three of them) into my lineup card. In addition, if Josh Jacobs returns, he becomes a stud play too. If Jacobs doesn’t play, then DeAndre Washington makes the obvious cheaper alternative at FLEX. In reality, I will have some combo of these five players. The only other players that I will likely have any exposure to are: Phillip Lindsay, James White and Raheem Mostert. If you are desperate to save money consider one of the Redskins’ backs, Patrick Laird or Duke Johnson.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ LAC ($8900 DK, $8500 FD)
The Chargers aren’t awful against opposing RBs carrying the ball. What they have serious problems with, is stopping opposing RBs through the air. In six of their last eight games, Los Angeles has given up seven or more running back receptions. Dalvin Cook is already Christian McCaffrey-Lite when it comes to pass-catching skills. Against this defense, double-digit receptions are definitely in play, and any rushing yards and scores are just gravy.

Chris Carson, Seahawks @ CAR ($7500 DK, $7400 FD)
Carolina has given up an unbelievable 19 total RB scores over the last 8 games. Five of those have come just in the last two weeks. They’ve also given up 427 total yards to opposing backs over the last two. Chris Carson has no more Rashaad Penny looking over his shoulder. The only threat to Carson not posting a floor of 150-2, is the looming Russell Wilson vulture.

Derrick Henry, Titans vs. HOU ($8500 DK, $9400 FD)
Derrick Henry is nursing a minor hamstring injury which has me slightly concerned. That said, he has come out and declared himself ready to go for this weekend. With nine scores over his last five games, Henry needs to be in any lineup. I hope that the injury actually depresses his ownership numbers some. In their last four games, Houston has given up 781 total yards and eight total scores to opposing RBs. If Henry sits out, Dion Lewis could be fantasy gold at a very bargain basement price.

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. SEA ($10000 DK, $10400 FD)
Christian McCaffrey is always a good play no matter the matchup. Seattle has allowed six different teams to notch seven or more RB receptions, and four different teams have recorded multiple rushing TDs against them. McCaffrey should be active on the ground and through the air, and as usual he should approach 30 DFS points.

Sleepers:

DeAndre Washington, Raiders vs. JAX ($4700 DK, $6300 FD)
This comes down to whether Josh Jacobs plays. If Jacobs plays, he is a top-5 option this week. If Jacobs sits, DeAndre Washington gets to abuse the Jokes-on-ville run defense. Over their last five games, opposing RBs are averaging 229 total yards and two total TDs against these fixed house cats. My Siamese is fiercer at attacking my feet at night than Jacksonville is at stopping the run.

Raheem Mostert, Niners vs. ATL ($5200 DK, $7500 FD)
Raheem Mostert got the dreaded “he has earned it” vote of confidence from Kyle Shanahan. I hope this doesn’t mean Shanahanigans are in play. Raheem Mostert gets a great matchup with Atlanta this week, but also know this is a revenge game for Tevin Coleman. In Mostert’s defense, Coleman has done zip and pip the last two weeks, so the revenge game factor is the only thing working in his favor. Matt Breida could also eat into Mostert’s looks, but it ultimately comes down to who gets the targets this week. Atlanta has given up double-digit RB receptions in three of their last five games.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
DeAndre Hopkins	$8,000	$8,600
Chris Godwin	$7,700	$8,400
Davante Adams	$7,600	$7,800
Tyreek Hill	$7,500	$7,900
Stefon Diggs	$7,300	$7,700
Kenny Golladay	$7,200	$7,900
Julian Edelman	$7,100	$7,700
Julio Jones	$7,000	$7,500
Tyler Lockett	$6,900	$6,900
Allen Robinson II	$6,800	$8,000
Jarvis Landry	$6,700	$7,400
DJ Moore	$6,600	$6,900
Emmanuel Sanders	$6,600	$6,900
Amari Cooper	$6,500	$7,700
Cooper Kupp	$6,500	$7,600
DeVante Parker	$6,400	$6,900
Odell Beckham Jr.	$6,400	$7,200
Adam Thielen	$6,300	$7,300
Keenan Allen	$6,300	$6,800
DJ Chark Jr.	$6,200	$6,300
Robert Woods	$6,200	$7,500
DK Metcalf	$6,100	$6,300
A.J. Brown	$6,000	$6,200
Courtland Sutton	$5,900	$7,000
Golden Tate	$5,900	$6,300
A.J. Green	$5,800	$6,600
Deebo Samuel	$5,800	$6,500
Michael Gallup	$5,700	$6,800
Will Fuller V	$5,600	$6,600
Christian Kirk	$5,500	$6,100
Tyler Boyd	$5,500	$6,300
Sterling Shepard	$5,400	$5,900
Terry McLaurin	$5,300	$6,000
Anthony Miller	$5,100	$6,300
Russell Gage	$5,000	$5,400
Sammy Watkins	$4,900	$5,400
Tyrell Williams	$4,800	$5,600
Allen Hurns	$4,700	$5,800
Darius Slayton	$4,700	$6,300
Dede Westbrook	$4,600	$6,000
Mike Williams	$4,600	$6,200
Brandin Cooks	$4,500	$6,300
Breshad Perriman	$4,500	$6,400
Curtis Samuel	$4,400	$5,600
Randall Cobb	$4,400	$5,400
Larry Fitzgerald	$4,300	$5,700
Mohamed Sanu	$4,300	$5,800
Taylor Gabriel	$4,200	$5,400
Danny Amendola	$4,100	$5,400
Kenny Stills	$4,100	$5,000
Hunter Renfrow	$4,000	$5,500
Kendrick Bourne	$4,000	$5,400
Mecole Hardman	$4,000	$5,600
Nelson Agholor	$4,000	$5,200
John Ross III	$3,900	$4,900
Paul Richardson Jr.	$3,900	$5,000
Allen Lazard	$3,800	$5,300
Corey Davis	$3,800	$5,000
Olabisi Johnson	$3,800	$5,200
Adam Humphries	$3,700	$5,400
Josh Gordon	$3,700	$4,800
Justin Watson	$3,700	$4,500
Phillip Dorsett II	$3,700	$5,200
Albert Wilson	$3,500	$4,600
N’Keal Harry	$3,500	$5,300
Geronimo Allison	$3,400	$4,600
Keke Coutee	$3,400	$5,400
Jakobi Meyers	$3,300	$5,100
JJ Arcega-Whiteside	$3,300	$5,500
Greg Ward	$3,000	$4,900

Weekly strategy – Chris Godwin could be in a big-money spot if Jameis Winston can suit up. Still, you have to worry a bit about Jameis’ injury and the presence of Darius Slay. I might get access to this game with Breshad Perriman or Justin Watson instead. They both make great WR3 options. I also could run it back with Kenny Golladay or Danny Amendola. The other big-dollar player I will have a lot of shares of is, Julian Edelman. Edelman paired with Watson and Amendola gets me maximum exposure and saves me money too. That will be my favorite threesome. The only other WR1 options I will consider are Emmanuel Sanders or Davante Parker (if he plays). If I roster Gardner Minshew or Eli Manning, I would likely pair them with D.J. Chark (if he plays), Dede Westbrook, Darius Slayton or Golden Tate at WR2. You can also possibly save some money using one of the backup Dolphins, one of the Cardinals, or one of the Texans backups in the WR3 range.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Chris Godwin, Buccaneers @ DET ($7700 DK, $8400 FD)
Will Darius Slay be able to slow down Chris Godwin. Not having Mike Evans, may make this point moot. Godwin could be targeted 20 times this week, and based on volume alone he has the highest ceiling of any player this week. Of course, this all assumes that Jameis Winston plays. Considering his price, Godwin may be too expensive for me. At worst, I’ll take a flyer on Justin Watson or Breshad Perriman.

Kenny Golladay, Lions vs. TB ($7200 DK, $7900 FD)
David Blough is not a good QB. That said, he does have enough brains to know to throw the ball up to freakish WR, Kenny Golladay. Blough has connected with Golladay for TDs in back-to-back games. He is a lock to score again here against a Tampa defense that has been destroyed by larger WR1s all season. If you are really feeling ballsy consider stacking these two.

DeAndre Hopkins, Texans @ TEN ($8000 DK, $8600 FD)
DeAndre Hopkins did, what I said he would last week…burn Chris Harris. With Will Fuller out, Hopkins was the primary target of Deshaun Watson and he notched his seventh receiving TD. Fuller is questionable at best for this week, leaving Hopkins as a great option once again. Hopkins has seven career TDs against Tennessee over twelve games. Plus, he is averaging just under 100 yards per game against them.

Julian Edelman, Patriots @ CIN ($7100 DK, $7700 FD)
Tom Brady really only trusts Julian Edelman and James White in the passing game. Those two have nearly as many targets this year as the rest of the team combined. Edelman should be able to post another double-digit target, nearly double-digit reception game against a Bengals’ team that has struggled all year with inside receivers.

Sleepers:

Danny Amendola, Lions vs. TB ($4100 DK, $5400 FD)
Am I seriously recommending two David Blough pass-catchers??? Yes, Yes, I am. Tampa is that bad against the pass. Plus, they have been even worse against secondary receivers, than they have against WR1s. Nine of the last ten WR2s to face Tampa have scored TDs against them. Danny Amendola leads Detroit in targets over the last two weeks, and with no Marvin Jones, that number can only go up. The Blough-Golladay-Amendola triple stack could win a GPP.

Dede Westbrook, Jaguars @ OAK ($4600 DK, $6000 FD)
Dede Westbrook’s value this week is tied to whether D.J. Chark plays. Dede will be a top-10 WR (if Chark is out), or a top-20 WR (if Chark is in). Either way, he belongs in your lineup against an Oakland defense that is lacking in talent in the secondary. Westbrook has been bothered a bit by a shoulder injury, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a garbage time hero with Uncle Rico back at QB.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Travis Kelce	$6,500	$7,300
George Kittle	$6,200	$7,200
Zach Ertz	$6,000	$6,700
Darren Waller	$5,500	$6,200
Hunter Henry	$5,200	$6,400
Austin Hooper	$5,000	$6,200
Evan Engram	$4,900	$6,400
Dallas Goedert	$4,300	$5,700
David Njoku	$4,200	$5,500
Noah Fant	$4,100	$5,700
Gerald Everett	$4,000	$5,800
Mike Gesicki	$4,000	$5,200
Greg Olsen	$3,900	$4,900
Tyler Higbee	$3,900	$5,700
Jacob Hollister	$3,800	$5,700
Kyle Rudolph	$3,800	$4,700
Jason Witten	$3,700	$5,600
Jimmy Graham	$3,600	$5,400
Kaden Smith	$3,600	$4,700
Jonnu Smith	$3,500	$4,900
O.J. Howard	$3,500	$5,700
Cameron Brate	$3,400	$5,200
Darren Fells	$3,200	$4,700
Ian Thomas	$3,100	$5,300
Tyler Eifert	$2,800	$4,500
Anthony Firkser	$2,700	$5,000
Logan Thomas	$2,600	$4,700
J.P. Holtz	$2,500	$4,800
Jesse James	$2,500	$4,300

Weekly strategy – I really can’t afford to spend much here this week. Zach Ertz is the only expensive guy I like anyways. I love the idea of riding the hot hand in Tyler Higbee, but while his DK price is nice, his FD price may be more than I can afford. I will likely go dumpster diving for one of: Jonnu Smith, Kaden Smith, Darren Fells, Ian Thomas, one of the Lions or J.P. Holtz.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Zach Ertz, Eagles @ WAS ($6000 DK, $6700 FD)
Zach Ertz is the WR1 right now for Philadelphia. Last week, they were literally down to their last actual WR being healthy – AAF castoff Greg Ward. J.J. Ar”theee”ga-Whiteside may return this week, but Carson Wentz has zero faith in him to catch a pass. Ertz has nine or more catches and 90 or more yards in four of his last five games. He also has four TDs over that stretch. Meanwhile, Washington is back to their old ways of ignoring the TE position. Over their last four games, the Redskins have allowed a total of 21-272-4 to the position.

Darren Waller, Raiders vs. JAX ($5500 DK, $6200 FD)
Only two teams have given up more TE touchdowns than Jacksonville. This includes a pair last week versus the Chargers. Darren Waller no longer has Foster Moreau to steal his end zone looks. Waller’s numbers have been huge since Hunter Renfrow went down to injury. If Renfrow returns, it might ding Waller’s number slightly, but his price is still nice.

George Kittle, Niners vs. ATL ($6200 DK, $7200 FD)
Seven times this season Atlanta has allowed opposing TEs to top the 50-yard receiving mark. This includes 10-155-1 over the last two weeks. George Kittle channeled his inner Juggernaut last week and willed the Niners to a victory. This isn’t a bad matchup, I’m mainly afraid that he will be over-owned coming off that sick run. Plus, Atlanta can be beaten so many other ways too.

Tyler Higbee, Rams @ DAL ($3900 DK, $5700 FD)
Tyler Higbee has turned into in-his-prime Antonio Gates over the last couple weeks without Gerald Everett. Higbee has averaged 7-112 the last two weeks, and he scored in Week 13. Dallas has been destroyed by every quality TE they have faced this year. Of course, they even gave up 7-92 to the unholy duo of J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted last week. At DK, you can’t fade him at this price. The FD price is a little more appropriate, but still a deal.

Sleepers:

David Njoku, Browns @ ARI ($4200 DK, $5500 FD)
David Njoku gets the Arizona Free Space this week. Last week, Arizona finally figured out how to shut down an opposing TE…concuss him. As a Njoku dynasty league owner, I hope he can avoid a concussion this week. If he manages to accomplish this 5-50-1 is a lock.

Ian Thomas, Panthers vs. SEA ($3100 DK, $5300 FD)
Seattle is channeling their inner-Cardinals having given up 33-303-2 to opposing TEs over the last three weeks. With this recent run of futility, the Seahawks are up to seven games with seven or more receptions by opposing TEs on the year. Ian Thomas stepped in for Greg Olsen last week and posted a very strong 5-57-1. I expect a bigger line here.

So, Sunday wasn’t the huge payday that Thanksgiving was. I still finished in the green (thanks to a late heroic performance by Tom Brady, James White and Julian Edelman). Now we have reached Week 14. With Week 14, we get a whole new crop of DFS players. All of the redraft league guys who have been knocked out of their league’s playoffs suddenly jump into the waters of DFS, many without a life jacket. Pairing a larger number of wildcard entrants with a larger player pool (no more byes), only makes winning the big jackpots that much harder. The Dominator will still break down the entirety of the main slate, but I behoove you to get your entries into the Primetime-Only slate and the Afternoon-Only slates to continue to thin out some of the variance. As always, I will discuss the Primetime-Only slate below, but feel free to shoot me a message on Twitter @NewClearHarley, for my picks for the Afternoon-Only contests.

The Primetime Slate:

Seattle travels south to Los Angeles to face the Rams in front of a partisan crowd (likely partisan in favor of the Seahawks). The Rams have a solid defense, but they have been known to be susceptible to some mental lapses. Russell Wilson is certainly in play here as the #2 QB on the slate. I can understand the desire to go against the grain and start Jared Goff here, but I have him as the worst option on this slate. The Rams gave up a big statistical game to Chris Carson last time out, but their rushing defense has improved dramatically since than, and Carson has watched his primary ball carrier role reduced to RBBC. Los Angeles is still struggling with pass-catching backs, so Rashaad Penny is a safer play than Carson. That said, either could be used at RB2 or FLEX. Todd Gurley is finally starting to get a Gurley-level workload. This week he faces a run defense that has played well, but still given up a bunch of rushing TDs. Perhaps more important to Gurley’s value here is that Seattle has been a whipping-boy to opposing pass-catching RBs. Gurley has only seven receptions total the last three weeks, but that is seven more receptions than any other Rams’ running back over that period. I feel Todd is in the same boat with Carson and Penny as RB2/FLEX plays. Cooper Kupp always is a threat to score, but his price is usually higher than I’d like to spend, and the MNF WRs are very appealing. Brandin Cooks returned last week, but he was almost as visible as he was the prior weeks he was out. I’m not trusting him until we see better usage. Robert Woods, on the other hand, makes a strong play coming off a 19-target game. If I’m choosing a Rams’ WR this week it is him. Tyler Lockett was actually more incognito than Cooks last week. His 0-0 performance undoubtedly is responsible for knocking several of those newbie DFS’ers out of their redraft leagues. He will be extremely under-owned due to that fail (and the presence of Jalen Ramsey). You can’t trust him in cash games, but consider him as a sneaky play in GPP. Lockett did score in their earlier meeting, but most WR1s have struggled against LA since then (Hollywood Brown being the exception). D.K. (not decaf) Metcalf has been the better WR the last month or so, I feel better about starting him than Lockett. The Rams don’t give up enough through the air to seriously consider Josh Gordon or David Moore as anything more than a deep FLEX play. Will Dissly did damage against the Rams back in Week 5, but since then they have shut down every tight end not named George Kittle or Tyler Eifert. Jacob Hollister will probably be my TE4 on this slate, and not a particularly exciting option. Gerald Everett (or Tyler Higbee if Everett is out) is a great play here since Seattle is almost as incompetent at covering TEs as Arizona. Both teams are playable for defense, but neither is going to be a sure thing. If I choose between them, I probably would go with Seattle. That said, I will probably just roll with Philly on MNF.

I am pumped for Monday Night. Not. The NFC Least battle could produce some fantasy points, but it still forces us to watch two of the most underperforming teams in football. Fortunately, I can just use it as background fodder while @SteveGalloNFL and I record next week’s @BlitzedPodcast. I don’t really want to watch the game. I’ll just look at the box score when it is all done. Carson Wentz should be the QB1 on this slate, and Eli Manning is no worse than option 3. Count me among the many who hopes that Jordan Howard remains out. Miles Sanders by himself makes a solid RB1 or RB2 play. If Howard plays, then they will eat each other’s value and both become FLEX plays. The Eagles have done well against bad RBs, but they have struggled when facing premium RBs (especially through the air). Saquan Barkley is better than his stats suggest, and I will find it hard to fade him here unless it comes down to money. After a recent boost in their play, Philadelphia’s secondary got eaten alive by Davante Parker last week. Golden Tate is slated to return and he and Sterling Shepard are both solid WR2 options. If Tate doesn’t make it back, Darius Slayton is also in consideration at WR3. Meanwhile, the Giants have been rotten at covering everyone. Feel free to unleash Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The only thing that will hold this trio back is their drops. I still feel strongly that they combine for 18-260-2, with most of that falling into Jeffery’s lap. He is coming off a 16-target feast, and I cannot imagine him getting fewer than 12 targets here. Dallas Goedert outplayed, out-targeted and out-produced Zach Ertz last week. Tight end is one of the positions that New York isn’t abhorrent as covering, but I still like each to be in consideration here as TE3 level. I’m just probably going to fade them both since they cut into each other’s stats. Evan Engram is slated to return and he instantly becomes TE2 on this slate. He and Eli were clicking earlier this year (and all of last year). Plus, Philly has given up several huge days to the position. Both teams are error-prone, so either defense would be an option. I like Philly a little more than New York, since Eli will be rusty.

The Main Slate:

Aaron Rodgers is the sure thing this week, I’m going to smash this spot as much as possible. Pivots from Rodgers could include Kirk Cousins, Tom Brady, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Sam Darnold. Darnold might be the sneaky play coming off a horrid start last week. I expect his ownership to be low. There are a couple punt options: Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew and Andy Dalton are all in play. Rodgers will run me around 14% on either site. If I pivot to one of the other four, I can get it down to around 12.5% on either site.

Christian McCaffrey finally had his dud week. Don’t expect that to happen back-to-back. His price is still high, but the matchup looks juicy. I will have some exposure to him, especially since I don’t love a lot of the high-priced choices. The only top dollar guy that I will be all over is Leonard Fournette. If I can figure a way to fit it in both would be great. That said, I will probably have to settle for one or the other. Dalvin Cook claims he will play on Sunday. If he doesn’t, then Alexander Mattison becomes a chalk must-start. If Cook plays, he will be a pivot play at best and may still cede some work to the rookie. At that point I would use one of: Derrius Guice, Devonta Freeman or James White at RB2. If you go C-Mac and Fournette expect to spend 31% on FD but 36.6% on DK. This means that this combo is easier to do on FD. Fournette plus one of the cheaper options should cost you only 27% on DK or 23% on FD.

Once again, Davante Adams and D.J. Moore are the top two options. My goal is to have one or the other in every lineup. I could also use: Kenny Golladay, Calvin Ridley or DeVante Parker. If I don’t overspend at RB, I may even use two of them. My other WR2 options are: Zach Pascal, Will Fuller, James Washington, one of the Jets or one of the Titans. I could also use one of them at WR3. Otherwise, there are a lot to consider at WR3. They are headlined by my favorite: Allen Lazard. Just don’t spend more than 10% on whoever you choose at WR3. My favorite pair: Pascal and Adams will run me 27% on DK and 24% on FD. That is as high as I feel comfortable spending this week at WR1 and WR2.

There are four TEs that I love this week: Darren Waller, Hunter Henry, Jack Doyle, and Vance McDonald. This feels like a great week for Double-TE. If I don’t pull my FLEX from RB, I will likely just use two of the above four-some. Pairing two of them comes out to just under 22%. So, if you don’t go Double-TE, just make sure that your TE plus your FLEX comes in at less than that figure.

The Colts and Titans are where I will target my defense. Both are dirt cheap on DK and Indy is super cheap on FD. Each will run about 5% on DK and Indy is 6.6% on FD. You can also spend up and get the Vikings versus Detroit or Houston versus Denver if you save elsewhere.

Here are my recommended lineups.

At DK: $6.8K for Aaron Rodgers. $7.8K for Leonard Fournette. $5.5K or less for RB2 (leaning Devonta Freeman). Davante Adams and Zach Pascal for a combined $13.5K. $4.9K for Curtis Samuel. $8.9K total for Vance McDonald and Jack Doyle. $2.6K for the Titans’ defense.

At FD: $7.7K for Tom Brady. $18.5K total for Christian McCaffrey and Fournette. $13.4K total for Curtis Samuel and Julian Edelman. $5.6K or less for WR3 (leaning Allen Lazard or A.J. Brown). $4.9 for Jonnu Smith. $6K or less for FLEX (leaning James White or D. Freeman). $4K for the Colts’ defense.

At Fanball (classic – includes Sun Night): Ryan Tannehill, McCaffrey, Fournette, A.J. Brown, Lazard, Pascal, Jonnu, D. Freeman, and the Colts’ defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Rodgers, Tannehill at SF, McCaffrey, Fournette, A.J. Brown, Lazard, Tyler Higbee or Russell Gage at WR/TE, Jack Doyle, and Derrius Guice.

At Fantasy Draft (includes Sun Night): Tannehill, McCaffrey, Fournette, Lazard, A.J. Brown, McDonald, Freeman, James White, and the Titans’ defense.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Lamar Jackson	$7,400	$9,000
Patrick Mahomes	$7,000	$8,400
Aaron Rodgers	$6,800	$8,400
Kirk Cousins	$6,700	$8,200
Matt Ryan	$6,600	$7,600
Deshaun Watson	$6,500	$7,700
Jameis Winston	$6,400	$7,700
Baker Mayfield	$6,300	$7,600
Josh Allen	$6,200	$7,800
Jacoby Brissett	$6,100	$7,400
Tom Brady	$6,100	$7,700
Ryan Fitzpatrick	$6,000	$7,400
Sam Darnold	$6,000	$7,700
Devlin Hodges	$5,900	$7,000
Drew Brees	$5,900	$7,700
Kyler Murray	$5,800	$7,500
Ryan Tannehill	$5,800	$7,300
Kyle Allen	$5,700	$7,100
Matthew Stafford	$5,700	$7,500
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,600	$7,800
Philip Rivers	$5,600	$7,300
Gardner Minshew II	$5,400	$6,600
Andy Dalton	$5,200	$7,000
David Blough	$5,200	$6,900
Drew Lock	$5,100	$6,800
Derek Carr	$5,000	$7,000
Dwayne Haskins Jr.	$4,600	$6,500
Tyrod Taylor	$4,300	$6,400

Weekly strategy – Aaron Rodgers is the safe play here and his price isn’t awful. I also like Sam Darnold, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins, Tom Brady and Jacoby Brissett. Tannehill will probably be my highest owned commodity when I don’t use Rodgers. My punt options are Gardner Minshew or Andy Dalton. I hope to do a lot of SuperFlex lineups on Fanball this week, pairing Rodgers with each of these other QBs – and stacking their WRs too.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Aaron Rodgers, Packers vs. WAS ($6800 DK, $8400 FD)
The Redskins have allowed three or more QB scores in half of their games. This included three score games against some so-so signal callers. Aaron Rodgers is an elite QB, and he should have very little trouble moving the ball against this defense. Plus, the hookup with Davante Adams is begging to blow up once again.

Pat Mahomes, Chiefs @ NE ($7000 DK, $8400 FD)
Yes, the Patriots will try to take away one of Pat Mahomes’ weapons, the problem with that is that Mahomes has five or six options to throw it to. We can’t expect a 400-4 type of game here, but anytime Mahomes touches the ball 300-2 is a safe floor.

Tom Brady, Patriots vs. KC ($6100 DK, $7700 FD)
Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes may turn this into a shootout. It is not guaranteed, but if Mahomes comes out throwing, Brady will be forced to. Even if it isn’t a traditional shootout, Brady should complete many passes to Julian Edelman and James White. Making that threesome a great tri-stack.

Kirk Cousins, Vikings vs. DET ($6700 DK, $8200 FD)
This play gets even juicier if Adam Thielen plays. Detroit has been clobbered by every QB not named Dwayne Haskins. Heck, even Mitchell Trubisky has six TDs against them in two starts this year. In their earlier meeting, Cousins threw for 338-4. If Dalvin Cook is limited or misses this game, even more responsibility will fall on Kirk’s shoulders.

Sleepers:

Ryan Tannehill, Titans @ OAK ($5800 DK, $7300 FD)
The only thing that has stopped opposing passing games against Oakland is inclement weather (well that and Ryan Finley’s arm). Half of their opponents have racked up three or more scores from their QBs. Ryan Tannehill has done a decent job of keeping defenses honest while Tennessee gashes them with Derrick Henry. Henry may be limited due to injury this week, which should provide Tannehill even more opportunity to win it with his arm. If Henry ends up out, Tannehill could also vulture some goal line looks from Dion Lewis.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins @ NYJ ($6000 DK, $7400 FD)
The Jets just lost to a team that was trying to lose out for the top pick. Can they do it twice in a row? Miami’s defense isn’t good either. So, expect both teams to have success moving the ball. Ryan Fitzpatrick has three scores in three of his last five games, including the previous meeting with the Jets. A similar line here is probable.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey	$10,300	$11,000
Dalvin Cook	$9,500	$8,700
Derrick Henry	$8,200	$9,100
Nick Chubb	$8,000	$7,900
Leonard Fournette	$7,800	$7,500
James Conner	$7,500	$7,100
Le’Veon Bell	$7,200	$7,300
Alvin Kamara	$7,000	$7,600
Aaron Jones	$6,700	$7,800
Kareem Hunt	$6,600	$6,400
Josh Jacobs	$6,500	$7,700
Melvin Gordon III	$6,400	$7,300
Austin Ekeler	$6,300	$7,000
Benny Snell Jr.	$6,100	$6,100
Marlon Mack	$6,000	$7,300
Mark Ingram II	$5,900	$7,400
Joe Mixon	$5,800	$6,700
Devin Singletary	$5,700	$6,700
Sony Michel	$5,600	$6,600
James White	$5,500	$6,000
Devonta Freeman	$5,400	$6,000
Phillip Lindsay	$5,300	$6,400
Kenyan Drake	$5,200	$6,100
Tevin Coleman	$5,100	$5,500
Jaylen Samuels	$5,000	$5,500
Derrius Guice	$4,900	$6,300
Jamaal Williams	$4,800	$5,600
Jonathan Williams	$4,700	$5,900
Matt Breida	$4,600	$5,600
Raheem Mostert	$4,600	$6,200
Bo Scarbrough	$4,500	$5,900
Alexander Mattison	$4,500	$5,100
Carlos Hyde	$4,500	$6,000
Damien Williams	$4,500	$6,000
Latavius Murray	$4,500	$5,300
LeSean McCoy	$4,400	$6,100
Ronald Jones II	$4,400	$5,800
Nyheim Hines	$4,300	$5,600
Kalen Ballage	$4,200	$5,300
Peyton Barber	$4,200	$5,700
Darrel Williams	$4,100	$5,500
Patrick Laird	$4,100	$5,500
Adrian Peterson	$4,000	$5,700
Darwin Thompson	$4,000	$5,200
Royce Freeman	$4,000	$5,300
Duke Johnson	$3,900	$5,600
Frank Gore	$3,800	$5,300
Jordan Wilkins	$3,700	$5,500
J.D. McKissic	$3,600	$4,900
Rex Burkhead	$3,400	$5,600
Chris Thompson	$3,300	$5,200
Myles Gaskin	$3,300	$4,800
Kerrith Whyte Jr.	$3,000	$4,900

Weekly strategy – I want to get as much exposure to Christian McCaffrey as I can coming off of his “lesser” day last week. I also want as many shares of Leonard Fournette as I can get. When I can’t afford that pair, I will consider: Devonta Freeman (also a great FLEX play), Melvin Gordon, James White, Derrius Guice and Kareem Hunt. I could also use Adrian Peterson or Duke Johnson as a punt if I need to save money. In addition, if Dalvin Cook sits out this week, Alexander Mattison becomes a chalk-lock at RB2.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers @ ATL ($10300 DK, $11000 FD)
Yes, Christian McCaffrey burned me a little last week. I still cannot completely dodge his slate-breaking potential. Over his last three meetings with Atlanta, C-Mac has failed to score a TD. That said, he does have 37 receptions and 508 total yards over that span. I’ll take ten catches with the chance of a TD every day.

Leonard Fournette, Jaguars vs. LAC ($7800 DK, $7500 FD)
The Chargers have allowed seven or more RB receptions in six of their last seven games. This is on top of any ground yardage they are allowing. Leonard Fournette is the only show at RB for the Jaguars. He has also been used extensively in the passing game all season, including the second-most RB receptions since Week 8. Consider Fournette a poor-man’s C-Mac this week.

Melvin Gordon, Chargers @ JAX ($6400 DK, $7300 FD)
Over the last four games, Jacksonville has allowed 818 combo yards and seven scores to opposing RBs. Plus, they just lost one of their top LBs, Myles Jack to IR with a knee injury. Melvin Gordon is still ceding some receptions to Austin Ekeler, but he is once again the bell cow for Los Angeles. I don’t usually stack-back RBs versus each other, but in a showdown slate this could be a fun strategy. Gordon also saves you a few bucks on DK, if you want to get C-Mac into your lineup.

Nick Chubb, Browns vs. CIN ($8000 DK, $7900 FD)
I don’t love Nick Chubb’s prices with Kareem Hunt stealing receptions and some touchdowns. Still, you cannot argue with the matchup. Cincy’s defense against the run has improved as the season has progressed, but that is an improvement from historically bad, to just putrid by this season’s standards. If you need a safe floor, and don’t trust the Jaguars’ offense, you could do worse here. Personally, I’d rather get my exposure by using Hunt at FLEX.

Sleepers:

James White, Patriots vs. KC ($5500 DK, $6000 FD)
Seven times this season, Kansas City allowed six or more RB receptions. This includes two games with double-digit receptions within their last five contests. James White had a huge game last week, so there is always the chance that Bill Belichick ignores him here. I’m not going to take the chance though. His receptions and his goal-line usage, make him a must-start at RB2 or FLEX here.

Devonta Freeman, Falcons vs. CAR ($5400 DK, $6000 FD)
Carolina has only allowed 17 RB scores over their last seven games. Devonta Freeman did nothing last week in his return except show that he was healthy. Plus, that came against a strong New Orleans’ run defense. If you were ever going to play Freeman, this is the week.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Michael Thomas	$         8,300	$        8,600
Tyreek Hill	$         8,100	$        8,300
Davante Adams	$         8,000	$        8,400
Stefon Diggs	$         7,600	$        8,000
Julio Jones	$         7,500	$        7,800
DeAndre Hopkins	$         7,400	$        8,300
Chris Godwin	$         7,300	$        7,900
Mike Evans	$         7,200	$        7,700
Julian Edelman	$         7,100	$        7,600
DJ Moore	$         7,000	$        7,100
DeVante Parker	$         6,900	$        7,200
T.Y. Hilton	$         6,800	$        7,000
Adam Thielen	$         6,700	$        7,300
Calvin Ridley	$         6,700	$        6,900
Kenny Golladay	$         6,700	$        7,400
Keenan Allen	$         6,600	$        6,800
Jarvis Landry	$         6,500	$        7,200
JuJu Smith-Schuster	$         6,500	$        6,800
Courtland Sutton	$         6,400	$        7,300
Odell Beckham Jr.	$         6,300	$        6,800
DJ Chark Jr.	$         6,200	$        6,200
John Brown	$         6,100	$        6,400
James Washington	$         6,000	$        6,700
Tyler Boyd	$         5,900	$        6,300
Emmanuel Sanders	$         5,800	$        5,900
A.J. Green	$         5,700	$        6,600
Deebo Samuel	$         5,600	$        6,000
Will Fuller V	$         5,500	$        6,600
Zach Pascal	$         5,500	$        6,100
Cole Beasley	$         5,400	$        6,100
Marvin Jones Jr.	$         5,400	$        6,400
A.J. Brown	$         5,300	$        5,400
Jamison Crowder	$         5,300	$        6,000
Christian Kirk	$         5,200	$        5,900
Dede Westbrook	$         5,200	$        6,200
Robby Anderson	$         5,100	$        6,400
Terry McLaurin	$         5,100	$        5,600
Mohamed Sanu	$         5,000	$        5,800
Tyrell Williams	$         5,000	$        5,700
Curtis Samuel	$         4,900	$        5,800
Russell Gage	$         4,800	$        5,700
Larry Fitzgerald	$         4,700	$        5,700
Marquise Brown	$         4,700	$        5,500
Sammy Watkins	$         4,600	$        5,600
Mike Williams	$         4,500	$        5,900
Phillip Dorsett II	$         4,400	$        5,400
Diontae Johnson	$         4,300	$        5,100
Allen Lazard	$         4,200	$        5,600
Allen Hurns	$         4,100	$        5,100
Albert Wilson	$         4,000	$        5,000
Auden Tate	$         4,000	$        5,500
Chris Conley	$         4,000	$        5,400
Danny Amendola	$         4,000	$        5,400
N’Keal Harry	$         4,000	$        5,500
Corey Davis	$         3,900	$        5,000
M. Valdes-Scantling	$         3,900	$        4,800
Adam Humphries	$         3,800	$        5,400
Mecole Hardman	$         3,800	$        5,400
Breshad Perriman	$         3,700	$        5,500
Demaryius Thomas	$         3,700	$        5,000
Kelvin Harmon	$         3,700	$        4,800
Kendrick Bourne	$         3,700	$        4,900
Kenny Stills	$         3,700	$        5,000
Olabisi Johnson	$         3,700	$        5,000
Alex Erickson	$         3,500	$        4,700
Jakobi Meyers	$         3,500	$        5,100
Geronimo Allison	$         3,400	$        4,600
Steven Sims Jr.	$         3,400	$        4,900
Willie Snead IV	$         3,400	$        4,600
Zay Jones	$         3,400	$        4,700
Christian Blake	$         3,300	$        5,200
Demarcus Robinson	$         3,300	$        4,500
Isaiah McKenzie	$         3,300	$        4,900
Tim Patrick	$         3,300	$        5,100
Parris Campbell	$         3,200	$        4,800
Jake Kumerow	$         3,000	$        4,700
Laquon Treadwell	$         3,000	$        4,700
Robert Foster	$         3,000	$        4,800

Weekly strategy – I might struggle to fit Davante Adams in a stack with Aaron Rodgers, but at least I can use Allen Lazard in that setup. Adams and D.J. Moore are the top options on the docket. I am still going to try to finagle one onto my roster. If I don’t use Moore, I could also use his understudy, Curtis Samuel. Other WR1s that I like include: Julian Edelman, DeAndre Hopkins and DeVante Parker. At the WR2 position, I will likely target from this list: Zach Pascal, Will Fuller, A.J. Brown, one of the Jets, or maybe one of the Bengals. Samuel and Lazard also come into play at that spot. WR3 could use one of the castoffs from the WR2 group or a deep sleeper like Adam Humphries, Danny Amendola and Russell Gage.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Davante Adams, Packers vs. WAS ($8000 DK, $8400 FD)
Washington’s pass defense versus an Aaron Rodgers’ led offense is not optimal for Redskins’ fans. Rodgers is happy to have Davante Adams back fully healthy. He has targeted Adams double-digit times in each of his games since his return. Plus, they have hooked up for three TDs in the last two weeks. Adams will top 100-1 here, and he has multi-TD potential in this matchup.

D.J. Moore, Panthers @ ATL ($7000 DK, $7100 FD)
Atlanta has allowed some ridiculous games to opposing WRs. D.J. Moore even had his way with them just a couple weeks ago. Since Week 9, Moore is second to only Michael Thomas in WR catches, and he leads all wide receivers in receiving yardage. He has also added three scores over the last two weeks. I like Moore to post another 100-1 here, and his running mate Curtis Samuel will get in on the fun too. If you cannot afford to sneak Moore into your lineup, make sure to use Samuel at WR3.

Julian Edelman, Patriots vs. KC ($7100 DK, $7600 FD)
Whether this game devolves into a shootout shouldn’t deter you from playing Julian Edelman. Edelman has double-digit targets in nine of twelve games and he has six or more receptions nine times this year too. The TDs have been a little tougher to come by, but I could see Edelman haul in close to ten passes here.

DeAndre Hopkins, Texans vs. DEN ($7400 DK, $8300 FD)
This is a sneaky play. Most people will see DeAndre Hopkins getting shadowed by Chris Harris and fade this start. Give me that low ownership. Denver has actually struggled with WR1s recently. Tyreek Hill, John Brown, Keenan Allen and Stefon Diggs have all scored against them recently, and Odell Beckham posted a very nice line with Jarvis Landry stealing the score in their meeting. Differentiation is key in GPPs, this might be just the piece you need.

Sleepers:

Zach Pascal, Colts @ TB ($5500 DK, $6100 FD)
Zach Pascal is the only healthy WR left in Indy. The only other WRs to catch a pass last week were Marcus Johnson and Ashton Dulin. I’m still not sure if either of those people really exists. Tampa is dead last in every metric against opposing WRs. I really doubt that Dulin and Johnson are going to hamper what should be a 10-125-1 game for Pascal. The only thing that could hurt him, is if T.Y. Hilton makes an emergency recovery.

A.J. Brown, Titans @ OAK ($5300 DK, $5400 FD)
If I’m going to risk starting Ryan Tannehill, I have to start his best WR. Oakland is allowing the second-most yards per WR reception and every WR1 except Tyler Boyd has posted huge numbers against them recently. A.J. Brown did pop up on the injury report Thursday, so keep an eye on that as the weekend rolls in. If he plays, he is a must-start. If he is out, bump both Corey Davis and Adam Humphries into A-level spots.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Travis Kelce	$6,200	$7,100
Austin Hooper	$6,000	$6,600
George Kittle	$5,900	$6,700
Darren Waller	$5,800	$6,200
Mark Andrews	$5,600	$6,600
Hunter Henry	$5,100	$6,400
Jack Doyle	$4,600	$6,300
Kyle Rudolph	$4,400	$4,800
Vance McDonald	$4,300	$5,800
Jared Cook	$4,200	$6,500
Ryan Griffin	$4,100	$5,600
Mike Gesicki	$4,000	$5,400
Greg Olsen	$3,800	$4,900
Jimmy Graham	$3,600	$5,500
David Njoku	$3,500	$4,900
Noah Fant	$3,400	$4,800
Irv Smith Jr.	$3,300	$5,300
Jaeden Graham	$3,300	$5,400
Darren Fells	$3,200	$4,700
O.J. Howard	$3,200	$5,400
Jonnu Smith	$3,100	$4,900
Ben Watson	$3,000	$5,200
Dawson Knox	$2,900	$4,500
Jeremy Sprinkle	$2,800	$4,900
Tyler Eifert	$2,800	$4,500
C.J. Uzomah	$2,700	$4,900
Ian Thomas	$2,500	$4,000
Mo Alie-Cox	$2,500	$4,000

Weekly strategy – This is a great week for Double-TE. I love four options up top in Jack Doyle, Darren Waller, Hunter Henry (DK-only) and Vance McDonald. If I can afford it, I will use two of them. I might also throw in a few lineups with Travis Kelce (if I believe New England will try to shut down Tyreek Hill instead). I could also see punting with Jonnu Smith or Ian Thomas. If you want to get real cute consider Jeremy Sprinkle. I won’t but hey YOLO.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Darren Waller, Raiders vs. TEN ($5800 DK, $6200 FD)
Tennessee has struggled against every quality TE they have faced this year. David Njoku, Eric Ebron, Austin Hooper, Hunter Henry, Travis Kelce and Jack Doyle have all embarrassed this defense. Darren Waller is certainly comparable to that group, and he is coming off his third-best game of the year. With no Hunter Renfrow, expect additional targets to continue to come Waller’s direction.

Jack Doyle, Colts @ TB ($4600 DK, $6300 FD)
Jack Doyle is in a similar position to Waller. In the huddle, Jacoby Brissett can look around and Zach Pascal and Jack Doyle may be the only people he recognizes. Tampa has allowed opposing TE groups to top 50 yards nine times this year, and five of those groups have topped 80 yards. Plus, they have given up seven TE scores this season. I already discussed how bad Tampa is against WRs. Well on this offense, Doyle is basically WR2.

Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ NE ($6200 DK, $7100 FD)
Travis Kelce’s outcomes this week depend on whether New England elects to blanket him or Tyreek Hill. My guess is that they attempt to shut down Hill, which should leave some operating room for Kelce, but that is not guaranteed. At this price, and with so many other great options in the same price range, I will probably pass on Kelce. That said, you should do at least one stack with him and Pat Mahomes.

Vance McDonald, Steelers @ ARI ($4300 DK, $5800 FD)
Are you ready to believe in the start your TEs versus Arizona theory yet? I’m flummoxed by how many fantasy analysts on Twitter keep suggesting it is not a thing. At this point, Pittsburgh could suit me up at TE and I would score and top 75 yards against them. McDonald got 3-21 on three targets from Duc k Hodges in his first game back under center. Against this defense, those numbers will be tripled.

Sleepers:

Jonnu Smith, Titans @ OAK ($3100 DK, $4900 FD)
Jonnu Smith has done bupkis the last two weeks. Even third-stringer, Anthony Firkser got more looks last week. That said, we aren’t that far removed from Smith posting solid numbers earlier this year when Delanie Walker was out. Only Arizona has allowed more TE scores this season than Oakland, and seven teams have topped 60 tight end receiving yards against them.

Ian Thomas, Panthers @ ATL ($2500 DK, $4000 FD)
Greg Olsen is likely to miss this game due to a concussion. Last week, Ian Thomas stepped in and caught all four of his targets. He and Olsen combined for seven catches in last week’s game. If those all fall to Thomas (they won’t), he will make a serviceable punt play. Atlanta isn’t horrible at covering the position, but for only $2.5K, this gives you some huge flexibility at other positions.

Since it is Thanksgiving weekend, let me begin today by saying thanks for nothing to the Atlanta Falcons. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones crapped the bed last Sunday. Let me follow that up by saying thanks for everything to Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram for saving my weekend by paying big on the Primetime slate. Perhaps most importantly, however, thanks to my wife, for putting up with me working over the holiday.

The Evening Slate:

Houston hosts New England on Sunday. The Patriots get to pick on a Houston defense that has struggled to stop anyone this season. Tom Brady will absolutely eat here (for the first time in a couple of weeks). He has to be QB1 or QB2 on this slate at worst. Deshaun Watson isn’t a bad play most weeks. This week, I don’t trust him here. He will likely finish with around 200-2, and maybe 40 yards on the ground. This has him ranked fourth at the position. Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson are usable here as FLEX options. New England can definitely be beaten on the ground. The Texans are rotten against the run. They are perhaps even worse against pass-catching backs. Both, James White and Sony Michel are in RB2 consideration. Mohamed Sanu should return for this game and Phillip Dorsett (although still in the concussion protocol) are both in play this week at WR3/FLEX. It goes without saying that Julian Edelman is in consideration at WR1 or WR2. We have to assume that Stephon Gilmore will shadow DeAndre Hopkins. This makes him borderline unplayable. Will Fuller is the better play and I like him to post a couple long receptions and a possible long TD. He makes an ok WR3, if you go cheap elsewhere. I wouldn’t go so far as to consider Kenny Stills or Keke Coutee. New England has been susceptible to TE scoring. I like Darren Fells chances of scoring a short TD here. You cannot count on him for big yardage though. Does New England have a TE? Houston has given up a fair amount of TE scores recently too. That said, I think Rob Gronkowski has a higher likelihood of scoring this week off the field then Ben Watson or Matt LaCosse do on the field. If you need to save bucks, consider one of them, but know that you are probably looking at them splitting 3-30-0. Just pay up and play the Patriots’ defense.

Monday night could be fun. Kirk Cousins has historically struggled in primetime, but Seattle’s defense isn’t great. I feel that Cousins and Russell Wilson will get into a bit of a shootout. A lot will depend on whether both teams’ top WRs are good to go. It appears that both Tyler Lockett and Adam Thielen will play. This means that both Cousins and Wilson are playable with Wilson the slight favorite between them. Seattle claims that they will be splitting touches between Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson. This helps neither of them. My money is on Penny getting the first crack following Carson’s fumble troubles last week. Unfortunately for him, Minnesota is hard to run against. I doubt either performs well, and neither will produce the volume to be relied on as anything more than a FLEX. On the other hand, Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook is locked in as the RB1 on this slate. If Lockett plays, he is the clear-cut WR1 on this slate, as Minnesota gets burned regularly by speed WRs. I wouldn’t go too crazy with D.K. Metcalf or Josh Gordon. Each could be a WR3 here, but I feel there are better options in that price range. Adam Thielen will be a decent pivot from Lockett or Edelman. I could see rostering two of them, but I doubt you can afford all three. Stefon Diggs is also in play at WR2, but I feel Thielen is the better option. Neither Olabisi Johnson nor Laquan Treadwell is in play unless Thielen is ruled out. Even then, they would be no better than FLEX plays. Jacob Hollister has a sore foot, but a good matchup. If he can play through the pain, he is the TE2 on this slate. Minnesota has the top TE here in Kyle Rudolph. They also have the #4 TE in Irv Smith. Seattle is awful at covering the position and Minnesota isn’t much better. Either defense could be used to save money, but I still will have more exposure to the Patriots.

The Main Slate:

Quarterback is much juicier this week than last. Pat Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers are the crème de la crème. Sam Darnold, Nick Foles and Carson Wentz are my favorite cheaper pivots. I could see punting with Kyle Allen, Devlin Hodges or Andy Dalton. Mahomes and Rodgers will run me 15% and 13% on DK and 14.5% and 13.5% on FD. Those might end up being a little too high for me. Darnold and Foles will run me only 12.5% on either site. Dalton is the wild card. He could have huge ownership, but at less than 10% of your budget.

Christian McCaffrey’s price doesn’t matter anymore. They could charge you 50% and he still would be worth rostering. I don’t love him to hit 3x, but he is a lock to hit 25 points again. I like both Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb, but don’t love either. I feel Saquan Barkley, at this price, is finally worthy of a roster slot. He will be my favorite RB1. My pivots include: LeVeon Bell, Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones. RB2 should come down to a choice between Miles Sanders (if Jordan Howard sits) and Jonathan Williams. I’d also consider Ronald Jones or Phillip Lindsay. I could also squeeze one of those four into my FLEX. More likely, I will choose my FLEX from Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Williams or Darrel Williams. Keep your RB1 and RB2 to a total of less than 27% (unless you use C-Mac – then you can go up to 31%). If you pull your FLEX from here, don’t spend more than 10% on either site.

If Tyreek Hill plays, you want him in your lineup. Otherwise, your WR1 should be either Davante Adams or D.J. Moore. In fact, I may use a pair of D.J.’s and pair Moore with Chark. There isn’t anyone else I would pivot to up top. My WR2 might also come from this list: Jamison Crowder, Robert Woods, Tyler Boyd, Darius Slayton (if Golden Tate doesn’t play) and Alshon Jeffery (if he plays). WR3 is going to be Curtis Samuel, Robby Anderson (if I don’t use Crowder), or one of the Jaguars. I see three decent punts to consider: Tim Patrick, Allen Lazard and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. Your top two should run you no more than 28% on DK and 25% on FD. Keep your WR3 at 10% or less. I wouldn’t spend more than 10% on either WR3 or FLEX here.

Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz have blow-up spots this week. I probably cannot afford either of them, unless I spend significantly less at another position. Hunter Henry would make a smart pivot, but won’t save you much money. Both, Evan Engram and Gerald Everett have great matchups, but neither is guaranteed to play due to injuries. If neither goes, Tyler Higbee and Kaden Smith make great bargain basement punt plays. If I don’t pay up or go down that punt tunnel, the regular-priced talent that I like best are: Jack Doyle, Ryan Griffin and Greg Olsen. Doyle, who is my favorite play of the week here, will run me just 6.6% on DK or 8.3%.

The Panthers are pricey and I will probably fade them. I prefer Jacksonville or the Chargers. I could also punt completely and go with: Kansas City, Arizona or the Browns. None of those five will run me more than 6.6% on DK and 7.7% on FD.

Here are my recommended lineups.

At DK: $6.1K for Sam Darnold. $7.4K for Saquan Barkley. $10.5K or less for RB2 and FLEX (leaning two of: Miles Sanders, Jonathan Williams, Ronald Jones or Phillip Lindsay). $13.4K for D.J. Chark and D.J. Moore. $5.6K for Jamison Crowder. $3.3K for Jack Doyle. $3.3K for the Jaguars’ defense.

At FD: $8.6K for Pat Mahomes. $7.6K for Barkley. $13K total for RB2 and FLEX. $13.7K total for the D.J.’s. $6.1K or less for WR3 (leaning: Robby Anderson, Curtis Samuel or Tyler Boyd). $7.1K for Travis Kelce. $3.9K for the Chargers’ defense.

At Fanball (classic – includes Sun Night): Darnold, Christian McCaffrey, Barkley, Chark, Samuel, Crowder, Kaden Smith (assuming no Evan Engram), M. Sanders (if no Jordan Howard, otherwise Derrius Guice or Ronald Jones), and the Chargers’ defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Mahomes, Andy Dalton at SF, Christian McCaffrey, Barkley, Boyd, Darius Slayton (if no Golden Tate, otherwise Allen Lazard), J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Kelce, and Guice.

At Fantasy Draft (includes Sun Night): Dalton, McCaffrey, Barkley, Chark, Boyd, Doyle, Aaron Jones, Guice, and the Browns’ defense.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes	$7,400	$8,600
Lamar Jackson	$7,000	$8,700
Aaron Rodgers	$6,500	$8,100
Kyler Murray	$6,400	$7,700
Jameis Winston	$6,300	$7,600
Baker Mayfield	$6,200	$7,600
Sam Darnold	$6,100	$7,600
Jared Goff	$6,000	$7,900
Jacoby Brissett	$5,900	$7,200
Carson Wentz	$5,800	$7,300
Nick Foles	$5,700	$7,500
Ryan Tannehill	$5,700	$7,300
Daniel Jones	$5,600	$7,400
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,600	$8,000
Derek Carr	$5,500	$7,200
Kyle Allen	$5,500	$7,200
Philip Rivers	$5,500	$7,300
Ryan Fitzpatrick	$5,400	$7,100
Devlin Hodges	$5,100	$6,800
Mike Glennon	$4,800	$6,000
Andy Dalton	$4,700	$6,000
Dwayne Haskins Jr.	$4,600	$6,500

Weekly strategy – Pat Mahomes is gold against a bad Oakland defense. Aaron Rodgers will also be popular facing the equally bad Giants. Lamar Jackson could be a sneaky play, since he has proven capable of doing well against anyone. He may be under-owned due to the matchup. Sam Darnold at a cheaper price is probably my favorite non-Mahomes play. I also like Carson Wentz, Nick Foles and Ryan Tannehill at this price point. I am also fine with punting the position this week. Kyle Allen, Devlin Hodges and Andy Dalton are all possibilities. Dalton should have high ownership because of his price, but the matchup is sweet.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Pat Mahomes, Chiefs vs. OAK ($7400 DK, $8600 FD)
Back in Week 2, Pat Mahomes lit up this defense for 443-4. This was just the first of six games in which Oakland has allowed three or more total TDs to opposing QBs. It was also the first of three 400-yard passing performances against them. With question marks among their RBs, I expect Kansas City to emphasize the pass even more than normal. This should equate to another 350-3 floor.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ NYG ($6500 DK, $8100 FD)
The Giants have given up multiple QB Scores in all but two games. One of those games came against Dwayne Haskins in his first career start. Aaron Rodgers has had an underwhelming season, but this matchup should get him right. His best outings of the year have been against suspect secondaries such as: Philadelphia, the Chiefs and the Raiders. I’d reckon the Giants’ secondary is worse than all three of those teams.

Lamar Jackson, Ravens vs. SF ($7000 DK, $8700 FD)
You cannot love the matchup for Lamar Jackson here. That said, Jackson is approaching Christian McCaffrey’ matchup-proof status. Frankly, even if he does mediocre here, he may approach 3x points. You just never know about him because of his ability to destroy the defense with his legs. One thing working for Jackson is that San Fran has struggled the last few weeks against rushing QBs, including big games from Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray (2x).

Sam Darnold, Jets @ CIN ($6100 DK, $7600 FD)
The Bengals are middle-of-the-pack at best against opposing QBs. They have also given up several QB rushing TDs. Over the last three weeks, Sam Darnold is fifth in passing yards, second in passing scores and he has added two rushing TDs. Another three-pack looks safe here, and this game could turn into a sneaky shootout (assuming Andy Dalton isn’t rusty).

Sleepers:

Nick Foles, Jaguars vs. TB ($5700 DK, $7500 FD)
Tampa Bay just held Atlanta to 326-1 last week. That is one of their BETTER defensive performances of the year. Nick Foles has been just ‘aight since his return, but this week screams blow up for him. With the Bucs shutting down the rushing game, I expect Foles to target D.J. Chark, Dede Westbrook and Chris Conley excessively. Foles-Chark is one of my favorite stacks of the week.

Andy Dalton, Bengals vs. NYJ ($4700 DK, $6000 FD)
As I mentioned above, this game could devolve into a shootout. Neither team is very good at playing defense against the pass, but New York is actually pretty good against the run. Before shutting out the Raiders last week, New York had allowed 12 passing TDs over their prior four contests against: Dwayne Haskins, Daniel Jones, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Gardner Minshew. If they can get it done, Andy Dalton should be able to as well. It all comes down to whether he is rusty, and whether he even cares.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey	$10,500	$11,000
Nick Chubb	$7,800	$8,200
Derrick Henry	$7,600	$8,600
Leonard Fournette	$7,500	$7,600
Saquon Barkley	$7,400	$7,600
James Conner	$7,300	$7,100
Le’Veon Bell	$7,200	$7,300
Josh Jacobs	$6,900	$7,700
Aaron Jones	$6,800	$8,000
Todd Gurley II	$6,500	$7,400
Melvin Gordon III	$6,400	$7,000
Marlon Mack	$6,200	$7,300
Mark Ingram II	$6,000	$7,500
Tevin Coleman	$5,900	$6,100
Joe Mixon	$5,800	$6,500
Austin Ekeler	$5,700	$6,700
Jaylen Samuels	$5,700	$5,500
Kenyan Drake	$5,600	$6,400
Kareem Hunt	$5,500	$5,900
Miles Sanders	$5,400	$5,800
Jonathan Williams	$5,300	$6,800
Malcolm Brown	$5,200	$4,900
Ronald Jones II	$5,100	$6,200
Phillip Lindsay	$5,000	$6,300
Matt Breida	$4,900	$5,900
Damien Williams	$4,800	$6,000
LeSean McCoy	$4,800	$5,800
Benny Snell Jr.	$4,700	$6,100
Jordan Howard	$4,700	$6,500
David Johnson	$4,600	$5,700
Gus Edwards	$4,600	$5,400
Derrius Guice	$4,500	$5,400
Jamaal Williams	$4,500	$5,600
Darrel Williams	$4,400	$5,400
Nyheim Hines	$4,200	$5,500
Royce Freeman	$4,200	$5,300
Kalen Ballage	$4,000	$5,300
Adrian Peterson	$3,900	$5,800
Raheem Mostert	$3,800	$4,800
Chris Thompson	$3,700	$5,200
Jeff Wilson Jr.	$3,600	$5,000
Peyton Barber	$3,500	$5,400
Dion Lewis	$3,400	$4,700
Jordan Wilkins	$3,300	$4,700
Trey Edmunds	$3,300	$4,800
Patrick Laird	$3,200	$4,900
Kerrith Whyte Jr.	$3,100	$5,100
Darwin Thompson	$3,000	$4,500

Weekly strategy – Saquan Barkley is the safest play on the docket. I also like Christian McCaffrey because you cannot put a price on his output. Nick Chubb, Josh Jacobs and Aaron Jones are all in play as pivots, since Barkley hasn’t been nearly as reliable as I wish he would be. RB2 options include: Jonathan Williams, Miles Sanders, Ronald Jones and Phillip Lindsay. I also like the idea of using Derrius Guice or Jamaal Williams if you need to save money. The only other punt plays I might consider are: Adrian Peterson, Nyheim Hines, and Darrel Williams (if both Shady McCoy and Damien Williams are out).

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. WAS ($10500 DK, $11000 FD)
At this point, the price doesn’t matter. Christian McCaffrey at worst approaches 30 DFS points every week. Even against the best defenses, and even against crappy game scripts. If you can afford him, just plug and play. I know I won’t completely ignore him against a bad Washington run defense.

Saquan Barkley, Giants vs. GB ($7400 DK, $7600 FD)
Green Bay gives up running back scores way too often. The team has allowed six RB scores over the last four weeks. They have also allowed significant RB receiving yards every week this year. With Golden Tate likely out, I expect Daniel Jones to target Saquan Barkley even more often here. Coming off of back-to-back duds, Barkley will be lesser owned, making this a great GPP play.

Derrick Henry, Titans @ IND ($7600 DK, $8600 FD)
Whereas Barkley has struggled recently, Derrick Henry has been scorching recently. Over the last three weeks, he leads the league in rushing yards and rushing scores. The Colts rushing defense has been very good this year, allowing only three scores on the ground, and only one since Week 2. It will be hard to fade this beast based on his streak, but just don’t be surprised if this is the start of his slowdown.

LeVeon Bell, Jets @ CIN ($7200 DK, $7300 FD)
Cincinnati has allowed 165 combo yards per game and more than one TD per game to opposing RBs. LeVeon Bell’s schedule has started to improve and so have his stats. This game shapes up as a fourth straight plus performance for Bell. If you don’t trust Barkley, I’d be happy to pivot here. Just don’t expect as high of a ceiling.

Sleepers:

Miles Sanders, Eagles @ MIA ($5400 DK, $5800 FD)
Once again this comes down to whether Jordan Howard plays. Miles Sanders still doesn’t have that one true standout game, but he did top five yards per carry last week. With more of the Eagles’ wide receivers finally healthy, perhaps Sanders will have more room to run. Miami has allowed every team to face them to post well above 100 total yards with their RBs. If Howard is out, Sanders will get that third century game and score here.

Ronald Jones, Buccaneers @ JAX ($5100 DK, $6200 FD)
Ronald Jones continues to split work with Peyton Barber, but he has been the better back all season. Three scores in the last four games suggest that Tampa is finally starting to realize that. Jacksonville has given up more than 250 combo yards per game and five touchdowns to opposing backs over the last three games. Even if Jones splits that, it is printing money for you.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Tyreek Hill	$8,900	$8,300
Chris Godwin	$7,700	$8,200
Cooper Kupp	$7,100	$7,800
Davante Adams	$7,000	$8,000
Mike Evans	$6,900	$7,700
DJ Moore	$6,800	$6,800
Odell Beckham Jr.	$6,700	$7,300
DJ Chark Jr.	$6,600	$6,900
Keenan Allen	$6,500	$6,800
Jarvis Landry	$6,400	$7,400
Emmanuel Sanders	$6,300	$6,400
T.Y. Hilton	$6,200	$7,000
A.J. Green	$6,000	$6,600
JuJu Smith-Schuster	$5,900	$6,500
Courtland Sutton	$5,800	$6,600
Golden Tate	$5,800	$6,300
Christian Kirk	$5,700	$6,100
DeVante Parker	$5,700	$6,000
Jamison Crowder	$5,600	$6,300
Terry McLaurin	$5,600	$5,800
Robert Woods	$5,500	$7,100
Tyler Boyd	$5,500	$6,000
Sammy Watkins	$5,400	$6,100
Tyrell Williams	$5,400	$6,200
A.J. Brown	$5,300	$5,300
Darius Slayton	$5,300	$6,300
Marquise Brown	$5,300	$5,600
Brandin Cooks	$5,200	$6,700
Deebo Samuel	$5,200	$5,600
Alshon Jeffery	$5,100	$6,500
Larry Fitzgerald	$5,100	$5,700
Dede Westbrook	$5,000	$5,700
James Washington	$5,000	$6,200
Sterling Shepard	$4,900	$5,900
Curtis Samuel	$4,800	$5,800
Robby Anderson	$4,800	$6,100
Zach Pascal	$4,700	$5,400
Mike Williams	$4,600	$5,700
Chris Conley	$4,500	$6,000
Diontae Johnson	$4,500	$5,300
Nelson Agholor	$4,400	$4,800
Hunter Renfrow	$4,300	$5,500
Mecole Hardman	$4,200	$5,600
Greg Ward	$4,100	$5,300
M. Valdes-Scantling	$4,100	$5,400
Alex Erickson	$4,000	$4,700
Allen Hurns	$4,000	$5,100
Corey Davis	$4,000	$5,200
Albert Wilson	$3,900	$4,700
Adam Humphries	$3,800	$5,300
Auden Tate	$3,800	$5,200
Geronimo Allison	$3,800	$4,900
Josh Reynolds	$3,800	$5,300
Allen Lazard	$3,700	$5,400
Demarcus Robinson	$3,700	$4,600
Paul Richardson Jr.	$3,700	$5,000
Demaryius Thomas	$3,600	$5,200
Chester Rogers	$3,400	$5,200
Jake Kumerow	$3,300	$4,900
JJ Arcega-Whiteside	$3,200	$4,900
Mack Hollins	$3,100	$4,500
Tim Patrick	$3,000	$5,100

Weekly strategy – Tyreek Hill is golden, assuming he plays. It appears he will, so if you can finagle getting his salary into your lineup you should. Personally, I’d rather save a couple bucks and roster two of: D.J. Moore, D.J. Chark and Davante Adams. You must roster at least one of those four. Other possible options at WR2 include: The Rams, the Jets, the Giants, and Tyler Boyd. Curtis Samuel and the other Jaguars are in play at WR3. I could also see taking a chance on Nelson Agholor or J.J. Arcega-Whiteside of the Eagles. If I really need to save some money, I’d consider Allen Lazard or Tim Patrick.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs vs. OAK ($8900 DK, $8300 FD)
Tyler Boyd is the only WR1 to not post huge numbers against Oakland this season. In his defense, Ryan Finley was throwing the ball in his general direction. Tyreek Hill missed their early meeting, but Demarcus Robinson started for him and posted 6-172-2. I’m not saying that Tyreek will repeat that feat, but if he is truly healthy (and not just a decoy), 130-1 should be a safe floor.

Davante Adams, Packers @ NYG ($7000 DK, $8000 FD)
The Giants have allowed a WR1 to score at least once in four straight games, and seven times on the year. Davante Adams is the most trustworthy receiver that Aaron Rodgers has to throw to. Since returning in Week 9, Adams has nearly three times as many targets as the next WR option on the Pack. This smells like a big Rodgers game. That means it will be a big game for his top receiving threat.

D.J. Chark, Jaguars vs. TB ($6600 DK, $6900 FD)
D.J. Chark is part of my favorite stack with Nick Foles against a team that is strong against the run, but epically bad against the pass. Chark had a quiet game last week, but he has 21 targets since the return of Foles. To contain this Chark, Tampa is gonna need a bigger boat.

D.J. Moore, Panthers vs. WAS ($6800 DK, $6800 FD)
Since Week 9, D.J. Moore leads all WRs in targets and receiving yards. He also ranks second in receptions. He only has two scores over that stretch, but they both came last week. So, he is trending up from a scoring standpoint. Washington has struggled against similar receivers all year. I expect Moore to approach the #1 spot overall this week.

Sleepers:

Tyler Boyd, Bengals vs. NYJ ($5500 DK, $6000 FD)
Andy Dalton is back. While he was gone, Tyler Boyd did reasonable with the refuse he had throwing him the ball. Dalton isn’t great, but at least he is capable. New York slowed down Oakland and Washington the last two weeks, but prior to that they allowed ten WR touchdowns over their prior three games.

Jamison Crowder, Jets @ CIN ($5600 DK, $6300 FD)
Cincinnati has allowed big games to the WR position all season. Including several big games by “possession” WRs. Jamison Crowder is potentially in for a big PPR week, and he might be under-owned due to a poor Week 12. This game will end up being high-scoring, so I want multiple pieces of the Jets’ offense. If I can’t afford to slide Crowder in at WR3, I might use Robby Anderson or Demaryius Thomas. I could also throw Ryan Griffin into my stack here too.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Travis Kelce	$7,200	$7,100
Zach Ertz	$6,700	$6,900
George Kittle	$6,100	$7,000
Hunter Henry	$5,800	$6,600
Mark Andrews	$5,700	$6,500
Darren Waller	$5,500	$6,100
Evan Engram	$5,200	$6,400
Gerald Everett	$4,600	$6,300
Greg Olsen	$4,400	$5,100
Ryan Griffin	$4,300	$5,600
Dallas Goedert	$4,100	$5,200
Jimmy Graham	$3,800	$5,800
Noah Fant	$3,700	$5,100
Mike Gesicki	$3,600	$5,000
David Njoku	$3,500	$4,900
Ross Dwelley	$3,500	$5,300
Vance McDonald	$3,400	$5,000
Jack Doyle	$3,300	$5,000
Jonnu Smith	$3,300	$5,300
Nick O’Leary	$3,200	$4,800
Rhett Ellison	$3,200	$5,000
Cameron Brate	$3,100	$5,000
O.J. Howard	$3,000	$4,800
Kaden Smith	$2,900	$4,000
Tyler Eifert	$2,800	$4,700
Jeremy Sprinkle	$2,700	$4,500
Charles Clay	$2,600	$4,500
Ricky Seals-Jones	$2,600	$4,800
Tyler Higbee	$2,500	$5,500

Weekly strategy – Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz have juicy matchups, but their prices may make it hard to play them. The same goes for Hunter Henry and George Kittle. Gerald Everett gets the Arizona FREE SPACE, but he is also dinged up. If he goes, it would be hard to fade him. If he looks limited or out, I’d easily consider his backup Tyler Higbee. That said, my favorite plays this week are Jack Doyle, Jonnu Smith and Ryan Griffin. If you need to save money, consider rostering Kaden Smith. He may be the last man standing in NY with Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison both on the wrong side of questionable.

Your Fantasy Four Pack:

Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. OAK ($7200 DK, $7100 FD)
Oakland has been disinterested in covering TEs recently. Only Arizona has allowed more TE touchdowns this year, and they have given up multiple TE scores in two different games. Some of the shine may leave Travis Kelce this week if Tyreek Hill plays (as expected), but even with Hill on the field Kelce will have little trouble exploiting this mismatch. Back in Week 2 (without Hill on the field), Kelce posted 7-107-1. Expect something similar either way here.

Zach Ertz, Eagles @ MIA ($6700 DK, $6900 FD)
Miami has allowed TE scores in two of their last three games. Meanwhile, Zach Ertz has been forced to haul in 30 of 36 targets over the last three games, since the Eagles had no one else to throw to. With some of the WRs back, Ertz’ target share may dip, but he is still an easy play here (if you can afford him).

Gerald Everett, Rams @ ARI ($4600 DK, $6300 FD)
Gerald Everett is fighting a knee injury. He played through it last week, but his numbers suffered because of it. Fortunately for Everett, he plays the Cardinals this week. Even at 50%, he could top 100 yards against these chumps. Of course, if Everett is downgraded, Tyler Higbee should be a SMASH LOCK in all of your lineups. Even if Everett plays, I still might use Higbee to save cash.

George Kittle, Niners @ BAL ($6100 DK, $7000 FD)
This isn’t a great matchup for George Kittle. That shouldn’t discourage you too much, since he is capable of balling out against any team. If Emmanuel Sanders is limited again this week, Kittle may see even more looks. I’m not going to go crazy to fit him into my lineup, but if I have some space to work with and want exposure to this game, I’ll use him.

Sleepers:

Jack Doyle, Colts vs. TEN ($3300 DK, $5000 FD)
The Titans have given up huge games this year to premium TEs such as: Travis Kelce, Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry. They have also given up decent days to other TEs. Back in Week 2, Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron combined for 5-46-1. Ebron is done for the year, so Doyle will receive a heightened target share. With T.Y. Hilton possibly out as well, Doyle could go off here!

Ryan Griffin, Jets @ CIN ($4300 DK, $5600 FD)
Another portion of my potential Versus-CIN stack is Ryan Griffin. The Bengals have allowed three of their last six opponents to top 85 TE receiving yards. Griffin didn’t have a lot of yards last week, but he did score for the fifth time in his last seven games. At this price, he may be the second-best value on the slate.

The turkey came early this year (this past Sunday), and his name was Julio Jones. What a stinker from both him and Matt Ryan in arguably their easiest matchup of the season. Not the holiday pleasure that I was looking forward to. Fortunately, the afternoon slate and the primetime slate served up a healthier dose of stuffing, taters and pumpkin pie. That helped make up for my Julio induced gastric distress. Now that we have dispensed of our displeasure from this past weekend, it is time to loosen the belt and strap in the feedbag for a Turkey Day feast of fantasy football.

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions:

We get a rematch of last years’ Turkey Day opener as Chicago is traveling north to visit the Lions. Last year Chase Daniel outdueled Matthew Stafford and something called Taquan Mizzell scored a TD for the Bears, while the undead corpse of LeGarrette Blount stumbled over the stripe twice for Detroit. Blount is no longer in the league, and despite seeing proof to the opposite, I still don’t believe that Mizzell actually ever existed. Plus, Stafford is out with a broken back and Chase Daniel has found himself behind Mitch Trubisky (which is similar to being out of football in and of itself).

Trubisky is actually in play for a second straight week, and at his price, he might be a lineup staple for me. David Montgomery has done nothing this year, and not even a sharp matchup excites me to play him. He only posted 60 yards (roughly 3 YPC against Detroit earlier this year). Tarik Cohen actually is a better play with him pass-catching usage surging of late. His price and the lack of RB talent on this slate puts him in the spotlight at RB2 or FLEX. Allen Robinson will likely see a lot of Darius Slay, it didn’t keep him from a solid line a few weeks back. Still considering his price, and other better matchups, I’ll probably fade him. I’m actually more in on Anthony Miller and Taylor Gabriel as WR3/FLEX options as they have seen an uptick in targets the last couple weeks. The TE Plate is so empty for this slate, that Ben Braunecker is almost a possibility (he scored in their earlier meeting). Starting the Bears’ defense at their reduced price on DK is a MUST.

Jeff Driskel should get the start (watch his injury status) for Detroit and he is not in consideration based on the matchup. Driskel looked solid in his first couple of games, but this one is not going to shine his talents. He did post 267-1 in their earlier meeting, but that feels like a ceiling for him. Also, do not even consider David Blough if he starts. In fact, if Blough starts bench all the Lions. Bo Scarbrough looked much more comfortable as the lead back for Detroit than Ty Johnson did in their earlier meeting. I don’t love Scarbrough in this matchup, but he has FLEX appeal based on volume and his price. I could also see using J.D. McKissic at FLEX, since game flow may call for more passing than running. Ty Johnson is the green bean casserole of this slate. Everyone takes a scoop to appease whoever brought them, but no one actually eats a bite of them. Despite a small final line, Driskel did pepper Kenny Golladay, Danny Amendola and Marvin Jones with targets. Golladay got a score, and I like his chances of doing that again. Either Golladay or Jones could be a pivot from the top options at WR1/WR2, but know that they will probably split 150 yards and a single score. Amendola is a more intriguing option at WR3/FLEX. I doubt he scores, but I like him to rack up some receptions. T.J. Hockenson had zero targets last week, and he has disappeared from the game script. At least in Week 10, Hockenson saw some action. Last week, Logan Thomas got involved with a pair of catches, but he is just a guy. Don’t waste your time on any of these TEs. There is also no reason to consider the Lions’ defense, despite the hideous Trubisky chucking the rock for Chicago.

Buffalo Bills @ Dallas Cowboys:

Dak Prescott gets a second straight awful matchup. Buffalo has allowed very few QB scores this year. Dak’s best hope this week is with running one in. The DK price might entice you, but don’t overdo it. Ezekiel Elliott, on the other hand, is a stud this week and he must be in your lineup at RB1. He is the safest and best play at the position on the slate. Last week, Amari Cooper got shut down by Stephon Gilmore and now he faces off against an arguably even better, TreDavious White. Just leave Cooper on the bench. The other side of the field is more pass-friendly, so Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb are certainly WR2/WR3 options. However, much like the Lions’ offense, I wouldn’t expect more than one score between them. The Bills are also elite against TEs, so Jason Witten and Blake Jarwin should remain on your bench too. I don’t want to consider the Dallas’ defense here, as I think that Buffalo’s offense can move the ball on them.

Josh Allen is the second-best option at QB this slate. Dallas is middle-of-the-pack against the pass, but they have given up some solid days to rushing QBs. If I pivot from Drew Brees, Allen will be my choice. Devin Singletary has finally put Frank Gore out of his misery as the featured back for Buffalo. Singletary is the third-best RB on the docket, and I like him at RB2 or even at FLEX if I blow my wad on the position. Gore needs to remain out of your lineup unless Singletary hurts himself on the way to the stadium. The Cowboys have given up some solid days to slot receivers, and Cole Beasley has the revenge-game narrative working for him. I will have as many WR3 shares of him as possible. John Brown is also in play with his game-breaking speed. That said, opposing WR1s have not posted huge lines against Dallas all season, so he isn’t my first choice. Dawson Knox has the second-best matchup among TEs on this slate. If you don’t want to pay up for Jared Cook, just roster Knox and count your cash. I don’t mind playing the Buffalo defense here, but they are not my first choice.

New Orleans Saints @ Atlanta Falcons:

We get another rematch from 2018 here. Last year, everyone, not named, Michael Thomas, scored a TD for New Orleans. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan had a huge day throwing the ball, while his team ran the ball like they were all Kalen Ballage.

Drew Brees had a poor Week 10 matchup against Atlanta. He didn’t throw for a ton of yards, and he also didn’t score any passing TDs. Somehow, Michael Thomas and Jared Cook both finished with big stat lines though. I expect this week to go much smoother for Brees, and he is my QB1 on the slate. Alvin Kamara is the RB2 on the slate, but his odd (STUPID) usage last week really leaves me scratching my head. If I am forced to choose between Kamara and Zeke, I will go with Zeke, just in case Sean Payton decides to use more Latavius Murray again here. Speaking of Murray, he makes a decent FLEX option, if you don’t go with Cohen or Singletary. Michael Thomas catches all the passes, making him the easy WR1. Ted Ginn is always in play as a FLEX, I’m not going to dig as far as Tre’Quan Smith though. Jared Cook is the obvious TE1 on this slate. If I cannot afford him, I’ll go with Dawson Knox. That said, the DK price is certainly doable. I could see using the New Orleans’ defense, but I feel better about using the Bears, at least at DK.

The Falcons’ value will be determined by whether or not Marshon Lattimore plays for New Orleans. If he is out this week, then bump up the value of all the Falcons’ passing game weapons. If Lattimore plays, Julio Jones might get shut down. Either way, Matt Ryan is in play at QB3 on the slate. Brian Hill has been an abject failure at RB. Qadree Ollison is clearly the goal line back anyways. Plus, New Orleans is elite against the run. There is always a chance that Devonta Freeman returns as well, but that just further muddies an already ugly situation. As I said above, Julio Jones will be an A+ start if there is no Marshon Lattimore. If Lattimore plays, Julio falls to C-grade at best. Either way, Calvin Ridley is the safer option. Ridley will likely fight with Kenny Golladay and John Brown as my choice at WR2. Russell Gage got a ton of targets last week. He is certainly in play at WR3/FLEX. A healthy Austin Hooper would be the easy TE1 slate on this slate. I doubt he will play. Jaeden Graham will likely get the start, and he has some value as the #3 TE on my board. The Falcons’ defense is improved, but not enough for me to play them here.

Here are my recommended lineups.

At DK: $6.2K for Josh Allen, $13.2K for Ezekiel Elliott and Devin Singletary, $9.1K for Michael Thomas, $6.6K for Calvin Ridley, $4.7K for Cole Beasley, $2.9K for Dawson Knox, $4.7K for Bo Scarbrough at FLEX, and $2.5K for the Bears defense.

At FD: $7.8K for Allen, $16.7K for Zeke and Alvin Kamara, $7.1K for Golladay, Ridley for $6.5K, and Beasley for $5.8K, $4.5K for Knox. $6.6K for Singletary at FLEX, and $5K for the Bears defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Drew Brees, Allen at SF, Kamara, Zeke, Singletary at FLEX, Michael Thomas, Beasley, and Danny Amendola at WR, and Knox.

At Fantasy Draft: Brees, Elliott, Kamara, Thomas, Beasley, Knox, Amendola, Bo Scarbrough, and the Bears’ Defense.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Drew Brees	$6,800	$8,500
Matt Ryan	$6,400	$7,700
Josh Allen	$6,200	$7,800
Matthew Stafford	$6,000	$7,500
Dak Prescott	$5,700	$8,200
Jeff Driskel	$5,500	$7,000
Mitchell Trubisky	$5,300	$6,800
David Blough	$4,200	$6,000

Weekly strategy – Drew Brees and Josh Allen are the best plays. Matt Ryan is a possible pivot. Avoid Jeff Driskel and Dak Prescott. I can see using Mitch Trubisky as a punt.

Pay to Play:

Drew Brees, Saints @ ATL ($6800 DK, $8500 FD)
Atlanta held Drew Brees to an underwhelming 287-0 in their earlier meeting. This falls below his career average of just over 300 yards per game against the Falcons. In two meetings last year, Brees finished with nine total scores. He won’t get nine here, but three or four is certainly in play as the safest start on the list.

Stay Away:

Jeff Driskel, Lions vs. CHI ($5500 DK, $7000 FD)
First off, Driskel is dinged up. Secondly, Driskel is not very good. Third, Chicago has a stingy defense and a good pass rush. I wouldn’t play Dak Prescott either this week, in case you thought about that angle.

Value Play:

Mitchell Trubisky, Bears @ DET ($5300 DK, $6800 FD)
In four career games against Detroit, Mitchell Trubisky has nine touchdowns and only four turnovers. Compare that to his other 32 career regular season games where he has 38 total TDs and 39 turnovers. Meanwhile, Detroit has allowed three or more passing TDs in four of their last six contests. This included a three-touchdown day for Trubisky in Week 10.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Alvin Kamara	$8,100	$8,300
Ezekiel Elliott	$7,400	$8,400
Devin Singletary	$5,800	$6,600
Latavius Murray	$5,600	$6,200
David Montgomery	$5,400	$5,900
Devonta Freeman	$5,100	$6,200
Tarik Cohen	$5,000	$6,400
Tony Pollard	$4,900	$5,200
Bo Scarbrough	$4,700	$6,100
Brian Hill	$4,400	$5,500
Qadree Ollison	$4,100	$5,800
Frank Gore	$3,900	$5,400
J.D. McKissic	$3,700	$5,200
Ty Johnson	$3,500	$4,900
Kenjon Barner	$3,200	$5,100

Weekly strategy – I’m going to attempt to roster all three of: Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara and Devin Singletary. If I cannot afford all three, Kamara will likely be the odd man out. Tarik Cohen, Bo Scarbrough, J.D. McKissic and Latavius Murray are the only other guys I will consider for the FLEX.

Pay to Play:

Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. BUF ($7400 DK, $8400 FD)
It is tough to move the ball through the air against Buffalo. Fortunately for Dallas, it is fairly easy to move the ball on the ground against them. If you ignore the crappy Kalen Ballage performance in Week 11, Buffalo has allowed an average of 5.7 rushing yards per carry to opposing RBs over their other prior four games. Ezekiel Elliott will need to drive this offense to keep Dallas in this one. On a thin slate, he is far-and-away the safest option.

Stay Away:

David Montgomery, Bears @ DET ($5400 DK, $5900 FD)
Despite facing three middling or worse defenses in: Detroit, the Giants and the Rams the last three weeks, David Montgomery averaged a crappy 2.6 YPC. On the year, Montgomery has only topped 70 yards rushing once. This game sniffs of fool’s gold for him.

Value Play:

Tarik Cohen, Bears @ DET ($5000 DK, $6400 FD)
Now that we have stressed how bad David Montgomery has been, let’s consider his running mate, Tarik Cohen, and how well he has performed. He doesn’t have as many touches as Montgomery recently, but he has arguably done more with the ones he has been given. Either way, Cohen is undoubtedly the pass-catching option in this split backfield. This plays nicely into the matchup since Detroit has allowed six different RB groups to record five or more receptions. They also have given up 70+ RB receiving yards six times, and they have allowed seven running back receiving TDs.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Michael Thomas	$9,100	$9,200
Julio Jones	$7,300	$7,800
Allen Robinson II	$6,700	$7,700
Calvin Ridley	$6,600	$6,500
John Brown	$6,300	$6,600
Kenny Golladay	$6,100	$7,100
Amari Cooper	$6,000	$7,900
Michael Gallup	$5,500	$6,800
Marvin Jones Jr.	$5,300	$6,400
Randall Cobb	$5,000	$6,000
Cole Beasley	$4,700	$5,800
Russell Gage	$4,500	$5,400
Taylor Gabriel	$4,300	$5,400
Danny Amendola	$4,100	$5,400
Anthony Miller	$3,900	$5,300
Ted Ginn Jr.	$3,800	$5,200
Tre’Quan Smith	$3,500	$4,500

Weekly strategy – Michael Thomas’ salary is high, but he deserves to be your WR1, if you can fit him under the cap. If not, Kenny Golladay makes a nice pivot. You could also consider Allen Robinson or John Brown. Calvin Ridley should be your WR2. Cole Beasley is my favorite WR3. I also like Danny Amendola, Russell Gage, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller. Any of them could be my FLEX, if I don’t go 3RB.

Pay to Play:

Michael Thomas, Saints @ ATL ($9100 DK, $9200 FD)
The price for Michael Thomas is high, but much like Christian McCaffrey every week, it will be hard to fade him. Even with Brees struggling in their earlier meeting, Thomas hauled in 13 of his 14 targets for 152 yards. This was the fourth time in seven career meetings that Thomas had topped 100 yards against the Falcons. Thursday will run that number to five of eight.

Stay Away:

Amari Cooper, Cowboys vs. BUF ($6000 DK, $7900 FD)
Amari Cooper’s collection of minor injuries haven’t slowed him down, but the tough matchups have finally caught up with him. Stephon Gilmore took him completely out last week, and now he gets to lock horns with the equally tough, Tre’Davious White. The Bills’ secondary has held four different teams under ten total WR receptions. Not by one wide receiver, but by the entire franchise. It has actually been slot receivers who have had the most success against this defense. So, if you need to choose one part of the Cowboys’ passing attack, choose Randall Cobb.

Value Play:

Cole Beasley, Bills @ DAL ($4700 DK, $5800 FD)
Revenge game in play here for Cole Beasley. Plus, Dallas has given up some solid games to opposing slot receivers this year. With the game in Dallas, you know that Buffalo will do everything to get Beasley a TD. Considering that Beasley has scored in four of his last six contests, that touchdown seems like a lock.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Austin Hooper	$5,900	$6,600
Jared Cook	$4,800	$6,700
T.J. Hockenson	$3,400	$4,700
Jason Witten	$3,300	$5,500
Jaeden Graham	$3,100	$4,900
Blake Jarwin	$3,000	$4,800
Dawson Knox	$2,900	$4,500
Logan Thomas	$2,900	$4,700
Ben Braunecker	$2,800	$4,600

Weekly strategy – If Austin Hooper plays, I’d consider him. Otherwise, Jared Cook is as safe as it gets. If I don’t use him, I will likely use Dawson Knox or Jaeden Graham.

Pay to Play:

Jared Cook, Saints @ ATL ($4800 DK, $6700 FD)
The tight ends on this slate are awful. Jared Cook is the only one that is truly safe. Atlanta has allowed every quality TE they have faced to put up a solid line. This included giving up 6-74 to Cook back in Week 10. As the season has progressed, Drew Brees has started to trust Cook more. In fact, he has moved up to option three in this passing offense, behind Michael Thomas and Michael Thomas.

Stay Away:

Jason Witten, Cowboys vs. BUF ($3300 DK, $5500 FD)
Buffalo has allowed only one TE touchdown all season. Plus, they are giving up an average of only 3-33 to the position. Jason Witten struggled with holding onto the ball in the icky weather last week. He won’t have the weather to blame this week, but I still don’t trust him in this spot.

Value Play:

Dawson Knox, Bills @ DAL ($2900 DK, $4500 FD)
Dawson Knox has been hardly reliable this year. That said, this slate is devoid of any talent in a great spot. Knox has the physical tools, if not the opportunity. Plus, Dallas’ secondary has the lack of physical tools necessary to make Knox a nice sleeper. Prior to putting a cap on the Lions and Patriots the last two weeks, the Dallas defense had allowed an average of 6.4-63 to the position, including five TDs.