DraftKings DFS football picks sleepers and best bets

Fantasy Football DFS Daily Domination: Super Bowl LVIII

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Super Bowl LVII DFS fantasy football.

It is Super Bowl LVIII week, and this means there is only one game for our DFS enjoyment. Fortunately, all the major sites offer single-game (and even partial-game) contests, often referred to as Showdowns.

These contests introduce different strategies compared to regular full-slate DFS contests, so I will break them down for you besides analyzing the individual players in the game.

First up: The Rules

On DK, you are required to put together a six-man roster for $50k or less, and you must use at least one player from each team. In addition, we must identify one of those six players as your “captain.” The captain receives 1.5x of his total output (including potential negative points). This player also costs approximately 1.5x more when you place them in the captain slot, so you have to weigh the value difference between those extra points versus the extra cost.

On FD, they give you more money ($60k) for fewer spots (only five). You still select a Captain (or as they call it an MVP). The biggest difference, however, is your MVP costs the same as your non-MVPs. There is no penalty for putting a player in that slot. This means that you want the top scorer in your lineup in that slot, regardless of his price.

Second: The Usual Strategies

Much like in regular DFS, you can stack correlative players (QB-WR/TE) or (RB-DEF). The key thing to remember, though, is you need to have at least one player from both teams.

If you believe the game will be one-sided, stack your favored QB along with one of his receiving weapons, plus his RB1, and their defense, and then run it back with a passing game weapon of the opposition.

If you believe the game will be high-scoring and close, then you will probably want to do a stack, including both QBs and at least one receiving option for each team. This is the preferred strategy this week.

If you feel both teams will struggle to score, then you should use both defenses and one or both kickers.

Potential lineups for DK

Captain: Travis Kelce ($15.3k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($10.6k), Brock Purdy ($10.0k), George Kittle ($6.4k), Jauan Jennings ($4.0k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($3.0k)

This lineup gives you both QBs and the elite tight end for each team. It also gives you two depth WRs who have seen an uptick in usage recently.

Captain: Christian McCaffrey ($18.0k)
Roster: Deebo Samuel ($9.2k), Brock Purdy ($10.0k), George Kittle ($6.4k), Jake Moody ($5.2k), Clyde Edwards-Helaire ($1.2k)

If you believe that the Chiefs’ luck is about to run out and that San Francisco will make this a cakewalk, this lineup gives you exposure to four of the top offensive pieces for San Fran, plus their kicker.

Captain: Rashee Rice ($11.4k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($10.2k), Patrick Mahomes ($10.6k), Isiah Pacheco ($8.0k), Harrison Butker ($5.0k), Jauan Jennings ($4.0k)

Maybe you believe the Niners are paper tigers on defense. This lineup gives you the top four options for KC (including Mahomes), their kicker, and a lottery ticket WR for SF.

Captain: Isiah Pacheco ($12.0k)
Roster: Christian McCaffrey ($12.0k), Kansas City Defense ($3.4k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($3.0k), Travis Kelce ($10.2k), Rashee Rice ($7.6k)

Maybe you believe the Chiefs are going to roll into Arrowhead West and deliver a smackdown of epic proportions. This gives you the Chiefs defense, four top offensive weapons, and the unavoidable McCaffrey.

Captain: Christian McCaffrey ($18.0k)
Roster: Rashee Rice ($7.6k), Deebo Samuel ($9.2k), Isiah Pacheco ($8.0k), George Kittle ($6.4k), Kyle Juszczyk ($0.8k)

Despite the astronomical price, it is hard to envision not using CMC in the Captain position. This gives you that play and fills out the roster with non-QB options for both teams. If you choose to use CMC, this is my favorite build.

Captain: Noah Gray ($2.7k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($10.2k), Rashee Rice ($7.6k), Brandon Aiyuk ($8.8k), Brock Purdy ($10.0k), Patrick Mahomes ($10.6k)

Unless you go deep diving at the Captain position, it is hard to fit all the stars into your lineup. This puts a reasonable depth piece into that slot and gives you both QBs and three of the top four passing-game weapons in this game.

Captain: George Kittle ($9.6k)
Roster: Brock Purdy ($10.0k), Travis Kelce ($10.2k), Rashee Rice ($7.6k), Deebo Samuel ($9.2k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($3.0k)

This will be one of the few ways to get a QB and four of the top receiving options into the lineup. This is my favorite non-CMC play on DK.

Potential lineups for FD

MVP: Patrick Mahomes ($15.0k) or Brock Purdy ($14.5k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($13.0k), Rashee Rice ($11.0k), George Kittle ($10.0k), Brandon Aiyuk ($10.5k)

Mahomes or Purdy at MVP tied together with two of the top receiving options for each team.

MVP: Christian McCaffrey ($17.5k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($15.0k), Brock Purdy ($14.5k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($7.5k), Kyle Juszczyk ($5.5k)

If you want exposure to CMC and both QBs, you need to take some risky backend options.

MVP: Christian McCaffrey ($17.5k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($15.0k) or Brock Purdy ($14.5k), Rashee Rice ($11.0k), Brandon Aiyuk ($10.5k), Noah Gray ($5.5k)

The safer option, if you want exposure to CMC, involves using only one of the QBs. This is my favorite option this week.

MVP: Christian McCaffrey ($17.5k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($13.0k), George Kittle ($10.0k), Isiah Pacheco ($12.5k), Jauan Jennings ($7.0k)

You could also use CMC and the TEs and skip the QBs.

MVP: Christian McCaffrey ($17.5k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($13.0k), Deebo Samuel ($11.5k), Brandon Aiyuk ($10.5k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($7.5k)

This is another QB-free lineup I like this week.

MVP: Brock Purdy ($14.5k)
Roster: Deebo Samuel ($11.5k), Brandon Aiyuk ($10.5k), George Kittle ($10.0k), Travis Kelce ($13.0k)

This is an SF-leaning stack with Kelce for the Chiefs.

MVP: Patrick Mahomes ($15.0k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($13.0k), Rashee Rice ($11.0k), Isiah Pacheco ($12.5k), Jauan Jennings ($7.0k)

This one loads up on the Chiefs and runs it back with Jennings.

MVP: Patrick Mahomes ($15.0k)
Roster: Brock Purdy ($14.5k), Travis Kelce ($13.0k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($7.5k), Harrison Butker ($9.5k)

Here is a KC-leaning lineup that allows you both QBs.

MVP: Brock Purdy ($14.5k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($15.0k), Deebo Samuel ($11.5k), Brandon Aiyuk ($10.5k), Jauan Jennings ($7.0k)

Here is an SF-leaning lineup that allows you both QBs.

The Game

San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Brock Purdy had an up-and-down Conference Championship round. He had some amazing luck as a probable interception bounced off of the defender into Brandon Aiyuk’s arms. He also looked very Patrick Mahomes-esque, breaking off runs while under pressure. Ultimately, he still finished with an uninspiring 267-1 through the air. That was against the worst pass defense remaining in the playoffs. Now, he is facing an elite pass defense. This feels like a 225-1 game with fewer than 25 rushing yards.

Patrick Mahomes’ ending line versus the Ravens was less than the line posted by Purdy. Of course, Baltimore’s defense is light-years better than Detroit’s. The San Francisco pass defense falls somewhere in between those two extremes. The Niners also suffered shock and awe from Detroit for the first half before their defense seemed to wake up. A slow start by the defense here will be much harder to come back from. Mahomes should finish with 250-2, adding another 30 on the ground.

Christian McCaffrey continues to post galactic numbers. The sites have noticed and priced him somewhere in the Andromeda galaxy. There is no easy way to ignore him here. KC is much worse against the run than the pass. So, San Francisco will get McCaffrey the ball as often as he can handle it. Considering his price, seriously consider using him outside of the captain slot on DK. Elijah Mitchell saw four touches last week. He saved his line with a short TD while filling in for McCaffrey after a brief injury. Playing Mitchell isn’t about chasing another one-off score. It is about hoping that McCaffrey gets injured early and misses significant time. I fully support throwing out a lineup featuring him in this role. Just know that you need this to break perfectly to capture the tremendous reward. Jordan Mason hasn’t seen a touch in the playoffs. You can ignore him. Kyle Juszczyk seldom carries the ball, but he has made several crucial catches during his career. He has been very active in the postseason, recording three or more targets in five of his 13 career playoff games. Make him the last man in your build.

Despite playing while banged up, Isiah Pacheco just workhorsed his way to 82 total yards and a score versus Baltimore. The rushing yards came at an ugly 2.8 average. Surprisingly, both San Francisco and Baltimore rank in the bottom third of the league, allowing an average of 4.3 YPC. Despite this, opposing offenses are rushing the ball on a league-low 36.4% of their snaps versus the Niners. Andy Reid refuses to abandon the run. Over their three playoff contests, the Chiefs have run the ball on 46.5% of their snaps. If they keep this ratio here, Pacheco should have a better stat line. Clyde Edwards-Helaire saw three touches last week. He has proved valuable in the past as a fill-in. Much like Mitchell, consider using him in a lineup if you want coverage for a potential Pacheco injury. Making matters potentially more interesting, the Chiefs designated Jerick McKinnon (hernia) for return from IR this week. McKinnon has been a stud in the Super Bowl in the past. If he is active for the game, he makes a sneaky last-man play.

Both teams are top-heavy among their pass catchers. Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel are both premium WRs. Unfortunately, KC is a terror against the pass. If you have to choose one, go with Deebo. Jauan Jennings was great in the Divisional Round while Samuel was out. He reverted to pumpkin status last week (despite a ridiculous catch). He doesn’t offer enough of a discount to consider seriously. If you want a last-man dart throw, go with Ronnie Bell, Chris Conley (revenge game), or Ray-Ray McCloud instead.

Mahomes trusts Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. The rest of this receiving corps leaves him pulling his hair out. Fortunately, Marquez Valdes-Scantling seems to have finally remembered how to catch a football. Rice’s price is less than Kelce’s, making him a favorite captain option. MVS is seeing just barely enough targets to keep relevant at his price. Consider him as a pivot from Rice in Chiefs-heavy lineups. Justin Watson and Richie James Jr. are great last-man plays. Kadarius Toney may return this week. He is talented, but you do not want to deal with that likely headache. We also can ignore Mecole Hardman Jr. and Justyn Ross.

George Kittle posted a dud versus Detroit. This game won’t be any easier. He has 11 games of playoff experience, but he has topped 40 yards in only three of them while scoring in just two of those games. With the WRs being strangled by KC’s corners, Kittle could see more targets this week. It still won’t make him a preferred player at his price point.

Twenty-one playoff games, 19 playoff TDs for Travis Kelce. He also has topped 70 receiving yards in 12 straight postseason games. When considering your roster build, you may find that you have to choose between Mahomes and Kelce. I’d go with the TE. Noah Gray has five catches on eight targets over the last two weeks. That usage suggests that Mahomes trusts him more than most of his WRs. His discount price makes him a borderline must-start in any Chiefs-heavy build. Blake Bell saw 43% and 44% snap counts in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Last week, he played only 13% of the snaps. Regardless, he has zero targets in any of the games. We can ignore him.

Since the flip of the calendar, Jake Moody has been shaky on FGs. He is only three out of six during his last three games. The extra points add up, but he is nothing more than a run-back play (and arguably too expensive of one) if you stack the Chiefs.

Meanwhile, Harrison Butker continues to show why he is one of the most reliable kickers in history, ranking second ever in field goal percentage. He should be reliable for a floor of eight points this week, but neither kicker makes a powerful play at their price.

The San Francisco 49ers defense should keep this game close, but you are chasing a Pick 6 if you play them.

The Kansas City Chiefs defense blitzed Lamar Jackson into oblivion last week. Purdy doesn’t have the physical or mental tools to overcome this heat, so it will all fall on the offensive game plan. KC should rack up at least three sacks and pick off Purdy multiple times.

The Player Pool

Player	DraftKings Captain Salary	DraftKings Regular Salary	FanDuel Salary
Christian McCaffrey	$18,000	$12,000	$11,000
Patrick Mahomes	$15,900	$10,600	$15,000
Travis Kelce	$15,300	$10,200	$13,000
Brock Purdy	$15,000	$10,000	$14,500
Deebo Samuel	$13,800	$9,200	$11,500
Brandon Aiyuk	$13,200	$8,800	$10,500
Isiah Pacheco	$12,000	$8,000	$12,500
Rashee Rice	$11,400	$7,600	$11,000
George Kittle	$9,600	$6,400	$10,000
Jake Moody	$7,800	$5,200	$9,000
Harrison Butker	$7,500	$5,000	$9,500
San Francisco 49ers	$6,600	$4,400	$8,500
Jauan Jennings	$6,000	$4,000	$7,000
Kansas City Chiefs	$5,100	$3,400	$9,000
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	$4,500	$3,000	$7,500
Elijah Mitchell	$4,200	$2,800	$7,000
Justin Watson	$3,600	$2,400	$6,500
Noah Gray	$2,700	$1,800	$5,500
Mecole Hardman Jr.	$2,400	$1,600	$5,500
Kadarius Toney	$2,100	$1,400	$6,000
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	$1,800	$1,200	$6,500
Kyle Juszczyk	$1,200	$900	$5,500
Jordan Mason	$900	$600	$5,000
Richie James Jr.	$600	$400	$5,500
Blake Bell	$300	$200	$5,000
Chris Conley	$300	$200	$5,000
Jerick McKinnon	$300	$200	$6,000
Justyn Ross	$300	$200	$5,000
Ray-Ray McCloud III	$300	$200	$5,500
Ronnie Bell	$300	$200	$6,000

Fantasy Football DFS Daily Domination: Super Bowl LVII

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Super Bowl LVII DFS fantasy football.

It is Super Bowl LVII week, and this means there is only one game for our DFS enjoyment. Fortunately, all the major sites offer single-game (and even partial-game) contests, often referred to as Showdowns.

These contests often introduce different strategies compared to regular full-slate DFS contests, so I will break them down for you besides analyzing the individual players in the game.

First up: The Rules

On DK, you are required to put together a six-man roster for $50k or less, and you must use at least one player from each team. In addition, we must identify one of those six players as your “captain.” They award the captain 1.5x his total output (including potential negative points). This player also costs 1.5x more when you place them in the captain slot, so you have to weigh the value difference of those extra points versus the extra cost.

On FD, they give you more money ($60k) for fewer spots (only five). You still select a Captain (or as they call it an MVP). The biggest difference, however, is your MVP costs are the same as your non-MVPs. There is no penalty for putting a player in that slot. This means that you want the top scorer in your lineup in that slot, regardless of his price.

Second: The Usual Strategies

Much like in regular DFS, you can stack correlative players (QB-WR/TE) or (RB-DEF). The key thing to remember, though, is you need to have at least one player from both teams.

If you believe this game will be high-scoring and close, then you will probably want to do a stack, including both QBs and at least one receiving option for each team. This will be my favorite strategy this week.

If you feel both teams will struggle to score, then you should use both defenses and one or both kickers.

Potential lineups for DK

Captain: Tr avis Kelce ($15.9k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($11k), Jalen Hurts ($11.2k), Dallas Goedert ($6.4k), Boston Scott ($3k), Justin Watson ($2k)
This lineup gives you both QBs and the elite tight end for each team. It also gives you two TD-dependent depth pieces, one of which, Watson, may see an uptick in playing time due to injuries.

Captain: Jalen Hurts ($16.8k)
Roster: A.J. Brown ($9.2k), DeVonta Smith ($8.6k), Miles Sanders ($7.8k), Jake Elliott ($4.2k), Justin Watson ($2k)
Perhaps you believe that this will be a blowout by Philly (why, I have no idea). This lineup gives you maximum exposure to the four best offensive pieces for Philadelphia, plus their kicker.

Captain: Patrick Mahomes ($16.5k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($10.6k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($6.2k), Isiah Pacheco ($7.2k), Harrison Butker ($4k), Kenneth Gainwell ($5k)
Or, maybe you believe Philly made it to the big game via an easy path and now they will be tested by an elite KC offense. This gives you the top options for KC, their kicker, and a red-zone TD threat for the Eagles.

Captain: DeVonta Smith ($12.9k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($11k), Jalen Hurts ($11.2k), Dallas Goedert ($6.4k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($6.2k), Justin Watson ($2k)
I really like Smith this week, so this would be one of my favorite “shootout” lineups. This lineup also keeps both offenses in play but considers Philly attempting to take Kelce out of the game.

Captain: Philadelphia Eagles defense ($5.4k)
Roster: Kansas City Chiefs defense ($3.4k), Isiah Pacheco (7.2k), Miles Sanders ($7.8k), Jalen Hurts ($11.2k), Patrick Mahomes ($11k)
Both QBs are dealing with various levels of injury. Perhaps you can see both defenses raging passing-game havoc in this one. This still gives you both QBs (who can still gain floor-level points) but also adds both top RBs and gives you credit for sacks and turnovers.

Captain: Quez Watkins ($2.1k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($10.6k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($6.2k) or JuJu Smith-Schuster ($5.6k), DeVonta Smith ($8.6k), Jalen Hurts ($11.2k), Patrick Mahomes ($11k)
Unless you go deep, deep diving at captain, it is hard to fit all the stars into your lineup. This at least puts a reasonable depth piece into that slot and gives you both QBs and three of the top four passing-game weapons in this game.

Captain: JuJu Smith-Schuster ($8.4k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($11k) or Jalen Hurts ($11.2k), Travis Kelce ($10.6k), DeVonta Smith ($8.6k), A.J. Brown ($9.2k), Justin Watson ($2k)
One of the few ways to get all four of the top receiving options into the lineup would be like this. You also get your choice of one of the QBs.

Potential lineups for FD

MVP: Patrick Mahomes ($17.5k) or Jalen Hurts ($17k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($14k), Dallas Goedert ($10k), DeVonta Smith ($11.5k), Kadarius Toney ($7k)
Mahomes or Hurts at MVP tied together with two of the top receiving options for each team. This is my favorite way to attack this slate.

MVP: Jalen Hurts ($17k)
Roster: A.J. Brown ($12.5k), DeVonta Smith ($11.5k), Dallas Goedert ($10k), JuJu Smith-Schuster ($9k)
This is your Eagles Voltron stack with a KC run-it-back WR.

MVP: Patrick Mahomes ($17.5k)
Roster: Travis Kelce ($14k), JuJu Smith-Schuster ($9k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($8k), DeVonta Smith ($11.5k)
As a Chiefs fan, I love this lineup. I just know that it is going to struggle against this pass defense.

MVP: Patrick Mahomes ($17.5k)
Roster: Jalen Hurts ($17k), DeVonta Smith ($11.5k), Marquez Valdes-Scantling ($8k), Justin Watson ($5.5k)
Here is a KC leaning lineup that allows you both QBs.

MVP: Jalen Hurts ($17k)
Roster: Patrick Mahomes ($17.5k), DeVonta Smith ($11.5k), Quez Watkins ($6k), Jake Elliott ($8k)
Here is a Philly leaning lineup that allows you both QBs.

The Game

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Jalen Hurts isn’t listed as injured, but he continues to treat his earlier shoulder injury. This week’s opponent, KC, gives up a lot of yards through the air. That said, they can be both opportunistic and sloppy at the same time. KC’s pass rush is no joke, but the Philly O-line is considerably better than the scrubs that Cincy rolled out there. Even at less than 100%, Hurts remains a scrambling threat. I like him to finish with 200-2 through the air and 40-1 on the ground.

Patrick Mahomes (ankle) survived the conference championship round, and a high-ankle sprain, as Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy came up with a game plan where he was able to successfully operate out of the pocket. Much like Cincy, Philly has solid defensive depth at every level. The biggest difference is that Philly features two elite-level shutdown corners on the outside. Still, the Eagles can be beaten over the middle and that is where Mahomes loves to operate with his salsa-mate Travis Kelce. It may not be pretty, but Mahomes will still reach 300-3 with less than 15 rushing yards.

Miles Sanders surprised me by scoring twice versus the Niners. His YPC was crappy, but with two TDs, no one was complaining. The Chiefs are much easier to run against. He should finish with just under 60 total yards and maybe a score. The reason he may not score is that Philly likes to allow everyone in their backfield to vulture him. Kenneth Gainwell didn’t score last week, but his ending line was actually better than Sanders’, and he looked to be the more explosive back. I expect Gainwell to put up about 45 yards and no TD here. The other threat is Boston Scott, who has stolen a score in two straight playoff games. He feels like more of a TD-dependent dart throw here than a reliable choice.

Isiah Pacheco has once again surpassed Jerick McKinnon as option 1a in the rushing game for KC. Against a stout defensive interior, I expect both to see more targets than carries. Pacheco will finish with roughly 50-1 on the ground and two or three short-yardage receptions. McKinnon will score through the air and could haul in five or six catches for close to 50 total yards. You can ignore both Ronald Jones and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (if he suits up).

DeVonta Smith has actually been more reliable than A.J. Brown in recent weeks. I believe this trend continues here as KC’s secondary remains young and thin but is improving. Smith will score, and both will finish with around 70-80 yards. I could see using Quez Watkins or Zach Pascal as a cheap punt to fill out your roster, but neither should be relied upon as anything more than a flier.

We don’t know who will even be active at WR for KC. If active, JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) is the best bet to lead the WRs in receptions. He will get five or six catches for 50 yards, but I don’t trust him to score, though. Kadarius Toney (ankle, hamstring) is also dinged up, but his skill set makes him a bigger threat to get into the end zone. I don’t like Marquez Valdes-Scantling versus this elite pass defense. That said, if both Toney and Smith-Schuster are out (or limited significantly), you have to consider him. Justin Watson missed the conference championship with an illness. If he plays, he will be a favorite bargain-basement roster filler for me as he always gets one or two deep shots each game. Skyy Moore was forced into a larger role in the previous game. His stats will be minimal if everyone returns.

Dallas Goedert should have an easy go of things in this game. With extra attention devoted to both DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, Goedert should operate freely and secure 5-50-1. We can ignore Jack Stoll as he does not see enough usage.

Travis Kelce is going to score and post at least eight receptions for 80 yards. He is the safest player on either side of the ball to use as captain/MVP. Noah Gray, Blake Bell, and Jody Fortson can all be minimum-cost roster fillers. Just expect nothing more than the minimum output from any of them as you chase a random TD.

Jake Elliott has been consistent this year, but I expect neither team will be excited to forego TD opportunities for FG chances. That said, with three extra points and a pair of FGs, his nine-point floor is safer than some of the TD-dependent depth WRs/RBs.

Harrison Butker has been clutch this year (especially on long kicks), but he has also had the occasional case of the yips on some shorter tries. In the big game, he will get three extra points and two or three field goal opportunities. At least one of those will be from 50-plus. I will have a lot of exposure to him as a mid-salaried floor piece.

The Philadelphia Eagles defense is a better real-world unit than fantasy defense. They will be limited to just a pair of sacks and a pair of turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs defense has a great pass rush, but this will be a big test for them. I don’t see over four sacks and just a single turnover here.

The Player Pool

Player	DraftKings Captain Salary	DraftKings Regular Salary	FanDuel Salary
Jalen Hurts	$16,800	$11,200	$17,000
Patrick Mahomes	$16,500	$11,000	$17,500
Travis Kelce	$15,900	$10,600	$14,000
A.J. Brown	$13,800	$9,200	$12,500
DeVonta Smith	$12,900	$8,600	$11,500
Miles Sanders	$11,700	$7,800	$12,000
Isiah Pacheco	$10,800	$7,200	$10,500
Jerick McKinnon	$10,200	$6,800	$9,500
Dallas Goedert	$9,600	$6,400	$10,000
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	$9,300	$6,200	$8,000
Chad Henne	$9,000	$6,000	$5,000
Gardner Minshew II	$9,000	$6,000	$5,000
JuJu Smith-Schuster	$8,400	$5,600	$9,000
Kenneth Gainwell	$7,500	$5,000	$8,500
Kadarius Toney	$6,600	$4,400	$7,000
Jake Elliott	$6,300	$4,200	$8,000
Harrison Butker	$6,000	$4,000	$8,500
Skyy Moore	$5,700	$3,800	$6,000
Philadelphia Eagles Defense	$5,400	$3,600	$9,000
Kansas City Chiefs Defense	$5,100	$3,400	$8,000
Boston Scott	$4,500	$3,000	$7,500
Justin Watson	$3,000	$2,000	$5,500
Quez Watkins	$2,100	$1,400	$6,000
Noah Gray	$1,800	$1,200	$5,500
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	$1,500	$1,000	$6,500
Zach Pascal	$1,200	$800	$5,500
Jack Stoll	$900	$600	$5,000
Blake Bell	$600	$400	$5,000
Jody Fortson	$300	$200	$5,000
Marcus Kemp	$300	$200	$5,500
Ronald Jones II	$300	$200	$5,000

Fantasy Football DFS Daily Domination: 2021-22 Super Bowl Showdown

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Super Bowl DFS fantasy football

It is Super Bowl LVI week, and this means there is only one game for our DFS enjoyment. Fortunately, all of the major sites offer single-game (and even partial-game) contests, often referred to as Showdowns.

These contests often introduce different strategies compared to regular full slate DFS contests, so I will break them down for you in addition to analyzing the individual players in the game.

First up: The Rules

On DK, you are required to put together a six-man roster for $50k or less and

must use at least one player from each team. In addition, one of those six players must be identified as your Captain. The captain is awarded 1.5x his total output (including potential negative points). This player also costs 1.5x more when you place them in the Captain slot, so you have to weigh the value difference of those extra points versus the extra cost. Consider it as almost a mathematical curve where you want to achieve the highest total points before it becomes cost-prohibitive.

Also on DK, you are allowed to choose one or both defenses as a roster spot. They gain points for typical defensive stats (fumbles, interceptions, sacks, defensive and special teams TDs) as well as being assigned points based on how many points they allow (just as they do in standard contests).

On FD, you are given more money ($60k) for fewer spots (only five). You still select a Captain (or as they call it an MVP). The biggest difference, however, is your MVP costs the same as your non-MVPs. There is no penalty for putting a player in that slot. This means that you want the top scorer in your lineup in that slot regardless of his price. Also, unlike DK, you cannot choose a team’s defense.

Second: The Usual Strategies

Oftentimes on DK, people will attempt to reach for the one bottom-priced player who they believe will score a vultured TD at some point in the contest. This player will give them the highest likelihood of having a different lineup than the rest of the players. Many times this player is a fourth WR, or a backup TE, or a reserve RB, and sometimes even a non-starting QB. These players are hoping that they can catch lightning in a bottle at a subpar price while still rostering the top three or four talents on the slate. This strategy can be effective most of the time. Unfortunately, this week, we have two teams that refuse to utilize depth pieces. There are literally only 18 players (including the two defenses) with a legit chance of doing anything significant this week barring an injury. This is why I do not recommend this strategy this week.

Much like in regular DFS, you can effectively stack players (QB-WR/TE) or (RB-DEF). The key thing to remember, though, is you need to have at least one player from both teams. This encourages doing (QB-WR/TE-Other teams WR/TE) like lineups. This strategy should be popular this week with both teams featuring dynamic passing offenses.

If you think (as most do this week) this game will be high-scoring, then you will probably want to do a combo stack including both QBs and at least one receiving option for each team). This will be my favorite strategy this week. Just know that both sites price their players so that you will likely not be building a stack of Matthew Stafford-Joe Burrow-Cooper Kupp-Ja’Marr Chase (with one of them at Captain/MVP). It mathematically cannot be done on FD. It can be done on DK, but only if you want to round your roster out with the likes of Ben Skowronek and Stanley Morgan. That said, you can do up a competitive DK roster with all four of them if you choose a different player to be your Captain.

Perhaps you feel strongly that the game will be low-scoring. In that case, you may want to use one or both defenses on DK and/or one or both kickers on either site. You can also use a combination of any of these strategies if you feel strongly that one team will be successful while the other one suffers. With a very talented defense like Los Angeles and a weak offensive line (and an electric kicker) like Cincinnati, this strategy has some merit this week.

Also, remember that on FD your MVP salary is the same as his non-MVP price. This means put the player you think will score the most in that slot regardless of his pricetag.

Potential lineups for DK

Captain: Matthew Stafford $16.2k, Roster: Joe Burrow $10.6k, Cooper Kupp $11.6k, Tyler Boyd $5.4k, Rams defense $3.4k, Samaje Perine $2.4k – This lineup gives you both QBs and a top-three receiver for each team. It also gives you exposure to sacks on Burrow and squeezes in Perine, who could see some passing game volume if Cincy falls behind.

Captain: Evan McPherson $6k, Roster: Cooper Kupp $11.6k, Matthew Stafford 10.8k, Joe Burrow $10.6k, Ja’Marr Chase $10.4k, Ben Skowronek $600k – This lineup gets you both QBs and both No. 1 WRs. It also gives you exposure to the elite kicker McPherson and allows you to take a dart throw at Skowronek (maybe he will catch it this week).

Captain: Kendall Blanton $6.9k, Roster: Cooper Kupp $11.6k, Matthew Stafford $10.8k, Joe Burrow $10.6k, Evan McPherson $4k, Tyler Boyd $5.4k – This lineup gets you both QBs, the top WR for Los Angeles, the third WR for Cincy, the best kicker, and gets you the likely starting TE for the Rams (remember Cincy was rotten against the position later in the year). By using Blanton, it offers you some differentiation (although I believe his ownership will be high if Tyler Higbee cannot suit up).

Captain: Cooper Kupp $17.4k, Roster: Matthew Stafford $10.8k, Drew Sample $4.2k, Tee Higgins $7.6k, Tyler Boyd $5.4k, Kendall Blanton $4.6k – Perhaps you really want Kupp as your captain (he is the top scorer per game season to date on the slate). This gives you Kupp and his QB. Two of the Bengals top three WRs, and possibly their starting TE (if C.J. Uzomah is out). Note that this lineup construct does not allow you to roster Burrow. You could sub in Burrow for any of the four, non-Stafford, regular players with a dart throw elsewhere here.

Captain: Rams defense $5.1k, Roster: Cooper Kupp $11.6k, Matthew Stafford 10.8k, Joe Burrow $10.6k, Ja’Marr Chase $10.4k, Ben Skowronek $600k – This lineup gets you both QBs and both of their top WRs. It also gives you differentiation up top if you think that Burrow will have a few sacks (just remember that as Cincy scores, the Rams defense’s total points will go down exponentially).

Captain: C.J. Uzomah $6.6k or Drew Sample $6.3k, Roster: Cooper Kupp $11.6k, Matthew Stafford $10.8k, Joe Burrow $10.6k, Evan McPherson $4k, Cam Akers $6.4k – This lineup gives you both QBs along with Kupp. It gives you exposure and differentiation up top with whichever TE starts for Cincinnati. It also gives you Akers, if you feel that Los Angeles will jump out to an early lead in the game.

Captain: Cam Akers $9.6k, Roster: Cooper Kupp $11.6k, Matthew Stafford $10.8k, Joe Burrow $10.6k, Matt Gay $3.8k, Rams defense $3.4k – Perhaps you believe that Los Angeles will be dominant in the game. This gives you all of the Rams offense and Burrow for playing catchup later in the game.

Captain: Matthew Stafford $16.2k, Roster: Cooper Kupp $11.6k, Odell Beckham $8.4k, Kendall Blanton $4.6k, Rams defense $3.4k, Tyler Boyd $5.4k – If you think that this will be a passing game blowout for Los Angeles you can go Voltron stack on the Rams and then just run it back with the best remaining Bengal that you can afford (Boyd).

Captain: Joe Burrow $15.9k, Roster: Ja’Marr Chase $10.4k, Tee Higgins $7.6k, Evan McPherson $4k, Bengals defense $3.2k, Odell Beckham $8.4k – Perhaps you feel strongly that Cincy will win this one going away as Stafford fumbles under the big spotlight. This lineup gets you loaded on Bengals offensive players and uses the Bengals defense to differentiate from most teams. It then runs it back with the best affordable remaining Ram, Beckham.

Captain: Ja’Marr Chase $15.6k, Roster: Joe Burrow $10.6k, C.J. Uzomah $4.4k or Drew Sample $4.2k, Tyler Boyd $5.4k, Tee Higgins $7.6k, Cam Akers $6.4k – Here is your Cincy Voltron stack where you get Burrow and all four of his top weapons. You can run it back with any Ram that fits, but I like Akers, Van Jefferson, Sony Michel, or Blanton there.

Potential lineups for FD

Roster: Cooper Kupp $16.6k, Matthew Stafford $15.5k, Joe Burrow $15k, Van Jefferson $7k, Drew Sample $6.5k – Kupp, Burrow and Stafford can each be used at MVP here. You can also sub in the combos of Ben Skowronek and C.J. Uzomah or Kendall Blanton and Stanley Morgan for Jefferson and Sample.

Roster: Matthew Stafford $15.5k, Joe Burrow $15k, Cam Akers $10k, Tee Higgins $10.5k, Evan McPherson $9k – This is probably my favorite FD lineup. I get both QBs. I get a Bengals WR not covered by Jalen Ramsey to run it back with. I get the Rams’ top RB since Cincy is rotten against the run, and I get McPherson, who has been absurd this postseason.

Roster: Matthew Stafford $15.5k, Cooper Kupp $16k, Cam Akers $10k, Tee Higgins $10.5k, Kendall Blanton $8k – Here is your FD Rams Voltron stack running it back with Higgins (or Tyler Boyd).

Roster: Ja’Marr Chase $12k, Tee Higgins $10.5k, Cam Akers $10k, Joe Burrow $15k, Joe Mixon $12.5k. – Here is your FD Bengals Voltron stack running it back with Akers (or Jefferson, Matt Gay, or Blanton).

[lawrence-related id=463995]

The Game:

Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Matthew Stafford has the easier matchup of the two QBs as Cincy allowed the seventh-most passing yards per game this season. He also has three or more passing TDs nine times this season and two more games where he had a combined three TDs. The Bengals have been bad against both the run and the pass this season, but the opposition threw the ball on a league fourth-high 62.7 percent of their snaps against them. Some of this has been caused by game script, but you know that Sean McVay will look to jump out early here with a pass-heavy plan.

Joe Burrow has a much harder go of things navigating Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and Jalen Ramsey. Fortunately, Burrow has several weapons to target. He entered the playoffs as the hottest QB in the league, and he has performed right on par with his season averages during the postseason. Typically, you could argue that the veteran presence of Stafford would outvalue Burrow here, but don’t underscore Burrow’s youthful moxie. He also has been unflappable all year despite being battered in the pocket like a Whack-a-Mole.

Cam Akers is starting in the Super Bowl. Earlier this year, you would’ve shocked me if you had declared that he was going to play again before the 2022 preseason. There was also plenty of talk in regards to how well he would perform when/if he did return. Well, not only is he back, but he has been good since his return. Sony Michel got minimal work in the divisional round but saw more of a split in touches in the conference title game. Some of this was due to Akers hurting his shoulder and some may have been attributed to Akers’ fumbles the prior week. Unfortunately for Michel, he did nothing with the extra touches last week. Only eight teams allowed more yards per carry than Cincy, so either or both could be in play here. I’m expecting a pass-heavy game script, so this should favor Akers. That said, if the Rams jump out to a huge early lead, we may see more Michel later in the game. There is also a chance that Darrell Henderson returns this week from his MCL injury. If he returns, it will hurt Michel’s value more than Akers. I just doubt that he would get enough touches to consider here.

Joe Mixon is the main back for Cincinnati. He had a bit of a career resurgence this year as he went from “an RB everyone drafting at the end of the first round was forced to settle for” to “a potential dynasty top-10 RB”. He offers value both in the passing game and on the ground, leaving him a solid floor. Unfortunately, I don’t love having to swallow a floor outcome at a price this high. I also don’t like that he has only three scores in his last seven games. Plus, while he rules the roost in carries, Samaje Perine has seen more usage in the passing game the last couple of weeks. Considering Perine’s price, he could be a valuable bottom-of-the-roster addition. That said, fitting Mixon in will be tough and isn’t one of my preferred strategies this week. Chris Evans has two touches in the playoffs and can be ignored here.

Cooper Kupp is the top per-week scorer in this slate. He should have little difficulty repeating his usual solid line against a subpar secondary that has better strength in outside coverage than over the middle. He needs to be on your roster, unless you firmly believe Cincy will sell out to stop him. Odell Beckham went from being barely rosterable in season-long leagues to back on the dynasty radar. I do not like his matchup this week as much as I like Kupp. Still, he and Tee Higgins make the most sense when considering the “second option” in the passing games of two teams that should throw the ball a lot this week. Van Jefferson went from being a huge part of this offense midway through the year to an afterthought in the postseason. Plus, he is nursing a knee issue. His price makes him a nice roster-filler, but I do not love his recent usage and the chance he leaves the game early due to reinjury. Ben Skowronek has just one playoff target and only five targets since Week 16. His minimum salary provides an interesting roster filler if you believe that Jefferson may play limited snaps due to his knee. That said, will Skowronek be trusted in this big spot? Brandon Powell is the WR5 for Los Angeles. His last target was in Week 16 … of 2020.

Ja’Marr Chase is usually not the undercard at the WR position. Even in ugly matchups this year (yes, I’m looking at you, Marlon Humphrey), Chase has dominated. This week, he faces one of the few WR1s who may be his superior. He also faces another elite-level CB. Facing off with Jalen Ramsey is not the death sentence it once was, but you still need to factor this into your roster builds. Tee Higgins is a great bargain this week compared to the other WRs. When I don’t use Chase, I will likely use Higgins. His matchup should also be easier than Chase’s, so Joe Burrow may look his way more often this week. As much of a bargain as Higgins is, Tyler Boyd is an even bigger bargain. Boyd has scored in four of his last six games, and he is always a part of this offense. His usage may be even higher this week if C.J. Uzomah is out or limited. The Bengals have lots of subordinate WRs, but none has much value. Stanley Morgan, Trenton Irwin, and Trent Taylor don’t do much for me, and they may even be inactive for this game. The one depth WR with some interest to me is Mike Thomas; he gets the revenge-game narrative this week and could have some minimal value.

Kendall Blanton is shaping up to be the starter this week for Los Angeles. He looked very good filling in for the injured Tyler Higbee last week. Obviously, if Higbee plays he will have some value. That said, I doubt he plays. If Higbee does, I could see him being nothing more than a decoy. At the discounted price, Blanton makes a great play at both Captain and on the regular roster. Cincy was one of the worst against the position this year, making this arguably the easiest play on the board.

Cincinnati’s starting TE, C.J. Uzomah, is also dealing with a knee injury. He has made it abundantly clear on social media that he intends to play this week. I can’t imagine him being more than a bit player if he does suit up. If he is out, Drew Sample will get the start. Cincy uses their TE more than they use their fourth WR, so whichever one of these two starts will have some value as a roster filler, and Sample (if Uzomah is out) could be a Captain.

Evan McPherson has been absurdly good this postseason. His moxie is right there on par with Joe Burrow. Pairing a great offense with some shortcomings on the O-line against a great defense could produce numerous FG attempts. Considering what he has done recently (40 standard kicking points in the playoffs), I don’t see how you cannot play him. I’ll even use him some at Captain.

Matt Gay hasn’t gotten the attention that McPherson has. That said, he also has 30 standard kicker points in the playoffs. He also has two failed FG attempts, so he could have had even more points. His price is cheaper than McPherson’s on DK, making him a sneaky pivot. Considering the offensive upside, I could even see building a lineup with both of them.

The Rams defense will be very popular as people expect that they will pressure and fluster Burrow repeatedly. Consider using them in a stack with Cam Akers.

The Bengals defense will have far less ownership. To use them you are making the assumption that Matthew Stafford will go full Jared Goff on the situation. I just don’t see it. Still, people seem to always make up at least one lineup with both defenses in it.

The Player Pool

Player	DraftKings Captain Salary	Draftkings Regular Roster Salary	FanDuel Salary
Cooper Kupp	$17,400	$11,600	$16,000
Matthew Stafford	$16,200	$10,800	$15,500
Joe Burrow	$15,900	$10,600	$15,000
Ja’Marr Chase	$15,600	$10,400	$12,000
Joe Mixon	$14,400	$9,600	$12,500
Odell Beckham	$12,600	$8,400	$10,500
Tee Higgins	$11,400	$7,600	$10,500
Cam Akers	$9,600	$6,400	$10,000
Tyler Boyd	$8,100	$5,400	$8,500
Van Jefferson	$7,800	$5,200	$7,000
Sony Michel	$7,500	$5,000	$7,500
Tyler Higbee	$7,200	$4,800	$8,000
Kendall Blanton	$6,900	$4,600	$8,000
C.J. Uzomah	$6,600	$4,400	$7,500
Drew Sample	$6,300	$4,200	$6,500
Evan McPherson	$6,000	$4,000	$9,000
Matt Gay	$5,700	$3,800	$9,500
Rams defense	$5,100	$3,400	N/A
Bengals defense	$4,800	$3,200	N/A
Samaje Perine	$3,600	$2,400	$7,000
Darrell Henderson	$2,400	$1,600	$8,000
Trent Taylor	$1,500	$1,000	$5,500
Ben Skowronek	$900	$600	$6,000
Chris Evans	$600	$400	$5,500
Mike Thomas	$300	$200	$5,000
Stanley Morgan	$300	$200	$5,000
Trenton Irwin	$300	$200	$5,000

Fantasy Football DFS Daily Domination: 2021-22 Conference Championships

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Conference Championship Week DFS fantasy football

We are down to four teams and two games. This is when things start to get more and more cutthroat. Remember to maximize your combinations this week. Also, this is a reminder that there will not be a Dominator during the Pro Bowl – even I’m not degen enough to break that one down (doesn’t mean I won’t be playing though). We will however return for Super Bowl week for a Showdown/Captain contest breakdown.

Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs

Joe Burrow managed to have a huge passing day last week without throwing a TD. There was zero way to predict that. The touchdowns will be here this week as this projects to be a shootout. Burrow will be my QB2 overall this week.

Patrick Mahomes has to experience a bit of a letdown after last week’s craziness. Of course, he also gets to upgrade from the Bills secondary to the Bengals secondary in terms of the easier defensive matchup. I’m expecting Mahomes to finish with 380-4 here in the top-scoring spot on the docket.

Joe Mixon is the only sure thing as an every-down back on the slate this week. The matchup is reasonable. KC is decent against rushing RBs, but they are rotten against pass-catching backs. Mixon is capable of doing both. I have him as the RB1 on this slate based on volume alone. My biggest concern with him is if Cincy falls behind too much too early, the rushing portion of his splits will vanish. Samaje Perine is back to a reserve role, and he can be ignored in all formats.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire looked very solid last week in his first action since returning from injury. Cincy is truly middle of the pack against RBs. In a likely split backfield situation again, CEH is my RB4 here. I was also impressed with Jerick McKinnon’s work. I’ll place him at RB5 and consider both as an RB2 or FLEX. The biggest concern here is if Darrel Williams returns. He could steal touches from both of them. If Williams is active, I’ll probably avoid this backfield completely.

Ja’Marr Chase went nuclear in the prior meeting between these two teams. He has also been unstoppable most of the season. KC did hold Stefon Diggs in check last week, but Gabriel Davis went off. I don’t expect Chase to finish as huge as in the last meeting, but I still think he finishes as a top-three WR this week. Tee Higgins is my WR5. His discounted price from Chase makes him a nice pivot to get exposure to this game. That said, the best pivot play may be to use Tyler Boyd. Boyd will be running the route tree Davis used last week. Do I need to remind you what Davis did? If Tyrann Mathieu ends up missing this game, Boyd is a must-start at WR2/3. Even if Honey Badger plays, I still will have a hard time fading Boyd. I’m not going to look any lower here.

Tyreek Hill will challenge Chase for that WR1 role this week. It will be hard to fit both of them and consider Travis Kelce, so you will need to make a hard decision on one of the three. Cincy was humiliated by A.J. Brown last week, and they have been schooled by WR1s all year. You want exposure to this game, so you have to at least consider Hill here. If you do opt for Kelce instead of Hill, I still recommend choosing either Byron Pringle or Mecole Hardman as a WR3 here. Both should have a great chance to score. I could even see throwing Demarcus Robinson into a random lineup as a punt-FLEX. Pringle also should be considered a favorite for the Showdown Captain role.

C.J. Uzomah has had back-to-back solid games in the playoffs. This matchup is okay, but I feel most of the action will go to the WRs making him the TE4 on this slate. At his price, I will have some exposure. I just won’t race to get him into my lineup. Drew Sample hasn’t done much this season, but I could see throwing him into a Showdown lineup.

Travis Kelce is the best remaining TE. Cincinnati is the worst remaining defense against the position. You do the math. The price is high enough to make this one tricky, but there isn’t a safer play at the thinnest position. Blake Bell and Noah Grey back up Kelce. They really aren’t in play, outside of Showdown dart throws.

Kansas City’s defense should definitely be considered after watching Burrow get shellacked last week. The FD price for KC makes them an optimal play here on DK not so much. Do not consider Cincy on either site.

San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles is doing everything legally (and perhaps illegally) possible to keep this a home game. I still expect enough Niners faithfully to be in attendance. This should help Jimmy Garoppolo remain able to hear his coach in his ear when he tells him each play to hand the ball off. Yes, there is no upside at all to playing Jimmy G. here. His ceiling is 200-2. That isn’t going to get it done, especially when his floor is also two turnovers. He is the QB4 on this board and it isn’t particularly close.

Matthew Stafford had two mediocre starts against San Fran this season. Obviously, the three scores in Week 18 saved that week but neither start featured more than 245 yards passing. If the ticket sales go as planned, Stafford ought to get a home-team reception this time, which should help him. That said, I still cannot confidently expect more than 250-2 here. That leaves him at QB3.

Eli Mitchell is technically the starting RB for San Francisco. Unfortunately, he has shared touches backfield mate with WR Deebo Samuel over the second half of the season. With so few sure things at RB, he still gets the RB3 nod here since LA can be run through and because the Niners cannot win by throwing the ball. If they are forced to throw the ball, Mitchell could lose most of his value as I’d expect Samuel and JaMycal Hasty to split those looks. This could open up Hasty to a sneaky punt-FLEX role. If Deebo is limited or out this week, Mitchell would see a volume bump. Jeff Wilson exited last week’s game with an ankle injury. His status is shaky, at best, for this week. If he plays, he might be usable in Showdown but that is all. Kyle Juszczyk is always in play as a punt-RB2 or FLEX. He is also a great Showdown play because of his price.

Cam Akers had some fumbling issues last week, but it didn’t keep him from out-touching Sony Michel 27-3. This volume is why Akers is my RB2 overall this week. He is also the better pass catcher of the two, and that is one of the easiest ways to succeed with your running backs against the SF defense. Michel will get the nominal RB6 assignment, but his value will only return if Akers is benched due to his fumbles.

Deebo Samuel will likely see a lot of Jalen Ramsey this week. LA has lost this matchup so far this year, allowing a total of 273 yards and three total scores to Samuel. Now, obviously, not all of those yards came against Ramsey as much was had on the ground as well. Just know that Samuel has gotten it done this year against LA. With so much talent on this slate, Samuel gets the WR4 assignment – but if he were to qualify at running back, he would be the RB2. Just make sure to follow his practice status this week as he did suffer an injury last week. Brandon Aiyuk has looked solid as a WR2 for San Fran since Week 9. Then he went out and laid a goose egg last week on one single target. There is a contrarian argument towards throwing him into a lineup or two at WR3. I just don’t feel comfortable doing it unless Deebo is ruled out. I almost feel better about taking a chance on Jauan Jennings. He has five or more targets in five of his last seven games, and he clowned the Rams in Week 18. One player that could eat into Jennings’s action is Mohamed Sanu. Sanu was just activated off IR this week, so there isn’t even a guarantee that he will suit up. Of course, if he does, he may be the most accurate QB on their roster Sunday. I have a hard time trusting the San Fran depth WRs since this offense is going to struggle to score a lot of points.

Cooper Kupp is no worse than WR3 overall this week. The matchup is average, but he is absurdly talented. My largest concern with Kupp is that his price is too damn high. He will be nearly impossible to fit in your lineup, unless you go digging for scraps at other positions. He has topped 115 receiving yards in both games this year, so consider that his floor. The guy who I am the most concerned with here is Odell Beckham. In the two earlier meetings, he had exactly 2-18 and 2-18. Maybe SF just has that something special to frustrate the combustible receiver. He will get the WR8 tag here, but he falls behind the other options at WR2/3 in my personal preference. Van Jefferson has only 14 catches over the last seven games. He has really fallen in the pecking order with Beckham picking up the slack. If OBJ struggles this week, Jefferson might see a slight uptick in usage. That said, I wouldn’t count on it. He is the WR11 overall this week but can be left for a punt-FLEX role or Showdown. Ben Skowronek just doesn’t receive enough snaps to consider seriously. His only value would come if one of the top three were to get hurt.

George Kittle has gone from a consensus top-three dynasty TE this offseason to a great blocker who occasionally is targeted in the passing game. That is frustrating as he is impossible to bring down with the ball in his hands. Kittle did have two solid games against LA earlier this year, but he also has a total of only 13-141 over his last five games. His innate talent keeps him as the TE2 overall here, but I don’t think I will have a lot of exposure to him.

Beckham’s struggles against SF have benefitted Tyler Higbee so far this year. In the two earlier games, Higbee posted 9-75-3 against the Niners. At his price, I like Higbee as a pivot from Kelce if you decide to stack WRs in the early game. He is the TE3 this week and he could even be in FLEX play if you go double-TE. Kendall Blanton scored last week. It was his first career TD. He doesn’t see much usage, but he could be a dart throw in Showdown contests.

These teams will be the most popular choices for the defense position. I will have a fair amount of exposure to each, leaning slightly towards the Rams since Garoppolo is mistake-prone. That said, I still feel the smart play is to use KC and face a smaller ownership rate.

Here are my recommended lineups:

At DK: $7.4k for Patrick Mahomes. $5.9k for Eli Mitchell. $5k for Cam Akers. $7k for Tyreek Hill. $4.3k for Byron Pringle. $4.2k for Tyler Boyd. $6.5k for Travis Kelce. $6.7k for Ja’Marr Chase at FLEX. $3k for the Kansas City Chiefs defense.

At FD: $7.5k for Joe Burrow. $7k for Mitchell. $6.2k for Akers. $8.1k for Hill. $5.8k for Boyd. $5.7k for Pringle. $7.7k for Kelce. $8k for Chase at FLEX. $3.7k for the Chiefs defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Mahomes, Joe Burrow at SF, Akers and Clyde Edwards-Helaire at RB, Cooper Kupp, Hill, and Boyd at WR, Pringle at FLEX, and Kelce at TE.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes	$7,400	$8,800
Joe Burrow	$6,600	$7,500
Matthew Stafford	$6,300	$7,500
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,400	$6,200

We have two different slates for Divisional Weekend. I will break down each of them game-by-game and give you my Pay-To-Play, Stay Away, and Value Play for each position for each of the two split slates.

However, before we do that, allow me to give you my favorite lineups on the combined slate at each site, too! Note that player salaries may differ on the full slate with the individual day slates (though not by much).

Full Divisional Round Slate

Here are my full Divisional Round Slate recommended lineups:

At DK: $6.6k for Joe Burrow, $5.9k for Devin Singletary, $5.8k for Eli Mitchell, $7.1k for Ja’Marr Chase, $6.2k for A.J. Brown, $5.3k for Odell Beckham, $4.9k for Dawson Knox, $4.6k for Gabriel Davis, and $3.2k for the Green Bay Packers defense.

At FD: $7.7k for Burrow, $7.2k for Singletary, $7.3k for Mitchell, $8.2k for Chase, $7.6k for Brown, $6.5k for Beckham, $5.4k for Tyler Higbee. $5.3K for Davis at FLEX, and $4.5k for the Packers defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Burrow, Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes at SF, Singletary, and Cam Akers at RB, Brown, Stefon Diggs, and Chase at WR, Anthony Firkser at TE, and Tyreek Hill at FLEX.

Saturday-only Slate

Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans

Joe Burrow looked solid in the Wild Card game despite facing an above-average pass defense. This week, he faces a Tennessee defense that allowed the second-most passing yards among all of the playoff teams. During the regular season, only one team allowed more receiving yards to opposing WRs and only three teams allowed more scores to that position. Whereas last week, Burrow struggled to get the ball to Tee Higgins on the outside, both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase should feast this week (Tyler Boyd, too). Six of the eight QBs on the full slate are elite and lead high-end offenses. This means Burrow will likely jockey for the QB3/4 role on the full slate. However, on Sat-only, he will finish as no lower than QB2.

As I just mentioned six of the eight QBs on the full slate are elite. One that isn’t is Ryan Tannehill. He does get an easy matchup this week, but this is a run-first team. In a decent matchup, I’ll list him as the QB3 on Saturday-only. Unfortunately, due to the other available talent, I cannot rank him higher than QB6/7 overall here. He did get the bye to prepare, and he is coming off his best start of the year in Week 18. Plus, he should have both of his starting WRs healthy together for just the eighth time this season. I could see using him as a sneaky cheap option here if you want to load up elsewhere.

Joe Mixon let us down some last week. Vegas toughened up against the run for the first time all season. Tennessee is dominant against the run. Only three teams allowed fewer total RB scores this season, and only one team allowed fewer RB rushing yards this year. They also are solid against pass-catching backs, so Mixon doesn’t even get to take advantage of that. On Sat-only slate, he is no better than RB3. Fortunately, with multiple split backfields remaining on Sunday, Mixon is still probably the RB5 overall. Samaje Perine and Chris Evans are just backups now (and Evans may be out on kick returns after last week’s struggles). Last week, they each had just one touch. This makes them both unusable here, even if this matchup wasn’t awful, to begin with.

The million-dollar question this week is will Derrick Henry play? And, If so, how much? I mean, frankly, he won’t be needed here, since Cincy is mediocre against the run, and because the Bengals lost the majority of their defensive line to injuries last week. D’Onta Foreman could easily finish as the RB2 overall this week if Henry were not to play. With Henry likely usurping the lion’s share of the touches, Foreman slides back to a change-of-pace role, making him FLEX-worthy at best. Of course, if Henry is a full-go, he is the top RB on Sat-only and overall. I just have a feeling that they will ease him back here opening a little more value for Foreman. Dontrell Hilliard was more involved in the passing game than Foreman while Henry was out. With Cincy allowing the fifth-most receptions and sixth-most receiving yards to opposing RBs, I could easily see using him as a punt-FLEX. Assuming a fully-returning Henry, I’ll rank Foreman as RB7 on Sat-Only and Hilliard at RB6.

Last week, Tee Higgins had a bad game and Ja’Marr Chase had a good but not great game (based on his lofty standards). This was because Vegas is very good at defending outside receivers. This week they are facing one of the worst defenses against outside WRs. They will both finish as top-five options on Sat-only and each makes a nice pivot off of Davante Adams at your WR1. Higgins is particularly valuable since teams might be wary of using him after his dud last week. Tyler Boyd should also have a good game, but I expect he sees fewer targets than the other two. He can be considered as your WR3 on Sat-only and as your WR3 overall to get cheap access to this game on the main slate. Auden Tate has been cleared to practice but didn’t appear in the Wild Card round. Watch his status heading into this weekend as he could have Showdown slate value.

Cincy is middling against opposing WRs. They have done well in the second half of the year against alpha WR1s. So, perhaps A.J. Brown will be outperformed by Julio Jones this week. Of course, I can’t say that last sentence with a straight face. Brown is a stud, Julio used to be one (emphasis on the USED TO BE part). Brown is no lower than the WR4 on Saturday, and he makes an ok WR2 on the main slate if you go cheap at RB. Julio actually out-targeted Brown in Week 18. That won’t happen here. He is a possible WR3 on Sat-only, but he can be ignored on the main slate. There are just too many better-skilled WRs to choose from this weekend. Neither Nick Westbrook-Ikhine nor Chester Rogers should appeal to you with both the starters back healthy and Henry back, too. If I had to choose one of them for Showdown contests, I would go with NWI, because he did have a few solid days when the Titans were shorthanded earlier this year.

As I called, C.J. Uzomah had a great game last week as Cincy looked to throw inside against Vegas. This week will be more difficult as Tennessee is considerably better against TEs than WRs. Saturday-only is a dud of a TE slate, so he still may finish as TE2 there. Overall, he can be ignored.

Cincy has actually been pretty awful against TEs. That said, do you really trust Geoff Swaim and Anthony Firkser? They have combined for five scores this year, but they also have combined to have only one game with more than four receptions and only two games with more than 35 receiving yards. I probably have more faith in them than Green Bay’s options, but not by much. If I was throwing a dart, I’d consider Firkser coming off back-to-back scoring performances against this weak defense. This puts him in play on Sat-only but not the full slate (except in a punt situation). Swaim can be left to Showdown contests since he is more TD-dependent.

Neither of these defenses is a match to their opponent’s strength. I’ll just pass on both of them.

San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers

Imagine this, Jimmy Garoppolo leads his team to the NFC Championship game and then gets traded or benched heading into next season. It could happen. That said, Green Bay is better against the pass than the run, so if the Niners are going to win, it likely won’t be because the arm of Jimmy G. Garoppolo is the clear bottom QB both on the Sat-only and main slate. The only way he salvages value here is if Green Bay jumps out to a huge lead and he gets to pile up Gar-bage-oppolo Time. A lot of QBs have scored TDs against the Pack in garbage time this year.

Aaron Rodgers will battle with Joe Burrow for the top QB on Saturday. San Fran is actually very solid against the pass, but Rodgers is a step ahead of most other QBs. They also have padded their stats some against bottom-feeding QBs. Rodgers was held to only 261-2 in their earlier meeting, but he also has three or more passing TDs in four of his last six games. I feel 300-3 is back in play for Rodgers here as he has had an extra week to rest his sore toe.

Eli Mitchell is the RB2 on Sat-only and arguably the same overall. If Derrick Henry is limited, he could even finish as the overall RB1 this week. Green Bay’s numbers against RBs are deflated by the fact that they often force their opposition to pass. San Fran won’t care what the score is they will continue to run the ball. The biggest issue that Eli has at this point is Deebo Samuel vulturing his scores. As always, Kyle Juszczyk is a great Showdown play.

Aaron Jones led the backfield in the earlier meeting between these two teams while A.J. Dillon filled more of a change-of-pace role. Since then, this backfield has morphed into more of a timeshare. Jones was held out of the Week 18 game to rest his injured knee. Right now it appears that it won’t be an issue this week. San Fran has been among the best at holding down RB yardage, but they have given up a few RB touchdowns. Jones probably gets the RB3/4 slot on both dockets thanks to the abundance of split backfields. Dillon makes a decent FLEX play on either slate in case Jones suffers an in-game setback.

Deebo Samuel is simply unstoppable at this point. Green Bay is tough against the pass, but they have nobody that can shut down a versatile stud like this. It will be him or Davante Adams that finishes as WR1 on the Sat-only. It will be hard to roster both of them, so I’d likely choose one of them and pair them with Tee Higgins. If you don’t use Samuel, you could use Brandon Aiyuk as a Sat-only WR2. I’d rank him at WR6/7 on that slate. I don’t love him on the full slate, though, as there are much better/cheaper options in that range of talent. Jauan Jennings continues to have FLEX or WR3 value on the small slates. His salary is low enough that I would consider him as a punt-WR3 on either slate. Travis Benjamin is apparently still in the NFL. Yes, I am also surprised. He has historically snuck in a multiple TD performance at some point every season that he has played. I don’t foresee that happening here. That said, he makes a nice dart throw in Showdown contests only because he will likely serve as the return man.

Opposing WR1s have decimated San Francisco all season. This includes Davante Adams abusing them to the tune of 12-132-1 back in Week 3. I’d expect a similar output here. Adams should finish no lower than WR2 on Sat-Only and WR4 overall. Just know that his salary is high and you can get other cheaper options in this offense to help you fit other high-priced players into your lineup. Those cheaper players are Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Allen Lazard. San Fran has also struggled with both speedy field-stretching WRs and slot receivers. I doubt both of them score, but each should have roughly 5-60. I think MVS has the better chance to score a TD. Against most weaker teams, I would suggest Equanimeous St. Brown or Amari Rodgers as Showdown plays. I just don’t think there will enough points here for them to achieve value.

George Kittle is the top TE on Saturday, but he may finish the weekend as low as the TE4 overall. Green Bay is bottom-tier against TEs but Kittle has struggled late, posting a total of 9-78-0 over San Francisco’s last four games. The Niners have to take advantage of this mismatch to have any prayer this week. I think he has a better game than his recent struggles suggest but he still will just finish middle-of-the-pack.

San Fran does give up a decent number of TE scores. They have also been stingy with the yards to the position, but that is because they have faced a motley collection of TEs. Josiah Deguara and Marcedes Lewis qualify as motley. I doubt either of them does anything here.

Green Bay is the smart play for Sat-only defense. San Fran could be a pivot, but I still prefer taking the chalk here. I also like the Pack on the main slate.

Here are my Saturday-only Slate recommended lineups:

At DK: $6.6k for Joe Burrow, $6.8k for Aaron Jones, $5.8k for Eli Mitchell, $5.7k for Tee Higgins, $7.6k for Deebo Samuel, $6.2k for A.J. Brown, $3.1k for Anthony Firkser, $4.3k for Allen Lazard at FLEX, and $3.2k for the Green Bay Packers defense.

At FD: $7.7k for Burrow, $7.5k for Jones, $7.3k for Mitchell, $8.7k for Davante Adams, $7.6k for Brown, $6.4k for Higgins, $5.2k for Firkser, $5.1k for Dontrell Hilliard at FLEX, and $4.5k for the Green Bay defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Burrow, Ryan Tannehill at SF, Mitchell, and AJ Dillon at RB, Adams, Brown, and Higgins at WR, Samuel at FLEX, and Firkser at TE.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Aaron Rodgers	$7,100	$8,400
Joe Burrow	$6,600	$7,700
Ryan Tannehill	$5,800	$7,300
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,200	$6,500
Trey Lance	$5,000	$6,200

Saturday strategy – Joe Burrow and Ryan Tannehill against each other are my favorite plays. I don’t mind Aaron Rodgers, but I don’t love that FD price.

Pay to Play:

Joe Burrow, Bengals @ TEN ($6,600 DK, $7,700 FD)
Burrow has been on fire over the last month. Now he gets to face one of the worst defenses in the league against the pass. Set him as your Sat-only QB and stack him with Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins.

Stay Away:

Aaron Rodgers, Packers vs. SF ($7,100 DK, $8,400 FD) Rodgers at home is never a complete fade, but San Francisco has the best defense on the Saturday slate, and Rodgers is the priciest QB. If you are going to use him, make it on DK where his price is less. More importantly, watch to see how cold it is going to be at kickoff. Rodgers may be used to playing in the cold, but nobody likes catching the ball when it gets ridiculously cold.

Value Play:

Ryan Tannehill, Titans vs. CIN ($5,800 DK, $7,300 FD)
Cincy remains the softest pass defense in the playoffs. This week they travel to Tennessee to face a run-first Titans team that can pass when they need to and that finally has both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones healthy. If Derrick Henry ends up missing this game or he ends up limited Tannehill may be forced to throw to win this game. Even if Henry plays, Tannehill may have to throw just to keep up with the Cincy offense.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Derrick Henry	$7,500	$9,000
Aaron Jones	$6,800	$7,500
Joe Mixon	$6,600	$7,800
Eli Mitchell	$5,800	$7,300
D’Onta Foreman	$5,200	$5,500
AJ Dillon	$5,100	$6,100
Samaje Perine	$4,500	$4,800
Dontrell Hilliard	$4,300	$5,100
Kyle Juszczyk	$4,100	$4,500

Saturday strategy – If we knew that Derrick Henry was going to play the whole game then he would be a must-start at RB1. However, at this point, we don’t even know for certain that he is going to play. I believe he will, but I also believe he will be limited. This opens up Dontrell Hilliard as a sneaky FLEX play. Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon have rough matchups. Jones is also coming off an injury and splits touches. Still, those two and Eli Mitchell are the only trustable volume plays. Eli will be my most frequently used RB1. I think AJ Dillon is the safest RB2 play based on his lower price. Whichever way you slice it, if you don’t play Henry, you are not spending big here.

Pay to Play:

Eli Mitchell, 49ers @ GB ($5,800 DK, $7,300 FD)
With Jimmy Garoppolo dealing with multiple injuries expect San Francisco to lean heavily on their running game. Some of that will go through Deebo Samuel but most will go through Mitchell. San Fran is built to run through the competition, making Mitchell the safest RB play on Saturday.

Stay Away:

Aaron Jones, Packers vs. SF ($6,800 DK, $7,500 FD)
Jones has an ok matchup, but he will be forced to deal with the shadow of AJ Dillon all game. These two have split carries all season. The best we can hope for is a 60-40 touch advantage for Jones. That isn’t enough to make up for the difference in cost.

Value Play:

AJ Dillon, Packers vs. SF ($5,100 DK, $6,100 FD)
That price difference is why I recommend Dillon rather than Jones. They both will get a fair number of carries, and they both may score this week. In that situation, give me the one that frees me up 20 to 25 percent in cost so that I can spend big at WR.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Davante Adams	$8,500	$8,700
Deebo Samuel	$7,600	$8,600
Ja’Marr Chase	$7,100	$8,200
A.J. Brown	$6,200	$7,600
Tee Higgins	$5,700	$6,400
Brandon Aiyuk	$5,100	$5,900
Tyler Boyd	$4,700	$5,800
Julio Jones	$4,600	$5,600
Allen Lazard	$4,300	$6,000
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	$4,200	$5,500
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine	$3,800	$5,100
Jauan Jennings	$3,400	$5,000
Chester Rogers	$3,200	$4,700
Randall Cobb	$3,100	$5,300
Amari Rodgers	$3,000	$4,500
Auden Tate	$3,000	$4,600
Equanimeous St. Brown	$3,000	$4,700
Travis Benjamin	$3,000	$4,600

Saturday strategy – Can I roster five WR1s? Davante Adams, Deebo Samuel, Ja’Marr Chase, A.J. Brown, and Tee Higgins all could be used. I will have two of these fivesome in all of my lineups. I may even use three of them. The backup Packers, Tyler Boyd, and Jauan Jennings are the best options at WR3 and FLEX (if you don’t use a third RB).

Pay to Play:

Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals @ TEN ($7,100 DK, $8,200 FD)
Chase is pricier than his WR teammates but has been an absolute beast this season. His connection with Joe Burrow is immeasurable. Tennessee is rotten against opposing WRs. Plus, they have been particularly putrid against alpha outside WRs. This is a game stack that I like with Burrow and A.J. Brown (especially since I believe this game will be high-scoring).

Stay Away:

Davante Adams, Packers vs. SF ($8,500 DK, $8,700 FD) If you do choose to fade the Packers’ expensive offensive pieces, I wouldn’t blame you. You really want to have two (or three) of those pricy WRs in your lineups, but I have more faith in Green Bay’s backups (Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard, and Randall Cobb) than the other teams’ subordinates. This means that I can still roster two or three of those studs and get exposure to the Pack offense. That said, know that San Fran has been abused by true alpha WR1s all year.

Value Play:

Randall Cobb, Packers vs. SF ($3,100 DK, $5,300 FD)
Cobb is in the playoffs catching passes from Aaron Rodgers … sign me up. Throw in that I can have him on DK for close to one-third of Davante Adams’ price warms the cockles of my heart. He is returning from injury, but we know that Rodgers trusts Cobb wholeheartedly.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
George Kittle	$5,300	$6,400
C.J. Uzomah	$3,400	$5,500
Anthony Firkser	$3,100	$5,200
Josiah Deguara	$3,000	$4,900
Geoff Swaim	$2,800	$4,600
Marcedes Lewis	$2,600	$4,200

Saturday strategy – Yuck! George Kittle is the only stud on the board, and he has played like crap over the last month. I will probably hold my nose and play either C.J. Uzomah or Anthony Firkser. Did I say YUCK yet?

Pay to Play:

C.J. Uzomah, Bengals @ TEN ($3,400 DK, $5,500 FD)
Uzomah had a great Wild Card game, but that was against a defense that funnels the ball to the middle of the field. He won’t set the world on fire but, in what should be a high-scoring game, makes a cheap punt option to gain exposure to this offense. If he can get into the end zone again that is an easy 3x on DK.

Stay Away:

George Kittle, Niners @ GB ($5,300 DK, $6,400 FD)
This is another case of a great player horribly underperforming recently and facing a middling defense in what projects to be a lower-scoring contest, potentially in subarctic weather. I’m tired of watching Kittle produce more pancake blocks than receptions. The talent is there, the matchup as I mention above is okay, we just need to see Kittle get it going again. Until that happens, I cannot in good faith spend this much for him. I’d feel considerably better about his chances if we knew that Jimmy Garoppolo was 100 percent. Although, maybe Garoppolo is the problem and Kittle needs Trey Lance to unlock his recent struggles.

Value Play:

Anthony Firsker, Titans vs. CIN ($3,100 DK, $5,200 FD)
Firkser has scored in back-to-back games and Cincy is easily the worst remaining defense against TEs, so he has that going for him. That said, trusting him here makes me kind of want to throw up.

Sunday-only Slate

Los Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa is easy to beat through the air. This sets up nicely for Matthew Stafford, who has several weapons to work with. You can’t run the ball against Tampa Bay, so Stafford will have to take this on his own back. On Sunday-only, he is my QB3, and I could see him finish as high as QB5 on the full slate. His discount price will make him one of my favorite options.

The Rams give up a ton of passing yards but only one team has allowed fewer passing TDs. Tom Brady isn’t just any old QB. He is capable of bending the stats and trends. Unfortunately, his cupboard is looking barer and barer. On name alone, I trust him for a ceiling of 300-2. Still, this might be the low figure on Sunday-only. I do not like his price for the full slate. He should be a fairly easy fade this week.

Cam Akers even playing at this point in the season is remarkable. His trucking defenders and putting up solid overall numbers is just plain crazy. This is not a good matchup for Akers, but his price is so damn cheap still. Making matters tougher here is that Sony Michel is still getting a healthy complement of carries. Regardless, Akers seems to have passed the eye test as far as health goes. His talent is stronger than that of Michel, so as the postseason progresses, I expect him to add more and more touches. One thing I am comfortable with is that Akers will be the passing down back here. That is the ONLY way to do damage against this defense with your RBs. This should secure Akers no worse than RB4 on Sunday-only, and Michel likely slides to RB5/6 range.

Leonard Fournette appeared 100 percent ready to go early last week. Then, as the week progressed, he got more and more questionable. That was a disappointing trend, because the matchup was a positive one. The Rams are middling against the run and against pass-catching backs. If Fournette was 100 percent certain for this week, I would identify him as the clear RB2 on Sun-only and a top-four play overall. Right now, it appears that Playoff Lenny will be a full go for this week, but as I said, that is what we thought last week, too. If Fournette misses this game, the backfield will likely be split once again between Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard. As a tandem, they could each be FLEX plays, but neither has a clear advantage in role in this particular game script. One piece of clarity is coming out in that Ronald Jones didn’t even practicing yet. I read that to mean he is a no-go, but he’ll get an official update Friday.

Cooper Kupp had, by his standards, a down week last week. That could happen when you run the ball more than twice as often as you throw it. That run-first strategy would be asinine this week. If Los Angeles doesn’t finish this game with a 2-to-1 passing advantage in play-calling, they are going to lose. Kupp will catch a lot of short passes over the middle in a sort of non-run running role. He will also score again. His salary will make it tough to roster this week, but he will approach 3x no matter what. If you want to save some money, I’d use Odell Beckham. OBJ has scored in six of his last eight games. He is basically a cheat code this week as this game will be passing-forward. I also like Van Jefferson to have a more useful game this week. Beckham is a lock at WR2 if you don’t use Kupp. Jefferson can be your WR3 regardless of Cooper’s usage. Kupp is the WR1 overall and for Sun-only. Beckham is Sunday’s WR5 and WR10 overall. Jefferson is more a Sunday-only play as there are better WR3 options to choose from overall. The Rams also have Ben Skowronek. He hasn’t caught a pass the last two weeks. I’m not even sure I would use him in a Showdown contest.

Mike Evans gets the painful assignment of being shadowed by Jalen Ramsey. This isn’t a death knell, but it doesn’t boost his value. Last week, Evans went off despite the Darius Slay shadow. So, he can be effective in bad matchups. That said, I don’t love him, especially when you see his price tag. He is the WR4 on Sunday-only and WR9 overall. Tyler Johnson was second among the WR room last week with two catches. That isn’t good. Johnson, Breshad Perriman, and Scotty Miller combined for an uninspiring seven total targets. Evans had more by himself. Maybe Bruce Arians can swap out the nameplate and number off of Miller’s jersey and replace it with the name and number of Julian Edelman. Then perhaps Brady would look his way. The Rams can be bothered through the air. They allowed the third-most WR receptions and the fourth-most WR receiving yards. Unfortunately, only one team allowed fewer WR touchdowns during the regular season. Evans will get his token TD, but I don’t trust any of these other receivers to catch one. The best you can hope for from any of them is probably 6-60. That is barely good enough to consider for WR3 on Sunday-exclusive slate. Perhaps, the best hope for TB is if Cyril Grayson returns this week. He had a rapport going with Brady over the last couple of weeks of the regular season before getting hurt. Unfortunately, as of midweek he still isn’t practicing, so he is probably doubtful.

Tampa has allowed middling stats against opposing TEs. That said, they also have faced a lot of crappy tight ends, so those numbers are skewed slightly down. Every above-average tight end they have faced has fared well against them. Tyler Higbee is just barely above-average, but his price makes him a sneaky Sunday play, despite the TE4 rank. What is amazing is that even with that low rank on Sunday, he will likely finish no lower than TE5 overall.

With Ramsey attempting to shutdown Evans, Rob Gronkowski should see a ton of targets. The Rams are so-so against TEs also, so Gronk could produce a solid line as the TE2 on Sunday-only. If you want to save some money on the position, I’d use Cameron Brate. He should see a fair amount of targets, too, and all he needs is that one TD to reach 3x on DK. I’m not going to stretch for O.J. Howard outside of a Showdown dart throw.

On Sunday-only, you are playing one of these two defenses. I like the Rams more than the Bucs as Tampa suffered multiple O-line injuries last week.

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs

In this matchup, we just have to throw the stats out the window. We have two dominating offenses facing two upper-echelon defenses. One of two things is going to happen. We will end up with a 20-17 game or a 52-49 game. I don’t see us finishing anywhere in between those extremes. Frankly, I think both QBs will be leaving it all on the field. This should mean the 52-49 game is more likely. This, of course, places Josh Allen right in my sights as the QB1 on Sunday-only and quite probably overall. Allen went berzerker last week at home versus an equally tough New England defense. He will do just fine here.

On paper, Patrick Mahomes has the tougher matchup. Of course, we all know that this means nothing here. If Allen is throwing the ball repeatedly, then so is Mahomes. Each of these QBs could show out with 400-5, but I think both will finish with a floor around 375-3.

Devin Singletary has gone from being the low-end of a three-way split backfield to the only clear every-down back on the Sunday-only slate. He is my RB1 there and no worse than RB4 overall. I will fit him in almost all of my lineups. Zack Moss has been a non-factor since Week 5 and Matt Breida has slipped so far that he hasn’t even been active recently. Moss could be used as an injury pivot on Showdown, but he has no value unless Singletary goes down.

At this point, it appears that Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be the Chiefs’ starting RB this week. CEH looked at full speed on Wednesday, so my hope is that he is good to go. If he can play, he is no worse than RB4 here. Darrel Williams is still battling a toe issue. He suited up for Wild Card Weekend but played second fiddle to Jerick McKinnon. Williams’ practices this week have been limited, and his Wild Card usage concerns me. I’m hoping he is just ruled out for this game to limit the confusion here. You could certainly argue that McKinnon deserves to start based on his performances of late. At worst, he will be a change-of-pace play here and no worse than RB6 on Sunday-only. If all three of them suit up, it is best to just avoid this backfield. If we can limit it to one or two of them, I will load up since Buffalo has looked lost against RBs since late November. Derrick Gore saw minimal touches over the last few weeks. I am not sure I would even use him in Showdown, unless CEH and Williams are both out.

Stefon Diggs is the top WR for Buffalo. Opposing alpha WR1s have given KC fits all season long even as their defense improved over the course of the season. Diggs didn’t do a ton in their earlier meeting, but that game was out of hand pretty early. I have Diggs at WR3 on Sunday slates and WR5 overall. He will be my WR2 in most lineups. Emmanuel Sanders returned last week and immediately scored a long TD. He also had two touchdowns in the Bills’ earlier victory over KC. Of course, that victory came before Buffalo started utilizing Gabriel Davis more frequently. Davis has since passed Sanders on the progression chart of Josh Allen. Either would be a great WR3 play on either slate. I prefer Davis however because of the larger volume of targets. Cole Beasley, on the other hand, has disappeared of late. He has only 12 targets in the three games since returning from his COVID absence. His potential PPR value makes him an always playable WR3 on DK. I just wouldn’t go overboard on him. One of the reasons that Beasley is seeing less work is the continued strong play of Isaiah McKenzie. I trust Beasley more than McKenzie in the main tourneys, but McKenzie is a lock play in Showdown.

Tyreek Hill is the WR2 on Sunday and no worse than WR4 overall. The few elite WR1s that Buffalo faced this year fared well against them. More importantly, it is speedy field-stretchers that have had the most success all year. This puts Mecole Hardman into the discussion as a sneaky WR3 play here, too. Hardman has lost some snaps to Byron Pringle recently. Both have a great chance to score. If I don’t use Hill at WR1, one of those two will be in my lineup as a WR3 or FLEX. Demarcus Robinson is riding a solid three-game stretch. If this game goes bananas, he could have a solid line. I’m not going to go out of my way to use him, though. The same goes for Josh Gordon even if he does suit up.

I was so wrong about Dawson Knox last week. I thought he was doomed against New England. This week will be so much easier to trust him. KC has allowed solid lines to virtually all of the legitimate TEs they have faced this year. This included giving up a bunch of receptions and yards to Zach Gentry and Pat Freiermuth last week and allowing Knox to post 3-117-1 earlier this year.

Travis Kelce is never a fade. He can easily go off for 10-110-2 at any time. This isn’t the best matchup for him, but Kelce does have five TDs in his last three games against Buffalo. My biggest concern with Kelce is his price and how to fit him in with all of the big-buck WRs. If you choose to use him, be prepared to go cheap at WR2 and/or WR3.

Both of these defenses can make things happen and force turnovers. That said, there will be many points scored here, which may remove whatever value you might get from those turnovers. If the weather ends up iffy, I could punt with one of them on Sunday-only, but I’d rather use Tampa or LA.

Here are my Sunday-only Slate recommended lineups:

At DK: $7.6k for Josh Allen, $5.9k for Devin Singletary, $5.5k for Cam Akers, $6.6k for Tyreek Hill, $6.5k for Stefon Diggs, $5.3k for Odell Beckham, $4.9k for Dawson Knox, $4.6k for Gabriel Davis at FLEX, and $3k for the Los Angeles Rams defense.

At FD: $7.4k for Matthew Stafford, $7.2k for Singletary, $5.7k for Akers, $9.5k for Cooper Kupp, $8.2k for Hill, $7.8k for Diggs, $4.5k for Cameron Brate. $5.3k for Davis at FLEX, and $4.3k for the Rams defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Allen, Patrick Mahomes at SF, Singletary, and Akers at RB, Kupp, Diggs, and Hill at WR, Brate at TE, Davis at FLEX.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Josh Allen	$7,600	$8,800
Patrick Mahomes	$7,300	$8,500
Tom Brady	$6,800	$7,800
Matthew Stafford	$6,200	$7,400

Sunday strategy – This Sunday, when choosing your QB, might I suggest ALL OF THE ABOVE. Tom Brady is the GOAT, but he is also the least safe play here. If I fade anyone, it is him. That said, all four of these guys will have big games. So, prepare to make many different lineup combinations featuring each of them.

Pay to Play:

Josh Allen, Bills @ KC ($7,600 DK, $8,800 FD)
Allen is on the road, but don’t let that scare you. Both he and Patrick Mahomes will approach 400-4 here. The advantage Allen has is that he has better running skills than Mahomes, so any point difference this week will likely come on the ground. Plus, even though they are playing better since they last met, KC’s defense is still not as great as the one from Buffalo.

Stay Away:

Tom Brady, Buccaneers vs. LAR ($6,800 DK, $7,800 FD) Tampa suffered some key injuries to their offensive line last week. They are hopeful that all of them can return this week, but if they can’t or if they are limited, Brady could be running for his life from Aaron Donald and Von Miller. I know Brady keeps his body temple healthy, but he is no spring chicken. We don’t want to see him running for his life. Ultimately, Brady’s success or failure this week may depend on how successfully Mike Evans performs in Jalen Ramsey’s shadow coverage.

Value Play:

Matthew Stafford, Rams @ TB ($6,200 DK, $7,400 FD) To save money for the expensive WRs this weekend, you need to pay down somewhere. Tampa Bay has been near the bottom of the league against the pass all season. Meanwhile, Stafford is leading an offense that is hitting a stride, featuring stackable mates: Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham, Van Jefferson, and Tyler Higbee.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Devin Singletary	$5,900	$7,200
Leonard Fournette	$5,700	$7,000
Ronald Jones	$5,600	$5,200
Cam Akers	$5,500	$5,700
Sony Michel	$5,300	$5,300
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	$5,200	$5,700
Giovani Bernard	$5,000	$5,400
Jerick McKinnon	$4,800	$6,000
Ke’Shawn Vaughn	$4,700	$5,300
Darrel Williams	$4,200	$5,500
Zack Moss	$4,100	$4,700
Derrick Gore	$4,000	$4,700

Sunday strategy: I never thought I would see the day where Devin Singletary would be the only back on a slate guaranteed of not being part of a split backfield. He is my RB1. RB2 is much tougher. If Leonard Fournette starts, he probably deserves to be RB2. That said, we thought he was going to play last week and then he didn’t. If Fournette is out, I’ll likely just use whoever starts for KC at RB2. Cam Akers could be in play in a tough matchup if you trust his receiving skills. Otherwise, there really isn’t an obvious value play, unless Jerick McKinnon or Ke’Shawn Vaughn end up starting for their respective teams.

Pay to Play:

Devin Singletary, Bills @ KC ($5,900 DK, $7,200 FD)
Singletary has been a victim of backfield-by-committee for the last couple of years, but astute owners will remember that when he first came up he looked very good as a featured back. On this slate, he is the only featured back guaranteed to play and not cede touches to another running back. That volume alone makes him the best start on this board. Of course, KC’s inability to cover backs catching passes just boosts his potential.

Stay Away:

Sony Michel, Rams @ TB ($5,300 DK, $5,300 FD)
Good luck trying to run the ball against the league’s best rushing defense. Making matters worse for him, Michel has fallen behind the returning Cam Akers in the pecking order once again. One thing that Tampa is bad at is covering pass-catching backs. Unfortunately for Sony, that is Akers’ role, too.

Value Play:

Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs vs. BUF ($4,800 DK, $6,000 FD) or Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs vs. BUF ($5,200 DK, $5,700 FD)
Buffalo has struggled against opposing RBs over the last month plus. They particularly struggled last week on passes to New England’s running backs. Edwards-Helaire is likely back as the lead back for KC this week. However, he hasn’t done much in the passing game since early 2020. Darrel Williams has been more of the passing down back for KC this year, but he is doubtful for this week. Meanwhile, McKinnon has looked like he should be the every-down back with his studly play the last two weeks (including both on the ground and through the air). Whichever of these two starts should be in your lineup as RB2 and the other could be a decent FLEX.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Cooper Kupp	$8,600	$9,500
Mike Evans	$6,800	$8,300
Tyreek Hill	$6,600	$8,200
Stefon Diggs	$6,500	$7,800
Odell Beckham	$5,300	$6,500
Gabriel Davis	$4,600	$5,300
Van Jefferson	$4,400	$5,500
Byron Pringle	$4,300	$5,700
Emmanuel Sanders	$4,200	$5,500
Cyril Grayson	$4,100	$5,200
Breshad Perriman	$4,000	$5,100
Cole Beasley	$4,000	$5,200
Mecole Hardman	$3,900	$5,300
Tyler Johnson	$3,700	$5,000
Demarcus Robinson	$3,600	$5,100
Isaiah McKenzie	$3,500	$4,800
Scotty Miller	$3,300	$4,900
Ben Skowronek	$3,000	$4,600
Jaelon Darden	$3,000	$4,600
Josh Gordon	$3,000	$4,600

Sunday strategy – Much like Saturday, I want to start all of the top WRs. I will do what I can to roster two of Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, and Stefon Diggs. I will then pair that twosome with Odell Beckham (if I don’t use Kupp), Gabriel Davis (if I don’t use Diggs), or Byron Pringle (if I don’t use Hill). I could also use one of the other Bills, one of the other Chiefs, or Van Jefferson to differentiate.

Pay to Play:

Cooper Kupp, Rams @ TB ($8,600 DK, $9,500 FD)
Tampa is bad against the pass, and they are particularly bad against the opposition’s top WR. Kupp manhandled Tampa back in Week 3. I see no way that he doesn’t repeat that here.

Stay Away:

Mike Evans, Buccaneers vs. LAR ($6,800 DK, $8,300 FD) Kudos to Evans for putting up a solid line last week against Darius Slay. I didn’t expect it, but he got force-fed so much that volume ultimately paid off. He gets another awful assignment this week in Jalen Ramsey. You can always expect Evans to be in play for a TD, but the yardage and receptions aren’t going to be there this week. There are just way too many better options in the same price range to risk his TD dependency.

Value Play:

Gabriel Davis, Bills @ KC ($4,600 DK, $5,300 FD) Since Week 13, Davis has had five TDs compared to Stefon Diggs’ three. Some of that usage was because Emmanuel Sanders missed some time, but you can’t disregard the scoring. This game will be high scoring and that should present opportunities for all of the Bills’ weapons. Over their last four regular-season games, KC allowed the second-most receiving yards and the third-most TDs to opposing WRs. Then, they allowed 17 receptions and two WR scores last week. Yes, the KC pass defense is better than it was to start the year but they can still be beaten. I particularly like the chances of Davis since he will not see either of the Chiefs’ top cornerbacks.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Travis Kelce	$6,500	$8,200
Rob Gronkowski	$5,800	$7,100
Dawson Knox	$4,900	$6,500
Tyler Higbee	$4,000	$5,400
Cameron Brate	$2,700	$4,500

Sunday strategy – Saturday at TE sucked. Sunday looks relatively pleasant. I may even be able to use double-TE again here. Travis Kelce is expensive but an okay play. Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate could see value with Mike Evans being taken out. Tyler Higbee could take advantage of a short-handed secondary in Tampa and my favorite play, Dawson Knox, gets the best matchup on the board.

Pay to Play:

Dawson Knox, Bills @ KC ($4,900 DK, $6,500 FD) I dropped the ball on Knox last week. I really thought New England would hold him in check. Instead, Knox went out and scored twice (although one was a fluke). Dawson has faced KC twice now and he has scored in both games. He also has posted a combined 9-159 in those games.

Stay Away:

Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers vs. LAR ($5,800 DK, $7,100 FD)
Gronkowski could finish with a reasonable line based on volume if Tom Brady is forced to throw away from Mike Evans. Unfortunately for Gronk, the Rams have managed to hold George Kittle and Zach Ertz in check over consecutive weeks. You know that he will catch a TD, because that is what he does, but the yards might not be high enough to justify that FD price.

Value Play:

Cameron Brate, Buccaneers vs. LAR ($2,700 DK, $4,500 FD)
Someone has to catch passes for Tampa this week. It might as well be Brate. We know that Tom Brady trusts him as evidenced by the Super Bowl celebration last year. He was targeted five times in their earlier meeting and has scored four times since Week 10. All he will need is a TD to reach 3x on DK and yards or receptions will be a bonus.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: 2021-22 Wild Card Weekend

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Wild Card Weekend DFS fantasy football.

We have two different slates for Wild Card Weekend. I will break down each of them game-by-game and give you my Pay-To-Play, Stay Away, and Value Play for each position for each of the two split slates.

However, before we do that, allow me to give you my favorite plays on the combined slate (Sat-Mon) at each site, too! Note that player salaries may differ on the full slate with the individual day slates (though not by much).

Full Wild Card Slate

Here are my Full Wild Card Slate recommended lineups:

At DK: $5.5k for Derek Carr, $6.8k for Joe Mixon, $5.9k for Leonard Fournette, $9k for Cooper Kupp, $5k for Tyler Boyd, $4.2k for Zay Jones, $6.4k for Rob Gronkowski, $4.4k for Cedrick Wilson, and $2.7k for the Los Angeles Rams defense.

At FD: $6.8k for Carr, $8.5k for Mixon, $6.6k for Darrel Williams, $10k for Kupp, $5.3k for Z. Jones, $5.4k for Byron Pringle, $7.4k for Gronk. $5.4K for Cam Akers at FLEX, and $4.5k for the Buffalo Bills defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford at SF, Eli Mitchell, and Damien Harris at RB, Kupp, DeVonta Smith, and C.Wilson, Gronk at TE, and Darren Waller at FLEX.

Saturday-only Slate

Las Vegas Raiders @ Cincinnati Bengals

Derek Carr is the best value option for the Saturday slate and arguably the overall slate, too. Cincy can score points, but they are also pretty rotten at stopping the pass, the run, the special teams, global warming, urban crime, etc. He isn’t the most physically gifted QB on this slate, but he will be my primary choice here. I have him at QB2, a hair ahead of the questionable Joe Burrow.

Speaking of Joe Burrow, he has been hotter than the inside of a McDonald’s pie. Unfortunately, he took a hit to his knee late in Week 17. We have every reason to believe that Burrow will play, but we have to at least consider that his knee could affect his play. On the Saturday-only slate, I will rank him at QB3 because of the knee injury and Vegas is much better against the pass than the run. That said, I see this game as high-scoring and expect both Carr and Burrow to throw for three TDs. If, by chance, Brandon Allen is forced to start, he instantly becomes the QB4 here, and all the Bengals skill players take a massive hit.

Josh Jacobs got a huge boost to his value when Kenyan Drake was lost for the season, based on assured usage and because Cincy isn’t very good on defense. He will get the nominal RB2 slot on Sat-only. Jalen Richard has resumed his role as a pass-catching backup, and Peyton Barber would step up if an injury was sustained. Jacobs is the only one of the three you should think about outside of Showdown.

The Bengals trolled the DFS community last week by having Samaje Perine listed as their RB1 all week and even having him come out as the team captain prior to the game. They then proceeded to not use him for one single touch. Apparently, they were saving him to serve as a backup this week instead. Needless to say, no DFS user will play him this week. The only way Perine will get any rub is if Joe Mixon ends up out once again this week. That said, there are zero reasons to believe that will happen. Mixon is the best play this entire weekend at RB. He is also reasonably priced. The only reason he would not be in your lineup is if you are throwing darts at being contrarian. Oh, yeah, those two other crumb bums who filled in for Perine last week … you can flat-out ignore them.

Hunter Renfrow has developed into a legitimate stud WR this season. His footwork (particularly in the red zone) is truly second to none. Plus, he receives so many targets each week that he is guaranteed to reach value in PPR formats. That said, I feel he may be over-owned here. The matchup is great, and I will definitely have exposure to him, but this may be a sneaky place for differentiation. If you want to take a leap of faith, use Zay Jones. Since the earlier meeting with Cincy, Jones has averaged 7.7 targets per game. At a considerable cost saving, I want a lot of exposure to Jones, too. Bryan Edwards and DeSean Jackson each have some value against the softest pass defense on the docket. I’ll put Renfrow at WR2, Jones at WR5, and the other two right around WR10.

The Raiders are deceptively solid against outside WRs. Ja’Marr Chase is still the WR1 on this slate by a solid distance, based solely on his skillset. Just know that he may underperform your expectations here. Tee Higgins (this slate’s WR4) may also struggle here for similar reasons. Fortunately for him, his price tag is less than Chase’s. You need to have some exposure to this pass offense, so I’d recommend using Tyler Boyd (my WR7 here) as a solid WR3. If Auden Tate returns this week (no guarantee), he could garner a Showdown spot.

Darren Waller is the top TE on Sat-Only and the TE2 overall. Cincy is bottom-six in every relevant category against opposing TEs. Foster Moreau can even be considered here as a FLEX play or a punt TE play.

As bad as Cincy has been against TEs, Vegas has been worse. Part of the reason their numbers against WRs look so good is that they can’t cover a tight end to save their lives. This puts C.J. Uzomah into value-land on Sat-Only. I’d even rank him as TE2 on this slate.

I believe that the Cincy defense will be used too much here as teams assume they will blister Vegas. They are a better option than Vegas, but I’d rather avoid both and just use one of the late-game options.

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills

Poor Mac Jones. Whatever happens here, he will find himself being put under the microscope compared to his predecessor, Tom Brady. This just isn’t fair. He is the worst play on Sat-only and arguably the worst play overall this weekend. Expecting more than 200-2 is a fool’s game.

Josh Allen gets the QB1 nod for Saturday. His matchup is not easy, but he is the most talented QB on this docket and is at home. Allen should score three total TDs, and his rushing numbers will be what catapults him to the top spot here. All of this said, I don’t love his price tag compared to both Burrow and Carr.

Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson both played last week. So, of course, Bill Belichick gave two TDs to Brandon Bolden instead of them. Harris did salvage his day with a score, but Stevenson missed nearly two full quarters with a head injury before returning to the game. With both Harris and Rhamondre looking good to go for this week, I trust them more than Bolden. Buffalo can be run on, Harris has scored FOUR rushing TDs against them already this year. If he was by himself this week, he would be the RB2 here. As is, he will be the RB3 and Stevenson the RB5. Bolden shouldn’t be used in main tourneys, but he makes a great Showdown play in case Belichick gets cute again.

Devin Singletary has established himself as the primary RB for Buffalo over the last month-plus. Since Week 12, he has thoroughly dominated the backfield touches for the team. New England can also be run against (and frankly it is easier than passing against them). I will list him as RB4 here. My biggest concern is Allen vulturing his TDs. Zack Moss just isn’t touching the ball enough to consider outside of Showdown dart throws. As for Matt Breida, he went from usurping the job to healthy scratch faster than a Randy Johnson fastball.

New England has a whole lot of mediocre WRs. I figured by now one of them would have separated from the pack. Midyear, it looked as if Kendrick Bourne would become that guy. Then, all of a sudden, Jakobi Meyers started hogging targets. Of course, the waters got muckier last week as Nelson Agholor returned from his head injury to lead New England in snaps. Buffalo has allowed far and away, the fewest total yards and TDs to opposing WRs, so it is best to ignore this quandary completely. If I had to take a flier on one of them, I’d probably choose Meyers, but there just isn’t any obvious cause to do so.

Buffalo has five WRs that could be considered this week. Unfortunately, New England is also elite against the pass. Emmanuel Sanders may take himself out of the competition due to his injury status. If Sanders is out once again, this opens the door for Gabriel Davis to continue his hot streak. I love Davis as a WR3 this week, and I have him as WR6 overall on this docket if Sanders is out. The WR3 on Sat-only is Stefon Diggs. His price combined with the matchup leads me to want to fade him. Still, he is one of four players to consider at your WR1 slot. Cole Beasley has stunk it up over the last two years against New England. He always is in WR3 consideration, but Davis seems to have passed him in the pecking order. Isaiah McKenzie went bonkers in Week 16 versus New England with Davis and Beasley out. He then went back into the background over the last two weeks. His big-play potential makes him a great bargain Showdown play, but that is about it.

Hunter Henry had a huge performance in Week 18, but he has done next to nothing against Buffalo this year. That should come as no surprise since no one has done anything against Buffalo with their TEs this year. I will fade both Henry and Jonnu Smith here.

As strong as Buffalo has been against TEs, New England is right there with them. In fact, you could argue that they are better than Buffalo against the position. This is why I will also be fading Dawson Knox. The best you can hope for here is a score since Knox does have at least one TD in seven different games this year, including Week 16 versus New England.

Both of these defenses could be a good Saturday-only choice. Buffalo will be highly owned, but they are by far the best overall play here. Just use them and put the onus on Mac Jones to get ‘er done against a top-flight D.

Here are my Saturday-only Slate recommended lineups:

At DK: $5.8k for Derek Carr, $7.1k for Joe Mixon, $6.6k for Josh Jacobs, $6.4k for Hunter Renfrow, $4.6k for Tyler Boyd, $3.9k for Gabriel Davis, $5.7k for Darren Waller, $5.8k for Devin Singletary at FLEX, and $3.2k for the Buffalo Bills defense.

At FD: $6.8k for Carr, $8.5k for Mixon, $7.2k for Jacobs, $7.3 for Renfrow, $6k for Boyd, $5.2k for Davis, $6.3k for Waller, $7.5k for Damien Harris at FLEX, and $4.5k for the Buffalo defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Carr, Joe Burrow at SF, Mixon at RB, Jacobs at RB, Singletary at FLEX, Ja’Marr Chase, Davis, and Renfrow at WR, and Waller at TE.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Josh Allen	$7,900	$8,800
Joe Burrow	$7,300	$7,800
Derek Carr	$5,800	$6,800
Mac Jones	$5,300	$6,500
Brandon Allen	$5,000	$6,100

Saturday strategy – Derek Carr is the top play. I don’t mind Joe Burrow as long as he isn’t limited by his knee. Josh Allen is a bit of a risk, but his talent is there.

Pay to Play:

Joe Burrow, Bengals vs. LV ($7,300 DK, $7,800 FD)
No QB has been hotter down the stretch than Burrow. If his knee was 100 percent, he might be the play of the slate. That said, he is dinged up, and Vegas is actually fairly strong at covering outside WRs. This is why I prefer to stack him with Tyler Boyd or C.J. Uzomah.

Stay Away:

Josh Allen, Bills vs. NEP ($7,900 DK, $8,800 FD) New England is tough against the pass, and Allen has struggled at home versus the Patriots in his career. His legs should keep him slightly relevant this week, but the price just feels too high with both Carr and Burrow available.

Value Play:

Derek Carr, Raiders @ CIN ($5,800 DK, $6,800 FD)
Cincy has given up the fifth-most passing yards and the third-most completions. They also have allowed 26 passing scores this year. This sets them up as the weakest pass defense on this slate. Carr has thrown for multiple TDs only twice since Week 9, but he gets healthy here in a shootout.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Joe Mixon	$7,100	$8,500
Josh Jacobs	$6,600	$7,200
Damien Harris	$6,400	$7,500
Devin Singletary	$5,800	$6,900
Rhamondre Stevenson	$5,100	$5,200
Samaje Perine	$4,900	$5,100
Brandon Bolden	$4,800	$5,000
Peyton Barber	$4,700	$4,600
Zack Moss	$4,500	$5,200
Jalen Richard	$4,000	$4,700

Saturday strategy – The four highest-priced RBs: Joe Mixon, Josh Jacobs, Devin Singletary, Damien Harris are all great plays. I’d be scared to use any of the backups other than Rhamondre Stevenson or maybe Brandon Bolden.

Pay to Play:

Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. LV ($7,100 DK, $8,500 FD)
Even as the highest-priced RB for the entire weekend, Mixon has a discount price compared to regular season top choices. Vegas allowed the third-most total RB scores this year, including two to Mixon earlier this season. I’ll take a repeat of the 30-123-2 he unloaded on them Week 11.

Stay Away:

Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots @ BUF ($5,100 DK, $5,200 FD)
I don’t hate Stevenson as a play here, I am just concerned about any ill-effects from last week’s injury. Plus, Bill Belichick could go rogue and use Brandon Bolden again taking value away from Rhamondre. Plus, if Buffalo gets ahead and New England is forced to pass to keep up, Stevenson won’t see the field.

Value Play:

Devin Singletary, Bills vs. NE ($5,800 DK, $6,900 FD)
Singletary has dominated the carries for Buffalo in recent weeks. He also has been the Bills’ primary pass-catcher out of the backfield. That is a huge step up from earlier this year where he was struggling to stay on the field. New England is middle-of-the-pack against the run and downright bad against pass-catching backs. As long as Josh Allen doesn’t step on Singletary’s TD chances, I like him as a sneaky RB2/FLEX play.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Ja’Marr Chase	$7,800	$8,200
Stefon Diggs	$7,500	$8,000
Hunter Renfrow	$6,400	$7,300
Tee Higgins	$6,200	$6,900
Jakobi Meyers	$5,000	$5,900
Tyler Boyd	$4,600	$6,000
Kendrick Bourne	$4,400	$5,600
Emmanuel Sanders	$4,300	$5,400
Cole Beasley	$4,200	$5,500
Zay Jones	$4,000	$5,300
Gabriel Davis	$3,900	$5,200
Nelson Agholor	$3,500	$5,000
Isaiah McKenzie	$3,400	$4,800
Bryan Edwards	$3,300	$5,100
Kristian Wilkerson	$3,200	$4,700
DeSean Jackson	$3,100	$4,900

Saturday strategy –There are three possible WR1 choices: Ja’Marr Chase, Hunter Renfrow, and Tee Higgins (just keep an eye on Higgins as he popped up with a new foot issue on Wednesday). Renfrow is the safest of them, but with less money spent elsewhere, you can target any of them. If you don’t use either of the Bengals up top, then definitely use Tyler Boyd at WR2. The only other options I like there are Jakobi Meyers and the other Bills. Speaking of which, Gabriel Davis is my favorite WR3. Although, I also like Zay Jones and Nelson Agholor.

Pay to Play:

Hunter Renfrow, Raiders @ CIN ($6,400 DK, $7,300 FD)
It is kind of absurd that Renfrow’s price remains so low. He now has five TDs in his last five games, and his target share remains through the roof. It is easy for him to score when he can make opposing defenders look like pretzels in the red zone. This game should be a bit of a shootout, so I want as many pieces of both offenses as possible.

Stay Away:

Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. NE ($7,500 DK, $8,000 FD) Diggs has always performed okay against tough defenses, but this matchup might test him the most. He dominated the COVID-absent Patriots in 2020, but this season he posted only 8-86-1 total over two meetings. This feels like a 5-60-1 game. That is great for your WR2 or WR3, but not so much for your WR1.

Value Play:

Gabriel Davis, Bills vs. NE ($3,900 DK, $5,200 FD)
On a slate with minimal WR value, you need to find a guy who gets a bunch of targets. I’m not happy with the lack of catches and yards the last couple of weeks but he did have 14 targets in Week 18. He also had four scores from Weeks 13-15. New England will give up at least one passing TD this week, I think Davis might have the best chances. Of course, his value will be highest if Emmanuel Sanders remains out.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Darren Waller	$5,700	$6,300
Dawson Knox	$5,100	$6,000
Hunter Henry	$4,500	$5,900
C.J. Uzomah	$3,500	$5,200
Foster Moreau	$3,100	$4,700
Jonnu Smith	$2,700	$4,500

Saturday strategy – On the short slate, only two TEs are great plays Darren Waller and C.J. Uzomah. Everything else feels like a trap.

Pay to Play:

Darren Waller, Bengals vs. LV ($5,700 DK, $6,300 FD)
The top-priced TE is priced like a WR2. Can you really ask for anything more? Oh, yeah, he is facing one of the worst teams in football against the position. Waller will light up this defense for his best game since early this year.

Stay Away:

Dawson Knox, Bills vs. NE ($5,100 DK, $6,000 FD)
New England is hard to score against with TEs. So, of course, both sites decide to price Knox just a pittance below Waller. Knox scored one of the four TE touchdowns that New England allowed this year. He also finished with a total of 4-29 in those two games. There are non-listed backup TEs that I would rather play on this slate.

Value Play:

C.J. Uzomah, Bengals vs. LV ($3,500 DK, $5,200 FD)
Vegas has allowed the third-most TE scores this season at 10. They also are allowing an average of 5.3-60 to the position. Meanwhile, Uzomah is third among Cincy skill position players in targets since Week 12.

Sunday-only Slate

Philadelphia Eagles @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Buccaneers have been one of the league’s worst against the pass all season thanks to numerous defensive backfield injuries. They also have been subpar against rushing QBs. This sets up nicely for Jalen Hurts, who gets my QB4 ranking on Sun-only. Hurts doesn’t have a ton of passing weapons to throw at the Bucs exposed secondary, but his legs should keep him well above value. I like Hurts to finish with two or three total scores and a fair amount of rushing yards to go with just under 200 through the air.

The Eagles are rotten against the run and pretty solid against opposing WRs (especially whoever Darius Slay shadows). Still, this is Tom Brady. He got it done in a tough matchup last week without two of his top three WRs from earlier this year. The big advantage that Brady has here is that Philly is putrid against opposing TEs. Tom has his favorite target in Rob Gronkowski and also Cameron Brate to humiliate Philly. Those two could combine for four TDs this week. Anything that goes to the supplemental pieces is cake. So, even in what appears to be a tricky spot, Brady is the QB1 here.

Ronald Jones is doubtful (and I am certain that he is not playing) but fortunately, Leonard Fournette is ready to resume RB1 duties. Playoff Lenny dominated last season, and I have every reason to believe he will once again. This is an easy start to the 2021 playoffs for him. With no other great RB matchup on this slate, a healthy Fournette gets the RB1 designation. With Fournette back Ke’Shawn Vaughn reverts back to a depth piece. I’ll leave him as an injury play on Showdown lineups. Giovani Bernard may return for this game. He could steal a few targets from Lenny, but not enough to concern me. Even if he suits up, I won’t use him in his first game back. I assume that Le’Veon Bell will be a healthy scratch.

The Eagles have been playing musical chairs with their RBs all season. Now it appears that they may have all hands on deck this week. Both change-of-pace back Boston Scott and goal-line back Jordan Howard missed last week on the COVID list. Also, Miles Sanders may return from his hand injury. If Sanders is back, he could be a volume FLEX play for you, at best. The matchup is awful. He would be no better than RB6 here. I’d almost prefer he misses this game. If so, you could use Scott or Howard as punt-FLEX plays. Scott probably has the best chance at success here since Tampa is hospitable to pass-catching backs. Kenneth Gainwell led the team in Week 18 with everyone out. With everyone back this week, he can be ignored outside of Showdown play, and then, only if Sanders is out.

Mike Evans will likely face the shadow of Slay. He is always reliable for a TD, but he also struggles against premier corners. He is no better than WR5 here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finishes well below that mark. Tyler Johnson got the bump up to WR2 when Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown left the building. He has the talent to be useful, but he hasn’t been given any real opportunity. In an okay matchup, he can be considered as a WR3 option. I just don’t think that Brady will throw enough passes to any of his WRs this week. The Bucs will also likely be without Cyril Grayson once again. This means that Breshad Perriman and Scotty Miller will man the WR3/4 slots for Tampa Bay. Perriman has had success in previous seasons with lesser QBs. He is actually a better punt WR3 option than Johnson. Miller had some success last season as a fill-in. I could see using him in Showdown slates, but that is about it.

DeVonta Smith is the Philadelphia WR room. Of course, I’m kidding, but he does have nearly 44 percent of the WR targets on the team. Tampa is hideous against the pass and has been particularly bad against opposing WR1s. Smith will actually challenge Evans for WR5 this week. Making him a great WR2 for you. Jalen Reagor was drafted one pick before Justin Jefferson. Let that sink in for a bit as you wonder why Philly hasn’t fired their GM yet. This is a great matchup for WRs, but I still want nothing to do with this festering ball of dog snot. I’d rather take a flier on Quez Watkins or Greg Ward. That said, neither deserve more than a punt-WR3 designation.

The Eagles have been a whipping boy for opposing TEs all season. This week they have to face Rob Gronkowski. This isn’t going to end well for them. Gronk will score multiple TDs this week. My only question is does he score three or more, or does he share one with Cameron Brate? Gronk is the TE1 on this slate, and Brate is the TE7. I like both to score.

Philly has an elite TE of their own in Dallas Goedert. Most weeks, he would be a top-three option. This week, he will be lucky to finish as TE4. The matchup is pretty solid for him, so he could be that guy that you run it back with if you use a game stack of double-TE.

Neither of these defenses belongs anywhere near your lineup this week.

San Francisco 49ers @ Dallas Cowboys

Jimmy Garoppolo is a decent QB. He just doesn’t get the respect he deserves. I truly believe that most of the San Fran faithful would have rather had their team miss the playoffs this year if it meant that the team played Trey Lance more. Dallas has an opportunistic defense, but they also give up many big plays. Garoppolo will likely finish as either the QB4 or QB5 here, but I still like him as a value option.

Dak Prescott is getting hot at the right time. He has 12 TDs over his last three games. San Fran is middle-of-the-pack against the pass, but they have been bested by the top options at the position. Dak definitely qualifies as a top option. I don’t see any way that he doesn’t finish as a top-three scorer among QBs this week.

Dallas has allowed the fourth-fewest RB scores this season. Meanwhile, San Francisco could line up anyone in their backfield and be successful. Eli Mitchell has been the most recent success story for them. He has absorbed 44 touches in his two games since returning from the IR with his knee injury, and he has accrued over 200 yards during that span. Unless he suffers a setback this week, I still like Mitchell to post 100 yards from scrimmage and maybe score a short TD. That is if Deebo Samuel doesn’t vulture him. Jeff Wilson has disappeared with the return of Mitchell. He can be ignored outright. If you need a sneaky play here, consider Kyle Juszczyk. He is minimal salary on both sites and is always a threat to score. In fact, he is a must-start in Showdown contests.

Tony Pollard missed Week 18 with the fallout from his foot injury. He actually played through the pain for each of the prior five weeks. We can only assume that the team decided it was best to let him rest in a non-essential game. It is also possible that it just flared up worse and that he is trending the wrong way. Keep an eye on him up to game time as he could be a decent FLEX play. If he plays, consider him RB6 or RB7. Ezekiel Elliott has played more with Pollard dinged up. His numbers will obviously be better if Pollard doesn’t play, but I expect him to finish as the RB4 or RB5 either way. Corey Clement will act as a change of pace back if Pollard misses this game. He can be ignored here.

Deebo Samuel is the best running back, wide receiver, and possibly quarterback on the Niners roster. He is also the overall top (non-Gronk) option on this slate. You can afford him. Play him as your WR1. Brandon Aiyuk is a decent WR2 play this week, but only if you don’t use Samuel. He has been a steady performer since Week 8. Last week, Los Angeles decided it was a good idea to refuse to cover Jauan Jennings. That didn’t work too well for them. San Francisco has enough weapons to force opponents to devote no more than one person to him. This means that he will continue to be a red-zone threat. I love him as a cheap WR3 option here.

We knew going into the season that Dallas would have three different stars at WR to throw to each week. What we didn’t know is that the third one would be Cedrick Wilson. It seems as if every time one of the starters missed a game, Wilson went off. Now that Michael Gallup is out for the year, Wilson will be an every-down threat the rest of the way. His price makes him the easiest WR3 to choose on any site. Oh yeah, Dallas also has a couple of other WRs named Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. I hear they are pretty good. Lamb hasn’t scored since Week 10. He also has been posting mediocre lines that whole time. His price is too high to justify using here. Cooper is slightly cheaper, but at least he has scored in four of his last five games. He is the WR4 on the slate and a solid WR2 play. Noah Brown and Malik Turner are simply depth pieces. They could be thrown into a Showdown lineup but shouldn’t be used on the main slates.

George Kittle is a stud. This week he faces a Dallas defense that has put up solid numbers against the position except when they have faced stud TEs. On a loaded slate, he is the TE3. That said, his price is cheaper than both Gronk and Travis Kelce’s. In my mind, it makes him a sneaky pivot, one that will not have huge ownership.

Speaking of sneaky pivots, Dalton Schultz is the TE5 on this slate. San Fran does not allow many yards to the position, but Schultz has been doing his best 2019 Tyler Higbee impersonation down the stretch. He will be supremely under-owned this week making him a gorgeous double-TE pairing. Blake Jarwin returned last week, but he didn’t play much. He did let a TD pass fall through his hands, but that was against the TE-coverage-adverse Eagles. I’m not going to waste any time with him here.

I don’t want to use the San Fran defense here, but Dallas could be in play. I expect them to give up a few points, but I also expect a few sacks and maybe a pick-6.

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Ben Roethlisberger is a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Unfortunately, it looks like his career may end this Sunday at Arrowhead. KC has allowed a ton of yardage and several TDs (especially on the ground – something Ben is not likely to do) to the position this year. That said, most of those yards and TDs came early in the season before their defense started to click. Big Ben is the QB6 here, and you are really praying he accumulates 300-2 as a ceiling on 80-some-odd pass attempts of five yards or less.

This game could be a bit of a challenge for Patrick Mahomes. Pittsburgh has a decent pass defense and Tyreek Hill may be limited by his heel injury. Still, If Hill is 100 percent, then Mahomes will finish as a top-three QB this week. It is easier to beat Pittsburgh with WRs than TEs, so Travis Kelce could be the trap play here.

Najee Harris is still dealing with some lingering issues from his elbow injury sustained last week. He did return to the game and played through the pain, so his output will be based on pain management this week. Only one team allowed fewer RB touchdowns this year than KC. The one way they have been beaten is by pass-catching backs. Harris is certainly capable of doing damage through the air. If we knew for sure that he would get a full complement of touches, I would make him the RB3 on this slate based on volume alone. That said, we do not know if he will be limited and the matchup is less than optimal. This leaves him as the likely RB4/5 instead. Benny Snell is his backup. If Harris is forced to miss this game, Snell becomes an instant volume play at RB. If Harris plays, Benny becomes only Showdown eligible.

Darrel Williams has actually outproduced Clyde Edwards-Helaire this season. CEH has missed a few games this year with a couple of different injuries, so this is the main reason for the statistical discrepancy. Williams hurt his toe last week, but all signs point to him playing here. CEH is recovering from a shoulder injury, and he should also play, but his status is less certain. If both of them play, neither is better than RB5. If one of them plays they could finish as high as RB3. If neither of them plays, Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon could both be in play as a punt FLEX. Otherwise, you can ignore McKinnon and Gore.

Diontae Johnson is my WR2 this week based on volume alone. He gets peppered with passes (usually very short passes), because Big Ben can only throw the ball so far. Chase Claypool is still technically the WR2 for Pittsburgh. That said, he hasn’t done much in the last month. His price is cheap enough to consider at WR3, but I prefer Cedrick Wilson there. Ray-Ray McCloud has actually outproduced Claypool recently. That makes their pricing difference laughable. I feel much better about McCloud here with the cost savings. McCloud also seems to have passed James Washington on the depth charts. Washington had two zero-point showings before missing last week with COVID. If he returns this week, I’ll lose some faith in Claypool and McCloud. Even still, Washington will only be viable in Showdown contests. We also just got word that JuJu Smith-Schuster is back practicing with the Steelers. I doubt he plays this week and even if he does, I doubt he plays enough to be relevant. That said, as a Chiefs fan, I’m kind of hoping that JuJu does play a bit and at least shows that he is healed enough to potentially be a free-agent target for them.

The million-dollar question for KC is, “Will Tyreek Hill be 100 percent this week?” He did play a few snaps last week, and practice reps this week suggest that he will be good to go. This will keep Hill in the WR1 conversation despite a potentially sticky matchup. More importantly, if Hill plays, he will open up the offense for the rest of the KC talent. Mecole Hardman has slid to third on the WR depth chart for KC, but he stands to gain the most if Hill is out. Either way, I like him as a WR3 option here. Byron Pringle has jumped ahead of Hardman in their normal lineup. He is also a great WR3 option this week as Hill and Travis Kelce soak up the heaviest coverage. Demarcus Robinson saw more action last week with Hill limited, but he has been mostly invisible all season. He and Josh Gordon can be left for the Showdown lineups.

Benching Travis Kelce would never be done in a non-DFS environment. This week, I would seriously consider it in the DFS world. The price is higher than Rob Gronkowski’s, despite a much worse matchup. He is always a threat to go off, so don’t completely ignore him. Just know that he may receive even more double-coverage than usual if Tyreek is viewed as limited by the defense.

You could make the argument that Pat Freiermuth was this year’s top rookie TE over Kyle Pitts. A lot of his usage has been because Roethlisberger just can’t throw the deep ball anymore. Kansas City is so-so against the position, but they haven’t faced many higher-end tight ends. He is the TE6 on this slate, but much like Dalton Schultz, I like his potential as the other half of a double- or triple-TE lineup. Zach Gentry has also seen an uptick in targets lately, but with so many better options on this docket, he can be ignored.

Kansas City’s defense will be the top-owned team, and rightfully so. I will have a lot of exposure to them. Pittsburgh could have some value, especially if Tyreek is out or limited. This potential play is aided by the fact that Mahomes can take some unnecessary risks at times.

Here are my Sunday-only Slate recommended lineups:

At DK: $7.2k for Tom Brady, $5.7k for Eli Mitchell, $5.6k for Leonard Fournette, $7.9k for Deebo Samuel, $5.4k for DeVonta Smith, $4.3k for Cedrick Wilson, $6.4k for Rob Gronkowski, $4.4k for Dallas Goedert at FLEX, and $3.1k for the Dallas Cowboys defense.

At FD: $8.4k for Brady, $7.4k for Mitchell, $7.3k for Fournette, $8k for Tyreek Hill, $6k for Wilson, $5.2k for Jauan Jennings, $7.4k for Gronk. $5.9k for Goedert at FLEX, and $4.1k for the Dallas Cowboys defense.

At Fanball (featuring SuperFlex): Brady, Dak Prescott at SF, Mitchell at RB, Fournette at RB, Samuel at WR, Diontae Johnson at WR, Wilson at WR, Gronk at TE, Goedert at FLEX.

Quarterback

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes	$7,300	$8,700
Tom Brady	$7,200	$8,400
Dak Prescott	$6,700	$8,000
Jalen Hurts	$6,100	$7,700
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,300	$6,800
Ben Roethlisberger	$5,200	$6,400

Sunday strategy – Tom Brady is the GOAT. He is also the best play on the entire Sun-only Slate. That said, QB is loaded this week. There isn’t a bad play on the board. Just know that based on price, Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo are the only two that are solid plays on both DK and FD.

Pay to Play:

Tom Brady, Buccaneers vs. PHI ($7,200 DK, $8,400 FD)
As is always the case, Brady has a floor of three passing TDs. Those three TDs will go to the Bucs’ tight ends. If he throws for a fourth or fifth touchdown, too, I wouldn’t be surprised, just know that he will throw for at least the three touchdowns to the tight ends.

Stay Away:

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs vs. PIT ($7,300 DK, $8,700 FD) I don’t really dislike Mahomes this week. I just realize that he is the priciest QB on the board and is facing a decent defense. Plus, his top WR may not be 100 percent, and his second favorite weapon is locking horns with one of the toughest TE defenses in the league. Mahomes will still probably post 300-3. Just accept that this is his ceiling rather than his floor this week.

Value Play:

Jimmy Garoppolo, Niners @ DAL ($5,300 DK, $6,800 FD) Garoppolo will need to use all of his weapons to stay with Dallas offense this week. Fortunately, he has enough weapons to do just that. Dallas is great at taking the ball away, they are also great at being burned by stud WRs and TEs. I know that Jimmy G. will throw a pick or two. If you can deal with those picks, you will be happy when he finishes with a floor of 250-2.

Running Back

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Najee Harris	$6,600	$8,000
Ezekiel Elliott	$6,100	$7,700
Eli Mitchell	$5,700	$7,400
Leonard Fournette	$5,600	$7,300
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	$5,500	$6,600
Tony Pollard	$5,300	$5,700
Darrel Williams	$5,200	$6,600
Miles Sanders	$5,000	$5,900
Le’Veon Bell	$4,700	$5,000
Boston Scott	$4,500	$5,900
Jeff Wilson	$4,500	$4,700
Ke’Shawn Vaughn	$4,500	$5,400
Kenneth Gainwell	$4,400	$5,000
Jordan Howard	$4,300	$5,200
Benny Snell	$4,200	$4,900
Jerick McKinnon	$4,100	$5,200
Corey Clement	$4,000	$4,900
Derrick Gore	$4,000	$5,400
Giovani Bernard	$4,000	$4,700
Kyle Juszczyk	$4,000	$4,500

Sunday strategy: It is playoff time. That means it is Playoff Lenny time. Leonard Fournette is the top option on this slate despite just returning from his injury. I don’t mind Ezekiel Elliott as a pivot at RB1. Eli Mitchell is my RB2. I could see using Darrel Williams at RB2 if (and only if) Clyde Edwards-Helaire remains out. If Miles Sanders or Najee Harris is out, then Boston Scott and Benny Snell could have some volume-based value in so-so matchups. I’m probably taking my FLEX from the TE position on this slate, so don’t worry about hunting for a third option.

Pay to Play:

Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers vs. PHI ($5,600 DK, $7,300 FD)
How high would Fournette’s price be if he wasn’t coming off of an injury? After spending all season throwing nearly five figures at guys like Jonathan Taylor, imagine being able to have one of the top RBs on this slate for under $7.5k. Philly has allowed 305 total yards and three total RB scores over their last two games. With Ronald Jones almost certainly out, Fournette should have little trouble topping 125 total yards (with five or more receptions) and scoring at least once.

Stay Away:

Najee Harris, Steelers @ KC ($6,600 DK, $8,000 FD)
Harris is facing a KC defense that has allowed the second-fewest total RB scores this past season. The only saving grace for Najee is that KC does give up a fair amount of receptions and receiving yards to the position. That said, I’m afraid the game script will end up hurting Harris’ carry count, negating some of that added receiving value. Plus, we need to be wary of whether his elbow injury won’t affect his workload. At this price, those risks are unaffordable. If Najee does suffer a setback this week, Benny Snell could see some value based on volume alone.

Value Play:

Darrel Williams, Chiefs vs. PIT ($5,200 DK, $6,600 FD)
This is a testament to the fact that there is no real value RB on this board. Williams could be a value, but then only if A) He plays, and B) Clyde Edwards-Helaire does not play. Williams has looked very good when he has played by himself and Pittsburgh has allowed the second-most total yards to opposing RBs this year. Even in a split, Williams is the preferred play. Just know that his stats won’t be as plentiful.

Wide Receiver

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Deebo Samuel	$7,900	$8,700
Tyreek Hill	$7,300	$8,000
Mike Evans	$7,000	$8,200
Diontae Johnson	$6,700	$7,200
CeeDee Lamb	$6,300	$7,300
Amari Cooper	$5,900	$7,100
DeVonta Smith	$5,400	$6,200
Brandon Aiyuk	$5,200	$6,100
Chase Claypool	$4,700	$5,900
Breshad Perriman	$4,600	$5,200
Cedrick Wilson	$4,300	$6,000
Mecole Hardman	$4,100	$5,700
Tyler Johnson	$4,000	$5,100
Byron Pringle	$3,900	$5,400
Quez Watkins	$3,800	$5,100
Jauan Jennings	$3,700	$5,200
Ray-Ray McCloud	$3,600	$4,900
Scotty Miller	$3,500	$5,200
Demarcus Robinson	$3,300	$5,000
James Washington	$3,200	$4,800
Jalen Reagor	$3,100	$4,900
Greg Ward	$3,000	$4,600
Josh Gordon	$3,000	$4,600
Malik Turner	$3,000	$4,600
Noah Brown	$3,000	$4,700

Sunday strategy – With little money spent at RB, I don’t see any way that you don’t play Deebo Samuel at WR1. If you do pivot, I’d recommend Tyreek Hill or Diontae Johnson. WR2 should come down to Amari Cooper, DeVonta Smith, or Brandon Aiyuk (if you don’t play Deebo). WR3 is much harder. Cedrick Wilson is the best choice (assuming you don’t use Cooper). Otherwise, I have no issue with using one of the Chiefs, Quez Watkins, Jauan Jennings, Ray-Ray McCloud, or one of the reserve Buccaneers.

Pay to Play:

Deebo Samuel, Niners @ DAL ($7,900 DK, $8,700 FD)
The weather obviously won’t be an issue in what could be a sneaky high-scoring affair between these two teams. Dallas’ secondary likes to jump routes and pick off passes. This leaves them prone to allowing big plays. Deebo can turn any touch into a big play and gets touches any which way possible. This week, he will score a rushing and receiving TD to go with 125 total yards. Maybe San Fran will give him another passing attempt, too.

Stay Away:

Mike Evans, Buccaneers vs. PHI ($7,000 DK, $8,200 FD) Wait, didn’t you name Tom Brady as your Pay-To-Play QB? Why aren’t you naming his only legit WR as a great start this week, too? Two words, “Darius Slay.” Slay is a stud cornerback who regularly shuts down an opposing top WR. Meanwhile, Evans has struggled at times with shutdown corners. Evans’ size and red-zone rapport with Brady keep his TD potential in play, just don’t expect a big output in terms of receptions and yards. Plus, we know that at least three of Brady’s scores will go to the TE room. This means Evans will be feeding on the scraps this week.

Value Play:

Cedrick Wilson, Cowboys vs. SF ($4,300 DK, $6,000 FD) Wilson is my top WR3 play this week. He has stepped in all season when one or more of the Cowboys’ WRs have been out. Now he has the WR3 role all to himself. San Fran is in the bottom 10 in both receptions and receiving yards among wide receivers. The timing is perfect for another big game for Wilson, who has three TDs in the last two weeks.

Tight End

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Travis Kelce	$6,700	$7,500
Rob Gronkowski	$6,400	$7,400
George Kittle	$5,800	$6,500
Dalton Schultz	$5,000	$6,200
Dallas Goedert	$4,400	$5,900
Pat Freiermuth	$4,200	$5,400
Cameron Brate	$2,800	$4,600
Zach Gentry	$2,700	$4,500
Blake Jarwin	$2,500	$4,300

Sunday strategy – This slate screams double-TE or even triple-TE. I may even break out the dreaded quadruple-TE on FanBall once again here. Rob Gronkowski is poised to break the slate. You need both lineups without him to hedge against the chalk and lineups with him to eat the chalk when he goes off. When you do pivot off of him, any of the other five starters would be fine. Ironically the top TE price-wise, Travis Kelce, is the least safe play among them. Personally, I will be doing a lot of lineup stacks of Tom Brady and Gronk while running it back with Dallas Goedert.

Pay to Play:

Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers vs. PHI ($6,400 DK, $7,400 FD) If you are a fan of making TD prop bets on sports gambling websites, mash the button on Gronk anytime multiple TD scoring until the button falls off. With a short-handed receiving corps, Gronk will catch at least two TDs and quite likely three (assuming he doesn’t share with Cameron Brate and perhaps even O.J. Howard). Philly has no clue what to do with the TE position (which is a surprise since they are known for having very good TEs on offense). They have been made to look like jobbers all season long, and it isn’t going to improve here. The only reason to not start Gronk at TE is if you are trying to achieve variance. In that case, just choose any of the others. Once you’ve done that, click back on Gronk and put him in your FLEX spot.

Stay Away:

Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. PIT ($6,700 DK, $7,500 FD)
Kelce is never a true “stay away.” In this case, he is just the most expensive guy, and he has a less than stellar matchup. I still think he will catch a TD and probably post a reasonable line. Just know that if Tyreek Hill is at all limited this week, Pittsburgh will double-team Kelce on every play rather than just most plays.

Value Play:

Dallas Goedert, Eagles @ TB ($4,400 DK, $5,900 FD)
Someone has to score for Philly to keep this game close. Tampa has struggled all season with their pass coverage and, by all accounts, DeVonta Smith is primed for a huge game. Of course, Philly needs more than just Smith to be competitive. You cannot run the ball against Tampa, so I firmly expect that the Philly running game will become the Philly “dump the ball off to Boston Scott and Goedert” game. We could see double-digit receptions for the talented TE. I’m not sure how many yards those will account for, but the PPR points will flow.

Monday Night Game

*Note these players are available in the full-slate tournaments and Sun-Mon tourneys. Since their prices are different for Showdown contests, I will only list their salaries for full-slate tourneys.

ALL PLAYERS	DraftKings	FanDuel
Cooper Kupp	$9,000	$10,000
Kyler Murray	$7,200	$8,200
Matthew Stafford	$6,300	$7,600
James Conner	$6,300	$8,000
Sony Michel	$5,400	$6,700
Christian Kirk	$5,300	$6,100
Odell Beckham	$5,100	$6,200
A.J. Green	$4,900	$5,600
Zach Ertz	$4,700	$5,800
Van Jefferson	$4,700	$5,700
Cam Akers	$4,200	$5,400
Tyler Higbee	$4,100	$5,900
Eno Benjamin	$4,000	$5,300
Rondale Moore	$3,700	$5,000
Antoine Wesley	$3,300	$5,200
Ben Skowronek	$3,000	$4,600

Kyler Murray is a solid full-slate play, but there are several QBs below him price-wise I prefer. So, I won’t have much exposure to him.

One of the QBs priced below Murray that I love is Matthew Stafford. Arizona has been brutal against the pass recently, making Stafford one of the safest floor plays.

A healthy James Conner would only be a C-grade start this week against a decent run defense. Unfortunately, he isn’t 100 percent. He also is overpriced by a lot on FD. I’d almost rather see him miss this game. If he does, then we can roll out Eno Benjamin as a great full-slate bargain RB.

Cam Akers returned in Week 18 but didn’t do a lot. I guess that would be asking for the world for him coming back from such a major injury so quickly. This week his price is low enough that you can definitely take a fli

er on him at FLEX. Sony Michel still led the way on the ground for Los Angeles last week. His numbers weren’t great. That is in line with how he performed in the two prior games against Arizona – mediocre. I have to assume his volume will dwindle more this week, which really hurts his value here.

Christian Kirk was a surprising afterthought last week. This week he will have to deal with Jalen Ramsey. This isn’t a great sign. Normally, I would consider using him as a WR2. This week I’ll pass on him. A.J. Green and Antoine Wesley make much better WR3 options here. Wesley’s value could take a hit if Rondale Moore returns for this game to steal snaps. That said, I’m not overly worried about that happening. Greg Dortch should be left for Showdown consideration.

Cooper Kupp is the top WR play on the full slate. He should be your WR1 and price should not matter. With money savings at QB and RB, fitting Kupp on your roster is easy. If you don’t use Kupp at WR1, you need to have one of Van Jefferson or Odell Beckham at WR2/WR3. They both have a great chance to score here. I have even fumbled with the idea of punting WR3 with Ben Skowronek. Truth be told, I probably won’t use him in the tourneys, but may consider him in Showdown.

Zach Ertz is one of the best of the midpriced TE options on the full slate. I am using multiple TEs this week, so he could easily fill my FLEX role if I use him.

Tyler Higbee is overpriced on FD this week. Plus, I feel people will chase his two scores from Week 18. Don’t be that guy. This isn’t a solid matchup as Arizona is very strong against the position.

The Rams defense DK price may lure you into playing them. You could do worse. Their FD price is a shade high though. The Cards also have a decent price tag but I don’t trust them to be able to stop the Rams offense.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 18

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 18 DFS fantasy football

Week 18 is here. That feels so weird to say. Some season-long records will be set, assumedly with an asterisk, but even as we segue out of the regular season, know that the Dominator will roll on through the playoffs.

When putting together the picks this week we attempt to take into account the players who may or may not play a whole game based on what they have to play for.

DFS: The Saturday Slate

Patrick Mahomes has a tough matchup against the Denver Broncos on Saturday. As always, he is the highest-ceiling QB on the slate, just know that the ceiling isn’t that high here. You will feel great if he finishes with 325-3, but don’t count on that.

Drew Lock will get at least one more start for Denver. His performances so far this year do not instill a ton of confidence. Pairing that with a mostly elite KC pass defense (yes, they were burned last week by an elite passing offense), I will easily rank him at QB4 on the slate. If all of his weapons can come off the COVID list this week, he may have some garbage-time appeal, but that is about it.

Darrel Williams will be a safe RB2 on this slate with Clyde Edwards-Helaire out. Derrick Gore will only have minimal value as a change of pace. That said, you can use him out as a bargain play in Showdown contests.

It is safe to say that either Melvin Gordon or Javonte Williams by themselves would be the RB1 on the slate. Unfortunately, they continue to evenly split the workload. Even in the timeshare, I like them as the RB3-RB4 range here. The strategy is to make multiple lineups each featuring one of the Dallas RBs and one of the Denver RBs.

Tyreek Hill is going to have a tough matchup here. That said, there aren’t many reliable options at WR with a good matchup on this slate. I’ll probably end up choosing to use either Hill or Travis Kelce, but not both. Byron Pringle may be the solution to getting additional exposure to KC’s offense here. He has been the primary WR2 for the Chiefs in recent weeks and definitely could be a WR3 here. Mecole Hardman has been less utilized of late, but he has enough potential explosion to his game that he could be considered as a punt WR3. Josh Gordon just isn’t being used enough to consider as anything other than a Showdown dart throw.

Denver should get back their entire WR room that was absent last week due to COVID. Jerry Jeudy is the top option in this offense. He is the fourth-best WR on the board, but I’d rank him at no higher than WR5. That is because I like Tim Patrick better based on the matchup and price. Courtland Sutton led the WRs last week as the last man standing; here, he will revert to the sixth-option in this offense. That makes him no better than a desperation punt WR3. Kendall Hinton is once again off the radar.

Travis Kelce is the best TE on a loaded slate at the position. Despite the talent level, I actually have him ranked at TE2 here. That said, with four great players to choose from, this is the slate to run double-TE, triple-TE, or even the ridiculous quadruple-TE strategy. Just know that you really need one of either Kelce or Tyreek Hill on every roster.

Seldom will Noah Fant be the TE4 on a small slate. I still love the play and could see tag-teaming him with at least one other TE as Drew Lock obviously loves throwing to him. Albert Okwuegbunam is in play on Showdown contests, but I just don’t see a role for him in main tourneys.

The KC defense should be the top choice this week. That means that if you want to be contrarian, I’d play one of the D’s in the other game. Denver has a very good defense, but I am not channeling them against Mahomes.

Dak Prescott looks like the obvious safe play at QB if you don’t use Mahomes. He survived and thrived earlier this season, despite the absence of Michael Gallup. I feel he will once again do that here. Philly actually doesn’t have a rotten secondary, despite what might be perceived based on the eye test. Still, I like Dak to throw for close to 300 yards and a pair of scores.

I’ll admit to being wrong about Jalen Hurts this year. I really did not think he’d last as the starter all year long. His legs have carried him where his arm cannot. Here he gets the nominal QB3 slot. Although, his value will be better than what you’d normally perceive from a QB3.

Philly is easier to run on than pass against. This is why I am going to go ahead and label Ezekiel Elliott the RB1 here. None of the RBs on this slate are sure things, so you might as well play the most talented of them. Tony Pollard is either the RB4 or RB5 here. He will see enough value to be a punt RB2 or FLEX play (though presume my FLEX will be a tight end).

We don’t know who will be able to play at RB for Philly this week. Miles Sanders is out. Both Boston Scott and Jordan Howard are on the COVID list, and their chances at clearing protocol by Saturday are slim. At this point, it looks like Kenneth Gainwell will be the starter this week. The matchup is awful, but based on volume alone he could be an RB2 option. Whoever starts will be no better than RB5 here. I at least have some faith in Scott if he can play … the others are all shots in the dark.

CeeDee Lamb will see a healthy dose of Darius Slay. This isn’t the death knell that it once was, but it doesn’t inspire confidence, either. By default, he will remain the WR3 here, but I wouldn’t make him my WR1. Amari Cooper is the safer play. He will be my WR2 behind Hill. That said, the best play among the Cowboys is Cedrick Wilson. His price dictates that he has to be your WR3. Noah Brown is slated to return from the IR for this game. He might have some value with Gallup out, but I’d leave him for Showdown contests. The same goes for Malik Turner.

DeVonta Smith is a highly talented WR. This week he will face off with Trevon Diggs. This is both a blessing and a curse. Hurts may be afraid to throw his way, because Diggs might pick him off. Of course, Diggs has also been burned more often than chocolate chip cookies in the employee break room microwave. He can be considered a WR3 option, but not a great one. Jalen Reagor had a great opportunity last week and failed to capitalize. I cannot trust him here, despite the fact that he actually led the Eagles in their earlier meeting with Dallas. I’d rather take a roll of the dice on Quez Watkins or Greg Ward. Although, truthfully, I’d rather avoid this WR room completely.

The pass-catcher from Philly that you want is Dallas Goedert. He has been a beast since Zach Ertz was traded. Most weeks, he would be the TE1 here. Unfortunately, he is only the TE3 here. Have I mentioned double-TE yet?

Speaking of double-TE, have I mentioned triple-TE? Dalton Schultz may be only the third-most talented TE on this slate, but he has the easiest matchup of any of them. This is why he is my TE1 here. Philly has been maligned by the position all season, and I see no reason to expect them to be any better here. Throw in the absence of Michael Gallup and that should equate to more targets for Schultz. The only thing that may ding Dalton here is if Blake Jarwin returns from the IR. If they both play, each may score. If it is just Schultz, expect a floor of 7-70-1.

With everyone using KC’s defense, consider either of these two teams as a pivot. They may give up a few points, but both are capable of special teams scoring, and both have guys who can pull off a Pick 6. The presence of Trevon Diggs gives Dallas a slight bump in my opinion.

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $6.7k for Matthew Stafford. $6k for Devin Singletary. $5.7k for D’Onta Foreman. $9.7k for Cooper Kupp. $6.3k for Brandin Cooks. $4.1k for Antoine Wesley. $3.1k for Cameron Brate. $6k for Eli Mitchell. $2.4k for the Detroit Lions defense.

At FD: $6.3k for Case Keenum. $10.2k for Jonathan Taylor. $6.9k for Foreman. $10k for Kupp. $6k for Jarvis Landry. $5.4k for Wesley. $5.2k for Pat Freiermuth. $6.7k for Singletary at FLEX. $3.2k for the Detroit defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Keenum, Stafford at SF, Taylor, and Austin Ekeler, Chase Edmonds (If he plays, otherwise use Singletary) at FLEX, Kupp, Christian Kirk, Hayden Hurst (If Kyle Pitts doesn’t play, otherwise Kristian Wilkerson), and Brate at TE.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Josh Allen	$8,100	$8,800
Aaron Rodgers	$7,800	$8,200
Tom Brady	$7,500	$8,100
Kyler Murray	$7,400	$8,400
Lamar Jackson	$7,000	$7,800
Matthew Stafford	$6,700	$7,400
Russell Wilson	$6,300	$7,500
Taysom Hill	$6,200	$7,700
Kirk Cousins	$6,100	$7,200
Ryan Tannehill	$6,000	$7,300
Carson Wentz	$5,800	$7,200
Tyler Huntley	$5,700	$7,000
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,500	$7,000
Jordan Love	$5,500	$6,700
Trey Lance	$5,500	$7,000
Ben Roethlisberger	$5,400	$6,700
Jared Goff	$5,400	$6,800
Justin Fields	$5,400	$7,100
Mac Jones	$5,400	$7,000
Justin Fields	$5,500	$7,000
Jared Goff	$5,400	$6,700
Zach Wilson	$5,400	$6,500
Mac Jones	$5,300	$6,800
Taylor Heinicke	$5,400	$6,900
Andy Dalton	$5,300	$6,300
Davis Mills	$5,300	$6,400
Tua Tagovailoa	$5,300	$6,500
Matt Ryan	$5,200	$6,400
Zach Wilson	$5,200	$6,500
Brandon Allen	$5,100	$6,400
Trevor Lawrence	$5,100	$6,500
Sam Darnold	$5,000	$6,600
Tim Boyle	$4,900	$6,800
Case Keenum	$4,800	$6,300
Jake Fromm	$4,800	$6,200

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – All of the positions have players not playing the whole game. We hope to have updates prior to Friday, since backups pressed into starting roles potentially could produce solid volume numbers. Josh Allen should play the full game, so he, Kyler Murray, and Matthew Stafford would be the safest high-dollar plays. Tayson Hill and Carson Wentz are the top pivots as both are also assumed to play the whole game. Ben Roethlisberger has a good matchup as does Jared Goff. Either would be a decent punt option (although keep an eye on Goff’s injury status). Davis Mills could also be a punt option. Brandon Allen and Case Keenum have already been named replacement starters, and it is speculated Jordan Love may start for Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers says he is not resting, so keep an eye on it. Of that threesome, only Keenum will be in play for me. I actually really like him.

Fantasy Four-pack

Josh Allen, Bills vs. NYJ
($8,100 DK, $8,800 FD)
Devin Singletary has begun to run more for the Bills recently. He is the one concern I have with Allen this week. Fortunately, Allen can still produce enough yards on the ground and through the air versus a subpar Jets defense to make him a strong play here. Plus, with the division title and a possible home playoff game at stake, Buffalo will be going all out here.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. SEA
($7,400 DK, $8,400 FD)
Murray may actually be a safer floor play than Allen (especially if James Conner remains out with his heel injury). Seattle hasn’t faced many quality QBs this season. They still are among the worst in the league against the pass. Their lack of success includes allowing Colt McCoy to throw for 328-2 in Week 11. They also just allowed Tim Boyle to look like an All-Pro. I love the stack this week with either Zach Ertz or Antoine Wesley.

Matthew Stafford, Rams vs. SF
($6,700 DK, $7,400 FD)
We know that Cooper Kupp has season-long records in his sights. This means the Rams will do everything in their power to get him to those marks. San Francisco is softer against the pass than the run, so Stafford should be good for two or three passing scores and nearly 300 yards.

Taysom Hill, Saints @ ATL
($6,200 DK, $7,700 FD)
A game in Atlanta ensures that weather will not be a factor. We also know that the Saints need to win to have any shot at making the playoffs. Atlanta has allowed the fourth-most passing TDs and the third-most QB rushing yards (plus 4 QB rushing scores). Hill never can be counted on for huge passing numbers, but he is always in play for a TD or two on the ground.

DFS Sleepers

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers @ BAL
($5,400 DK, $6,700 FD)
Big Ben looked washed on Monday, but this matchup is considerably easier on paper. Plus, Pittsburgh is still mathematically alive for the postseason, and Roethlisberger is playing for the chance to extend his career. Either way, the Steelers are going all out and then some here. It helps that Baltimore is abysmal against the pass, allowing the most aerial yards and the second-most passing TDs on the year. I particularly like the stack with either Pat Freiermuth or Diontae Johnson (if he clears the COVID protocol). If Diontae remains out, consider James Washington or Ray-Ray McCloud.

Case Keenum, Browns vs. CIN
($4,800 DK, $6,300 FD)
Considering Baker Mayfield played half of the season with a major shoulder injury, Keenum may prove to be a better fantasy play than Baker would’ve been here. Cincy has allowed the sixth-most passing yards this year and may be resting some of their defensive starters here. Cincinnati has been particularly rotten against opposing TEs, so I love the stack of Keenum with one of the Cleveland tight ends.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Jonathan Taylor	$9,300	$10,200
Alvin Kamara	$8,300	$9,000
Nick Chubb	$7,900	$8,200
Dalvin Cook	$7,800	$8,700
Aaron Jones	$7,300	$7,300
Najee Harris	$7,200	$8,500
Derrick Henry	$7,100	$5,000
Alexander Mattison	$6,900	$7,500
David Montgomery	$6,800	$7,600
Damien Harris	$6,700	$7,400
Rashaad Penny	$6,500	$7,800
Cordarrelle Patterson	$6,400	$6,200
James Conner	$6,300	$7,000
AJ Dillon	$6,200	$7,300
Ronald Jones	$6,100	$6,500
Saquon Barkley	$6,100	$6,400
Devin Singletary	$6,000	$6,700
Eli Mitchell	$6,000	$8,000
Sony Michel	$6,000	$7,700
D’Andre Swift	$5,900	$7,000
Rhamondre Stevenson	$5,900	$6,500
Antonio Gibson	$5,800	$6,800
Chase Edmonds	$5,800	$6,600
D’Onta Foreman	$5,700	$6,900
Kareem Hunt	$5,600	$6,800
Nyheim Hines	$5,500	$5,100
Mark Ingram	$5,400	$5,500
Jaret Patterson	$5,300	$6,600
Ke’Shawn Vaughn	$5,300	$5,900
Samaje Perine	$5,300	$6,500
Dare Ogunbowale	$5,200	$5,600
Devonta Freeman	$5,200	$5,600
Dontrell Hilliard	$5,200	$5,600
Rex Burkhead	$5,200	$5,600
Chuba Hubbard	$5,100	$5,700
Duke Johnson	$5,000	$5,600
Le’Veon Bell	$5,000	$5,200
Michael Carter	$5,000	$5,800
Mike Davis	$5,000	$5,600
D’Ernest Johnson	$4,800	$6,200
Jamaal Williams	$4,800	$6,000
Myles Gaskin	$4,800	$5,400
Ameer Abdullah	$4,700	$5,100
Cam Akers	$4,700	$5,500
Latavius Murray	$4,400	$5,100
Giovani Bernard	$4,000	$5,000

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Jonathan Taylor will be given as much work as he can handle here in a win-and-in scenario for Indy. Both Alvin Kamara and Nick Chubb could be suitable pivots for a few dollars of savings. If Damien Harris plays he is a solid option, but part of me wants him to sit out so I can use Rhamondre Stevenson at a bargain-basement price. Devin Singletary is unreliable, but he has a cake matchup. Chase Edmonds (if he plays) and D’Onta Foreman also both have easy matchups, but both could see their touches gouged by veterans returning from injuries. Watch the statuses of James Conner and Derrick Henry leading up to these respective games. If either or both are out, then Foreman and Edmonds make great discount plays. Jaret Patterson could have some value if Antonio Gibson remains out. Jamaal Williams is in the same boat if D’Andre Swift remains a decoy. Still, if I am going to punt the obvious choices are Samaje Perine and Michael Carter.

Fantasy Four-pack

Jonathan Taylor, Colts@ JAX
($9,300 DK, $10,200 FD)
It is win-and-in for Indy, so expect Taylor to get the rock as many times as his body can stand. Jacksonville is better against the pass than the run, but they aren’t great versus either. With everything on the line, Taylor could have a 200-2 type of game, and his floor is astronomical.

Alvin Kamara, Saints @ ATL
($8,300 DK, $9,000 FD)
Taysom Hill is always a threat to vulture scores from Kamara. That said, Kamara remains the best rusher and the most reliable pass-catcher on this offense. New Orleans needs this win to have a shot at the postseason, so it would make sense for them to feature Kamara this week. Atlanta is equally bad against RBs on the ground and through the air, so opportunities should be abundant.

Nick Chubb, Browns vs. CIN
($7,900 DK, $8,200 FD)
Chubb’s Week 17 usage was limited due to a rib issue. This week, we hope he is capable of being the featured back that we have come to expect from him. As I mentioned above, Cincy will likely rest some defensive starters. This should make an already positive matchup even sweeter.

AJ Dillon, Packers @ DET
($6,200 DK, $7,300 FD)
Aaron Jones may sit this one out, which would leave Dillon as the lead back – at least until the team ices him as well. Detroit has allowed the second-most total TDs to opposing RBs. This includes allowing four scores to Jones back in Week 2. The only thing that will hold back Dillon here is when he is pulled from this game. Hopefully, he scores twice before then.

DFS Sleepers

Devin Singletary, Bills vs. NYJ
($6,000 DK, $6,700 FD)
Singletary has scored four times in the last three weeks as Buffalo has finally committed to him as a featured RB. Now, can we really trust him? Not so much that I won’t use him exclusively (especially consider pivoting to Rhamondre Stevenson if Damien Harris is out). Still, no team has allowed more total RB scores than the Jets. So, if Singletary is the real deal, he should be a real steal here.

Samaje Perine, Bengals @ CLE ($5,300 DK, $6,500 FD)
Joe Mixon has already been ruled out for this contest. This means we should get Samaje as the lead back against a Cleveland defense that just got throttled by Najee Harris. Brandon Allen is not going to win this game on his own, expect the backup QB to dump the ball off a lot to both Perine and the TEs.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Cooper Kupp	$9,700	$10,000
Davante Adams	$9,400	$8,800
Deebo Samuel	$8,500	$8,800
Ja’Marr Chase	$8,300	$8,000
Justin Jefferson	$8,100	$8,500
Stefon Diggs	$7,800	$7,700
Diontae Johnson	$7,600	$7,600
Tee Higgins	$7,200	$6,800
Mike Evans	$7,100	$7,800
A.J. Brown	$7,000	$7,400
DK Metcalf	$6,900	$7,200
Amon-Ra St. Brown	$6,800	$7,500
Tyler Lockett	$6,400	$6,900
Brandin Cooks	$6,300	$7,100
Jaylen Waddle	$6,300	$6,800
Terry McLaurin	$6,200	$6,700
Christian Kirk	$6,000	$6,200
Darnell Mooney	$5,900	$6,300
Marquise Brown	$5,900	$6,200
Michael Pittman	$5,900	$6,600
DJ Moore	$5,800	$6,100
Odell Beckham	$5,800	$6,500
Brandon Aiyuk	$5,600	$6,000
Russell Gage	$5,600	$5,700
Tyler Boyd	$5,600	$6,100
K.J. Osborn	$5,500	$6,400
A.J. Green	$5,400	$5,700
Jarvis Landry	$5,400	$6,000
Jakobi Meyers	$5,200	$6,000
Chase Claypool	$5,100	$5,800
Kenny Golladay	$5,100	$5,300
Van Jefferson	$5,100	$5,800
Breshad Perriman	$5,000	$4,900
Julio Jones	$5,000	$5,700
Kendrick Bourne	$5,000	$5,600
Marquez Callaway	$5,000	$5,900
Braxton Berrios	$4,900	$5,900
DeVante Parker	$4,900	$5,600
Gabriel Davis	$4,900	$5,200
Rashod Bateman	$4,900	$5,700
Cole Beasley	$4,800	$5,500
Elijah Moore	$4,700	$6,000
T.Y. Hilton	$4,700	$5,400
Allen Lazard	$4,600	$5,500
Jamison Crowder	$4,600	$5,500
Kadarius Toney	$4,500	$5,200
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	$4,500	$5,700
Robby Anderson	$4,500	$5,500
Cyril Grayson	$4,400	$5,600
Laquan Treadwell	$4,400	$5,300
Tre’Quan Smith	$4,400	$5,300
Donovan Peoples-Jones	$4,300	$5,500
Josh Reynolds	$4,300	$5,100
Marvin Jones	$4,300	$5,400
Tyler Johnson	$4,200	$5,500
Antoine Wesley	$4,100	$5,400
Emmanuel Sanders	$4,100	$5,400
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine	$4,100	$5,100
Allen Robinson	$4,000	$5,500
Scotty Miller	$4,000	$5,200
Isaiah McKenzie	$3,900	$5,000
Nico Collins	$3,900	$5,100
Sammy Watkins	$3,900	$5,100
Cam Sims	$3,800	$5,200
Darius Slayton	$3,800	$5,000
Ray-Ray McCloud	$3,800	$4,900
Adam Humphries	$3,700	$5,000
James Washington	$3,700	$5,000
Kalif Raymond	$3,700	$5,000
Laviska Shenault	$3,700	$5,200
Olamide Zaccheaus	$3,600	$5,000
Chris Conley	$3,500	$4,900
Lil’Jordan Humphrey	$3,500	$4,900
Damiere Byrd	$3,400	$4,800
DeAndre Carter	$3,400	$4,900
Chester Rogers	$3,300	$4,900
Dee Eskridge	$3,300	$4,600
Kristian Wilkerson	$3,300	$5,300
Zach Pascal	$3,300	$5,200
Albert Wilson	$3,200	$4,700
Deonte Harris	$3,200	$5,200
Amari Rodgers	$3,000	$4,600
Equanimeous St. Brown	$3,000	$4,900

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – Cooper Kupp doesn’t have the easy matchup he had last week. Still, he is looking to establish some season-long records, so just play him and save money elsewhere. Stefon Diggs, Diontae Johnson (if he plays), and A.J. Brown are the WR1 pivots. Brandin Cooks, Terry McLaurin, and Christian Kirk are my favorite WR2 options. DJ Moore, Jarvis Landry, and Marquez Callaway could be discount WR2 options. If you choose to use them consider stacking them with their QBs. Braxton Berrios and Cole Beasley, plus any of the Buccaneers, can be considered there, too. My WR3 will likely be Antoine Wesley. If I don’t use him, I could choose to use Josh Reynolds, one of the Texans, or the new Patriots’ toy, Kristian Wilkerson.

Fantasy Four-pack

Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. SF
($9,700 DK, $10,000 FD)
Kupp remains the safest play week-to-week to rely on for upwards of 30 points. This week, he is looking to rewrite the record books (technically with an asterisk), so he will get as many targets as he can handle. The matchup isn’t elite, but Sean McVay will do everything necessary to ensure he gets those records.

Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. NYJ
($7,800 DK, $7,700 FD)
This game script could limit some of Diggs’s productivity. Still, he is the alpha WR on an offense looking to seal up a division title facing a bad New York defense. It would be glorious if he could repeat his Week 10 line of 8-162-1.

A.J. Brown, Titans @ HOU
($7,000 DK, $7,400 FD)
Unless we see a return of Derrick Henry this week, Brown will be counted on as the primary weapon for Tennessee versus the Texans. Houston is decent against the pass, but Brown has destroyed them in his brief career. He exited week 11 early with an injury limiting his final stats there, but in his four prior games, he totaled 27-447-5 against them.

Justin Jefferson, Vikings vs. CHI
($8,100 DK, $8,500 FD)
For no obvious reason other than Mike Zimmer doesn’t care anymore, Minnesota will plan on trotting out their starters for this useless game. Fortunately, the players still care, even if the coach doesn’t. Jefferson is an elite talent and Minnesota will be without their other top WR, Adam Thielen, so I expect him to have a decent day here based on volume alone. Plus, Jefferson has an outside shot at besting one of Randy Moss’ season-long records.

DFS Sleepers

Jarvis Landry, Browns vs. CIN
($5,400 DK, $6,000 FD)
If I choose to use Case Keenum, it would behoove me to pair him with his PPR beast WR, Landry. Jarvis doesn’t score enough to make me love him week-to-week, but against a so-so Bengals defense that may rest some starters, I feel better using him (possibly stacked with one of the TEs).

Antoine Wesley, Cardinals vs. SEA
($4,100 DK, $5,400 FD)
Seattle has struggled mightily against the pass all season. Meanwhile, Wesley has stepped into the red-zone threat role vacated by DeAndre Hopkins, scoring three times in the last two weeks. Arizona is all-in for this week, so I will have maximum exposure to either Wesley or Christian Kirk.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Mark Andrews	$7,500	$8,500
George Kittle	$6,700	$6,900
Rob Gronkowski	$6,300	$7,400
Kyle Pitts	$5,700	$5,800
Dawson Knox	$5,400	$6,000
Zach Ertz	$5,300	$5,600
Mike Gesicki	$5,100	$5,700
Pat Freiermuth	$4,600	$5,200
Tyler Conklin	$4,200	$5,300
Hunter Henry	$4,000	$5,600
Tyler Higbee	$4,000	$5,500
Gerald Everett	$3,700	$4,900
Austin Hooper	$3,600	$5,100
C.J. Uzomah	$3,500	$5,100
Cole Kmet	$3,400	$4,900
Evan Engram	$3,300	$4,900
Geoff Swaim	$3,300	$4,700
David Njoku	$3,200	$4,900
Hayden Hurst	$3,200	$4,800
James O’Shaughnessy	$3,200	$5,000
Anthony Firkser	$3,100	$4,800
Cameron Brate	$3,100	$4,900
John Bates	$3,000	$4,600
Mo Alie-Cox	$3,000	$4,600
Josiah Deguara	$2,900	$4,600
Jimmy Graham	$2,800	$4,500
Juwan Johnson	$2,800	$4,200
Marcedes Lewis	$2,800	$4,400
O.J. Howard	$2,800	$4,300
Ricky Seals-Jones	$2,800	$4,500
Brevin Jordan	$2,700	$4,600
Jack Doyle	$2,700	$4,600
Harrison Bryant	$2,600	$4,700
Adam Trautman	$2,500	$4,300
Dan Arnold	$2,500	$5,000

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Mark Andrews has an awfully tough matchup. He is still so white-hot right now, it will be hard to fade him (especially with a weak upper tier to choose from). George Kittle was underutilized by Trey Lance. If Jimmy Garoppolo plays, bump Kittle’s value up significantly. Kyle Pitts is questionable with an injury, and Rob Gronkowski might not play the whole game. This leaves Dawson Knox, Zach Ertz, and Pat Freiermuth as my favorite plays. With a lot of money spent at WR, I may pay down here for one of the Browns, Hayden Hurst, James O’Shaughnessy (if he plays), one of the Packers, or Cameron Brate.

Fantasy Four-pack

Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. PIT
($7,500 DK, $8,500 FD)
This is the roughest matchup that Andrews has had in quite some time. Pittsburgh is elite against opposing TEs but Andrews has been screaming white-hot over the last two months. I’m probably not going to pay this much for him, but throwing out a lineup with him and whoever his QB is this week isn’t a crazy idea. On a weak week for TEs, he may still finish with the most points.

Dawson Knox, Bills vs. NYJ
($5,400 DK, $6,000 FD)
The player with the best chance to pass Andrews in points this week is Knox. He has been very quiet the last two weeks, which should keep his ownership down. That is the best time to strike, especially against a pathetic Jets team that can be bested at every position.

George Kittle, Niners @ LAR
($6,700 DK, $6,900 FD)
We cannot be overly happy about Kittle’s usage with Trey Lance under center last week. Fortunately, Jimmy Garoppolo may return this week. If Lance starts, I’d probably refrain from using Kittle at this price. That said if Jimmy G. starts, use Kittle and watch the money come rolling in. It should be pointed out that it is easier to throw to TEs against LA than to throw at their cornerbacks covering WRs.

Zach Ertz, Cardinals vs. SEA
($5,300 DK, $5,600 FD) Seattle has allowed the fourth-most TE scores this season. Ertz hasn’t scored since Week 11 but does have 40 targets over the last four weeks. With no DeAndre Hopkins, both Ertz and Antoine Wesley make a great stack with Kyler Murray.

DFS Sleepers

Cameron Brate, Buccaneers vs. CAR
($3,100 DK, $4,900 FD)
With all of the injuries and the recent release of Antonio Brown, Tampa needs their remaining weapons to step it up. This week, we don’t know how much the remaining starters will play. That means we may see a lot of second-teamers, including both Brate and O.J. Howard. Carolina is middle-of-the-pack against the position, but someone will have to catch the ball here, and Tom Brady and Bruce Arians definitely trust him.

Josiah Deguara, Packers @ DET
($2,900 DK, $4,600 FD)
Green Bay has nothing to play for. This means that most of their premium weapons likely will play minimal snaps if any. This means once again the responsibility of providing scoring opportunities for Jordan Love will fall on the lesser Packers. Deguara, Marcedes Lewis, Amari Rodgers, and Equanimeous St. Brown will be the primary beneficiaries of this. Only three teams have allowed more TE receiving yards than Detroit. Lewis and Deguara should catch several passes here once the starters retire to the bench.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 17

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 17 DFS fantasy football

We have reached the second-to-the-last regular-season slate of the year. There are no byes. There are no Saturday or Tuesday or Thursday games. All we have are Sunday and then the Primetime slate. Next week, we don’t even get the Primetime games, so enjoy one more week without the entire NFL player pool in the main slate.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Kirk Cousins travels to Green Bay where he has back-to-back one-TD performances. Injuries and absences due to COVID will press Cousins to do more with less in this game. Fortunately, he will be forced to play uptempo to keep up with the Green Bay Packers. This should lock him into the QB2 slot safely.

The top slot goes to Aaron Rodgers. He is the best QB playing, and he has the best matchup. The only thing that could slow him down would be the dreaded “C word.” The only thing you should worry about is how chalky he will be.

Thanks to the changing protocols, Dalvin Cook will be allowed to play despite being unvaxxed and falling on the COVID protocol last week. Originally, he would be forced to miss both last week and this week. He gets the RB2 nod this week. Alexander Mattison returns to backup status. He might have a thin FLEX value. I’ll list him at RB7.

Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon continue to run a split backfield. Jones is out-touching Dillon slightly, so he gets the RB4 slot, and Dillon gets to be the RB5. Jones has missed two of the last three games against Minnesota, but in other recent matchups with them, he has obliterated the Vikes. If Dillon was out for this game, for whatever reason, I would consider bumping Jones to RB3.

Adam Thielen returned last week and almost immediately pulled a Grampa Simpson and re-exited, tweaking his injury. He now finds himself on season-ending IR due to this reinjury. Justin Jefferson will be forced to step up his play, and he is no worse than the WR3 here. It should be noted that JJ has struggled in two of his three career starts against Green Bay. K.J. Osborn will get another start. He has seen 26 targets and three scores over the last four weeks. With no Thielen, Osborn is in the WR5/6 territory, and he makes a great run-it-back play.

Davante Adams locks in at WR1 here. Don’t overthink this. Adams owns the Vikings. Marquez Valdes-Scantling missed last week with COVID. Prior to that, he was thriving as the field-stretcher for the Pack. Assuming he returns, MVS steps right back into your WR3 consideration on double-GB stacks. You could also use Allen Lazard in that role. He has been solid all year regardless of MVS’ status. I prefer Valdes-Scantling, but could use either of them.

Tyler Conklin has played well this season, but his production has been more pedestrian since his two-TD game in Week 10. He is still the third-best TE (assuming Pat Freiermuth plays) on this slate and has the second-best matchup. I think he makes a decent pivot from the rookie — just know that he doesn’t have a huge ceiling.

Green Bay has two TEs to consider in Josiah Deguara and Marcedes Lewis. Unfortunately, both are used sporadically, at best. Neither is better than TE5 on this slate. I’ll probably save them for Showdown contests.

The Packers should be a popular defense play here. Personally, I’d rather use one of the teams on MNF. The Vikes should be avoided in this spot.

Monday, Baker Mayfield travels to Pittsburgh. He has struggled mightily against the Steelers of late. In his last four meetings against them, he has thrown for a total of three TDs. Pittsburgh has seen their defense fall on hard times of late, but I just don’t feel Cleveland has enough weapons to take advantage of it. Consider Baker your QB4, with a short ceiling.

Ben Roethlisberger has had a rotten last two weeks. Prior to that, he was actually on a bit of a hot streak. I feel the loss of the safety valve, Pat Freiermuth, has hurt the most. Big Ben still has a ton of quality options around him, so he will finish no worse than QB3 this week. If Freiermuth returns, Ben may even outperform Kirk Cousins.

Kareem Hunt was already battling an ankle injury when he went on the COVID list last week. He has cleared the protocol, but we do not know if his ankle will allow him to play. If he makes it out there, I’ll give him the RB6 nod. Otherwise, that RB6 slot will go to D’Ernest Johnson. Johnson could be used at FLEX, but there feels like better options for that role. You may have noticed that I’ve skipped over the discussion of Nick Chubb until this point. Regardless of who else plays, he is the RB1 here. Just know that his numbers may take a slight ding if Hunt is active.

For Pittsburgh, the RB corps is Najee Harris and no one else. He ranks as my RB3 this week. Cleveland is very good against the run, but Najee actually broke 100 total yards and scored in their earlier meeting. Give him a slight value bump if Freiermuth remains out.

Jarvis Landry returned last week and had a middling game against Green Bay. This week should be easier for him. Based on his PPR usage, he will finish as either WR4 or WR5 on this docket. Donovan Peoples-Jones has some punt WR3 appeal since he can score from anywhere on the field. I just prefer to use him in Showdown contests. Rashard Higgins has seen a boost in usage the last two weeks. This shouldn’t be written off in a good matchup like this. That said, his ceiling is capped by Baker Mayfield’s low ceiling.

Despite starting to get the dropsies again, Diontae Johnson has been so heavily involved in the offense for Pittsburgh that he can not be ignored. On this short slate, he should be no worse than the WR3 overall. I prefer him on DK where he gets the full PPR, but don’t ignore him on FD. Chase Claypool has made a few boneheaded plays in recent weeks. This has led him to fall behind Ray-Ray McCloud in targets. Claypool is more talented than McCloud, so I don’t mind using him at WR3. That said, he is probably WR7 or WR8 overall here. McCloud could be a punt WR3, but I’d prefer to save him for Showdown contests. The same goes for James Washington.

Austin Hooper is the safest TE play on the Browns. He is also no worse than the TE2 overall on this slate. Pittsburgh is elite against the position, but Cleveland uses so many two and three-TE sets, that Hooper basically becomes the equivalent of their slot WR. David Njoku was silenced last week, but he is also arguably more talented than any TEs on this slate not named Hooper and Freiermuth. I’ll list him at no worse than TE4 here. Harrison Bryant scored for a second straight week. He also has all of three catches over those two games. He is clearly TD-dependent, but at that price, he could be a nice dart throw at TE6/7. He also becomes a must-start in Showdown.

If he returns from his concussion, Pat Freiermuth instantly becomes the TE1 on this slate. Prior to his injury, Pat had scored six times in his last eight games. Meanwhile, Cleveland has allowed the fifth-most TE scores. If Freiermuth remains out, Zach Gentry will get another start. Gentry had a very blase first run with the first team. At best, he may compete with the Packers’ pair for the TE5 slot.

Both of these teams will be popular defense choices. I like both of them, but don’t have a clear favorite between them.

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $7.1k for Matthew Stafford. $6.5k for David Montgomery. $4.9k for Boston Scott. $9.5k for Cooper Kupp. $6.7k for Jaylen Waddle. $3.3k for Jalen Reagor. $3.8k for Foster Moreau. $5k for Rex Burkhead. $3.2k for the Chicago Bears defense.

At FD: $7.6k for Stafford. $7.2k for Montgomery. $6.2k for Darrel Williams (if Clyde Edwards-Helaire doesn’t play) (or $6k for Scott). $10.2k for Cooper Kupp. $6.1k for DeVonta Smith. $5.6k for Cole Beasley. $5.2k for Moreau. $7k for Ronald Jones at FLEX. $4.8k for the Bears defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Jalen Hurts, Stafford at SF, Montgomery, and Scott, Burkhead at FLEX, Kupp, Davante Adams, Dallas Goedert, and Moreau at TE.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Josh Allen	$8,000	$8,800
Patrick Mahomes	$7,800	$8,500
Tom Brady	$7,600	$8,300
Kyler Murray	$7,300	$8,200
Matthew Stafford	$7,100	$7,600
Lamar Jackson	$7,000	$7,800
Joe Burrow	$6,900	$7,700
Justin Herbert	$6,800	$8,200
Dak Prescott	$6,700	$7,400
Jalen Hurts	$6,600	$7,900
Russell Wilson	$6,200	$7,300
Taysom Hill	$6,000	$7,700
Ryan Tannehill	$5,900	$7,300
Derek Carr	$5,800	$6,900
Tua Tagovailoa	$5,800	$6,700
Carson Wentz	$5,700	$7,000
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,700	$7,100
Tyler Huntley	$5,600	$7,500
Davis Mills	$5,500	$6,400
Justin Fields	$5,500	$7,000
Jared Goff	$5,400	$6,700
Zach Wilson	$5,400	$6,500
Mac Jones	$5,300	$6,800
Matt Ryan	$5,300	$6,600
Taylor Heinicke	$5,300	$6,900
Andy Dalton	$5,200	$6,300
Drew Lock	$5,100	$6,500
Josh Johnson	$5,000	$6,500
Mike Glennon	$5,000	$6,200
Sam Darnold	$5,000	$6,600
Trevor Lawrence	$5,000	$6,500
Jake Fromm	$4,800	$6,200
Nick Foles	$4,800	$6,300
Trey Lance	$4,800	$6,400
Trevor Siemian	$4,600	$6,700
Sam Ehlinger	$4,500	$6,000

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – After a week of schlock at QB, we get a healthy dose of great matchups for the expensive studs up top. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott are all in play near the top price range. In the midtier, I like Jalen Hurts and Russell Wilson. Then for the bargain hunters, I like Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff, and whoever starts for Chicago. The biggest value might be Trey Lance.

Fantasy Four-pack

Josh Allen, Bills vs. ATL
($8,000 DK, $8,800 FD)
Allen was able to succeed last week versus the Patriots. This week will be much easier. Atlanta is one of the worst teams in the league against the pass and they have also struggled with rushing QBs this season. Allen should be able to take advantage of them both ways.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs @ CIN
($7,800 DK, $8,500 FD)
Earlier this season there were questions about if the league had figured out Mahomes. Now he is beating the opposition with Byron Pringle and Blake Bell leading the charge. Saint Patrick gets both Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill back this week. He will need all of his tools at his disposal since Cincinnati can actually keep up with KC in a track meet. I like this game to approach 65 combined points. That should mean at least three passing scores for Mahomes.

Matthew Stafford, Rams @ BAL
($7,100 DK, $7,600 FD)
If this game was in LA, Stafford might reach 5x value here. As it sits, I will still expect no less than 3x against a Baltimore defense that is embarrassing at this point. They did get back Jimmy Smith, but he can’t cover Cooper Kupp, Odell Beckham, and Van Jefferson. He can’t even cover just Kupp. three passing TDs is Stafford’s floor. My only concerns are if weather comes into play or if Stafford is pulled at halftime.

Tom Brady, Buccaneers @ NYJ
($7,600 DK, $8,300 FD)
Thirty-eight career games played against the New York Jets. Brady knows what it means to step into the bright lights of New York. This will be his first game with the Bucs against the Jets, but even without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, he still has enough weapons to succeed. The Bucs coaches may choose to lean a little more on their running game this week, but we all know that Brady won’t have any of that. In a cake matchup, he will take his share, then share a little of the remainder with the backfield.

DFS Sleepers

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins @ TEN
($5,800 DK, $6,700 FD)
I still feel uncomfortable watching Tua throw the ball. Part of it is because he is left-handed. Part of it is because it appears that he releases the ball at such a low trajectory. Still, he has a full complement of extremely talented receivers to throw to. When you have that many quality options, he can have a poor throw and still have it be caught. Tennessee is near the bottom of the league in yards allowed to the position, and they have given up a league-high five QB rushing TDs. I expect Tua to score both ways this week.

Jared Goff, Lions @ SEA
($5,400 DK, $6,700 FD)
I wanted to use Goff last week. Then he got COVID and Tim Boyle actually fared well in his place. This matchup is even better. Only one team has allowed more passing yards than Seattle and Goff is among the passing TD leaders since his return to the starting role. Josh Reynolds is on the COVID list right now, but both he and Amon-Ra St. Brown make great stack options with Goff in what I believe may be a Detroit upset.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Jonathan Taylor	$9,000	$10,000
Austin Ekeler	$8,200	$9,000
Alvin Kamara	$7,900	$9,200
Joe Mixon	$7,500	$8,500
Ezekiel Elliott	$7,100	$7,500
Cordarrelle Patterson	$6,900	$6,700
Damien Harris	$6,600	$7,400
David Montgomery	$6,500	$7,200
Javonte Williams	$6,400	$6,100
Ronald Jones	$6,300	$7,000
Josh Jacobs	$6,200	$6,600
Melvin Gordon	$6,200	$6,100
James Conner	$6,100	$6,700
Rashaad Penny	$6,100	$6,900
D’Andre Swift	$6,000	$7,700
Eli Mitchell	$6,000	$7,800
Justin Jackson	$6,000	$6,500
Saquon Barkley	$6,000	$6,600
Antonio Gibson	$5,900	$6,800
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	$5,900	$6,200
Tony Pollard	$5,900	$6,200
Darrel Williams	$5,800	$6,200
Sony Michel	$5,800	$7,100
Chase Edmonds	$5,700	$6,500
Jeff Wilson	$5,600	$6,700
Mark Ingram	$5,500	$5,800
Devin Singletary	$5,400	$6,000
D’Onta Foreman	$5,300	$5,800
Rhamondre Stevenson	$5,300	$5,700
Jordan Howard	$5,200	$6,000
Ke’Shawn Vaughn	$5,200	$5,600
Dare Ogunbowale	$5,100	$5,500
Derrick Gore	$5,100	$5,500
Devonta Freeman	$5,100	$5,700
Jamaal Williams	$5,100	$6,000
Michael Carter	$5,100	$5,700
Mike Davis	$5,100	$5,400
Myles Gaskin	$5,100	$5,900
Chuba Hubbard	$5,000	$5,400
Duke Johnson	$5,000	$5,800
Kenneth Gainwell	$5,000	$5,400
Rex Burkhead	$5,000	$5,600
Boston Scott	$4,900	$6,000
Dontrell Hilliard	$4,900	$5,300
Jaret Patterson	$4,800	$5,400
Craig Reynolds	$4,700	$5,400
Ameer Abdullah	$4,600	$5,000
David Johnson	$4,600	$5,100
Jeremy McNichols	$4,500	$5,100
Le’Veon Bell	$4,500	$4,500
Latavius Murray	$4,400	$5,100
Carlos Hyde	$4,000	$5,700

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Last week was all about the cheap injury replacements at RB. This week we don’t get that obvious boost. Jonathan Taylor has a great matchup and a McCaffreyian price tag. Joe Mixon could do some serious damage through the air against KC. Damien Harris and David Montgomery have easy matchups at a slight discount. Then everything gets shaky. Rashaad Penny has an easy matchup, but his price has finally caught up with his lead-back role. The bargain options worth considering are Dare Ogunbowale, Ke’Shawn, Vaughn, Rex Burkhead, and whoever starts for Philadelphia. That is not a lot to choose from. Maybe we will get lucky and Eli Mitchell will miss another game leaving Jeff Wilson in play.

Fantasy Four-pack

Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. LV
($9,000 DK, $10,000 FD)
I’m confounded at how the Raiders managed to hold Denver’s backfield in check last week. Vegas has shown no other signs of effort on defense since Jon Gruden was replaced. Perhaps, they are starting to play better, or maybe they just decided to stack the box and try to force Drew Lock to beat them. The potential absence of Carson Wentz could produce a similar result this week, but Taylor has more talent than the Denver Duo. If Wentz doesn’t play I will likely limit my exposure to Taylor, but I won’t completely ignore him.

Damien Harris, Patriots vs. JAX
($6,600 DK, $7,400 FD)
The biggest worry that Harris has to face is the proclivity of Bill Belichick to get cute with his RB room. Jacksonville. Only five teams have allowed more running back rushing TDs this season and Harris is coming off of a three-TD performance. This gives him 11 in his last nine games. Harris is a complete afterthought in the passing game, but he shouldn’t need any of that to reach 3x value here.

David Montgomery, Bears vs. NYG
($6,500 DK, $7,200 FD)
Montgomery faces a New York defense that is bottom-six in yards allowed to RBs both on the ground and through the air. Fortunately, David can take advantage of that on both sides. I would feel best if Justin Fields can play this week, but any of the Bears’ QBs should be able to drive this offense against the motley Giants. This should open the door for Montgomery to top 125 total yards and score at least once.

Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. KC
($7,500 DK, $8,500 FD)
Mixon has done well even in bad matchups this year. This has led to him being tied for the third-most total scores for an RB this season. KC isn’t exactly tough to run against, but teams usually are forced to abandon the run to hang with them. Cincy won’t have to because they have the weapons to stay in stride. Plus, KC can be beaten by pass-catching backs. Mixon is multi-purpose. He can achieve both on the ground and through the air. I can see him topping 100 total yards with five catches and a single score. That will make him a safer play on DK than FD.

DFS Sleepers

Rashaad Penny, Seahawks vs. DET
($6,100 DK, $6,900 FD)
Only one team has allowed more total RB touchdowns than Detroit. Meanwhile, Penny has taken over as the lead back in Seattle. Since taking over in Week 13, he has more total opportunities than all the other Seahawk backs combined. In two of those four games, Penny struggled against great defenses. In the other two contests (against bad defenses) he went crazy. Detroit qualifies as a bad defense.

Rex Burkhead, Texans @ SF
($5,000 DK, $5,600 FD)
I hate chasing points, but Burkhead’s performance last week does not feel like an outlier. This offense is finally starting to gel behind QB Davis Mills. San Fran is no cakewalk, but they may actually be playing from behind with Trey Lance forced to start for them. This could put Houston in the position to run the ball more frequently.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Cooper Kupp	$9,500	$10,200
Deebo Samuel	$8,700	$9,000
Tyreek Hill	$8,300	$8,200
Stefon Diggs	$7,900	$8,000
Ja’Marr Chase	$7,600	$7,600
Keenan Allen	$7,500	$7,300
A.J. Brown	$7,200	$7,500
CeeDee Lamb	$7,100	$7,200
Mike Evans	$7,000	$7,700
Tee Higgins	$6,900	$7,000
Jaylen Waddle	$6,700	$7,000
Amari Cooper	$6,600	$6,700
DK Metcalf	$6,500	$6,600
Hunter Renfrow	$6,500	$6,900
Tyler Lockett	$6,400	$7,100
DeVonta Smith	$6,300	$6,100
Terry McLaurin	$6,200	$7,000
Antonio Brown	$6,100	$8,500
Amon-Ra St. Brown	$6,000	$6,900
Brandin Cooks	$6,000	$6,500
Mike Williams	$6,000	$6,600
Brandon Aiyuk	$5,900	$5,900
Marquise Brown	$5,900	$6,300
Christian Kirk	$5,800	$6,400
Michael Pittman	$5,800	$6,500
Odell Beckham	$5,700	$6,500
DJ Moore	$5,600	$6,400
Russell Gage	$5,600	$6,100
Darnell Mooney	$5,500	$6,000
Tyler Boyd	$5,400	$6,200
A.J. Green	$5,300	$5,600
Van Jefferson	$5,300	$6,000
DeVante Parker	$5,200	$5,900
Elijah Moore	$5,200	$6,000
Jakobi Meyers	$5,100	$5,800
Jerry Jeudy	$5,100	$5,700
Kenny Golladay	$5,100	$5,500
Gabriel Davis	$5,000	$5,300
Julio Jones	$5,000	$5,600
Kendrick Bourne	$5,000	$5,500
Jamison Crowder	$4,900	$5,600
Robby Anderson	$4,900	$5,700
Michael Gallup	$4,800	$5,800
Rashod Bateman	$4,800	$5,700
Kadarius Toney	$4,600	$5,300
Marquez Callaway	$4,600	$5,700
Courtland Sutton	$4,500	$5,300
Josh Reynolds	$4,500	$5,200
T.Y. Hilton	$4,500	$5,600
Tre’Quan Smith	$4,500	$5,400
Marvin Jones	$4,400	$5,700
Tim Patrick	$4,400	$5,400
Breshad Perriman	$4,300	$4,700
Isaiah McKenzie	$4,300	$5,200
Emmanuel Sanders	$4,200	$5,500
Byron Pringle	$4,100	$5,600
Rondale Moore	$4,100	$5,200
Laquan Treadwell	$4,000	$5,200
Mecole Hardman	$4,000	$5,400
Nico Collins	$4,000	$5,200
Chris Conley	$3,900	$5,100
Darius Slayton	$3,900	$5,000
Quez Watkins	$3,900	$5,300
Sammy Watkins	$3,900	$5,200
Zay Jones	$3,900	$5,100
Adam Humphries	$3,800	$5,200
DeSean Jackson	$3,800	$5,200
Kalif Raymond	$3,800	$5,000
Laviska Shenault	$3,800	$5,300
Tyler Johnson	$3,800	$5,200
Braxton Berrios	$3,700	$5,300
DeAndre Carter	$3,700	$5,100
Jalen Guyton	$3,700	$5,300
Antoine Wesley	$3,600	$5,100
Curtis Samuel	$3,600	$4,800
Joshua Palmer	$3,600	$5,200
Olamide Zaccheaus	$3,600	$5,100
Marquise Goodwin	$3,500	$5,000
Nelson Agholor	$3,500	$5,200
Scotty Miller	$3,500	$5,000
Zach Pascal	$3,500	$5,200
Damiere Byrd	$3,400	$4,900
Albert Wilson	$3,300	$4,900
Bryan Edwards	$3,300	$5,300
Jalen Reagor	$3,300	$5,000
Josh Gordon	$3,000	$4,700

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – Cooper Kupp is the clear WR1 this week against a futile Baltimore pass defense. If you don’t use him make sure you use one of his running mates at WR2. The other high-priced options I like are Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and Jaylen Waddle. I don’t dislike any of the Bengals in a shootout with KC, but it is just too hard to choose between them this week. Tyler Boyd might be the right answer among them since he comes at a lesser cost. Other WR2 that I Like are Hunter Renfrow, Antonio Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Michael Pittman, and the aforementioned Rams. Michael Gallup and Rashod Bateman are both woefully underpriced (especially on DK). I love either of them at WR3. If Cole Beasley or Gabriel Davis returns and you don’t play Diggs, you could start one of them at WR3. If they are both out again, give me one more huge game from Isaiah McKenzie. Braxton Berrios gets another chance to shine if Jamison Crowder and Elijah Moore remain out for the Jets. My deep punts at WR3 include Antoine Wesley and Jalen Reagor.

Fantasy Four-pack

Cooper Kupp, Rams @ BAL
($9,500 DK, $10,200 FD)
Kupp continues to post a weekly floor of 10-125-1. That right there almost guarantees a 30-point performance. Line him up against this sorry excuse for a secondary and we could see a 200-2 sort of game as Matthew Stafford tries to get him the league yardage record over the next two weeks.

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs @ CIN
($8,300 DK, $8,200 FD)
With the healthy return of Travis Kelce, Cincy will not be able to triple-team Tyreek Hill. It seemed clear that Hill was limited in his return from COVID last week. As long as that does not linger into this weekend, he should return to 10-100-1 range in a shootout game.

Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. ATL
($7,900 DK, $8,000 FD)
Diggs’ price is considerably less than that of Cooper Kupp. That said, he has the best chance of any of the receivers on the board replicating Kupp’s final line. Atlanta has allowed the fifth-most receptions and the third-most TDs to opposing WRs.

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins @ TEN
($6,700 DK, $7,000 FD)
No team has allowed more receiving yards to opposing WRs this season. Plus, Waddle is chasing some rookie receiving records. Since Week 6, only Cooper Kupp has more receptions among WRs and Waddle ranks eighth in receiving yards.

DFS Sleepers

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions @ SEA
($6,000 DK, $6,900 FD)
Even with Tim Boyle under center last week, St. Brown had another huge game. This week, Josh Reynolds finds himself on the COVID list, so if he doesn’t clear by Sunday, Amon-Ra will see even more targets. Over the last four weeks, only Cooper Kupp leads him in receptions and he is fourth in receiving yards. Seattle is middle-of-the-pack at best against the position, they will certainly struggle with the young stud here.

Michael Gallup, Cowboys vs. ARI
($4,800 DK, $5,800 FD)
This is a glitch in the pricing algorithm. Arizona has allowed the most WR touchdowns this year, including eight over the last four games. CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper are also solid plays in this game, but Gallup’s price is so far below theirs on DK that this should be a set-it-and-forget-it WR3. Gallup is coming off of a pair of duds which should hold his ownership numbers down but don’t let that dissuade you. He has been targeted five times or more in every game that he has played this year.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Mark Andrews	$7,400	$8,700
Travis Kelce	$7,300	$8,200
George Kittle	$7,100	$7,300
Darren Waller	$6,300	$6,500
Rob Gronkowski	$6,200	$6,700
Kyle Pitts	$5,900	$6,000
Dawson Knox	$5,500	$6,200
Mike Gesicki	$5,300	$5,900
Zach Ertz	$5,200	$5,500
Dallas Goedert	$5,100	$5,800
Dalton Schultz	$5,000	$5,900
Noah Fant	$4,400	$5,300
Hunter Henry	$4,200	$5,700
Gerald Everett	$4,100	$5,200
Tyler Higbee	$4,000	$5,400
Foster Moreau	$3,800	$5,200
Jared Cook	$3,700	$4,900
Evan Engram	$3,500	$5,100
Cole Kmet	$3,400	$5,000
C.J. Uzomah	$3,300	$5,100
Ricky Seals-Jones	$3,300	$5,000
James O’Shaughnessy	$3,200	$5,100
Jimmy Graham	$3,100	$4,600
Albert Okwuegbunam	$3,000	$4,500
Cameron Brate	$2,900	$4,700
Hayden Hurst	$2,900	$4,800
John Bates	$2,900	$4,600
Brevin Jordan	$2,800	$4,800
Mo Alie-Cox	$2,800	$4,600
Jack Doyle	$2,700	$4,700
Anthony Firkser	$2,600	$4,600
Adam Trautman	$2,500	$4,300
Dan Arnold	$2,500	$4,900

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Mark Andrews has been a stud regardless of who has started at QB for Baltimore. The matchup is neutral, but if I am paying up, I’ll consider him. Both George Kittle and Travis Kelce have sweet matchups. I can see a legit argument for going double-TE this week with expensive TEs. Should Darren Waller play, his matchup is also juicy. This means that since Waller is likely out, Foster Moreau is in a monster spot to score big. Rob Gronkowski also looks primed for a big game. Even the second-tier is packed with Dawson Knox, Mike Gesicki, Dallas Goedert, and Noah Fant all in play. Hunter Henry and the aforementioned Moreau will be my cheaper pivots. You can also use one of the WFT tight ends or Mo Alie-Cox as a punt.

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ CIN
($7,300 DK, $8,200 FD)
Kelce is back off of the COVID list and he immediately gets to face an easy opponent. Cincy is fifth-worst in terms of receptions allowed and second-worst in terms of yards allowed to the position. Over the last four weeks, they rank dead last in both of those categories. Kelce went absolutely berzerk in his last game as he rounds himself into playoff form. This game will be higher-scoring meaning start everyone that you can afford.

Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. LAR
($7,400 DK, $8,700 FD)
Andrews now has now posted 29-376-4 over the last three games. None of those games featured his top QB. Lamar Jackson may make his return this week, which shouldn’t hurt Andrews’s production. The Rams have allowed more than a quarter of their passing TDs to go to the position. So, the odds are better of him scoring than Marquise Brown or Rashod Bateman.

Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers @ NYJ
($6,200 DK, $6,700 FD)
Gronkowski now has back-to-back duds as teams have surrounded him with both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out. The Jets are eighth in TDs allowed and seventh in yards allowed to the position. This is definitely an easier matchup than those last two games. Plus, Gronk has scored nine times in 16 career games versus the Jets.

George Kittle, 49ers vs. HOU
($7,100 DK, $7,300 FD) We don’t know what we have with Trey Lance. He could be the next Lamar Jackson or he could be the next Colin Kapernick or he could end up being just the next Josh Rosen. What we do know is that historically young QBs lean on their TEs. Kittle is a beast when given the target share requisite. He should see many passes against a Houston defense that has struggled with every quality TE they have faced.

DFS Sleepers

Foster Moreau, Raiders @ IND
($3,800 DK, $5,200 FD)
This all comes down to whether or not Darren Waller plays. Right now, Waller looks doubtful. This means that Moreau gets to assault an Indy defense that has fallen behind even the rotten Philly TE defense. Over the last four weeks, Moreau is eighth among TEs in yardage and twelfth in both receptions and targets. This is a must-win game for Vegas, so Waller might force himself to go. If he starts, then disregard this recommendation outside of Showdown contests.

Hunter Henry, Patriots vs. JAX
($4,200 DK, $5,700 FD)
Jacksonville has allowed middling production to the position this year. That said, they have only faced three TEs that would be considered on par or better than Henry. All three had big games against this defense. Henry had a down game last week, but he was targeted six times. The prior week, versus Indy, he had eight targets and two scores. His range of outcomes is wide, but this smells like a positive spot for him.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 16

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 16 DFS fantasy football

The NFL has completely unhinged their COVID protocols after last week’s schedule debacle. At this point, we are not expecting any more rescheduling tumult, but if we do, trust that I will update the DFS info to give you the best chance to dominate. Let’s make this weekend a Merry Christmas for all!

DFS: The X-Mas Sleigh-t

With all of the other reindeer battling COVID, Cleveland is hoping Baker Mayfield will be able to return and guide the coursers into Lambeau Field. Baker Claus may be coming to town, but we know that he won’t be gifting Alice Cooper’s boots to any of the Pack. I’m more concerned about him leaving points off the board than gifts under the tree this time. With three more reliable offenses on this slate, I cannot rank Baker higher than QB4. Case Keenum also missed Monday’s game and Nick Mullens got the start. Neither is as reliable as Mayfield, so if either was forced to start it wouldn’t help their cause.

Aaron Rodgers will face a very solid Cleveland defense that will definitely be bringing their sack to this holiday party. Unfortunately for them, when you sack Rodgers, the candy cane striped elves usually whistle for a penalty. Even in a less than jolly matchup, Rodgers is the top QB on this board.

Coming on a short week, I doubt that Cleveland will get Kareem Hunt back for this game. That should mean all aboard the Nick Chubb Express. Certainly, D’Ernest Johnson will see some work in the passing game. His value could be higher than expected if the game script derails the Chubb train. Chubb is the likely RB2 on this slate and Johnson can be the RB5/6. If Hunt plays, he could move into RB5 consideration as well.

Aaron Jones is such an effective RB that it pains me that Green Bay still feels the need to use AJ Dillon frequently in his stead. I’m taking nothing away from Dillon, who is built like the abominable snowman. I just would prefer to see the Packers feature one of them and not just mix and match. Multi-dimensional backs have had the most success against Cleveland this season. Jones has been more active in the passing game than Dillon, so I give him the RB3 nod and Dillon no higher than RB5.

Jarvis Landry should be back for this game. I’m not sure that I would recommend him here since Green Bay may have all three of their top CBs ready for this game. He would be my WR5 at best. Donovan Peoples-Jones is also in the hard-to-trust category here. One of these two will score. My money is on DPJ on a deep pass as Cleveland plays from behind. Don’t reach for any depth WRs here.

Unless you have been living in the North Pole for the last half-decade, you know that Davante Adams is one of the best WRs in football. He is easily the top WR on this slate. Just know that since early in the season, Cleveland had allowed more WR2s to have big games than WR1s. So expect points from Adams, but temper your ceiling. Marquez Valdes-Scantling was back physically healthy, then he caught COVID. If he plays, he should be a solid WR3 option for you this week. That is especially so, if you want to avoid the 100 percent ownership of Adams. Allen Lazard is also back active for Green Bay. If they both play, Lazard will have more receptions than MVS but fewer yards.

David Njoku and Austin Hooper are both in the TE2 consideration this week. Green Bay is just so-so against the position (especially Darnell Savage – who stunk up the joint last week), and this slate is lacking in reliable targets. I prefer Hooper (but he will need to clear COVID protocols on the short week), but either can be used comfortably since Cleveland throws to their TEs almost as much as their WRs. Harrison Bryant returned last week. If Hooper is out, I could see using Bryant in Showdown contests.

Josiah Deguara has struggled every time that I have gone to bat for him. So for his sake, I will say “don’t play him”. Cleveland has been run through by superstar TEs this season. Deguara is not a superstar, nor a star, heck he isn’t even a meteor. He is more like a lump of coal in your stocking. Now that I have said this, I am sure that he will go for 6-70-2. NOT! I forgot how physically large Mercedes Lewis is. There was a time with Jacksonville where he was a prototypical red-zone threat akin to someone like Jimmy Graham. Now he is just a depth piece. He can be ignored outside of Showdown contests.

I can see using Green Bay at defense this week, especially if Cleveland remains shorthanded by COVID cases. I don’t love any of the other defenses on this docket, so they are probably the safest play.

Instead of demanding figgy pudding on Christmas night, I am demanding Frank Reich let Carson Wentz throw the ball some more. Arizona has been reliably mediocre against the pass this season. Plus, they are coming off a game in which Jared Goff lit them up like a Clark Griswold Christmas light display. Wentz is still the QB3 on this slate, but I don’t mind pivoting to him here.

Kyler Murray delivered a big bah humbug to everyone who started him in Week 15. Indy has allowed only five passing TDs over their last five games despite facing both Josh Allen and Tom Brady in that string. I’m still ranking Murray a hair above Wentz because of his rushing potential. That said, the season-long loss of DeAndre Hopkins (and an ankle injury for Rondale Moore as well) is not going to help Murray’s potential.

Jonathan Taylor is the fantasy gift that keeps on giving. As I go to bed Friday night, visions of Taylor TDs will be dancing in my head. Every elite RB to face Arizona has dominated them. Taylor is a lock for RB1 here and should top 125 total yards and score at least once. Nyheim Hines vultured Taylor last week. It was also his only opportunity of the game. I’m not concerned about him being a factor here.

Both Chase Edmonds and James Conner played last week versus Detroit. Surprisingly, Conner, on a bad ankle, had more targets in the passing game than Edmonds. Even more surprisingly, neither scored against the Lions. With them back into a split workload, it is hard to rely on either of them. Conner as the goal-line threat gets the nominal RB4 slot here and Edmonds RB6 at best. That said, Conner hasn’t practiced as of Thursday, so there is a chance he misses this game. If he sits out, Edmonds is safe to roll out as RB4.

Michael Pittman made the referee’s naughty list last week by having his helmet ripped off of his head by an unruly defender. Maybe the ref should have checked the list twice before this questionable call. On this slate, I have Pittman as the WR2 as long as no one from Arizona attempts to rip his helmet off, too. Zach Pascal can be considered as a possible WR3 since non-WR1s have scored in four of the last five games against Arizona. This matchup isn’t strong enough to deploy T.Y. Hilton. You can use him in Showdown just not here in the main tourney. Ashton Dulin is also a fun Showdown play. He doesn’t get many touches, but when he does touch the ball, he is a threat to score.

As predicted, the absence of DeAndre Hopkins led to another big game by Christian Kirk. He is my WR3 here and I will have a lot of exposure to him. A.J. Green also had a solid game, and he can be considered in the WR5/6 range, especially if Rondale Moore misses this game with an ankle injury. If Moore plays, slide Green’s value down slightly. As for Moore, I’d be concerned about reinjury. So, he will not be in any of my lineups. Some undrafted WR named Antoine Wesley had eight targets last week. This was his third eye-raising performance of the season (all in games without Nuk). I might swing him out as a punt WR3 or Showdown captain just to see what happens. His value could be sneaky good if Moore is out.

Jack Doyle is my TE3 here. The matchup is not good, and he hasn’t done jack in the last two games. Remember when Mo Alie-Cox was a thing? He has had four catches on twelve targets since Week 7. That is not Mo Alie-Cox, that is LESS Alie-Cox.

With the injuries to the Arizona WR corps, Zach Ertz finished second in receptions, yardage, and targets last week. He has been heavily involved in this offense ever since the Cards acquired him from Philly. Meanwhile, Indy has gone pear-shaped against TEs allowing an average of 7-78 with four TDs over their last seven contests. Start Zach with confidence as the top TE on this slate.

Either of these defenses could be used as a pivot from Green Bay. That said, neither of them is that great. Kyler Murray has been a wee bit more loosey-goosey with the ball recently. So, if I was to pick one of these two, I would go with Indy.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Garrett Gilbert got the start Tuesday evening against Philly. This wasn’t by choice as both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen missed the game due to COVID. Heinicke was activated and will start this game. Dallas has an imposing real-life defense. That said, they allow some fantasy points. Heinicke will battle for the QB2/3 slot with Tua Tagovailoa.

Dak Prescott is the most talented QB on this slate. He also has the best matchup on the slate, the best WR corps on the slate, arguably the best TE on the slate, and the second-best backfield on the slate. Starting someone other than him is purely looking to be contrarian.

J.D. McKissic was put on IR. Antonio Gibson … running the ball against Dallas is hard. Having said that, know that Gibson averaged over six YPC and scored four times versus Dallas in 2020. Of course, that was also pre-Micah Parsons. Gibson is the RB3 here, provided a toe injury from last week’s game doesn’t prove costly. Backup Jaret Patterson is the RB6, at best, if Gibson is active.

Ezekiel Elliott continues to split opportunities with Tony Pollard despite Pollard’s torn plantar fascia. Washington is elite against the run but biblically bad against pass-catching backs. Zeke has a nearly 3-2 target lead over Pollard on the season. So he is a clear choice here. I’ll rank Zeke as RB2 on this board and give Pollard the RB4 nod at best.

The Football Team has played musical chairs behind Terry McLaurin at WR all season. Scary Terry will draw Trevon Diggs in coverage. This is both a blessing and a curse. Opposing QBs are afraid to throw it in his direction because he is such a ball hawk. That said, he has also been burnt like a batch of chestnuts left roasting in the fire overnight. Slot and possession receivers have also had success against Dallas this year. This puts a healthy Curtis Samuel into play. Of course, Samuel is not and has not been at any point this season HEALTHY. If he finds his way onto the field you can play him as a sneaky WR3. Otherwise, consider his understudy, Adam Humphries, as a WR3, too. Cam Sims actually had a big game versus Dallas in Week 14. That was predominantly because McLaurin got injured early and Sims filled his role in the offense. If Terry plays, you can mostly ignore Sims here. DeAndre Carter did some stuff earlier this year, as did Dyami Brown. I just don’t trust this passing offense enough to go that deep.

Dallas finally has their top three WRs all healthy at the same time. Now they get to face a rotten Washington secondary. Yes, please! CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup have been the top options for Dallas over the last month. Lamb gets the WR1 role this week, and Gallup is no worse than WR5. Amari Cooper is also in the WR5 range. The depth WRs for Dallas: Cedrick Wilson, Noah Brown, and Malik Turner have all gone back to their complementary roles with the return to health of the starters. Any of them could be used in Showdown slates, but Wilson is the only one I’d consider punting with on the main tourney,

Ricky Seals-Jones has the second-best matchup among the TEs on this slate. That said, none of the matchups is elite. So, I will still rank him at TE3. RSJ has been battling a non-COVID illness, so if that limits him, consider John Bates as a deep punt play.

The Football team is actually decent against TEs. That said, Dalton Schultz is the second-most talented TE on this board, and it will be hard to fade him against a subpar secondary. I’m afraid he might be over-owned, so I think this is a good spot to pivot away.

Consider Dallas’ defense with Heinicke starting at QB for WFT. Do not consider the Washington defense in any circumstance.

Tua Tagovailoa gets a tough matchup against a defense that just shut down Tom Brady. New Orleans has allowed a fairly large number of passing yards this season, but only four teams have allowed fewer passing scores. I still think Tua is the QB2 here.

Both Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian find themselves on the COVID list as of Thursday. This means something called Ian Book will get the start. Frankly speaking, he won’t need much to look more competent than Hill and Siemian throwing the ball. Of course, the Saints lose Hill’s rushing ability, which should boost the value of their RBs. With the unread Book at QB, he is the clear QB4 on this slate.

So, Duke Johnson, huh? I didn’t have that one on my 2021 bingo card. The Saints are a beast to run on, but they struggle at times with pass-catching backs. Prior to this season, Duke’s primary role has been as a change-of-pace pass catcher. He still is no better than RB5 here, just know that he could be a sneaky play. Myles Gaskin got hosed by Duke last week. This week, I want nothing to do with Gaskin here. I have him ranked at RB7, and I see no reason whatsoever to play him. Gaskin’s value will be even lower if Phillip Lindsay returns this week.

Alvin Kamara is the RB1 here. Miami’s run defense may look stout on paper, but they have faced one above-average RB since Week 6. Prior to that, they were getting gouged by equally subpar talent. I’m not going to expect the world here, but he should outproduce the other RBs on the board (especially with Taysom Hill out). Mark Ingram returned from COVID last week but didn’t do much against a tough TB defense. I’m not sure there is enough potential equity here for Ingram to be a value. He is probably the RB6 on this board, but his value would only come if Kamara gets knocked out of the game.

Jaylen Waddle missed last week’s game with COVID. He will return this week. This week he will likely lock horns with Marshon Lattimore. Normally this would be scary. Of course, Waddle has fared well all season even against elite corners. He is no worse than WR5 here. I love him at WR2 this week in my lineups because people might fade him based on the matchup. DeVante Parker gets the easier defensive matchup and the much cheaper price. He will fly under the radar as well, making him a great WR3 option. Albert Wilson has been a favorite of mine on DK where the full PPR gives him big value potential. His numbers may be down with both Parker and Waddle active, but he could be worth a punt WR3 dart throw. I wouldn’t go any deeper here, though.

The Saints’ passing offense is bad. This is partially due to Taysom Hill and partially due to a mediocre corps of receiving talent. As I mentioned above, Ian Book can’t be that much worse than Hill at throwing the ball. Marquez Callaway is the safest play and I will make him a WR3 this week against a bad Miami pass defense. Tre’Quan Smith wouldn’t even be in discussion against a decent defense. Against Miami, he could be a punt WR3. Somehow Lil’ Jordan Humphrey is higher on the Saints depth chart than Kenny Stills. Stills was a healthy scratch in Week 15. That is absurd. He is more talented than any active WR not named Callaway for New Orleans currently. His inactivity is mind-blowingly confusing. If Stills is allowed to play, this is a revenge game for him.

Mike Gesicki is the best TE on this slate. The matchup isn’t great, but none of the TE matchups are. Gesicki has seen the third-most targets and receptions among TEs and the fifth-most receiving yards. The one thing he has not seen is a bunch of scoring opportunities. Much like Dalton Schultz, he will be highly owned. I’m just not sure I can fade him here.

Adam Trautman returned from injury last week. He promptly did nothing. Miami has given up a ton of yardage to the TE position. I still have him ranked as TE4 on the slate, but he might be a sneaky pivot play, especially since young QBs like to lean on their TEs.

I don’t mind either of these defenses. That said, I still will probably go with the masses and use Dallas. Either of these teams feels like a pivot, at best. With Miami getting the inexperienced QB, they might have a high ownership figure, too. That could lure some of the players away from Dallas – I’d like that very much.

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $5.9k for Joe Burrow. $5.9k for Josh Robinson. $6.7k for Cordarrelle Patterson. $7.1k for Ja’Marr Chase. $5.3k for Odell Beckham. $4.9k for Antonio Brown. $7k for Mark Andrews. $4.4k for Samaje Perine (if Joe Mixon does not play, or $4.2k for Justin Jackson if Austin Ekeler does not play, or $4.5k for Craig Reynolds) at FLEX. $2.6k for the Atlanta Falcons defense.

At FD: $7.1k for Burrow. $8.2k for Robinson. $5.8k for Michael Carter (or $5.9k for Rhamondre Stevenson if Damien Harris does not play, or $5.4k for Jackson if Ekeler doesn’t play). $9.8k for Cooper Kupp. $7.1k for Chase. $5.6k for Jamison Crowder. $5.9k for Dallas Goedert. $6.6k for David Montgomery at FLEX. $3.8k for the Falcons defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Dak Prescott, Burrow at SF, Montgomery, and Robinson, No more than $5.4k for FLEX (Stevenson, J.Jackson, Reynolds, Perine, or Kyle Pitts), Chase, A.Brown, CeeDee Lamb, and Andrews at TE.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes	$7,700	$8,700
Josh Allen	$7,500	$8,500
Tom Brady	$7,400	$8,400
Justin Herbert	$7,200	$8,400
Lamar Jackson	$6,900	$7,800
Matthew Stafford	$6,700	$7,900
Jalen Hurts	$6,400	$7,700
Kirk Cousins	$6,200	$7,300
Russell Wilson	$6,100	$7,500
Tyler Huntley	$6,000	$7,500
Joe Burrow	$5,900	$7,100
Derek Carr	$5,800	$7,000
Cam Newton	$5,600	$7,200
Ben Roethlisberger	$5,500	$6,800
Davis Mills	$5,500	$6,600
Jared Goff	$5,400	$7,100
Matt Ryan	$5,400	$6,800
Mac Jones	$5,300	$6,700
Zach Wilson	$5,300	$6,600
Justin Fields	$5,200	$7,000
Drew Lock	$5,100	$6,600
Mike Glennon	$5,100	$6,400
Jake Fromm	$5,000	$6,400
Trevor Lawrence	$5,000	$6,500
Sam Darnold	$4,000	$6,200

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – It feels like the Grinch has stolen the QB room for this week. Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, Jalen Hurts, and Joe Burrow are the only players I feel really confident in. If Jared Goff plays, I could see using him. I also don’t hate Justin Fields, Drew Lock, and Davis Mills.

Fantasy Four-pack

Matthew Stafford, Rams @ MIN
($6,700 DK, $7,900 FD)
Minnesota just cut one of their starting cornerbacks. Now they have to face the Rams offense. Not the best timing Vikings. Stafford should have little trouble throwing for three scores here.

Justin Herbert, Chargers @ HOU
($7,200 DK, $8,400 FD)
With questions circling Austin Ekeler’s status, Herbert may need to carry the load this week. Houston can be beaten through the air or on the ground so either way, LA will be successful. Heck, even if Ekeler plays, Herbert should still be a lock for 275-2 as his floor.

[lawrence-related id=463124]

Jalen Hurts, Eagles vs. NYG
($6,400 DK, $7,700 FD)
I’ll be the first to admit that I did not buy into Hurts this season. Still, Philly has embraced his skills and limitations. He can run the ball with the best of them and he takes all of the TD carries. Including four games with multiple rushing scores and eight games with more than 50 rushing yards. They also have the perfect complement to his short-field passing accuracy in Dallas Goedert. Only seven teams have allowed more passing TDs than the Giants. Hurts will end up with three total scores here.

Joe Burrow, Bengals vs. BAL
($5,900 DK, $7,100 FD)
Burrow will likely have a limited version of his starting RB, so he will need to shoulder the load this week. Baltimore should make that easy on him. They have given up the second-worst eight passing scores over the last four weeks. Back in Week 7, Burrow threw for 416-3 against Baltimore. That was before Baltimore lost the rest of its secondary.

DFS Sleepers

Jared Goff, Lions @ ATL
($5,400 DK, $7,100 FD)
Goff is currently on the COVID list, but he is vaccinated and has no symptoms. It remains to be seen if he is allowed to play this weekend, but based on the announced changes in policy it seems like he should be allowed to. Atlanta has allowed the third-most passing TDs, so it would behoove Goff to clear protocol. Over the last four weeks, only three QBs have more passing TDs than him.

Drew Lock, Broncos @ LV
($5,100 DK, $6,600 FD)
Lock did nothing last week to drive confidence heading into this game. Still, the Raiders have gone so pear-shaped that I could step in and throw for 250-2 against them. Lock has a sleigh-load of weapons to work with and I particularly like the stack with Noah Fant this week.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Austin Ekeler	$8,100	$9,400
Najee Harris	$7,400	$8,400
Joe Mixon	$6,900	$7,500
Alexander Mattison	$6,800	$5,500
Cordarrelle Patterson	$6,700	$7,200
Saquon Barkley	$6,500	$7,000
D’Andre Swift	$6,300	$7,800
Javonte Williams	$6,100	$6,300
Josh Jacobs	$6,000	$6,800
James Robinson	$5,900	$8,200
Clyde Edwards-Helaire	$5,800	$6,500
Melvin Gordon	$5,800	$6,300
Darrell Henderson	$5,700	$6,900
David Montgomery	$5,700	$6,600
Damien Harris	$5,600	$6,600
Miles Sanders	$5,600	$6,400
Rashaad Penny	$5,500	$6,100
Sony Michel	$5,500	$6,900
Chuba Hubbard	$5,400	$5,500
Devonta Freeman	$5,300	$5,600
Michael Carter	$5,200	$5,800
Devin Singletary	$5,100	$5,800
Ronald Jones	$5,100	$5,400
Jamaal Williams	$5,000	$6,700
Rhamondre Stevenson	$5,000	$5,900
Mike Davis	$4,900	$5,500
Tevin Coleman	$4,800	$5,700
Darrel Williams	$4,600	$5,700
Ameer Abdullah	$4,500	$5,100
Craig Reynolds	$4,500	$6,000
Rex Burkhead	$4,500	$5,400
Ty Johnson	$4,500	$4,900
David Johnson	$4,400	$5,200
Ke’Shawn Vaughn	$4,400	$4,700
Latavius Murray	$4,400	$5,300
Samaje Perine	$4,400	$6,200
Jordan Howard	$4,300	$5,700
Brandon Bolden	$4,200	$4,900
Justin Jackson	$4,200	$5,400

Running Back

Weekly strategy – There are several discount RBs who could be in play as COVID and injuries shake out this week. If Austin Ekeler plays, he is set up to be a stud. If he doesn’t play, Justin Jackson would become a must-start. Joe Mixon is rumored to be ready to play despite his ankle injury. His matchup is considerably sketchier (as is his reinjury history). If he is limited or out, a full workload for Samaje Perine could prove volume valuable. Cordarrelle Patterson and James Robinson have the best matchups on paper. You will need to start one (if not both of them). Other midtier options that I like include both Broncos, David Montgomery, Alexander Mattison, and Miles Sanders. If Damien Harris misses another game, Rhamondre Stevenson will be a solid play. Of course, knowing Bill Belichick. He could choose to make Stevenson a healthy scratch and give all of the work to Brandon Bolden. I also like Ronald Jones and Michael Carter as discount pivots who should see sizeable volume. The legend of Craig Reynolds may slip into the rearview mirror as the Detroit backfield gets healthy. That said, if Jamaal Williams and/or D’Andre Swift miss this game, you might be able to squeeze one more start out of him.

Fantasy Four-pack

Austin Ekeler, Chargers @ HOU
($8,100 DK, $9,400 FD)
After two days of covert responses, Los Angeles finally admitted that Ekeler missed practice early this week due to COVID. To me, that sounds like tampering with the injury report. Of course, this ranking is based on him suiting up and playing. No team has allowed more total RB scores over the last four weeks. So Ekeler should have little trouble scoring here, too. If, by chance, Austin remains out Justin Jackson is a must-start.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons vs. DET
($6,700 DK, $7,200 FD)
Detroit is the perfect cure for a struggling rushing attack. The 22 total RB scores they have allowed are worsted by only the Jets. It also includes a league-worst eight RB receiving scores. Patterson has seen his usage drop off in recent weeks, but it is all coming back here. The only way he doesn’t reach 125 combo yards and score twice is if Mike Davis actually does something. Yeah, I don’t like those odds, either.

James Robinson, Jaguars @ NYJ
($5,900 DK, $8,200 FD)
This may be the biggest spread in salary I have ever witnessed between the two sites. Robinson will hit 3x on DK. He may even hit 4x. Still, he may struggle to reach 3x on FD. The Jets are bad enough against the run to at least make it interesting.

Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams, Broncos @ LV
($5,800 DK, $6,300 FD & $6,100 DK, $6,300 FD)
Choosing between the Denver RBs is always tough. Against Vegas, it won’t matter which one you play, because they will both hit 3x as long as they don’t get hurt. Each is nursing an injury coming into this game, so check back on Friday and Saturday to confirm their practice statuses. If one should miss this game, the other could be the top scorer on the slate.

DFS Sleepers

David Montgomery, Bears @ SEA
($5,700 DK, $6,600 FD)
Seattle has allowed the most RB receptions and receiving yards. This is Montgomery’s forte (and ironically his predecessor in Chicago, Matt Forte’s forte as well). I guess Chicago likes dumping the ball off to their backs. Of course, part of it is that their QBs have not had the skill to get the ball downfield consistently. Over the last three weeks, he leads the league in RB receptions and targets. Seattle isn’t much better against rushers on the ground, so as long as the score doesn’t get out of hand, Monty should be a tournament casher this week.

Ronald Jones, Buccaneers @ CAR
($5,100 DK, $5,400 FD)
We all know how this is going to end. Jones is going to cough up a fumble in the first quarter and then ride pine the rest of the game. Still, if Santa brings Jones a bottle of Stick-Um for his hands, his volume this week could produce a Christmas miracle. The Panthers are middle-of-the-pack against the run, but they are much easier to run on than throw against. Plus, Tom Brady needs all the potential targets he can find right now.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Cooper Kupp	$9,100	$9,800
Tyreek Hill	$8,400	$8,700
Justin Jefferson	$8,100	$8,400
Keenan Allen	$7,700	$7,700
Stefon Diggs	$7,600	$7,500
Diontae Johnson	$7,500	$7,400
Ja’Marr Chase	$7,100	$7,100
Mike Evans	$7,000	$7,600
Adam Thielen	$6,900	$7,200
Hunter Renfrow	$6,800	$7,100
Tyler Lockett	$6,700	$7,300
DK Metcalf	$6,400	$6,700
Brandin Cooks	$6,300	$6,900
Tee Higgins	$6,200	$6,500
Mike Williams	$6,100	$6,600
DeVonta Smith	$6,000	$5,900
Russell Gage	$5,900	$6,700
Marquise Brown	$5,800	$6,400
DJ Moore	$5,700	$6,400
Amon-Ra St. Brown	$5,600	$6,500
Van Jefferson	$5,500	$6,300
Darnell Mooney	$5,400	$6,100
Kenny Golladay	$5,300	$5,500
Odell Beckham	$5,300	$6,600
Chase Claypool	$5,100	$5,900
Tyler Boyd	$5,100	$6,200
Jamison Crowder	$5,000	$5,600
Jerry Jeudy	$5,000	$5,800
Kendrick Bourne	$5,000	$5,600
Antonio Brown	$4,900	$7,000
Jakobi Meyers	$4,900	$5,700
Robby Anderson	$4,900	$5,300
K.J. Osborn	$4,800	$6,000
Gabriel Davis	$4,700	$5,300
Josh Reynolds	$4,600	$5,400
Rashod Bateman	$4,500	$5,600
Tim Patrick	$4,500	$5,600
Marvin Jones	$4,400	$5,600
Breshad Perriman	$4,200	$4,700
Courtland Sutton	$4,200	$5,400
Darius Slayton	$4,200	$5,200
Laviska Shenault	$4,100	$5,400
Allen Robinson	$4,000	$5,500
Emmanuel Sanders	$4,000	$5,600
Jalen Guyton	$3,900	$5,300
Kalif Raymond	$3,900	$5,200
Sammy Watkins	$3,900	$5,200
Tyler Johnson	$3,900	$5,000
Kalif Raymond	$3,900	$5,200
Sammy Watkins	$3,900	$5,200
Tyler Johnson	$3,900	$5,000
Kalif Raymond	$3,900	$5,200
Sammy Watkins	$3,900	$5,200
Tyler Johnson	$3,900	$5,000
Olamide Zaccheaus	$3,800	$5,100
Quez Watkins	$3,800	$5,300
DeSean Jackson	$3,700	$5,100
Jakeem Grant	$3,700	$5,100
James Washington	$3,700	$5,200
Nelson Agholor	$3,600	$5,400
Scotty Miller	$3,600	$4,900
Braxton Berrios	$3,500	$5,300
Laquon Treadwell	$3,500	$5,300
Mecole Hardman	$3,500	$5,200
Zay Jones	$3,500	$5,000
Freddie Swain	$3,400	$4,800
Nico Collins	$3,400	$5,200
Byron Pringle	$3,300	$5,200
Chris Conley	$3,300	$4,900
Damiere Byrd	$3,300	$4,900
Bryan Edwards	$3,200	$5,200
Josh Gordon	$3,100	$4,800
Jaelon Darden	$3,000	$4,600

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – I really like the idea of spending up at WR this week. With so many potential bargains at RB, it should be easy to do. Tyreek Hill dealing with COVID protocols is the only high-priced option who concerns me. Keenan Allen, Cooper Kupp, and Ja’Marr Chase are my three favorite plays. I will have at least one of that threesome in all of my lineups. If I don’t use Chase, either Tee Higgins or Tyler Boyd could be in at WR2. I also like DeVonta Smith, DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, Russell Gage, both backup Rams, and both starters for Detroit (assuming Jared Goff plays). WR3 must be Antonio Brown on DK. His FD price is a little high so, you can weigh your options there. The other choices at WR3 are Jamison Crowder, both starters for the Patriots, every starter for Denver except Courtland Sutton, and any of the Jaguars. If I choose to punt at WR3, I could use Tyler Johnson or one of the KC backups if Hill and Travis Kelce miss this game.

Fantasy Four-pack

Cooper Kupp, Rams @ MIN
($9,100 DK, $9,800 FD)
The price is so darn high, but I still think that it is possible that Kupp hits 3x here. Minnesota is weak in their secondary, and unlike when they faced Chicago, they actually have other significant pass-catching threats to be aware of here. It is that sheer volume of weapons that is the only reason why I am not guaranteeing a two-TD game here. That said, I would not be surprised to see a final line of 12-140-2 here.

Keenan Allen, Chargers @ HOU
($7,700 DK, $7,700 FD)
Since Week 8, Allen is fourth in the league in targets and third in receptions, despite missing a game during that stretch. Meanwhile, Houston has struggled against stud possession receivers all season.

Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals vs. BAL
($7,100 DK, $7,100 FD)
Did you see what Chase did to Baltimore in Week 7? That was before Baltimore lost all of their secondary starters. Since that game, Chase has fizzled but the Ravens have fizzled more.

Justin Jefferson, Vikings vs. LAR
($8,100 DK, $8,400 FD)
Opposing WRs don’t produce much against Jalen Ramsey because most QBs are afraid to throw his direction. If Adam Thielen returns it may alter Minnesota’s strategy, but if not, Jefferson will see his standard double-digit targets. He also has scored and/or topped 80 yards in all but two games. Plus, only one WR has more yards this season and he (Cooper Kupp) is also playing in this game. Can you say “run-it-back game stack?”

DFS Sleepers

Jamison Crowder, Jets vs. JAX
($5,000 DK, $5,600 FD)
With Elijah Moore out, Crowder led the Jets in receiving last week. This week he faces a Jacksonville defense that has struggled with slot and possession receivers all season. Crowder did suffer a calf issue earlier this week, so if he is limited or out, Braxton Berrios will get to take advantage of this matchup. Either of these two will make a great play here.

Antonio Brown, Buccaneers @ CAR
($4,900 DK, $7,000 FD)
This is a combination of his price on DK and the fact that Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, and likely Mike Evans will miss this game. Tom Brady has to throw the ball to someone. Carolina is good against the pass but volume alone puts Brown in play.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Travis Kelce	$7,300	$7,800
Mark Andrews	$7,000	$8,000
Rob Gronkowski	$6,200	$6,700
Darren Waller	$6,000	$6,500
Kyle Pitts	$5,800	$5,900
Dawson Knox	$5,300	$6,100
Dallas Goedert	$5,100	$5,900
Hunter Henry	$4,700	$6,000
Noah Fant	$4,400	$5,600
Pat Freiermuth	$4,300	$5,100
Tyler Conklin	$3,900	$5,200
Tyler Higbee	$3,800	$5,500
Gerald Everett	$3,700	$4,900
Foster Moreau	$3,600	$5,200
Jared Cook	$3,500	$5,100
Evan Engram	$3,400	$5,000
Cole Kmet	$3,300	$5,000
James O’Shaughnessy	$3,200	$5,300
Albert Okwuegbunam	$3,100	$4,900
C.J. Uzomah	$3,000	$5,000
Dan Arnold	$2,900	$5,000
Kyle Rudolph	$2,700	$4,400
Kendall Blanton	$2,600	$4,500
Pharoah Brown	$2,600	$4,400
Tommy Tremble	$2,600	$4,500
Blake Bell	$2,500	$4,200
Brevin Jordan	$2,500	$4,800
Brock Wright	$2,500	$4,500
Cameron Brate	$2,500	$4,500
Jonnu Smith	$2,500	$4,600
Noah Gray	$2,500	$4,100
Tyler Kroft	$2,500	$4,400

Tight End

Weekly strategy – I will have a hard time choosing my TE this week. There are many that I like here and very few that I do not trust. Mark Andrews is the obvious pay-up choice. Rob Gronkowski has a tough matchup, but much like Antonio Brown, someone has to catch the ball there. Kyle Pitts, Dallas Goedert, and Noah Fant all have easy matchups. If I don’t use one of those five, I will likely punt with Jared Cook, James O’Shaugnessy, C.J. Uzomah, Cameron Brate, or one of the Giants.

Fantasy Four-pack

Mark Andrews, Ravens @ CIN
($7,000 DK, $8,000 FD)
Andrews has been white-hot regardless of who has been at QB. Meanwhile, over their last nine games, Cincy has allowed an average of 6.7-80 to the position with five TDs allowed.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. NYG
($5,100 DK, $5,900 FD)
Much like Andrews, Goedert has been on fire regardless of who starts at QB. Over the last four weeks, only two teams have allowed more receptions to the position. If you are starting Jalen Hurts (and you should), stack him with Goedert and possibly DeVonta Smith.

Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers @ CAR
($6,200 DK, $6,700 FD)
Carolina is middle-of-the-pack against the TE position. It might not matter against Gronk since he may be targeted 15-plus times this week. With all of the injuries last week, Gronk saw 11 targets but only caught two of them. He is too good to fail like that again.

Noah Fant, Broncos @ LV
($4,400 DK, $5,600 FD)
Vegas is fourth-worst in receptions versus the position. They are second-worst in TDs allowed and they have given up the fifth-most receiving yards to the position. Meanwhile, Fant leads all of Denver in receptions and is second on the team in targets and third in receiving yards. Plus, Drew Lock seemed to be in sync with him last week.

DFS Sleepers

James O’Shaughnessy, Jaguars @ NYJ
($3,200 DK, $5,300 FD)
Over the last four weeks, the Jets are bottom five in every significant category against the position. During this same time frame, O’Shaughnessy returned and has become one of Trevor Lawrence’s favorite targets. Of course, Dan Arnold has been designated to return from IR, so keep an eye on his status to see if he is activated this week. An Arnold return will likely hurt O’Shaughnessy’s value. No team has scored fewer points than Jacksonville and no team has allowed more points than the Jets. Something has to give this week.

Jared Cook, Chargers @ HOU
($3,500 DK, $5,100 FD)
With Donald Parham assumedly out following his scary concussion last week, Cook will get to feast alone on the Houston defense. The Texans have faced only three upper-echelon TEs, all three had huge games. That said, Cook isn’t upper-echelon. I’d call him more “veteran-solid,” and his value should be heightened without Parham stealing red-zone looks. Only two teams are allowing more red-zone scoring visits per game, so Cook might steal a TD here (especially if Austin Ekeler is out).

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 15

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 15 DFS fantasy football

We have finally passed all of the bye week shenanigans and have firmly planted ourselves into league playoffs. We also have our first Saturday slate of the year. Between this bonus slate, Thursday, and the primetime slate there are 10 teams taken out of the main slate’s player pool. This includes great offenses like KC, Tampa, Indy, Minnesota, and the Los Angeles Chargers. We also lose the Cleveland backfield, Taysom Hill, Alvin Kamara, Hunter Renfrow, and the Chicago Bears (whom no one will really miss). Since we have a bonus slate of play, I will break that down in addition to the primetime slate, so that we can all make even more moolah for the holidays!

DFS: The Saturday Slate

Derek Carr has been slightly dysfunctional since the arrest of Henry Ruggs and the injury to Darren Waller. His bad loss to KC last week isn’t entirely on his shoulders, though. The Raiders were behind the 8-ball from the onset. Carr did swallow four sacks and threw a pick, so he can’t be completely ignored in the realm of responsibility, either. He also has one or zero TDs in five of his last six starts. Coming into this season, I would’ve ranked him as the top QB on this slate. In this current environment, he is no better than QB3, and quite probably QB4.

Thanks to a well-timed bye week, Baker Mayfield may be his physically healthiest of the entire season. Of course, then what happens, he tests positive for COVID. If he can stumble out of bed and down the hall to the locker room, and escape the COVID protocols, he gets a great matchup. The Raiders’ pass defense is still sustaining its ranking based on early-season success. Unfortunately, they have been a shell of themselves over the last month plus. They aren’t the worst defense on the board, but they are bad enough that Mayfield should be QB2 on this small slate if he goes. Baker’s backup, Case Keenum, also tested positive for COVID (on Thursday). So it seems that if Baker is forced to sit this one out, Nick Mullens will get the start and is a slight (not awful) drop-off in terms of talent.

Josh Jacobs should’ve had success last week, but Vegas fell so far behind so fast that he never got a chance to get started. With Kenyan Drake out for the year, he will be the three-down back for Vegas the rest of the way. This is a decent week for him as Cleveland has been struggling against running backs since Week 5 (especially dual-threat RBs). I have him as my RB3 on this board simply because the top-two options are more reliable. That said, feel free to use all three of them. Peyton Barber is filling in a backup role right now, and he doesn’t have enough value, even if Jacobs got hurt.

Kareem Hunt left last week’s game with an ankle injury. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski claimed after the game that Hunt wanted to re-enter, but he was held out as a precaution. An early week MRI has ruled Hunt out. With Hunt absent, Nick Chubb once again gets to carry a full load for Cleveland. The numbers weren’t great last week, but this was against the top-ranked Baltimore run defense. This week, he faces the 24th-ranked Raiders. This locks in Chubb as the RB2 on this slate. D’Ernest Johnson will fill the Hunt role and be RB6.

Hunter Renfrow will probably help some owners win their fantasy leagues this season. This isn’t a great slate for WRs, so even in a middling matchup, he is the WR2 (and possibly WR1 if Jarvis Landry is out). Zay Jones is second on the team over the last three weeks in targets. I could see using him as a punt WR3 at best. Bryan Edwards and DeSean Jackson are splitting sprint routes. I can’t see using either of them in this contest, but you could use one in a Showdown slate looking to capitalize on a long TD.

Jarvis Landry scored last week. He also led the team in targets and tied for the team lead in receptions. By sheer lack of other options, he should be the WR1 on this slate. That said, he needs to clear the COVID protocol before this weekend. Donovan Peoples-Jones finally had a breakout game. It was against a decimated secondary, so take that with a grain of salt. He won’t be higher than WR5 for me this week, unless Landry is out. The only other WR to register more than one catch since Week 10 is Ja’Marcus Bradley. I actually like his future potential, but the future is not now. Drop the value on all of these WRs a little if Nick Mullens is under center.

Darren Waller is again out. Foster Moreau gets another start he falls to no better than TE3. Cleveland has struggled against elite TEs. Waller is elite … Moreau, not so much.

Cleveland likes to use three-TE sets (in the DFS world I call it triple-TE). It works great in reality, not so much in fantasy. Unfortunately for them, two of their top three TEs were held out of Week 14 (David Njoku due to COVID and Harrison Bryant due to an ankle injury). Austin Hooper was the last man standing last week (and now he has tested positive for COVID). He scored last week as expected. If Bryant remains out, and Hooper suits up, he will finish no worse than TE2 on this slate. A now-healthy Njoku could also be used as a punt TE play or even a punt FLEX if you spend too much elsewhere. If Njoku plays and Hooper is out, Njoku instantly becomes a popular TE4/5 play. The TE value should be the same whether Mullens or Mayfield starts.

All four of these defenses are fairly even in regards to their match to the opposing offense. I feel most owners will be on the New England Patriots, so I like to pivot to Cleveland. Despite their dysfunction, you could even consider Vegas here with all the COVID cases on Cleveland’s offense.

Saturday night, Mac Jones travels to Indy. The Colts started the year as one of the worst pass defenses in the league. A series of games against mediocre to outright bad QBs have improved their stats allowed, but they are still touchable through the air. I’m not sure that Jones has the passing upside to take advantage of them for more than 270-2. This will likely put him at QB3/4 on this board in a dogfight with Derek Carr.

Carson Wentz faces the toughest pass defense on the board. Unfortunately, this is a rough slate for passing offenses, so he is the de facto QB1. I actually believe that I would prefer a COVID-free Baker Mayfield this week, but it is close.

Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson would each be in consideration for RB3 here if the other was out injured. With both of them active, they get the RB4 and RB5 slots, respectively. Harris is very good, and I like using him as my FLEX to save a little dough. Stevenson led the team in carries in the Week 12 Wind Bowl, but Harris was more efficient with his touches. Plus, Harris has scored in seven of his last eight games. Stevenson has scored in only two games all season and one of those Harris missed due to injury. Brandon Bolden is the “James White role” in this offense. He won’t need to play a huge role this week, but he can be used in Showdown contests as a TD dart throw.

So much for that split backfield. Jonathan Taylor has taken the featured back role and run away with it. Over his last 10 games, he has had 18 total scores. New England is much worse against the run than the pass. Anything less than 125-2 would seem like a failure for JT this week. Nyheim Hines has been relegated to mop-up duty. There won’t be any of that this week. His only path to value here would be a Taylor injury. I’m not going to wish nor predict such a thing. Keep that karma away from this game.

Kendrick Bourne has actually found himself in reliable WR territory recently. Every year some no-name guy emerges from obscurity to perform well for the Patriots. This year it is him. I have him as my WR4 on this slate, and I like the idea of using him if you need to save some money. Nelson Agholor could also be used in a positive matchup. As could be Jakobi Meyers, despite his noted lack of scoring. True WR1s have destroyed Indy this year, but I’m not sure any of them fits that category. This might be a situation where you make three different lineups with each of them as your WR3.

Michael Pittman is the most talented WR on this slate. That said, he has a tough matchup, so he has to battle with Renfrow and Landry (if available) for the top fantasy play. I can see using the stack of him with Wentz. T.Y. Hilton failed in Week 13 against the Houston Texans. I cannot trust him in any game that isn’t against the Texans. Zach Pascal may be an interesting punt WR3 as a way to get access to this game without paying Pittman’s price. If it means anything, Ashton Dulin has scored in back-to-back games. He also has exactly one catch in each of those two games. I’d leave him for Showdown where he is a must-start.

Hunter Henry was a TD machine earlier this year. Now, he is sharing targets with Jonnu Smith once again. Indy has been foul against the position over the last month-plus. If Jonnu wanted to take the week off, Henry would challenge for TE2 or better on this slate. As it sits, Henry is a TD-dependent TE3/4. Jonnu can be ignored this week, unless Henry ends up missing the game somehow.

Jack Doyle is your TE4 (at best) here. He has been doing well since Week 8. That said, New England neutralizes the TE position. This suggests that Mo-Alie Cox is even less likely to help you this week.

The Patriots will be the most-owned defense on this slate. They also face the best offense on the slate. I believe in pivoting away from them. Indy gets the rookie QB, they might be a sneaky play here.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

As a QB, Taysom Hill has been a solid running back. The lack of talent to throw to, along with the lack of throwing talent, leaves his legs as his only truly valuable asset. Tampa’s secondary has been laughable all year, but does New Orleans have anyone that can take advantage of this? I have to presume Hill will manage to throw at least one score (probably to Alvin Kamara). I also like him to add one on the ground. I still cannot see him finishing as better than QB2 on this board.

Tom Brady managed to turn a bad matchup last week into a solid fantasy line anyways. This matchup is better, but still not perfect for him. Still, this is Brady, so I have to name him as the QB1 here, since none of the others has a sure-thing matchup, either.

On paper, this matchup should seem scary for Alvin Kamara. Running against Tampa Bay is never recommended. Fortunately for Kamara, Tampa can be bested by pass-catching backs. They rank second worst in receptions allowed to the position. This advantage locks Alvin in at RB2 here. Mark Ingram missed last week due to COVID. He should return this week, but with Kamara healthy, he is nothing more than a change-of-pace option with no red-zone value due to Hill. Unless you are putting out a Kamara-gets-injured lineup, then he can be avoided. Tony Jones will fall back into a depth role, with zero value unless Ingram is out again. Even then, I wouldn’t consider him.

New Orleans is arguably tougher than Tampa to run on. They are also not as flimsy against pass-catching backs. That said, Leonard Fournette is in playoff mode already. He is stepping up and getting it done regardless of matchup. Unfortunately for Lenny, he is dealing with an ankle issue. Assuming he plays, Fournette is RB4 here due to the level of talent in play on this slate. He should be at least your FLEX in a fair share of your lineups. Fournette would get a boost in that Gio Bernard is out for this game. He also would get a boost in that Ronald Jones just isn’t very good. I’ll give Jones the courtesy RB5 nod, but I don’t really see myself using him unless Fournette is ruled out.

The Saints’ wide receiver room is pretty awful. Deonte Harris is suspended. This leaves the unholy trinity of Tre’Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (hamstring). Callaway has the most talent of that threesome, and Tre’Quan has seen the most targets recently. Against most teams, I’d leave them all on the bench, but Tampa is bad enough against the pass to consider one of those two as a punt WR3. Especially, if you are looking to run it back versus a Buccaneers-led game stack.

Antonio Brown is going to miss at least one more game due to suspension for creating a faux vax card. In his absence, it will be business as usual for Tampa as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin should dominate touches. It should be noted that Evans has posted only 7-114-2 across his last three matchups against New Orleans as he has seen the most top coverage. Compare that to Godwin, who has posted 17-260-1 over that same three-game stretch. Plus, Godwin has received an absurd target share recently with 32 looks over the last two weeks. Godwin is the WR2 here and Evans the WR4/5. Breshad Perriman has bypassed both Tyler Johnson and Scotty Miller on the performance charts for Tampa. Johnson has more talent, but he just isn’t seeing as much usage as I’d like. Miller slipped so far he was actually inactive last week. Perriman is a vertical threat, so he could score any week, but his lack of targets makes him very TD-dependent. Personally, I would only consider Perriman or Johnson in Showdown slates.

Nick Vannett and Juwan Johnson aren’t going to scare anyone. Vannett has seen an uptick in usage since the injury to Adam Trautman, who this week was designated to return. Tampa is so-so versus the position while Minnesota is elite against it, so he might sneak into TE3 consideration over Cole Kmet. Johnson hasn’t seen many targets, but he is a big body and that could equate to a red-zone target or two since the New Orleans WRs aren’t anything to write home about, either.

The Saints are good against TEs, but Rob Gronkowski is such a TD threat that he gets the TE1 spot without any effort. The matchup is tough enough that I’m not going to use Cameron Brate, though.

I don’t see how you could use either of these defenses here with two better options on MNF.

Monday night, Kirk Cousins gets another primetime game. Haven’t the schedule makers learned their lesson yet? Cousins is 1-9 for his career on Monday nights and 9-17 overall in primetime. Plus, over five career games with Minnesota versus the Bears, Cousins has only thrown for seven total TDs. The Bears defense is not as strong as recent years, but still keep your Kirk expectations in check. He should be the QB2 here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he finishes at QB3.

Justin Fields showed off his assets last week. Unfortunately, it was in a losing effort. Meanwhile, both of the speedy running QBs to face the Vikings this year have dominated them. Justin doesn’t have the level of skill that Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray bring to the table, so I will leave him at QB4 here. Just know that his rushing yards won’t hurt his value this week.

Alexander Mattison will miss this game due to COVID, so Dalvin Cook will get all of the work. This should be great for Cook, since the Bears have suffered a fall-off against the position of late. Plus, Cook is coming off a decimation of Pittsburgh, and he posted a solid 271-1 against Chicago in two games last season. Lock Cook in at RB1 and expect another huge night from him. Kene Nwangwu will be the backup this week. With Dalvin just a pair of weeks removed from a severe shoulder injury, Kene could be forced into action with a reinjury. He should get the RB6 nod. Nwangwu will also have value in the return game, and if he and the Minnesota defense are stacked, you can get the double payday if he scores a return TD. The team also signed veteran Wayne Gallman off waivers this week. I doubt he will have any value unless both the other backs get hurt.

This is the David Montgomery show. He has value on the ground and through the air. Minnesota has both of their top two LBs back healthy to slow down Montgomery. Still, I like his chances to finish with 125 combo yards and a score. This should set him up as RB3 this week and no lower than RB4. Khalil Herbert has entered witness protection since Monty’s return. He was even out-touched by Damien Williams last week. They are both just complementary pieces now, so they can be ignored.

Adam Thielen missed last week’s game due to an ankle injury. His status for Week 15 also is in question. If he plays, he is no more than WR5. His propensity to score TDs always keeps him in play when he suits up. Regardless of Thielen’s status, Justin Jefferson is the WR1 on this slate. Davante Adams was the latest alpha WR1 to throttle the Bears last week. Something that many have already done this year. Jefferson posted 16-239 against Chicago last season and is white-hot right now. I don’t see any way that he doesn’t post 10-130-1 as a floor here. K.J. Osborn is the WR that will benefit most if Thielen is out. In the game plus that Adam has been out, Osborn has been targeted 16 times and has scored twice. I will rank him at WR6/7 on the board, and he is a perfect WR3 play this week. Dede Westbrook is the Vikings’ WR4, and he also has COVID. Even if he plays, he doesn’t have any legit value outside of Showdown.

Darnell Mooney is a very good young WR. It remains to be seen if the Vikings shadow him with Patrick Peterson, or if Peterson is assigned the task of guarding the veteran Allen Robinson. Peterson can occasionally be beaten in coverage, but the rest of the Vikings secondary can be beaten on every play. Mooney is safe to utilize as either the WR4/5 on this docket. Robinson is more of a question mark due to his season-long struggles. That said, Minnesota has allowed 20 different WRs to post double-digit PPR points. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if both fared well this week. I’ll assign Robinson the WR7 rank, but he is a decent dart-throw WR3 option. Jakeem Grant has scored as a WR in back-to-back games. He also added a return TD last week. As long as I have been watching football, Minnesota has always struggled with quality return men. With the threat of a return TD, he also makes a possible punt WR3 or FLEX play to save you money up top. Damiere Byrd has actually been more involved in the passing offense than Grant, but I have to give the value edge to the latter here.

Tyler Conklin is your TE2 on this board. Chicago has allowed 27-264-3 to the position over the last five games. Meanwhile, Conklin has 11 targets over the last week-plus without Thielen.

Cole Kmet would normally be your TE3 here. Unfortunately, he has been splitting usage with Jimmy Graham recently. Also, Minnesota has been elite against the TE position despite their recent foibles (3 TDs allowed in the last four games while battling injuries). I’d almost rather use Graham here, despite knowing that he is TD-dependent.

I will likely use one of these two defenses. Minnesota gets to face the rookie QB. They are probably the top choice. Especially since Chicago has allowed the second-most sacks and the fourth-most turnovers. The Vikings don’t make a ton of turnovers, but they have no one on their O-line that can contain Robert Quinn.

[lawrence-related id=462919]

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $5.6k for Ben Roethlisberger. $7.3k for Ezekiel Elliott. $5.7k for Chuba Hubbard. $7.5k for Diontae Johnson. $6.3k for Brandon Aiyuk. $4.9k for Marquez Valdes-Scantling. $3.4K for Ricky Seals-Jones. $5.1k for Chase Edmonds (if he plays, or $4.9k for David Johnson) at FLEX. $3.7k for the Miami Dolphins defense.

At FD: $6.6k for Big Ben. $6.7k for Zeke. $6k for Hubbard. $7.8k for Diontae. $8.5k for Davante Adams. $9k for Cooper Kupp. $4.5k for Seals-Jones. $6.5k for Edmonds (or $6.9k for Antonio Gibson) at FLEX. $4.2k for the Los Angeles Rams defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Aaron Rodgers, Big Ben at SF, Zeke, and James Robinson, Edmonds (or Hubbard or Myles Gaskin) at FLEX, Adams, Diontae, Chris Godwin, and Seals-Jones.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Josh Allen	$8,100	$8,700
Kyler Murray	$7,900	$8,800
Aaron Rodgers	$7,500	$7,600
Lamar Jackson	$7,200	$7,700
Matthew Stafford	$7,000	$7,700
Jalen Hurts	$6,600	$7,800
Dak Prescott	$6,500	$7,500
Russell Wilson	$6,400	$7,200
Joe Burrow	$6,100	$7,300
Ryan Tannehill	$5,900	$7,000
Jimmy Garoppolo	$5,800	$6,700
Tua Tagovailoa	$5,700	$7,400
Ben Roethlisberger	$5,600	$6,600
Taylor Heinicke	$5,500	$6,900
Teddy Bridgewater	$5,500	$6,600
Cam Newton	$5,400	$6,900
Davis Mills	$5,400	$6,800
Tyler Huntley	$5,400	$6,400
Matt Ryan	$5,300	$6,500
Gardner Minshew	$5,200	$6,200
Mike Glennon	$5,200	$6,700
Zach Wilson	$5,200	$6,500
Jared Goff	$5,100	$6,400
Trevor Lawrence	$5,100	$6,500
P.J. Walker	$5,000	$6,300
Mitchell Trubisky	$4,700	$6,100

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – If Aaron Rodgers isn’t limited by his toe, he has a layup of a game. The safer plays will be Matthew Stafford and Dak Prescott. Jimmy Garoppolo, Ben Roethlisberger, and Tua Tagovailoa are all solid plays at significant costs savings. If Gardner Minshew starts, he is almost a must-start punt option. If you want to take a deep flier, consider Trevor Lawrence and Davis Mills against each other.

Fantasy Four-pack

Dak Prescott, Cowboys @ NYG
($6,500 DK, $7,500 FD)
Dak faces a defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing scores over the last four weeks. For the year, New York finds itself in the bottom half against the position in every major category. Plus, Prescott has dominated New York recently. In his last four full games against the Giants (he was injured halfway through the Week 5 game last year), Dak has posted 1,351 yards and 14 TDs.

Matthew Stafford, Rams vs. SEA
($7,000 DK, $7,500 FD)
After a few shaky starts, Stafford appears to have turned things around. Seattle should accommodate further the repair to his season numbers. They have allowed the most total passing yards and the second-most completions this year. Keep an eye on Odell Beckham’s COVID status. I believe his presence has actually aided Stafford’s rebound. If Beckham is out, Van Jefferson will need to step it up, making him a great potential stack option.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ BAL
($7,500 DK, $7,600 FD)
The Ravens have lost all semblance of pass defense. That is arguably the worst thing that can happen with Rodgers coming to town. As long as his toe doesn’t fall off, Aaron will be doling out TDs like Oprah Winfrey doles out Christmas gifts. The Ravens have been especially rotten against the deep pass. This is why I am going to stack Marquez Valdes-Scantling as often as I can.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals @ DET
($7,900 DK, $8,800 FD)
James Conner is not 100 percent and he may end up missing the game. Chase Edmonds may or may not return this week. Eno Benjamin is nothing special. Still, this is a game against Detroit. That means that we should see three or four rushing TDs. There is a realistic world where all of those TDs go to Kyler. Anything he does through the air is gravy.

DFS Sleepers

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers vs. TEN
($5,600 DK, $6,600 FD)
Big Ben has always fared better at home than on the road. It has helped that he has always had multiple quality WRs. Tennessee may appear to have righted their ship against opposing QBs allowing only four passing TDs over the last five weeks. Upon closer examination, however, this five-week stretch includes their bye week and games against Mac Jones, Tyrod Taylor, Trevor Siemian, and Trevor Lawrence. Even an aged Roethlisberger is a surer thing than anyone on that list.

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers vs. ATL
($5,800 DK, $6,700 FD)
Garoppolo continues to have success despite having his top WR playing mostly running back. Atlanta’s pass defense also looks better than earlier this year thanks to a series of untalented opponents over the last month plus. Rest assured, they aren’t any better than they were earlier this year. If Eli Mitchell returns this week, then Garoppolo will get Deebo Samuel back as a WR. That is a scary thought.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Najee Harris	$7,800	$8,800
Ezekiel Elliott	$7,300	$6,700
Joe Mixon	$7,200	$8,300
Cordarrelle Patterson	$6,900	$7,000
Aaron Jones	$6,600	$7,500
Saquon Barkley	$6,500	$7,300
James Conner	$6,400	$8,000
D’Andre Swift	$6,300	$7,300
Eli Mitchell	$6,200	$7,800
Javonte Williams	$6,100	$7,000
Antonio Gibson	$6,000	$6,900
Darrell Henderson	$5,900	$6,800
Melvin Gordon	$5,900	$7,000
Miles Sanders	$5,800	$6,500
Sony Michel	$5,800	$6,800
Tony Pollard	$5,800	$5,800
AJ Dillon	$5,700	$7,500
Chuba Hubbard	$5,700	$6,000
Myles Gaskin	$5,600	$6,600
Devonta Freeman	$5,500	$5,900
James Robinson	$5,400	$6,300
Rashaad Penny	$5,400	$6,100
Jamaal Williams	$5,300	$6,000
D’Onta Foreman	$5,200	$5,800
Chase Edmonds	$5,100	$6,500
Mike Davis	$5,100	$5,600
Devin Singletary	$5,000	$5,400
J.D. McKissic	$5,000	$5,300
Jeff Wilson	$5,000	$5,800
Tevin Coleman	$5,000	$5,500
David Johnson	$4,900	$5,500
Dontrell Hilliard	$4,900	$5,200
Matt Breida	$4,800	$5,300
Ty Johnson	$4,800	$5,400
Michael Carter	$4,700	$5,900
Jeremy McNichols	$4,600	$5,300
Latavius Murray	$4,600	$5,100
Phillip Lindsay	$4,600	$5,500
Craig Reynolds	$4,300	$5,300
Jordan H0ward	$4,300	$5,700
Boston Scott	$4,200	$5,400

Running Back

Weekly strategy – The RB field this week is shaky thanks to several injuries and COVID absences. Ezekiel Elliott should be the best option on paper, but his season hasn’t inspired confidence. Whoever starts for Arizona is a must-start for you. My money is on Chase Edmonds getting the call. The same goes for whoever starts for Miami. In that case, I am hoping that Myles Gaskin is recovered in time to start. The only other options I feel truly solid with are Chuba Hubbard, Joe Mixon, Cordarrelle Patterson, Antonio Gibson, and James Robinson (au revoir Urban Meyer – don’t let the door kick ya on the way out!). If Eli Mitchell returns, you could also use him. On the other hand, if Mitchell doesn’t return, Jeff Wilson will have value for one more week. The punt options include whoever starts for the Jets, Eagles, and Titans.

Fantasy Four-pack

Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys @ NYG
($7,300 DK, $6,700 FD)
If we knew for certain that Tony Pollard would miss another game, then Zeke would be a lock for the top spot this week. The Giants are allowing 157 combo yards per game to opposing RBs. Pollard is nursing a torn plantar fascia, so I don’t have a clue how he thinks he is going to play. Dallas should put him on ice (literally) until the playoffs.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons @ SF
($6,900 DK, $7,000 FD)
Patterson is a league winner in regular fantasy despite playing for an anemic offense. His receiving numbers have fizzled over the last month diminishing his value some. Coincidentally, this has come at the same time that he has picked up his scoring. San Fran has allowed some big RB receiving games recently, so perhaps CP gets his PPR-mojo back this week. The Falcons will need him here.

Najee Harris, Steelers vs. TEN
($7,800 DK, $8,800 FD)
This is a sign of how rough the RB board is this week. Harris has zero chance at 3x on FD, but (barring an amazing recovery by James Conner) Najee still will finish as one of the top three RBs this week. Tennessee looks dominant against the run if you just look at the stats. However, every decent or better RB they have faced has had their way with them. Their stats are being padded significantly by facing a who’s who of the worst backfields in football.

Joe Mixon, Bengals @ DEN
($7,200 DK, $8,300 FD)
Over their last nine games, Denver is allowing an average of 163 combo yards to the position. Meanwhile, Mixon has had two straight pedestrian efforts. Of course, he was playing through a non-COVID illness last week. Prior to this mini-slump, Mixon had scored 12 times in eight games. He should get back on track this week.

DFS Sleepers

Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ BUF
($5,700 DK, $6,000 FD)
For some reason that escapes me, Buffalo’s run defense has gone south in correlation with the injury sustained by All-Pro cornerback, Tre’Davious White. Apparently, the rest of the defense is abandoning run-stoppage to fill White’s shoes in coverage? Seriously, though, this correlation doesn’t really make sense. All we can do is sit back and enjoy the results. Over their last four games, Buffalo has allowed 43 percent of their total RB allowed combo yards for the season (683/1,594). They have also given up seven of their 12 RB scores during this four-week span. Hubbard’s counting stats have been poor of late, but I expect Carolina to lean on him here.

Antonio Gibson, Football Team @ PHI
($6,000 DK, $6,900 FD)
Gibson had a tough go of it last week. Well, so did everyone on the Washington offense. Taylor Heinicke would have returned this week prior to his COVID diagnosis, so Garrett Gilbert draws the start. Philly is middle-of-the-pack against the run, but they have struggled with pass-catching backs. With J.D. McKissic appearing to be still sidelined by the concussion protocol, those vacated targets should go to Gibson.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
Cooper Kupp	$9,000	$9,000
Davante Adams	$8,900	$8,500
Deebo Samuel	$8,200	$8,200
Stefon Diggs	$7,700	$7,800
Diontae Johnson	$7,500	$7,200
CeeDee Lamb	$7,400	$7,400
Ja’Marr Chase	$7,100	$7,500
Tyler Lockett	$7,000	$7,300
Terry McLaurin	$6,800	$6,900
Jaylen Waddle	$6,600	$7,100
Tee Higgins	$6,500	$6,800
Amari Cooper	$6,400	$7,000
Brandon Aiyuk	$6,300	$6,600
DK Metcalf	$6,200	$6,800
DeVonta Smith	$6,100	$5,900
DJ Moore	$6,000	$6,600
Chase Claypool	$5,900	$6,400
Marquise Brown	$5,900	$6,700
Brandin Cooks	$5,800	$6,900
Russell Gage	$5,800	$6,000
Van Jefferson	$5,600	$6,200
Michael Gallup	$5,500	$5,900
Jerry Jeudy	$5,400	$6,100
Odell Beckham	$5,400	$6,000
Christian Kirk	$5,300	$6,000
Kenny Golladay	$5,300	$5,400
Amon-Ra St. Brown	$5,200	$5,900
Kadarius Toney	$5,100	$5,200
Jamison Crowder	$5,000	$5,700
Rashod Bateman	$5,000	$5,800
A.J. Green	$4,900	$5,700
Cole Beasley	$4,900	$5,800
Marquez Valdes-Scantling	$4,900	$5,500
Tyler Boyd	$4,900	$5,700
Robby Anderson	$4,800	$5,800
Sterling Shepard	$4,700	$5,600
Courtland Sutton	$4,600	$5,600
Marvin Jones	$4,600	$5,700
Darius Slayton	$4,500	$5,000
Tim Patrick	$4,500	$5,500
Kalif Raymond	$4,400	$5,200
DeVante Parker	$4,300	$5,800
Josh Reynolds	$4,300	$5,100
Laviska Shenault	$4,300	$5,400
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine	$4,200	$5,300
Sammy Watkins	$4,100	$5,200
Allen Lazard	$4,000	$5,300
Quez Watkins	$3,900	$5,300
DeAndre Carter	$3,800	$5,100
Curtis Samuel	$3,700	$4,800
Gabriel Davis	$3,700	$4,900
Cedrick Wilson	$3,500	$4,900
James Washington	$3,500	$5,100
Keelan Cole	$3,500	$5,000
Nico Collins	$3,500	$5,300
Olamide Zaccheaus	$3,500	$5,000
Albert Wilson	$3,400	$5,000
Laquon Treadwell	$3,300	$5,100
Ray-Ray McCloud	$3,300	$5,000
Jalen Reagor	$3,200	$5,000

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – So, as much as I hate the RB class this week, I love the WR group. Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams each have a great matchup despite their huge salaries. I could see using one of them, but not both. I also really love Diontae Johnson, and CeeDee Lamb this week. I will have at least one of these four in all of my lineups. I like Brandon Aiyuk and DeVonta Smith as possible WR2s. Other possible plays there include Christian Kirk, A.J. Green, Jerry Jeudy, Odell Beckham (if he plays), and Van Jefferson. WR3 should be easy to fill as well. If you don’t use Adams, your WR3 must be Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Otherwise, I would consider Jamison Crowder, Rashod Bateman, Nico Collins, Albert Wilson, one of the Lions, or one of the Jaguars.

Fantasy Four-pack

Davante Adams, Packers @ BAL
($8,900 DK, $8,500 FD)
Baltimore has devolved into one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Now they have to face Aaron Rodgers and his weapons of PASS destruction. Adams leads this artillery in every category and it isn’t particularly close. As long as Rodgers isn’t hindered by his foot, this will be a Green Bay blowout.

Diontae Johnson, Steelers vs. TEN
($7,500 DK, $7,200 FD)
Since Week 8, Johnson leads the league in targets, he is third among WRs in receiving yards, and fourth in receptions. Now, he gets to face the team that has allowed the most receptions and receiving yards to the position, along with the fourth-most WR scores. Johnson is easily the surest 3x performer on this docket.

Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. SEA
($9,000 DK, $9,000 FD)
Kupp leads the league in every relevant WR category. He should be in the discussion for league MVP and is without a doubt the fantasy MVP this year. Week 5 versus Seattle was one of the very few times this year that Kupp didn’t score. He still posted 7-92. With Beckham in COVID protocol, Kupp may need to be even more involved this week. Of course, that also could mean more double coverage for him.

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys @ NYG
($7,400 DK, $7,400 FD)
The Giants have struggled against elite WRs all season. That said, they have been particularly bad of late allowing a league second-worst six WR touchdowns and fourth-worst 57 receptions over the last four games. Lamb has been Dak Prescott’s favorite target this season leading the Cowboys in every receiving category.

DFS Sleepers

Christian Kirk, Cardinals @ DET
($5,300 DK, $6,000 FD)
Earlier this year when DeAndre Hopkins was out, Kirk led the Cardinals in receiving yards. Nuk is now out until at least the playoffs, so some combination of Kirk, A.J. Green, and Rondale Moore will have to step it up once again. Detroit is not good against the pass or the run, so playing any of these guys is a great idea.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers @ BAL
($4,900 DK, $5,500 FD)
There is a legit argument for starting both Adams and MVS. Baltimore’s secondary is a total shambles right now. Plus, they have been abused by long TDs this year. So far this season, Baltimore has allowed 14 TD passes of 20 yards or more and eight TD passes of 40 yards or more. This is his specialty. He has had five scores of 40-plus yards since the start of 2020.

	DraftKings	FanDuel
George Kittle	$7,500	$7,800
Mark Andrews	$6,400	$7,400
Kyle Pitts	$5,500	$5,800
Zach Ertz	$5,400	$5,300
Dallas Goedert	$5,300	$6,000
Dawson Knox	$5,100	$6,500
Mike Gesicki	$5,000	$6,200
Dalton Schultz	$4,900	$5,600
Pat Freiermuth	$4,500	$5,300
Noah Fant	$4,400	$5,600
Tyler Higbee	$4,000	$5,200
Gerald Everett	$3,500	$4,900
Ricky Seals-Jones	$3,400	$4,500
Albert Okwuegbunam	$3,300	$5,200
James O’Shaughnessy	$3,200	$4,600
C.J. Uzomah	$3,100	$5,100
Evan Engram	$3,100	$5,000
Geoff Swaim	$3,000	$4,600
Pharaoh Brown	$2,900	$4,400
Ryan Griffin	$2,900	$4,600
Brevin Jordan	$2,800	$4,900
Brock Wright	$2,800	$4,500
Josiah Deguara	$2,700	$4,600
Tommy Tremble	$2,600	$4,600
Marcedes Lewis	$2,500	$4,300

Tight End

Weekly strategy – This TE pool is thin this week. George Kittle should have another huge game if Eli Mitchell remains out. Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz are the safest pivots. I don’t dislike Dalton Schultz, Tyler Higbee, and Noah Fant, but each has a reason to make me hesitant. My recommendation is to play one of the top-three, or punt completely to Ricky Seals-Jones, Brevin Jordan, or James O’Shaughnessy.

Fantasy Four-pack

George Kittle, 49ers vs. ATL
($7,500 DK, $7,800 FD)
Kittle has been ridiculous since Deebo Samuel moved primarily to RB with the absence of Mitchell. In those two games, Kittle has posted 22-332-3. He has also scored six times in his last six games. If Samuel goes back to WR this week, Kittle might see a slip in targets, but not enough to ignore him here.

Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. GB
($6,400 DK, $7,400 FD)
Andrews did well with Tyler Huntley at the helm last week. I’d still feel better about him if we knew Lamar Jackson was going to play. It doesn’t help that Green Bay is actually above average against the position. Still, Andrews leads all TEs in receiving yards and receptions. So, don’t write him off completely.

Zach Ertz, Cardinals @ DET
($5,400 DK, $5,300 FD)
Hopkins’ absence should provide Ertz with some additional targets, especially in the red zone. Since joining the Cards in Week 7, Ertz leads the team in receiving TDs and receptions. He is also second in receiving yards and targets. Meanwhile, Detroit has allowed the fourth-most TE scores, the seventh-most TE receiving yards, and the eighth-most receptions to the position.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. WAS
($5,300 DK, $6,000 FD)
Not surprisingly, since Zach Ertz left the team in Week 7, Goedert leads the Eagles in receptions and receiving yards. He is also second in receiving TDs and targets. In Week 13, with Gardner Minshew at QB, Goedert had his best week of the season. If Jalen Hurts returns this week, bump Goedert down slightly. If Minshew gets another start, consider using them as a stack. Heck, this might be your first chance to feel comfortable doing a double-TE stack with both Goedert and Ertz.

DFS Sleepers

Ricky Seals-Jones, Football Team @ PHI
($3,400 DK, $4,500 FD)
Do you think that Philly spent their bye week attempting to learn how to guard the TE position? Yeah, I don’t think so, either. They rank dead last in all of the pertinent statistical categories against the TE position. RSJ didn’t do much in his first game back from injury. That said, he also didn’t play a full complement of snaps. One full week later, he should be ready to take on a full workload. Terry McLaurin remains questionable with a concussion. If he is out, Seals-Jones could even make more of an impact here.

Tyler Higbee, Rams vs. SEA
($4,000 DK, $5,200 FD)
Higbee was robbed of a start last week because of a false-positive COVID test. He should make up for that this week against a Seattle defense that has allowed an average of 7-88-1.25 to the position over the last four weeks. Higbee has been involved heavily in the offense, even since Beckham arrived. If Beckham misses this game due to COVID, Higbee might see an additional bump in his targets.