Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 14

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 14 DFS fantasy football

With redraft playoffs in sight, this week marks the final week of byes for the NFL. Of course, they saved one of the worst byes for when it mattered most as Jonathan Taylor will not be leading his owners this week.

For those teams that are toilet bowl bound or that have felt the drop of the guillotine, the hope of regular-season glory might be out the door already. Fortunately, DFS continues well into the fantasy playoffs and even the NFL playoffs as we always give you the best plays up until conference championship games.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Justin Fields is starting a divisional rivalry matchup with the Green Bay Packers in primetime in December (although early reports are that the weather will be better Sunday than the rest of the week). This is what none of us needed. If there wasn’t a long-standing history between these two franchises, this game would’ve probably been flexed. In a slate with three top-10 fantasy QBs, seeing Fields as the fourth option leaves me humming the old Sesame Street “one of these things is not like the others” ditty. I’m surprised that Chicago wants to throw the youngster into the fire coming off of an injury to his ribs. I know from personal experience that rib injuries feel worse in the cold.

We have two strong QBs on MNF, but they also both have very good defenses. This is why even if the weather is bad here, I have to choose Aaron Rodgers as the QB1.

David Montgomery (groin, glute, shoulder) came back from his injury and immediately returned to bell-cow status. He remains the most physically-gifted member of the Bears offense. He is also the safest RB on the board here. I like him as my RB1. Khalil Herbert has shrunk back into the woodwork, but he has the talent to succeed if Monty’s current bevy of injuries proven costly. You can throw him into a Showdown lineup as an injury-pivot, just don’t expect anything substantial without that injury absence.

Aaron Jones should be back healthy for this game after getting a one-week rest. If A.J. Dillon wasn’t also on this roster, I would make him the clear RB2 on this slate. Unfortunately, these two will likely split touches and that could shrink each of their values. This week there are questions to every backfield except Chicago, so Jones will still be no worse than RB3 on the board. Dillon can be used as a FLEX at RB5/6.

Darnell Mooney is the only Chicago receiver you should seriously concern yourself with. He is the WR4/5 on the slate and deserves consideration at WR2 or WR3 if you spend up at the position. Marquise Goodwin suffered a pair of injuries and ended up missing most of the last two weeks. In his absence, Jakeem Grant has stepped up as a solid WR2 for Chicago, but he and Goodwin (if he plays) are no better than punt options here. Damiere Byrd has also seen a bump in usage, but he would be the low-man on my Chicago punt WR list. Oh, yeah, I didn’t forget about Allen Robinson. I just wish I could. I have to believe that most of the Chicago faithful feel the same.

Davante Adams deserves the WR1 spot on this board. He will of course have to fend off Cooper Kupp, but Adams’ matchup is definitely the better of the two. Allen Lazard returned in Week 12 and finished third on the team in WR targets. If he can avoid catching the ‘VID, he should catch a few passes here. He is a very safe WR3 option if you want exposure to this game at a cheaper price. The same can be said for Marquez Valdes-Scantling. MVS actually has more targets than Adams over the last two games. He has both a higher ceiling and a lower floor than Lazard. Randall Cobb (core) is out indefinitely, which could open a few targets for the not-named-Adams receivers.

Chicago with Andy Dalton under center has provided a boost in value to both the veteran, Jimmy Graham, and the youngster, Cole Kmet. Both would’ve been TD threats if Dalton started. Since Fields gets the start, Kmet falls to TE3 and Graham can be ignored.

Can you name Green Bay’s starting TE(s)? It technically falls to either Josiah Deguara or Marcedes Lewis. Neither should be in your tourney lineup. Lewis can perhaps be used in Showdown contests but, even then, that would be a desperation reach.

Green Bay’s defense isn’t very good, but they face the easiest QB on the slate. I imagine their ownership percentage will be huge. I’ll probably diversify between the two teams on MNF instead. As for Chicago, the only way I would play them is if the winds are stronger than 40 mph with horizontal snow coming down.

Monday night, two great offenses hook up against two great defenses. In their earlier meeting, they still managed to score 57 combined points. Matthew Stafford finished that game with 280-2. Of course, Stafford has also struggled over the last month or so. I’ll rate him at QB3 on this board, but his absolute ceiling is probably 300-3 and this feels like a 275-2 type of game.

Kyler Murray returned from injury last week and had a big game. I didn’t expect him to blow up in his first game back, but he did. The Cardinals ran all over the Los Angeles Rams in their earlier contest. That was pre-Von Miller. His presence will put a slight dent in Murray’s rushing output, but I still feel that Kyler finishes at QB2 here.

Darrell Henderson was active last week. Unfortunately, he had the same number of touches as I did. Obviously, his was just an emergency activation. The fact that he was active at least suggests that he should play this week. Still, we should be concerned about his potential volume. I’d have less concern if Sony Michel didn’t show out last week. We need to remember, however, Michel’s performance came against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. I’ll put Henderson at RB4 and Michel at RB7 this week (unless Henderson has a setback).

Early reports suggest that Chase Edmonds will return this week. That is too bad, because James Conner was having a career resurgence. Conner will remain the TD threat (despite Murray’s presence). Edmonds blew up against Los Angeles earlier this year. Still, I cannot imagine him getting even a half share in his first game back. Conner will be my RB3 and Edmonds will be no higher than RB5 here, but either could be used at FLEX.

Cooper Kupp continues to wreak havoc on the league. Only once this season has he failed to top 90 receiving yards and/or score. Of course, that game was the one against Arizona. I slightly prefer Davante Adams’ matchup this week, but Kupp needs to be in WR1 consideration. I also see no reason to not use both of them. Odell Beckham has now scored in back-to-back games. I think he could make it three in a row here as he continues to, literally, demand targets. If you want access to this game but don’t think you can afford Kupp, use OBJ. Van Jefferson has also done well since Robert Woods’s injury. He has six or more targets in each of his last six games. In their earlier meeting, Jefferson had a big game playing third-wheel. He still has that role, so I like him as a WR3 or FLEX play. Ben Skowronek has a great name, but he is not a great play. Leave him for Showdown slates, at best.

DeAndre Hopkins returned last week and caught a TD, then didn’t do much else. It is good to see him return, but I’d like to see more action for him. His numbers may have been higher if the Cardinals needed to throw more last week. I still see him as the WR3/4 here. I just don’t think I feel comfortable paying this much for him knowing that he will have to deal with Jalen Ramsey. He finished Week 4 with only a pedestrian 4-67-0. In that game, A.J. Green tied Nuk for the most receiving yards and he scored a TD. Coming off a no-show game last week, Green should be cheap and have low ownership. He makes a sneaky good WR3 play. Christian Kirk has noticed his numbers drop off of late. In a better game, I might consider him. I’ll leave him to Showdown slates only. The same goes for Rondale Moore.

Tyler Higbee will be no better than my TE2 here, and I expect him to finish as TE3. He has received steady targets since Woods’ injury, but he hasn’t done much with them. This means that he has become somewhat TD-dependent. This isn’t good when the team you are facing has allowed the second-fewest TE scores.

Zach Ertz is your top TE choice this week. The Rams are just so-so against the position and Maxx Williams toasted them in their earlier matchup. Plus, Ertz has fared well of late, with the obvious exception being last week. Let’s hope that Hopkins’ return doesn’t continue to hinder Ertz’s production.

These two defenses are solid. I lean slightly towards the Rams. Either would be a good choice since everyone else will be using the Packers.

[lawrence-related id=462780]

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $6.7k for Dak Prescott. $6k for Saquan Barkley. $5.9k for Javonte Williams. $8.1k for Stefon Diggs. $7.2k for CeeDee Lamb. $3.6k for Curtis Samuel. $3.5K for Evan Engram. $5.9k for Chuba Hubbard at FLEX. $3.1k for the Seattle Seahawks defense.

At FD: $8.1k for Prescott. $7.3k for Barkley. $7.1k for Josh Jacobs. $7.8k for Lamb. $8.2k for Diggs. $4.8k for Samuel. $5.7k for Dalton Schultz. $6.7k for Javonte at FLEX. $4.3k for the Los Angeles Chargers defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Patrick Mahomes, Prescott at SF, Jacobs, and Javonte, David Montgomery at FLEX, Lamb, Jarvis Landry, Travis Kelce, and Brevin Jordan.

DraftKings FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes $8,000 $8,500
Josh Allen $7,800 $8,800
Tom Brady $7,600 $8,200
Lamar Jackson $7,400 $7,900
Justin Herbert $7,100 $8,400
Dak Prescott $6,700 $8,100
Russell Wilson $6,600 $7,500
Ryan Tannehill $6,400 $7,300
Joe Burrow $6,000 $7,100
Derek Carr $5,900 $7,200
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,800 $6,700
Teddy Bridgewater $5,700 $7,200
Taysom Hill $5,600 $7,700
Taylor Heinicke $5,500 $7,100
Cam Newton $5,400 $7,400
Matt Ryan $5,300 $6,800
Zach Wilson $5,300 $6,600
Baker Mayfield $5,200 $6,500
Trevor Siemian $5,200 $7,000
Jared Goff $5,100 $6,400
Trevor Lawrence $5,100 $6,300
Brandon Allen $5,000 $6,200
Davis Mills $5,000 $6,600
Mike Glennon $4,900 $6,200
Jake Fromm $4,800 $6,000

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – The board is ugly this week. You have to pay up for Patrick MahomesJosh Allen, or Dak Prescott. There is a whole bunch of chaff in the middle. None of it screams, “Play me.” You can take a flier on Baker Mayfield or maybe Trevor Lawrence. It wouldn’t be my choice to do so, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Fantasy Four-pack

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs vs. LV
($8,000 DK, $8,500 FD)
The Las Vegas Raiders have watched their defense take a long walk off of a short pier recently. Cue up a rematch against Mahomes, who threw for 406-5 just a couple of weeks ago. It was Mahomes’ only decent start since Week 6, so take it with a grain of salt. Still, St. Patrick is one of the only sure things this week.

Dak Prescott, Cowboys @ WAS
($6,700 DK, $8,100 FD)

Locking Dak in against one of the worst pass defenses in football should be the easiest decision of the week. Every quality QB to face them (and many lower-quality options) has dusted this pansy defense. Considering the price difference, I actually feel better about Prescott hitting 3x than even Mahomes. Feel free to stack him with any of his starting WRs or Dalton Schultz.

Josh Allen, Bills @ TB
($7,800 DK, $8,800 FD) 

Tampa has allowed the seventh-most passing TDs. Meanwhile, Allen has multiple TDs in all but three games. I don’t love the FD price, but this game could be higher-scoring.

Lamar Jackson, Ravens @ CLE
($7,400 DK, $7,900 FD)
This isn’t the best matchup on paper, but Jackson has the physical tools to exploit even tough situations. Jackson had twelve TDs against Cleveland during 2019 and 2020, but he posted only one score back in Week 12 of this season. If he can throw for 200-1 and add 75-1 on the ground, I will be happy.

DFS Sleepers

Baker Mayfield, Browns vs. BAL
($5,200 DK, $6,500 FD)
Baker is back at home for a Week 12 rematch with Baltimore. His previous game line was pedestrian, but he was also dealing with roughly 183 injuries and a few bumps and bruises, too. He got a bye week to recover, Baltimore got into a dogfight against Pittsburgh, where they suffered many crucial injuries. One of which was to key CB Marlon Humphrey. I’m probably going to spend up this week at QB, but if I must slum it up, this is a safer risk than most.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars @ TEN
($5,100 DK, $6,300 FD)
Trevor threw for 332-3 back in Week 1. Since then he has thrown for over 300 yards only once, and he has only six total passing TDs. Still, this is a battle of two rotten defenses facing two injury-decimated offenses. So, we could see some sneaky points scored here. Lawrence posted one of his better games of the season against Tennessee back in Week 5. It was 273-1  through the air, and he added 28 rushing yards and a score on the ground. A repeat of that performance would be much appreciated on this ugly slate.

DraftKings FanDuel
Austin Ekeler $8,300 $9,200
Alvin Kamara $7,900 $9,000
Joe Mixon $7,700 $8,500
Nick Chubb $7,600 $7,500
Leonard Fournette
$7,400 $7,600
Ezekiel Elliott $7,300 $6,900
Cordarrelle Patterson $6,900 $7,800
Eli Mitchell $6,700 $7,400
D’Andre Swift $6,600 $7,000
Tony Pollard $6,400 $6,100
Josh Jacobs $6,200 $7,100
Clyde Edwards-Helaire $6,100 $6,500
Antonio Gibson $6,000 $7,400
Saquan Barkley $6,000 $7,300
Chuba Hubbard $5,900 $6,500
Javonte Williams $5,900 $6,700
James Robinson $5,800 $6,400
Mark Ingram $5,800 $7,200
Devonta Freeman $5,700 $6,300
Kareem Hunt $5,600 $6,500
Jamaal Williams $5,500 $6,200
Melvin Gordon $5,400 $6,700
Darrel Williams $5,300 $6,500
Dontrell Hilliard $5,300 $7,000
Matt Breida $5,300 $5,400
Alex Collins $5,200 $5,600
Jeremy McNichols $5,200 $5,300
David Johnson $5,100 $5,500
D’Onta Foreman $5,100 $5,900
J.D. McKissic $5,000 $5,300
Tevin Coleman $5,000 $5,400
Latavius Murray $4,900 $5,300
Mike Davis $4,900 $5,700
Adrian Peterson $4,700 $5,600
Devin Singletary $4,700 $5,500
Carlos Hyde $4,600 $5,800
Rex Burkhead $4,600 $5,300
Jeff Wilson $4,400 $4,900
Ty Johnson $4,400 $4,900
DeeJay Dallas $4,300 $4,800
Kyle Juszczyk $4,000 $4,500

Running Back

Weekly strategy – There are some injury concerns at the top of the RB price spectrum this week. Assuming Austin Ekeler and Alvin Kamara are good to go, they are the best plays of the week. Ekeler could see ridiculous volume with both of the Chargers’ starting WRs dealing with COVID. Leonard Fournette is the only high-priced pivot as throwing against Buffalo usually doesn’t work. I will have one of these three in many lineups. This week may be the one to go with some middle-tier RBs. Josh Jacobs, Antonio Gibson, Saquan Barkley, Chuba Hubbard, and Javonte Williams all could be your RB1 and RB2. Considering how thin the bottom tier is this week, you will need to roster at least one of them. Your dart throws include choosing which Titan will lead the way, which Seahawk will lead the way, or hoping that Eli Mitchell and/or D’Andre Swift is out so you can go for cheap volume with their backups. Generally speaking, though, this just seems like the week to not go dumpster diving here.

Fantasy Four-pack

Austin Ekeler, Chargers vs. NYG
($8,300 DK, $9,200 FD)
As I mentioned above, Ekeler may be the top WR option for Los Angeles this week. Both, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are in the COVID protocol right now. These absences hurt Justin Herbert’s value slightly, but it should severely boost Ekeler’s value. He has scored in all but three games and will score here as well, but the reason to play him this week is the 12- to 15-catch ceiling he is looking at.

Alvin Kamara, Saints @ NYJ
($7,900 DK, $9,000 FD
Kamara returns from his injury as his backup, Mark Ingram, finds himself headed to the COVID list. I’m always concerned about a player’s workload returning from an injury, but you and I could each run for nearly 100 yards behind any professional offensive line against this defense. I’d also normally be concerned about Taysom Hill vulturing his touchdown opportunities, but both of them could score multiple times this week, and Hill won’t vulture any of Kamara’s receptions.

Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers vs. BUF
($7,400 DK, $7,600 FD)

Throwing against Buffalo is a fool’s game. Much like running against Tampa Bay. Tom Brady will likely struggle by his lofty standards this week. So, don’t be surprised if the Bucs lean heavily on Fournette once again. Buffalo just got trampled by the Patriots on Monday night, despite knowing that they were going to run on every down. I seriously have no idea how they will hold Fournette in check with the looming presence of Brady finding someone open in the back of their minds.

Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. SF
($7,700 DK, $8,500 FD)
Mixon has 13 TDs over his last nine games. This includes scoring at least one in every single one of those games. Meanwhile, only four teams have allowed more total RB scores than San Fran. I’d feel much more comfortable here if Mixon was feeling better. He did have a non-COVID illness this week and he tweaked his neck last Sunday. If his bill of health is fully cleared on Sunday he might be able to reach 3x value.

DFS Sleepers

Chuba Hubbard, Panthers vs. ATL
($5,900 DK, $6,500 FD)
Carolina actually fired Joe Brady because he wouldn’t run the ball more. OK, let’s see what happens for Hubbard here. Chuba isn’t Christian McCaffrey, but he can be a reasonable dollar-store knockoff. It helps his cause that Atlanta has been futile against the run this year. Only twice have they not allowed at least one double-digit PPR performance this season. In those two games, they faced true “split” backfields, where they combined for a huge performance.

Javonte Williams, Broncos vs. DEN
($5,900 DK, $6,700 FD)
Speaking of split backfields, no team has seen a more even split of things than Denver. Plus, both Williams and Melvin Gordon have each looked great when they have been given the opportunity. Detroit trails only the New York Jets in terms of TDs allowed to the position. So, once again, they both could post absurdly good numbers this week. That said, Williams did his best Derrick Henry impersonation last week, so I don’t see how Denver doesn’t give him the advantage in touches this time around. One argument for playing Gordon is that Williams will have high ownership after last week’s line. Realistically, both could approach 100-1 this week.

DraftKings FanDuel
Tyreek Hill $8,500 $8,700
Stefon Diggs $8,100 $8,200
Deebo Samuel $8,000 $8,500
Keenan Allen $7,600 $7,600
CeeDee Lamb $7,200 $7,800
Chris Godwin $7,100 $7,700
Terry McLaurin $7,000 $7,100
Ja’Marr Chase $6,900 $7,200
Tyler Lockett $6,700 $7,300
Mike Evans $6,600 $7,200
DK Metcalf $6,500 $7,300
Tee Higgins $6,400 $6,800
Marquise Brown $6,300 $7,000
DJ Moore $6,200 $6,800
Hunter Renfrow $6,100 $6,700
Mike Williams $6,000 $6,900
Amari Cooper $5,900 $6,700
Elijah Moore $5,900 $6,300
Brandon Aiyuk $5,800 $6,400
Brandin Cooks $5,700 $6,500
Russell Gage $5,700 $6,200
Jerry Jeudy $5,600 $6,300
Michael Gallup $5,500 $6,100
Jarvis Landry $5,400 $6,400
Julio Jones $5,400 $6,500
Courtland Sutton $5,300 $6,000
Kadarius Toney $5,100 $5,300
Amon-Ra St. Brown $5,000 $5,800
Cole Beasley $5,000 $5,900
Tyler Boyd $5,000 $5,900
Emmanuel Sanders $4,900 $5,800
Kenny Golladay $4,800 $5,500
Tim Patrick $4,800 $5,700
Tre’Quan Smith $4,800 $5,600
Jamison Crowder $4,700 $5,500
Rashod Bateman $4,700 $5,400
Sammy Watkins $4,600 $5,300
Sterling Shepard $4,600 $5,700
Marvin Jones $4,500 $5,400
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine $4,500 $5,700
Darius Slayton $4,400 $5,000
Laviska Shenault $4,300 $5,300
Marquez Callaway $4,300 $5,500
Robby Anderson $4,300 $5,500
Kalif Raymond $4,200 $5,000
Josh Reynolds $4,100 $5,300
DeSean Jackson $3,900 $5,100
Donovan Peoples-Jones $3,900 $5,200
Mecole Hardman $3,900 $5,300
Olamide Zaccheaus $3,800 $5,100
Curtis Samuel $3,600 $4,800
Tajae Sharpe $3,600 $4,800
Cedrick Wilson $3,500 $5,300
Gabriel Davis $3,500 $4,800
Chester Rogers $3,400 $5,200
DeAndre Carter $3,400 $5,200
Jalen Guyton $3,400 $5,200
Laquan Treadwell $3,400 $5,100
Bryan Edwards $3,300 $5,000
Jauan Jennings $3,300 $4,900
Joshua Palmer $3,000 $4,700
Nico Collins $3,000 $5,100
Scotty Miller $3,000 $4,700

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – This is a weird week for expensive WRs. Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, and CeeDee Lamb should all blow up. I’d love to have one of them at WR1. That said, I am already spending a lot at QB, so I may have to spend down here. Lamb is my favorite of that threesome. The best money-saving pivots are Keenan Allen (if he plays), DK Metcalf, and DJ Moore. Unfortunately, all three of them have a slight concern holding me back from using them. Mike Williams could also be in play if he clears the COVID protocol. WR2 will likely come from Amari Cooper (if I don’t use Lamb), Jerry Jeudy, or Jarvis Landry. WR3 offers a larger pool of values. I like all of the starters for New Orleans and Jacksonville. I also am high on Donovan Peoples-Jones, Curtis Samuel, Gabriel Davis, and Jalen Guyton. Not exactly a murderer’s row, but all capable of excelling this week.

Fantasy Four-pack

Stefon Diggs, Bills @ TB
($8,100 DK, $8,200 FD)
The windstorm neutered Diggs’ output last week. That won’t be an issue at Tampa. The Bucs have really struggled with WR coverage this year (mainly due to the fact that you cannot run against them). Diggs has six scores over his last seven games. I don’t see any chance of Tampa holding him out of the end zone here and 7-75-1 feels like his receiving floor.

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs vs. LV
($8,500 DK, $8,700 FD)
Over the last four weeks, Vegas has allowed the third-most receptions and the fourth-most receiving TDs to the WR position. Tyreek went for two scores against the Raiders earlier this year. Last season, he scored once in each of their two games. Throwing the big-money Chiefs stack of Hill, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce together will leave you cash-poor elsewhere, but it should still pay off well.

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys @ WAS
($7,200 DK, $7,800 FD)
Washington struggles against opponent’s top WRs, WR2s, slot WRs, random WRs signed off of the street, offensive linemen that report eligible at WR, etc. What I’m implying is that any WR active for Dallas will perform like a stud this week. Lamb has surpassed Amari Cooper as the lead dog here, so I have the highest degree of faith in him.

DJ Moore, Panthers vs. ATL
($6,200 DK, $6,800 FD)
Moore struggled in the Week 8 meeting between these two teams. That, of course, was with Sam Darnold being chased all over the field by ghosts. Cam Newton hasn’t exactly wowed since taking over, but at least he isn’t worse than Darnold. Moore should see an uptick in receptions with Christian McCaffrey out once again, now it is just a matter of Cam and DJ getting on the same page. Another week of practice between them certainly won’t hurt. On Atlanta’s behalf, no team has allowed more receptions to the WR position over the last four weeks.

DFS Sleepers

Jarvis Landry, Browns vs. BAL
($5,400 DK, $6,400 FD)
Landry had his best game of the season two weeks ago against Baltimore. That was before Baltimore lost their top CB for the season. In that game, Landry had more targets than the entire rest of the Cleveland WR room combined. It wasn’t the first time that Jarvis went off versus the Ravens. Since joining Cleveland, Landry has faced Baltimore seven times averaging 6-91 per game.

Jerry Jeudy, Broncos vs. DET
($5,600 DK, $6,300 FD)
While I will have massive exposure to the running attack of Denver, I will also have some exposure to this passing attack. Since returning from injury, Jeudy has paced the Broncos in every passing category except TDs. I like his chances of scoring here against a feeble Detroit defense that was just embarrassed by Justin Jefferson last week.

DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $7,400 $7,500
George Kittle $6,900 $7,100
Darren Waller $6,400 $6,600
Rob Gronkowski $6,000 $7,000
Mark Andrews $5,900 $6,900
Kyle Pitts $5,500 $5,900
Dalton Schultz $5,400 $5,700
T.J. Hockenson $5,300 $6,100
Dawson Knox $5,000 $6,000
Noah Fant $4,500 $5,800
Foster Moreau $4,000 $5,200
Ricky Seals-Jones $3,600 $4,500
Evan Engram $3,500 $5,300
Gerald Everett $3,500 $4,800
Austin Hooper $3,400 $5,000
David Njoku $3,400 $5,000
Jared Cook $3,200 $5,100
Albert Okwuegbunam $3,100 $4,700
Nick Vannett $3,100 $4,700
C.J. Uzomah $3,000 $5,100
John Bates $3,000 $4,600
Pharoah Brown $3,000 $4,600
James O’Shaughnessy $2,900 $4,500
Juwan Johnson $2,900 $4,400
Ryan Griffin $2,900 $4,700
Donald Parham $2,800 $4,600
Geoff Swaim $2,800 $4,500
Anthony Firkser $2,700 $4,900
Cameron Brate $2,700 $4,800
Tommy Tremble $2,600 $4,700
Brevin Jordan $2,500 $4,600

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Travis Kelce is a great play this week despite the price. I also like George Kittle (as long as Deebo Samuel remains out) and Mark Andrews. After that, Dalton Schultz and Noah Fant are the other higher-priced options in play. Still, it will be hard to fade Evan Engram (at his price), Jared Cook (if all the WRs are out), or Ricky Seals-Jones (if he returns from his injury). Brevin Jordan, one of the Saints, and James O’Shaughnessy are my only true punt options here.

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. LV
($7,400 DK, $7,500 FD)
Vegas isn’t the worst team in the league versus TEs. Still, they are among the bottom four in every significant category against the position. Meanwhile, Kelce remains the gold standard at the position despite a sub-standard season. The typical Kelce season is so absurdly strong that this pretty damn impressive season is called out as just ‘aight. This feels like a week where Kelce reminds his detractors why he is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

George Kittle, Niners @ CIN
($6,900 DK, $7,100 FD)
Kittle had a monster Week 13 with Deebo Samuel out injured. As of now, we don’t know for certain if Samuel will play this weekend. If Deebo misses another game, don’t be surprised to see Kittle have a repeat performance. Cincy is not exactly a stiff defense against the position. They can hold mediocre or bad TEs in check, but they have been victimized by higher-end options like T.J. Hockenson, Pat Freiermuth, and Darren Waller. Kittle will be good for 7-70-1 if Samuel plays. If Deebo is out, expect closer to 11-120-1 or 2.

Mark Andrews, Ravens @ CLE
($5,900 DK, $6,900 FD)
Cleveland has apparently stopped covering opposing TEs. Since Week 8, the Browns have allowed an average of 6-62-0.8 to the position. That included a 4-65-1 by Andrews in Week 12. Including that game, Andrews now has posted 24-325-6 against Cleveland since the start of 2019.

Dalton Schultz, Cowboys @ WAS
($5,400 DK, $5,700 FD)
Washington is better against tight ends than wide receivers. That really isn’t saying much. Still, this game will feature enough scoring that Schultz has a great opportunity to give you access to this game script without breaking the bank. I particularly like the triple-stack with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

DFS Sleepers

Evan Engram, Giants @ LAC
($3,600 DK, $4,500 FD)
With Phail-ly on bye, Las Vegas and the Chargers are the two easiest TE defenses to pick on. Vegas gets Kelce, so you know they are about to get stomped. The Chargers get Engram, which will fly considerably lower under the radar. The Eagles are the only team to allow more TE scores this year than the Chargers. Plus five of those scores have come in the last four weeks.

Jared Cook, Chargers vs. NYG
($3,200 DK, $5,100 FD)
Justin Herbert 
will approach his huddle Sunday and see Cook, Donald Parham, and a bunch of reserve WRs. It should be pretty obvious who will pick up much of the slack assuming that both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams remain out with COVID. The Giants have already allowed nine different TEs to top 8 PPR points, and if Cook does that he is nearly at 3x on DK already. When you add on some additional targets his way, it seems inevitable.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 12

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 12 DFS fantasy football

Hopefully, you have recovered from the indigestion of this past Thursday. Certainly, you can heat up some leftovers and make yourself a delicious sandwich. We just need to be thankful for our fattened bellies and our fattened wallets, and now we get a chance to stuff ourselves with a second helping of Week 12 DFS delight.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Baker Mayfield is starting to look like the Black Knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. On Monday, during the @BlitzedPodcast, I compared him to Cavity Sam from the game Operation. Nevertheless, Kevin Stefanski is forcing him to persist. Can’t they start the kid that is watching the stadium for Baker in the commercial? If he does finally decide to take a rest Case Keenum gets the start and arguably makes a better fantasy play. Whichever of these two starts will be the QB4 on this slate.

Tyler Huntley started last week and didn’t look awful. Obviously, he is not Lamar Jackson, and if Lamar is healthy there is no chance that he isn’t playing. A healthy Jackson is the QB1 on the board, and an unhealthy but starting Jackson is QB3. If Huntley starts, he is the QB3, but I am not going to use him.

Kareem Hunt may return this week. If he does, it is a decent play, but his presence will actually murky things up with himself and Nick Chubb. If Hunt misses this one (as he should with the bye pending), Chubb is the RB1. If they both play, Chubb becomes RB2 and Hunt becomes RB4. This also puts D’Ernest Johnson back out to pasture. No Hunt = Johnson RB6.

Latavius Murray returned in Week 11, but he still played second fiddle to Devonta Freeman. What is this, 2015? Cleveland has been horse-bleep against the run recently. One of these two will be the RB3, my money is on Freeman. Which should leave the RB6/7 range for Murray.

Jarvis Landry as the last man standing is the de facto WR1 for Cleveland. I feel better about his chances if Keenum gets the start. Still, Baltimore has been mediocre against the pass. Even the once-unflappable Marlon Humphrey has been burnt a few times recently. Based on volume, both he and Donovan Peoples-Jones (if he returns from his groin injury) are playable at WR3/FLEX. Rashard Higgins will start if DPJ is not ready to return. He just isn’t talented enough to use even in a volume situation. Their fourth WR this past week was Ja’Marcus Bradley. He was called up from the practice squad but actually led the WR room in snaps. His deep ball threat factor is a kind of a duplication of DPJ. So bear that in mind. If DPJ is out, Bradley could be considered, especially in Showdown. The wild card is Anthony Schwartz. He looked like a young stud in Week 1 but hasn’t done much since then. He missed last week with a concussion, but he could be a deep punt WR3 if he plays.

Marquise Brown missed Week 11 due to a thigh injury. Before that, he was a target hog for Baltimore. The development of Rashod Bateman was already due to start altering that. Still, Bateman proved last week he is young enough that he will operate best as a WR2 on his team. On several occasions, the Browns have allowed multiple serviceable WR stat lines. So both are in WR3 consideration on this slate. Devin Duvernay and Sammy Watkins just won’t see enough usage if both Bateman and Brown suit up. Devin can be used in Showdown contests, but leave Sammy on the bench.

Baltimore has faced a murderer’s row of TEs this year. So their numbers are slightly inflated. Still, Cleveland almost trusts their TEs more than their WRs right now. Austin Hooper gets a ton of targets, but his final line always looks pedestrian. The story has been similar for David Njoku. Neither is a great play here, but they both might have a price worthy of a start. Hooper would be my choice of the two as the TE3 on the board.

Cleveland hasn’t been challenged by many imposing TEs this year. Still, on a small slate, Mark Andrews will be no worse than the TE2, and he will likely be the TE1. He owned the Browns last year, and I expect a repeat performance here.

Baltimore has the best defensive matchup on the board. Against a broken Baker or a backup Keenum, they should be your choice at DEF this week. Cleveland would have value if Huntley starts, but I still wouldn’t rank them higher than DEF3 here.

On Monday, the broken shell of Russell Wilson has a potential get-right matchup with the Washington Football Team. Washington has been one of the worst in the league against the pass this year. It is clear that the injury has Wilson not quite right, but he still gets the QB2 or QB3 slot here.

Taylor Heinicke had an impressive Week 11 in a tough matchup against the Panthers. Coming into that game, Carolina was ranked 1st overall against the pass and Seattle was the 32nd-ranked defense against the pass. This bodes well for young Taylor. Assuming Lamar Jackson plays, Heinicke and Wilson will jockey for the QB2/3 slot this week. The price difference puts Heinicke into most of my lineups.

Rashaad Penny is injured once again. Alex Collins had a tough go of it last week, and this week won’t be any easier. He will be no better than RB4 on the slate and that ranking is boosted by his volume of usage alone. DeeJay Dallas got some runs last week, including a TD. In a better matchup, I might consider him. Here, he is no better than an injury-punt FLEX play. Travis Homer did nothing last week. I expect him to do even less this time out.

Despite a fumble, Antonio Gibson got the lion’s share of touches last week. After a few injury-fueled, midseason duds, Gibson appears to have put the clamp down on the primary ball-carrier role. This is a bomb spot for him. If Kareem Hunt plays, Gibson could finish as the RB1 on this slate. If Hunt remains out, Gibson is a lock at RB2. J.D. McKissic does enough as a change-of-pack back and through the air to have value in a good matchup. This qualifies as one of those. If you don’t use Gibson, strongly consider starting McKissic as your FLEX to save some money. Jaret Patterson has been used recently to spell Gibson, but he won’t receive the volume necessary to be relevant here unless Gibson reinjures himself.

DK Metcalf has suffered the most due to Russell Wilson’s struggles the last two weeks. He couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity here to get back on track. Washington has allowed multiple stud WR performances basically every week this year. Metcalf must be in your starting lineup, and he should be either the WR1 or WR2 on the entire slate. As I just mentioned, multiple WRs have smashed against this defense on a weekly basis. This means that Tyler Lockett could easily have one of his overdue three-touchdown games here. One of these two must be in your lineup. There is no excuse not to use one of them. Freddie Swain looked to be the WR3 early on this year. Despite playing a fair number of snaps, he hasn’t caught a pass since Week 7. I’ll leave him for Showdown contests. The same goes for Dee Eskridge.

Terry McLaurin is in the conversation for WR1/2 this week. Seattle is playing better against the pass, but they can still be exploited by high-end WRs. Plus, most of the rest of Washington’s WR room is so-so. A returning Curtis Samuel could give this group a boost but I expect him to be on a snap count in his first game back. DeAndre Carter has scored in three straight games. I love him at WR3. Adam Humphries used to have value in PPR formats. He hasn’t done much in weeks, despite the team being shorthanded. You can ignore him. Cam Sims scored last week, but neither he nor Dax Milne will see enough snaps to be worth playing, especially if Samuel returns.

Washington has been mediocre against the TE position. Unfortunately, neither Gerald Everett nor Will Dissly is an obvious play. Everett may battle with the Cleveland TEs for TE3 on the board, but I’d rather use other players in this spot.

Ricky Seals-Jones missed last week’s game due to a hip injury. He is not guaranteed to return this week. Even if he does return, Logan Thomas is likely to return this week as well. Assuming no snap count for Thomas, he jumps into the TE2 spot on the slate. If neither of them plays, John Bates will get another start. He looked serviceable last week, but he doesn’t have the huge upside that Thomas or Seals-Jones would have against Seattle.

The WFT defense could harass the clearly not 100 percent Russell Wilson into some errant passes. I will definitely consider them. There is no upside in playing Seattle here.

[lawrence-related id=462433]

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $5.6k for Cam Newton. $6.3k for Saquan Barkley. $5.3k for Melvin Gordon. $8.3k for Justin Jefferson. $7.9k for Deebo Samuel. $6.2k for DJ Moore. $3.8K for Evan Engram. $4.3k for Ty Johnson at FLEX. $2.3k for the Houston Texans defense.

At FD: $6.6k for Ben Roethlisberger. $9.7k for Christian McCaffrey. $7.5k for Barkley. $8.1k for Jefferson. $7.1k for Diontae Johnson. $6.4k for Elijah Moore. $5.5k for Engram. $5.2k for Ty Johnson at FLEX. $3.8k for the Atlanta Falcons defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Tom Brady, Newton at SF, McCaffrey, and Damien Harris, Ty Johnson at FLEX, Jefferson, Chris Godwin, and DJ Moore, and Engram.

DraftKings FanDuel
Tom Brady $7,600 $8,200
Jalen Hurts $7,300 $8,400
Matthew Stafford $7,100 $7,700
Aaron Rodgers $6,900 $7,900
Justin Herbert $6,600 $7,800
Kirk Cousins $6,300 $7,500
Joe Burrow $6,200 $7,100
Ryan Tannehill $6,100 $7,200
Carson Wentz $5,800 $7,300
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,700 $6,500
Cam Newton $5,600 $8,000
Daniel Jones $5,600 $7,000
Matt Ryan $5,500 $7,100
Tua Tagovailoa $5,500 $6,900
Mac Jones $5,400 $6,800
Trevor Lawrence $5,400 $6,700
Teddy Bridgewater $5,300 $7,100
Tyrod Taylor $5,300 $7,400
Ben Roethlisberger $5,200 $6,600
Zach Wilson $5,100 $6,200

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Tom Brady is ready to blow up this week. I love him. My favorite pivots are Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins. Both Carson Wentz and Cam Newton can be used on DK but are a little too pricy on FD. Mac Jones and Tyrod Taylor are both serviceable punt options. That said, Ben Roethlisberger is such a bargain on both sites. I don’t see any way to truly avoid him. The only obvious knock is that he will have ridiculous ownership numbers.

Fantasy Four-pack

Tom Brady, Buccaneers @ IND
($7,600 DK, $8,200 FD)
Brady leads the league in passing touchdowns, and Indianapolis has allowed a league-high in passing touchdowns. Can it be this simple? Yes! In case you had too much worry, Brady has gotten Chris Godwin back. He got Rob Gronkowski back. He is getting Scotty Miller back. He may even get Antonio Brown back, though it’s unlikely. I expect Brady to have his sixth start of the year with four or more scores. Heck, he doesn’t even have to worry about any weather concerns this week.

Matthew Stafford, Rams @ GB
($7,100 DK, $7,700 FD)

Stafford got a week off to get back on the same page with his offense. Sean McVay definitely broke everything down and he should return both healthier and more explosive. The Packers are short-handed on every level of their defense right now and none of their missing players are guaranteed to return this week. We know Cooper Kupp will get his share, but I can see stacking Odell Beckham and Van Jefferson this week as well.

Kirk Cousins, Vikings @ SF
($6,300 DK, $7,500 FD) 

Minnesota is opening their offense up for Cousins, and he is responding by actually leading his team to victories. San Fran is actually pretty solid against the pass, but they have been bested by every single stud WR1 they have faced. This will be a hookup party between Kirk and Justin Jefferson. Even Adam Theilen is in play here as is the game stack with Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk.

Jalen Hurts, Eagles @ NYG
($7,300 DK, $8,400 FD)
I really don’t like that FD price here. Brady is actually cheaper as is Stafford and Cousins. That said, Hurts has been playing well thanks to his rushing abilities. We can never count on multiple running TDs, but Hurts does have multiple rushing scores in three of his last seven starts. He is also averaging 56 rushing yards per game. Any passing numbers that Jalen nets are cake, and the Giants serve up that cake on Giant-sized platters.

DFS Sleepers

Mac Jones, Patriots vs. TEN
($5,400 DK, $6,800 FD)
Leave it to the Patriots to have the most NFL-ready QB in the draft fall to them. His passing yardage already has him as a QB1 this season. Somehow, the only QBs to struggle against this defense were Carson Wentz (in one of two meetings), Patrick Mahomes, and Matthew Stafford. The rest of the league has eaten them alive. Jones is a lock for 275-2 here.

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers @ CIN
($5,200 DK, $6,600 FD)
We have identified this week’s glitch in the algorithm – and this isn’t even the Fanball “Secret Agent” play this week. Somehow, Big Ben did not see an increase in salary despite getting over COVID and getting back Chase Claypool. Cincy has the offense to keep this game up-tempo. That will mean lots of passing opportunities for the Steelers.

DraftKings FanDuel
Jonathan Taylor $9,100 $9,800
Christian McCaffrey $9,000 $9,700
Austin Ekeler $8,400 $8,400
Najee Harris $8,200 $8,800
Dalvin Cook
$8,100 $8,100
Joe Mixon $7,500 $8,000
Leonard Fournette $6,800 $7,100
Cordarrelle Patterson $6,500 $7,800
Saquan Barkley $6,300 $7,500
James Robinson $6,200 $7,600
Damien Harris $6,100 $6,000
Aaron Jones $6,000 $7,000
AJ Dillon $5,900 $6,900
Darrell Henderson $5,800 $7,300
Myles Gaskin $5,600 $6,200
Devontae Booker $5,400 $6,500
Eli Mitchell $5,400 $6,800
Jeff Wilson $5,300 $5,800
Melvin Gordon $5,300 $6,300
Javonte Williams $5,200 $5,700
Rhamondre Stevenson $5,200 $5,900
Jeremy McNichols $5,100 $5,500
Miles Sanders $5,100 $6,100
Mike Davis $4,900 $5,900
D’Onta Foreman $4,800 $5,700
Dontrell Hilliard $4,600 $5,500
David Johnson $4,500 $5,400
Sony Michel $4,400 $5,100
Ty Johnson $4,300 $5,200
Rex Burkhead $4,200 $5,700
Boston Scott $4,000 $5,200
Brandon Bolden $4,000 $4,900
Nyheim Hines $4,000 $5,200
Qadree Ollison $4,000 $5,200

Running Back

Weekly strategy – All of the expensive options have a concern to me. Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor are both super expensive. As is Najee Harris and he had one of the quickest-cleared concussions in history last week. Joe Mixon, Leonard Fournette, and Austin Ekeler all have tough matchups. At this point, Dalvin Cook and Saquan Barkley with a new OC are the safest options. I’ll probably use C-Mac or one of them as my RB1. Choosing one of the Broncos at RB2 makes sense. I also like Darrell Henderson in that spot. That said, there are many interesting punt options. Miles SandersDavid Johnson, Ty Johnson, or one of the Falcons’ reserves if Cordarrelle Patterson misses another game could be in play at RB2/FLEX. I am spending up at WR this week, so I will probably use two of the cheap options at RB2 and FLEX.

Fantasy Four-pack

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers @ MIA
($9,000 DK, $9,700 FD)
Miami appears to have improved their run defense over the last five weeks. That is until you look a little closer. In their last five contests, they have faced a who’s not who of fantasy RBs. In their first six games of the year, they were gouged like a pin cushion. They were especially susceptible to pass-catching backs like McCaffrey.

Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ SF
($8,100 DK, $8,100 FD
Cook at a reduced price against a middling run defense. I’m game. This is just one of those spots where Dalvin is the safest of the high(er) priced options. I may pivot off of him to Saquan Barkley to save money for my WRs, but he is a lock for 100 total yards and a score. Plus, he can always add a few receptions to his counter.

Saquan Barkley, Giants vs. PHI
($6,300 DK, $7,500 FD)

Philly has allowed the sixth-most running back rushing yards, the second-most RB receptions, and the 10th-most RB receiving yards. Barkley is capable of exploiting all three of those categories. Plus, the new OC, Freddie Kitchens, is used to using a run-heavy strategy as he utilized during his season as Browns head coach.

Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. TB
($9,100 DK, $9,800 FD)
Let me preface this by saying I will not be using Taylor at this price. That does not preclude me from including him in this article, however, as I always give you the top-4 projected scorers regardless of their price. Taylor proved last week that he can go off against a good run defense. This run defense is even more ruthless, so expecting a repeat performance would be a fool’s game. Nevertheless, Tampa can be beaten by pass-catching backs. Taylor should be able to put together some receiving-forward combo of 22-25 points here. That is actually pretty darn good, but not quite enough to spend this much. The fade is particularly useful here as others chase the points from last week.

DFS Sleepers

Miles Sanders, Eagles @ NYG
($5,100 DK, $6,100 FD)
Can we really trust the Eagles back this week? Sanders has a great matchup on paper, especially since Jordan Howard is doubtful to play. Despite an early fumble, Nick Sirianni stuck with Sanders against a very tough New Orleans run defense, and he performed well. This matchup is much easier, let’s hope we don’t get any coaching shenanigans here.

David Johnson, Texans vs. NYJ
($5,700 DK, $6,200 FD)
Houston cut Phillip Lindsay, leaving only 12 others to battle for touches in this backfield. You’d think they would use the back they traded DeAndre Hopkins for. Of course, this is the Texans and their mental acumen has often been questioned. The Jets have given up 15 total RB scores over their last five games. Johnson did nothing with 16 touches last week, but with 16 touches this week, he could finish with 3-4 TDs.

DraftKings FanDuel
Cooper Kupp $9,600 $9,500
Davante Adams $8,600 $8,700
Justin Jefferson $8,300 $8,100
Deebo Samuel $7,900 $8,000
Keenan Allen $7,400 $7,000
Ja’Marr Chase $7,300 $7,700
Mike Evans $7,200 $7,500
A.J. Brown $7,100 $6,800
Chris Godwin $7,000 $7,600
Adam Theilen $6,700 $7,200
Diontae Johnson $6,600 $7,100
DeVonta Smith $6,400 $6,400
DJ Moore $6,200 $6,700
Chase Claypool $6,000 $6,500
Jaylen Waddle $5,900 $6,700
Brandin Cooks $5,800 $6,500
Mike Williams $5,700 $6,600
Elijah Moore $5,600 $6,400
Michael Pittman $5,600 $6,600
Antonio Brown $5,500 $7,000
Jerry Jeudy $5,500 $6,100
Courtland Sutton $5,400 $6,000
Tee Higgins $5,400 $6,200
Brandon Aiyuk $5,300 $6,300
Marvin Jones $5,300 $5,900
Julio Jones $5,200 $6,000
Kadarius Toney $5,200 $5,600
Kenny Golladay $5,100 $5,900
Russell Gage $5,100 $5,700
Tyler Boyd $5,100 $5,800
Jakobi Meyers $5,000 $5,700
Odell Beckham $5,000 $5,800
Sterling Shepard $5,000 $6,200
Darius Slayton $4,900 $5,500
Kendrick Bourne $4,900 $5,800
Van Jefferson $4,900 $5,400
Corey Davis $4,800 $6,100
Tim Patrick $4,800 $5,700
Jamison Crowder $4,700 $5,900
Robby Anderson $4,700 $5,400
Laviska Shenault $4,400 $5,600
Olamide Zaccheaus $4,400 $5,400
Nelson Agholor $4,300 $5,500
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $4,100 $5,600
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine $4,000 $5,700
T.Y. Hilton $4,000 $5,500
Chris Conley $3,900 $5,200
James Washington $3,900 $5,300
Tajae Sharpe $3,900 $5,000
Tyler Johnson $3,900 $5,300
Allen Lazard $3,800 $5,200
Randall Cobb $3,700 $5,300
Chester Rogers $3,500 $5,300
Quez Watkins $3,500 $5,100
Zach Pascal $3,500 $5,300
K.J. Osborn $3,400 $5,100
Mack Hollins $3,300 $5,300
Ray-Ray McCloud $3,300 $5,500
Nico Collins $3,200 $5,300
Albert Wilson $3,100 $4,900
Chris Moore $3,000 $5,000
Danny Amendola $3,000 $4,900

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – We are going to be top-heavy at WR this week. I love Justin Jefferson and Deebo Samuel in the game stack with Kirk Cousins. Other expensive WRs that I like are both Buccaneers, Diontae Johnson, DeVonta Smith, and DJ Moore. I will likely pull both my WR1 and WR2 from that group. WR3 could be either Elijah Moore or Michael Pittman. I also like any of the Patriots or any of the other Jets here, too. That said, if I choose to go cheap at WR3, I love me some Laviska Shenault.

Fantasy Four-pack

Justin Jefferson, Vikings @ SF
($8,300 DK, $8,100 FD)
The Vikings have made a conscientious effort to get their offense more vertical. Over the last two weeks that has equated to 17-312-2 for Jefferson. San Francisco is middle-of-the-pack against WRs, but they have allowed over 100 yards and/or a TD to every elite WR1 they have faced this year.

Cooper Kupp, Rams @ GB
($9,600 DK, $9,500 FD)
The price is high, but Kupp has delivered more often than not. On the season, Kupp is averaging 8.5-114-1. That is 26 points per game in PPR format. Coming out of the bye and facing a shorthanded defense, Kupp is good as gold (and roughly the same price).

Deebo Samuel, Niners vs. MIN
($7,900 DK, $8,000 FD)
Not only is Samuel the Niners’ top WR, but he may also be their top RB. Minnesota has allowed 14 WRs to top 10 PPR points this year. This includes every elite WR1 they have faced except DJ Moore. Plus, over their last four games, no team has allowed more WR scores or receiving yards than Minnesota.

Chris Godwin, Buccaneers @ IND
($7,000 DK, $7,600 FD)
This is pretty much cut and paste from last week. “No team has allowed more WR scores than Indy. Among opponents’ top WRs to face them, only two have not scored. One was A.J. Brown earlier in the year in a game he got hurt and left early. The other was Brandin Cooks, who still finished the game with 9-89. Not to mention, that three NOW FOUR of those top WRs scored multiple TDs against this defense.” The only question this week is whether Godwin and Mike Evans (back) each get multiple TDs or if only one of them does. Godwin is cheaper than Evans, and he has seen a larger target share of the two recently, so he is my top choice of the two. That said, go ahead and stack both of them with Tom Brady. Hell, make it a true Voltron Stack and throw Rob Gronkowski in there as well. While you are at it, you might as well get really slick and run it back with Michael Pittman, too.

DFS Sleepers

Elijah Moore, Jets @ HOU
($5,600 DK, $6,400 FD)
Over the last four weeks, no WR has more receiving scores than Moore. He also has the sixth-most receptions and the fifth-most receiving yards among the position. Meanwhile, Houston ranks sixth in yards allowed to the position. Plus, they have allowed multiple double-digit WR PPR performances this season in more than half of their games.

Michael Pittman, Colts vs. TB
($5,600 DK, $6,600 FD)
Pittman had a tough matchup last week and he got prematurely taken out of the game script when Indy got so far ahead so early on. In this game there will be passing … oh yes, there will be passing. I don’t see any way short of an injury where Pittman doesn’t finish with a floor of 6-75-1 in this shootout.

DraftKings FanDuel
George Kittle $6,400 $6,700
Kyle Pitts $6,100 $6,600
Mike Gesicki $5,300 $6,200
Dallas Goedert $4,800 $5,900
Noah Fant $4,600 $5,900
Hunter Henry $4,500 $5,600
Rob Gronkowski $4,400 $6,500
Pat Freiermuth $4,300 $5,300
Tyler Higbee $4,200 $5,400
Dan Arnold $4,000 $5,100
Evan Engram $3,800 $5,500
Tyler Conklin $3,700 $5,300
C.J. Uzomah $3,400 $5,200
Albert Okwuegbunam $3,300 $4,900
Cameron Brate $3,200 $4,800
Jack Doyle $3,100 $4,600
Jared Cook $3,000 $5,000
Anthony Firkser $2,700 $4,800
Donald Parham $2,700 $4,700
Geoff Swaim $2,700 $4,500
Josiah Deguara $2,600 $4,900
Mo Alie-Cox $2,600 $4,500
Ryan Griffin $2,600 $4,800
Brevin Jordan $2,500 $4,600
Hayden Hurst $2,500 $4,600
Marcedes Lewis $2,500 $4,200
Tommy Tremble $2,500 $4,600

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Kyle Pitts will be under-owned coming off two duds. His price isn’t awful, but it is still likely more than I can afford. Dallas Goedert, Rob Gronkowski, and Noah Fant are my favorite higher-priced TE options this week. Still, I will be hard-pressed to not just start Evan Engram against the hilariously bad Philly defense. Pat Freiermuth is also in play with Eric Ebron likely out for the year. Ryan Griffin is really the only sure thing punt play.

Fantasy Four-pack

Noah Fant, Broncos vs. LAC
($4,600 DK, $5,900 FD)
Only one team has allowed more TE scores than Los Angeles. This includes four over the last two weeks. Fant remains second in targets, receptions, and receiving TDs among all Denver skill position players despite missing 1 1/2 games with an injury. I like him to post a floor of 6-60-1 here.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles @ NYG
($4,800 DK, $5,900 FD)
The Giants are allowing more than 10 PPR points per week to opposing TEs. Meanwhile, since Zach Ertz was traded to Arizona, Goedert is second among all Philly personnel in receiving yards and targets, and he is tied for the team lead in receptions.

Kyle Pitts, Falcons @ JAC
($6,100 DK, $6,600 FD)
Despite the entirety of Atlanta’s offense going into witness protection the last two weeks, Pitts has actually continued to return at least a modicum of value. His 89 yards over the last two weeks are 40 more than the next closest Falcon. Jacksonville has faced only four upper-echelon TEs, all of them have finished with double-digit PPR points. Pitts will hit that as well, and his ownership will be minuscule since no one will trust this offense.

Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers @ IND
($4,400 DK, $6,500 FD)
Much like every other passing position, Indy has been rotten against TEs. They have allowed the second-most receptions and receiving yards to the position, and the third-most TDs. Gronk returned last week and was right back on the horse catching six of eight targets for 71 yards.

DFS Sleepers

Evan Engram, Giants vs. PHI
($3,800 DK, $5,500 FD)
Philly is dead last in every meaningful statistic against opposing TEs and it isn’t particularly close. At this price, I cannot fathom not using Engram. Of course, everyone else will be thinking that, too, so expect huge ownership. We can hope his dud against TB slows some of the ownership, but he did score in both games before his bye. This week he will make it three out of four, and that isn’t half bad.

Ryan Griffin, Jets @ HOU
($2,600 DK, $4,800 FD)
Griffin is really the only true punt play on this slate. Houston has been bottom of the barrel against the position all year. Meanwhile, Griffin has seen a slight uptick in targets since Zach Wilson has been out. This week we will find out if those targets continue with Wilson back under center. Griffin hasn’t done much with those targets, but at this price, one TD = 3x value.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 11

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 11 DFS fantasy football

After having multiple chalky (and successful) RB gifts fall into our laps last week due to injury and COVID, this week we have a few returning RBs to murky the waters. Is it wrong of me to hope for more injuries or continued injuries to potentially returning, middling vets (yes, I am referring to you, CEH)? If not, then I guess it is back to paying up for running backs and bargain hunting elsewhere. Oh well, at least we get the gift of A.J. Dillon, wait, what do you mean he is fully priced? – Curses, foiled again! Help me, Jeff Wilson Jr. … you are my only hope.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Ben Roethlisberger started Week 11 in the COVID protocol. As a vaccinated player, he still needs to be symptom-free and report two consecutive negative tests to play this week. If he clears the protocol, Mike Tomlin has already declared that he will start regardless of whether or not he gets in any practices. That is a pretty strong vote of confidence in a veteran who hasn’t really done much this season. Against a very good Los Angeles defense, I am not going to be in a hurry to start him. Of course, I am going to be even less excited to start Mason Rudolph.

I am also not jumping out of my skin to start a QB against the Steelers’ secondary. Both matchups on MNF are sexier than this one for Justin Herbert. Still, Herbert’s name alone has some swag compared to MNF starter Daniel Jones. I prefer Justin to Rudolph or Roethlisberger on this slate, but he is probably going to battle to best Jones’ production at a much higher price tag. I just don’t see the value here.

Najee Harris against one of the worst run defenses in football should be a mortal lock play. It helps that he has zero competition for carries.

Austin Ekeler is going to be harder to rank this week. Yes, he is very good, but he is going against an elite run defense. He has had a couple of strong finishes against upper-echelon run defenses already this year. Unfortunately, he also has back-to-back ho-hum games against bad run defenses. No team has allowed fewer total RB scores this season, so I cannot go any higher than RB3 on this board. His price won’t be given an appropriate discount, so I will likely fade him. Joshua Kelley has fallen behind Larry Rountree on the depth chart, but neither is worth using in a bad matchup.

Diontae Johnson remains the primary target for Pittsburgh, regardless of who is under center. Unfortunately, only four WR1s have reached double-digit PPR points against this defense, and three of them “split” WR1 duties on their respective teams. DeVonta Smith is the only “one-man show” to get it done against them. What this implies, is that Johnson could struggle if Chase Claypool is not active and the defense can truly dog Johnson. Still, Johnson’s volume of targets will always keep him in play at WR1. Speaking of Claypool, he hurt his toe in Week 9 and he remains questionable for this week. If he plays, he may have his snaps limited. That said, I truly believe his being on the field will help Johnson’s production. With the risk of reinjury, I will likely fade Claypool here. Ray-Ray McCloud was a target beast last week with Rudolph under center and Claypool out. In truth, he ranks behind James Washington in the Pittsburgh WR room. I believe that his output was more due to Rudolph’s familiarity with him from practice. Assuming Big Ben and Claypool both return, I would rather use Washington at WR3 than McCloud. If Rudolph starts, McCloud would be the preferred WR3 play regardless of Claypool’s status. Just know whoever starts at QB, we are likely looking at a ceiling of two passing TDs (one of which may end up in the lap of the TE).

Mike Williams has disappeared over the last month. Earlier this season, I opined about not having any shares of him in dynasty leagues. Perhaps, that was for the best. Only two bigger-bodied alpha WRs have had huge games against this defense. Possession and slot receivers have had slightly more success against Pittsburgh. This is why, if I choose one of the Chargers’ WRs, it will be Keenan Allen. He still will be no better than WR3 overall on the docket. That said, he is the safest WR play in this game for either side. Against a weaker defense, I could see punting with Jaylen Guyton or Josh Palmer. This matchup isn’t very inviting, though, so save them for Showdown contests with Palmer getting the slight edge there.

Pat Freiermuth fumbled away a Pittsburgh victory last week. That won’t keep me from using him here (especially if Chase Claypool remains out). Freiermuth’s usage of late, paired with the juicy matchup, makes him the clear TE1 on this slate, even if Rob Gronkowski returns.

Jared Cook is no stronger than TE4 on this slate. His usage has been sporadic, and Pittsburgh has been considerably above average against the position. Plus, he has to split looks with Donald Parham and Stephen Anderson. Anderson is a depth piece, at best right now and can be ignored in all formats, but Parham is literally a huge red-zone threat. I’d almost consider starting him over Cook if I am TD mining at cost savings. In Showdown slates, Parham is always a must-start.

Two very good defenses facing off. The Chargers offense is a larger threat right now, especially if Ben Roethlisberger is out. I could see using either of them, but LA definitely gets the edge if Mason Rudolph starts.

On Monday, Daniel Jones gets to face off against a Tampa Bay secondary that was much-maligned to start the year due to injuries. A series of face-offs against so-so QBs have improved their lot in life significantly recently as they have given up only three total TDs to opposing QBs over the last four games. Tampa still remains shorthanded in the defensive backfield, so Jones could produce a medium-ish line. The big advantage that he has over some of the other also-ran QBs that Tampa has faced recently is that he has wheels. I’ll rank Jones as a QB2 or QB3 this week in a tight battle with Herbert for that rank.

Tampa Bay has had a rough go of things recently, but that really hasn’t hindered Tom Brady’s final line. Even in his second-worst start of the year last week, Brady finished with 220-2. A healthy returning Antonio Brown or Rob Gronkowski would certainly help him, but neither is guaranteed this week. Still, Brady is the consensus QB1 on the slate, and he will be in most of my lineups.

Tampa Bay has the second-stingiest run defense in the league, so starting a running back against them is never recommended. The only exceptions are if you have a true stud that you are never benching, or if you have pass-catching backs. They are really the only RBs to produce solid lines against them this year. Saquan Barkley is scheduled to return to the active roster this week. He won’t do much on the ground this week (especially if Devontae Booker gets some change-of-pace work) but Barkley is valuable enough in the passing game to jockey with Ekeler for the RB3 slot on the board. Booker can be avoided completely unless you want to take a deep flier that Barkley re-injures himself.

Leonard Fournette is my RB2 on this slate and in most of my lineups. The Giants have struggled against the position all season, and Lenny has established himself as the clear top back for Tampa. His usage in the passing game has been his biggest boon, and it has been fed by the absence of Rob Gronkowski. Earlier this season, Giovani Bernard had that role, but not anymore. He can be ignored now. The same goes for Ronald Jones as he would need a Fournette injury to have value.

This game features two WR rooms that are jam-packed with injuries. Kenny Golladay returned in Week 9 but did nothing. Tampa is bad enough against the pass to consider him as a WR2 or WR3 here. After a huge breakout earlier this year, Kadarius Toney has pulled a Travis Fulgham. Unlike Fulgham, Toney actually has talent. I love him to go ham here if Sterling Shepard doesn’t return. Even if Shepard plays, Toney needs to be in WR3/FLEX consideration. I actually like him better than Golladay. Coming off of the bye, I would’ve hoped that Shepard was ready to go, but he missed practice to start the week. This means that he is probably not going to be a go this week. If he plays, he deserves WR2/3 consideration. That said, the reinjury likelihood is almost too high for him. John Ross is always in play for Showdown contests, but with Toney and Golladay healthy, he just won’t see enough snaps to be tournament-worthy. The same goes for Collin Johnson.

Chris Godwin played last week despite an injury scare. He even led the WR room in targets and receptions. Against New York, both Godwin and Mike Evans deserve WR1 consideration. One (if not both) must be in your lineups, especially if Antonio Brown does not return here. Even if Brown takes the field, I love both Godwin and Evans to approach 6-75-1 with Evans the more likely to score and Godwin the more likely to lead in receptions. Brown’s return wouldn’t kill their value as he might actually open up more of the field for them. If AB plays, I see him more as a WR3 this week since his snap count will likely be limited. If Brown doesn’t play, Tyler Johnson will get another chance to showcase his wares in the starting lineup. He has averaged 5.5 targets over the last two games and at his price point, he becomes a must-start at WR3 or FLEX. Be wary, though, if Brown or Scotty Miller return this week. Miller has been battling turf toe all season, but he began practicing last week and is eligible to return off IR. I won’t use him in his first game back, but he could harm Johnson’s potential output by stealing snaps.

Evan Engram is the best TE that no one ever feels comfortable playing. He has scored in back-to-back contests but has only registered three receptions in both games. If Sterling Shepard misses this one, you can use him as the TE3 on the slate and maybe the TE2 if Rob Gronkowski doesn’t play, otherwise, I would only use him as a cost-savings play. Kyle Rudolph has also seen a bump in usage due to all of the injuries, but as the others have gotten healthy he becomes a less-athletic version of Parham … truly TD-dependent.

A returning Rob Gronkowski would be the clear TE2 on the board and perhaps even TE1. We just don’t have any reason to feel certain that he will return. That leaves Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard to once again share the routes. The two have truly split the workload since Gronk’s injury. I don’t love either of them, but if I had to choose it would be Brate.

Tampa’s defense has been shorthanded in the secondary, but Daniel Jones is mistake-prone enough to make them a decent choice this week. There is no way that I even consider the Giants here.

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The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $7.6k for Patrick Mahomes. $6.2k for AJ Dillon. $5.1k for Jeff Wilson. $8.4k for Davante Adams. $4.2k for Michael Gallup. $3.1k for Danny Amendola. $7.1K for Travis Kelce. $5.5k for David Montgomery at FLEX. $2.7k for the Carolina Panthers defense.

At FD: $8.3k for Mahomes. $9k for Nick Chubb. $6.6k for Michael Carter. $8.4k for Adams. $6.6k for Brandin Cooks. $5.1k for Albert Wilson. $7.3k for Kelce. $5k for J. Wilson at FLEX. $3.6k for the Cincinnati Bengals defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Cam Newton, Mahomes at SF, Dillon, and Chubb, Najee Harris at FLEX, Adams, Cooks, and Robby Anderson, and Pat Freiermuth.

DraftKings FanDuel
Josh Allen $8,100 $8,800
Lamar Jackson $8,000 $8,400
Kyler Murray $7,900 $8,200
Patrick Mahomes $7,600 $8,300
Dak Prescott $7,200 $8,400
Aaron Rodgers $7,000 $7,700
Jalen Hurts $6,800 $7,700
Ryan Tannehill $6,700 $7,800
Joe Burrow $6,600 $7,400
Russell Wilson $6,500 $7,300
Kirk Cousins $6,100 $7,400
Derek Carr $5,900 $7,200
Justin Fields $5,700 $6,800
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,600 $7,100
Carson Wentz $5,500 $6,900
Tua Tagovailoa $5,500 $7,000
Baker Mayfield $5,400 $6,800
Taylor Heinicke $5,300 $6,700
Trevor Siemian $5,300 $7,000
Case Keenum $5,200 $6,800
Trevor Lawrence $5,200 $6,500
Cam Newton $5,100 $7,500
Jared Goff $5,100 $6,400
Tyrod Taylor $5,000 $6,600
Colt McCoy $4,900 $6,300
Taysom Hill $4,900 $7,000
Joe Flacco $4,600 $6,300

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Obviously, I like Dak Prescott versus Patrick Mahomes. Both should easily return 3x value in the presumed shootout. I also like both QBs in the NFC North matchup between GB and MIN. Joe Burrow, Ryan Tannehill, and Derek Carr also have some appeal. So, as you can see, most of the higher-priced options are in play this week. The big issue I have this week is that there are very few options to punt with. Cam Newton has some pretty clear value, but he will be severely over-owned. If I do choose to go cheap, I may use Tyrod Taylor.

Fantasy Four-pack

Josh Allen, Bills vs. IND
($8,100 DK, $8,800 FD)
No team has allowed more passing scores than Indy. Meanwhile, Allen had a get-right game last week against the Jets. The Colts are more likely to keep this game competitive. So, Allen doesn’t have to worry about playing himself to an early exit with a strong showing.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs vs. DAL
($7,600 DK, $8,300 FD)

Anytime you can get Mahomes for under $8k, it is a great chance to use him. Coming off of his own get-right game is just icing on the cake. Dallas’ pass defense has appeared to improve as the season has progressed, but in truth, their competition has gotten worse. Kirk Cousins is the only quality QB they have faced since Week 2, and the entire Vikings offense took that week off. I like both teams to score big here, so give me as much action in this game as possible.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ MIN
($7,000 DK, $7,700 FD

Minnesota will get back a few of their injured secondary pieces this week. Unfortunately, they are still shorthanded up front, which should provide Rodgers all the time he needs to pick apart the returning corners and safeties. Davante Adams has made the Vikings his whipping boy in recent meetings. Stack away happily.

Dak Prescott, Cowboys @ KC
($7,200 DK, $8,400 FD)
I prefer Mahomes in this game, but Dak will be forced to throw the ball frequently to keep up with the Chiefs. The return of Michael Gallup improves Prescott’s output as it gives him another reliable target. At his price, he also makes my favorite stack with Dak. Prescott will finish the game with three scores, one of which may come on the ground. The only way he fails this week is if his receivers keep getting tackled inside the 5-yard line, leading to Ezekiel Elliott scores.

DFS Sleepers

Cam Newton, Panthers vs. WAS
($5,100 DK, $7,500 FD)
Washington is miserably bad against the pass. Only one team has allowed more passing scores this season. If you include rushing TDs allowed to opposing QBs, no team has allowed more total scores to the position. We haven’t seen enough yet to determine if Newton’s arm is any better than the noodle it appeared to be last season, but he is always a huge threat to score a rushing TD. Plus, with an RB like Christian McCaffrey and a speedy YAC receiver like D.J. Moore, you don’t have to throw the ball very far down the field.

Tyrod Taylor, Texans @ TEN
($5,000 DK, $6,600 FD)
Over the last four weeks, Tennessee has allowed the most passing completions and the third-most passing yards to opposing QBs. Those numbers seem unfathomable when you consider they include a complete bomb by Mahomes. Taylor did next to nothing in his return to the field last week. That said, he was clearly rusty, and Miami blitzed on nearly every play. It won’t take much for him to reach 3x on DK. In a slate with few true punt options. He may be the smartest one of all as his ownership should be way down after last week.

DraftKings FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey $8,900 $10,000
Jonathan Taylor $8,300 $8,800
Dalvin Cook $8,200 $8,400
Alvin Kamara $8,100 $8,600
Nick Chubb
$7,800 $9,000
Ezekiel Elliott $7,700 $8,500
Joe Mixon $7,600 $7,600
D’Andre Swift $7,000 $7,500
James Robinson $6,400 $7,100
AJ Dillon $6,200 $7,000
James Conner $6,100 $7,200
Josh Jacobs $6,000 $6,900
Antonio Gibson $5,900 $6,700
Eli Mitchell $5,800 $7,000
Michael Carter $5,800 $6,600
Myles Gaskin $5,700 $6,200
Chris Carson $5,600 $6,500
D’Ernest Johnson $5,600 $8,000
David Montgomery $5,500 $6,800
Darrel Williams $5,400 $6,300
Mark Ingram $5,400 $6,800
Chuba Hubbard $5,300 $6,000
Jeremy McNichols $5,300 $5,500
Latavius Murray $5,300 $5,700
Clyde Edwards-Helaire $5,200 $6,300
Kenyan Drake $5,200 $5,900
Devonta Freeman $5,100 $5,700
Jeff Wilson $5,100 $5,000
Alex Collins $5,000 $5,600
J.D. McKissic $5,000 $5,200
Miles Sanders $5,000 $6,000
Zack Moss $5,000 $5,800
Boston Scott $4,900 $5,700
D’Onta Foreman $4,900 $6,200
Adrian Peterson $4,800 $5,700
Jordan Howard $4,800 $5,900
Tony Pollard $4,700 $5,600
Devin Singletary $4,600 $5,800
Ty Johnson $4,600 $5,200
David Johnson $4,400 $5,500
Jamaal Williams $4,400 $5,300
Matt Breida $4,400 $5,400
Nyheim Hines $4,300 $5,200
Eno Benjamin $4,200 $5,100
Rex Burkhead $4,200 $5,000
Phillip Lindsay $4,100 $5,400

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Dalvin Cook, Nick Chubb, and Christian McCaffrey are the three best choices among the high-priced RBs. If Alvin Kamara returns, he could reach value since the competition is weak against pass-catching backs. One of these four will be my probable RB1. I may also pivot to D’Andre Swift if Jamaal Williams is ruled out. There are five options I like at RB2. AJ Dillon, James Conner, Michael CarterDavid Montgomery, and Myles Gaskin all make a strong group to choose from. I could also use two of them if I wish to save money for WRs. Any of them could also be my FLEX. The punt options at RB this week are almost as bad as the punt options at QB. If Eli Mitchell misses this game due to his finger injury, Jeff Wilson becomes a must-start. I could also see using one of the Titans, or Ty Johnson. Neither excites me, but if you need to save money, you need to save money. We don’t have the gimmes that we were gifted last week.

Fantasy Four-pack

Dalvin Cook, Vikings vs. GB
($8,200 DK, $8,400 FD)
Over the last two seasons, Cook has faced the Packers three times. These are his lines: 191 total yards and a TD, 48 total yards and two touchdowns, and 226 total yards with four touchdowns. Obviously, we would have liked to have seen more yardage in that middle game, but the pair of scores made up for the down day yardage-wise. If the Vikes want to win this game, they should lean early and often on Dalvin.

Nick Chubb, Browns vs. DET
($7,800 DK, $9,000 FD
Chubb missed last week with COVID. Assuming he can clear protocols by this weekend (and I have no reason to believe otherwise since he was supposedly close to playing last week), Chubb gets a cakewalk game. Of course, if Chubb cannot go, then D’Ernest Johnson gets another blowup opportunity (despite a less appealing FD price). The Lions have allowed 16 total RB touchdowns over their nine games played.

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. WAS
($8,900 DK, $10,000 FD)

Historically speaking, McCaffrey has done more damage in games that were not started by Cam Newton. That said, it has been a few years now. Cam doesn’t have the arm he once did, and how eager is he to absorb quite as many punishing blows at the stripe? The team would be wise to limit Newton’s carries in this contest if they want him to last the rest of the season. C-Mac proved last week that he can still approach 30 points even without scoring. If he scores, it is just a bonus.

D’Andre Swift, Lions @ CLE
($7,000 DK, $7,500 FD)
Over the last four weeks, only one team has allowed more total RB scores than Cleveland. Meanwhile, D’Andre Swift has scored in three of his last five games. He is also leading all RBs in receptions and receiving yards. It may need to come through the air, but 100 total yards and a score have become Swift’s weekly floor.

DFS Sleepers

Michael Carter, Jets vs. MIA
($5,800 DK, $6,600 FD)
Carter doesn’t get Captain Checkdown Mike White at QB anymore, but that may be advantageous for him since that should limit some of the snaps that Ty Johnson steals. Plus, Miami is hardly a shutdown defense against the run. Joe Flacco will have very little success if the Jets cannot establish the run. So, I expect them to feed Carter the ball as much as he can handle.

Myles Gaskin, Dolphins @ NYJ
($5,700 DK, $6,200 FD)
This game should provide opportunities for both sides to run the ball effectively. Gaskin has done very little with a plethora of carries recently. This week he could accrue a ton of points with even just a few touches. It may seem mathematically impossible, but the Jets have allowed 14 running back touchdowns over just their last four games. Heck, even I could score twice against this slump-buster of a defense.

DraftKings FanDuel
Davante Adams $8,400 $8,400
Tyreek Hill $8,200 $8,500
Justin Jefferson $8,100 $7,900
Stefon Diggs $7,900 $8,100
Deebo Samuel $7,800 $7,600
A.J. Brown $7,700 $7,200
CeeDee Lamb $7,600 $8,000
Ja’Marr Chase $7,200 $7,700
Marquise Brown $7,100 $7,300
Terry McLaurin $7,000 $7,000
DK Metcalf $6,800 $7,500
Adam Thielen $6,600 $7,100
DeAndre Hopkins $6,500 $7,100
DeVonta Smith $6,400 $6,600
 Amari Cooper $6,200 $7,300
Michael Pittman $6,100 $6,900
Brandin Cooks $6,000 $6,600
Tyler Lockett $6,000 $6,800
DJ Moore $5,900 $6,700
Hunter Renfrow $5,800 $6,100
Christian Kirk $5,700 $6,500
Jaylen Waddle $5,600 $6,700
Julio Jones $5,500 $6,500
Tee Higgins $5,400 $6,500
Emmanuel Sanders $5,300 $5,800
Darnell Mooney $5,200 $6,000
Marvin Jones $5,200 $5,700
Jarvis Landry $5,100 $6,300
Marquez Callaway $5,100 $5,800
Brandon Aiyuk $5,000 $6,000
Corey Davis $5,000 $6,400
Kalif Raymond $5,000 $5,300
Allen Robinson $4,900 $5,700
Elijah Moore $4,900 $5,900
Cole Beasley $4,800 $5,700
Tyler Boyd $4,800 $5,600
Jamal Agnew $4,700 $5,300
Jamison Crowder $4,700 $5,700
A.J. Green $4,600 $5,400
Robby Anderson $4,600 $5,600
Donovan Peoples-Jones $4,500 $5,700
Rashod Bateman $4,500 $5,800
Randall Cobb $4,400 $5,400
Tre’Quan Smith $4,400 $5,700
Amon-Ra St. Brown $4,300 $5,500
T.Y. Hilton $4,300 $5,700
Deonte Harris $4,200 $5,400
Michael Gallup $4,200 $5,400
Rondale Moore $4,200 $5,200
Allen Lazard $4,100 $5,300
Bryan Edwards $4,100 $5,500
Laviska Shenault $4,100 $5,400
Mecole Hardman $4,000 $5,500
Sammy Watkins $4,000 $5,300
Zach Pascal $4,000 $5,400
Gabriel Davis $3,900 $5,000
Devin Duvernay $3,800 $5,100
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $3,700 $5,200
Quez Watkins $3,700 $5,300
Chester Rogers $3,500 $5,000
Marcus Johnson $3,500 $5,600
Byron Pringle $3,400 $5,300
Chris Conley $3,400 $5,000
DeSean Jackson $3,400 $5,300
K.J. Osborn $3,400 $5,200
DeAndre Carter $3,300 $5,500
Jalen Reagor $3,300 $5,000
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine $3,300 $5,300
Nico Collins $3,300 $5,200
Adam Humphries $3,200 $5,000
Cedrick Wilson $3,200 $4,900
Rashard Higgins $3,200 $5,000
Albert Wilson $3,100 $5,100
Danny Amendola $3,100 $5,100
Demarcus Robinson $3,100 $5,100
Keelan Cole $3,100 $5,200
Terrace Marshall $3,100 $4,700
Denzel Mims $3,000 $5,000
Isaiah Ford $3,000 $5,300
Isaiah McKenzie $3,000 $4,700
Jeff Smith $3,000 $4,700
Josh Reynolds $3,000 $4,800
Kenny Stills $3,000 $4,800

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – Davante Adams should be a set-it-and-forget-it lock at WR1. The only question is do you also roster Tyreek Hill or use him as the only true pivot from Adams. Justin Jefferson could also be used as long as Jaire Alexander remains out. He just lacks the exponential ceiling difference of the top two. If you do choose to not use Adams and/or Hill, I would actually suggest skipping Jefferson and using any of the other top-priced options (Stefon Diggs, Deebo Samuel, A.J. Brown, CeeDee Lamb, or Ja’Marr Chase) for cheaper since they all have great matchups as well. If I go cheap at RB, I could use two of that above group. In reality, I am probably limited to just one of them (and that will likely be Adams). There are several legit options at WR2. I really like both Hunter Renfrow and Brandin Cooks. Cole Beasley could also be in play if you don’t use Diggs. At WR3, I love Michael Gallup and Rashod Bateman. There are not any real pivots that I like there. There are three punt plays I can get behind if you choose to use two expensive WRs up top. Albert WilsonDanny Amendola, and Josh Reynolds all have slate-breaking opportunities at their prices. If you play any Showdown contests featuring their respective teams, you absolutely need to use each of them.

Fantasy Four-pack

Davante Adams, Packers @ MIN
($8,400 DK, $8,400 FD)
Last year, Adams faced Minnesota twice. In those two games, he recorded 21 receptions, 209 yards, and five touchdowns. Give me another round of that juice.

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs vs. DAL
($8,200 DK, $8,500 FD)
Trevon Diggs has done a fine job of jumping routes and picking off passes. That said, jumping the route would not be a good idea when he is guarding a player as speedy as the Cheetah. Hill has remained a home run threat even during the Chiefs’ October struggles. Now that Patrick Mahomes seems to have righted the ship, the sky is the limit for Hill. He will burn Diggs at least once this week and quite likely multiple times.

Deebo Samuel, Niners @ JAX
($7,800 DK, $7,600 FD)
Jacksonville has limited a pair of solid WR1s in back-to-back weeks, but before that, they were getting scorched like a bag of marshmallows at a boy scout retreat. What makes Deebo even more of an imposing play this week is if Eli Mitchell is out, Samuel may get a few snaps at tailback. Whatever happens with the potential carries, Deebo will finish with some combination of 125 total yards and at least one score.

Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. IND
($7,900 DK, $8,100 FD)
No team has allowed more WR scores than Indy. Among opponents’ top WRs to face them, only two have not scored. One was A.J. Brown earlier in the year in a game he got hurt and left early. The other was Brandin Cooks, who still finished the game with 9-89. Not to mention, that three different of those top WRs scored multiple TDs against this defense. I am slightly concerned about Dawson Knox stealing red-zone targets again now that he is healthy, but truthfully they should both go off here.

DFS Sleepers

Brandin Cooks, Texans @ TEN
($6,000 DK, $6,600 FD)
Cooks was not slowed down by the return of Tyrod Taylor in Week 9. In fact, he was back up to 14 targets after a bit of a slow run with Davis Mills under center. Cooks only caught six of those targets, but it was clear that Taylor was trusting his veteran WR. Earlier this year, Cooks posted 14-210-1 on 21 targets in Taylor’s two starts before the QB was hurt. Tennessee has allowed 16 different WRs to post double-digit PPR points. This is why I like stacking Cooks with Taylor and perhaps even Danny Amendola.

Hunter Renfrow, Raiders vs. CIN
($5,800 DK, $6,100 FD)
Cincy has been mediocre against the pass this year. They have had particular difficulties with possession receivers. Renfrow (and to a different degree, Darren Waller) are easily the possession receivers for Vegas. In a PPR format, Renfrow should continue the recent uptick he has seen since Henry Ruggs’ arrest. Over the last two weeks, only two WRs have more TDs and only three have more receptions.

DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $7,100 $7,300
George Kittle $6,300 $6,800
Darren Waller $6,100 $6,700
Mark Andrews $6,000 $7,000
T.J. Hockenson $5,700 $5,900
Mike Gesicki $5,200 $6,300
Zach Ertz $4,800 $5,000
Dalton Schultz $4,600 $6,000
Dallas Goedert $4,400 $5,700
Dan Arnold $4,100 $5,400
Dawson Knox $4,000 $5,600
Logan Thomas $3,900 $5,500
Tyler Conklin $3,900 $5,500
Ricky Seals-Jones $3,800 $5,000
C.J. Uzomah $3,500 $5,200
Cole Kmet $3,400 $5,100
Adam Trautman $3,300 $4,800
Austin Hooper $3,200 $5,300
Gerald Everett $3,100 $5,000
Jack Doyle $3,000 $4,600
David Njoku $2,900 $4,900
Jack Stoll $2,900 $4,400
Geoff Swaim $2,800 $4,600
Jordan Akins $2,700 $4,700
Mo Alie-Cox $2,700 $4,700
Marcedes Lewis $2,600 $4,300
Brevin Jordan $2,500 $4,500
Ryan Griffin $2,500 $4,600
Tyree Jackson $2,500 $4,200

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Travis Kelce at home versus the Cowboys, yes, please. George Kittle versus Jacksonville, yes please, too! Darren Waller versus Cincy makes it a fantasy

among the expensive tight ends. At a slightly lower price point, Dalton Schultz is in play as is Dawson Knox. Cole Kmet could also be an even cheaper option. That said, if I don’t pay up for one of the big three, I will likely just punt with Adam Trautman, Geoff Swaim, or Ryan Griffin.

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. DAL
($7,100 DK, $7,300 FD)
Last week, Kansas City made a quantifiable effort to get Kelce more involved in the offense once again. It worked out as the Chiefs offense got itself back on track. Dallas hasn’t been tested by many elite TEs this year, and Kyle Pitts actually was the only part of Atlanta to do anything against them last week. I expect KC to continue to focus their attack with Kelce as he tops 100 yards for a second straight game while scoring at least once. The best part about Kelce this week is he is cheaper than Tyreek Hill if you are looking to put together a game stack.

George Kittle, Niners @ JAX
($6,300 DK, $6,800 FD)
In the two games since his return from injury, Kittle has led San Fran in targets, receptions, and receiving TDs. He also is only nine receiving yards behind Deebo Samuel. Jacksonville has dominated the position the last three weeks, but they have faced talent the equivalent of Larry, Mo Alie, and Curly. Those stooges aside, Jacksonville got destroyed earlier this year by every quality TE (and a few so-so ones, too) that faced them.

Darren Waller, Raiders vs. CIN
($6,100 DK, $6,700 FD)
The Bengals have been decent against opposing TEs this year, but over their last four games, they have allowed an average of 5-57-0.5. That is typically Waller’s floor. His numbers are a little down on the year, but he is still averaging nine targets per game started. If he can finally get into the end zone, the 3x will hit. It just isn’t as certain as Kittle or Kelce.

T.J. Hockenson, Lions @ CLE
($5,700 DK, $5,900 FD)
Hockenson has been a victim of being surrounded by a bunch of chaff. Opposing defenses are keying on him because the other Detroit WRs don’t scare anyone. The addition of Josh Reynolds this week might finally open a little wiggle room for the big tight end. On the year, only one team has allowed more TE touchdowns than Cleveland, including three over the last four weeks. Despite a few subpar performances, Hockenson is still first or second in every receiving category for Detroit. I like him to post a floor of 6-70 here.

DFS Sleepers

Cole Kmet, Bears vs. BAL
($3,400 DK, $5,100 FD)
Over their last four games, Kmet leads the Bears in receptions and receiving yards, and he is trailing only Darnell Mooney in targets. Meanwhile, Baltimore has been among the worst teams at defending TEs all season. More than half of the teams to face them have had a double-digit PPR tight end performances. They did hold Mike Gesicki in check last week, but Durham Smythe and Adam Shaheen still posted a respectable 4-57 against them. It won’t take much for Kmet to reach 3x on DK, especially if he continues to be featured in the Bears’ offensive strategy.

Adam Trautman, Saints @ PHI
($3,300 DK, $4,800 FD)
No team has been as rotten against TEs this year as Philly. They have allowed 25 percent more receptions to the position than the next-worst team. They have also allowed the most receiving yards and TDs to the position. It has gotten so bad that, over the last four weeks, Philly is allowing an atrocious 9-103-0.75 to the position. This comes despite facing three of four mediocre to downright bad offenses. Since Trevor Siemian has taken over at QB, Trautman is tied for the team lead in targets and ranks second in receptions. If he continues to get the increased volume, he should be in for a big week at a bargain-basement price.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 9

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 9 DFS fantasy football

With the NFL trade deadline passed we can now edit some of the chaff off of the bottom of our season-long rosters. Fortunately for those of us in the DFS community, we never need to worry about wasting a roster spot on someone like Marlon Mack, Deshaun Watson or Odell Beckham, hoping and praying that they get dealt somewhere where they will be fantasy-relevant again.

This week we have four teams on bye, but only Tampa Bay has a deluge of regular DFS contributors. I’m certainly not going to lose any sleep over not being forced to overpay to use Geno Smith-fed wide receivers or trying to decipher which WFT running back will lead the team in touches this week … not to mention, trying to guess which, if any, Detroit Lion is worth playing.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

The schedule makers were certainly looking forward to watching Derrick Henry butt heads with the vaunted Los Angeles defense. Well, unfortunately for them, fate’s fickle finger decided to point in Henry’s direction this past weekend. So, now the storyline morphs to a pair of veteran QBs who escaped horrible situations to flourish in new environments. Ryan Tannehill was considered a game manager as recently as 2018. Now, he will have to be the face of his current team going forward. The Rams will not make it easy on him. Still, he is the second-safest play at the position on this slate. Just realize that his ceiling is right around 225-2. His best upside might be if he can steal a goal-line rushing score.

Matthew Stafford is the best QB option on the slate, and he faces the easiest defensive matchup. This will likely mean extreme ownership percentages for him. Those rates will be right since none of the other options is highly appealing.

Are you ready for the Jeremy McNichols show in Tennessee? I mean, the team was so confident in his ability that he was allowed a whopping seven carries through the first seven games. McNichols has always had a minor amount of PPR value, but now he will have to — at the very least — handle the rock more via hand-off. On this slate, he is the RB5. He might see volume if Los Angeles gets ahead early and Tennessee abandons the run. Speaking of the run, most of the ground-and-pound yards will come from veteran Adrian Peterson, who was signed Monday morning. Peterson hasn’t been a consistent fantasy performer since 2018, and he hasn’t been a superstar since 2015. We also don’t know Peterson’s current conditioning status. He was always a strength-and-fitness gym rat, so that is less concerning for me. Still, even with the potential limitations to his game, it doesn’t take a masterclass to know how to run straight forward behind the offensive line. Nevertheless, AD is 36, so, I won’t list him any higher than RB4 here. Dontrell Hilliard had a few minor moments in early 2019 with the Cleveland Browns, but he has been largely a special teams guy since then. If AD isn’t ready to be the featured back this week, Hilliard might get a couple of carries. I still wouldn’t use him outside of Showdown, and then only if Peterson doesn’t suit up.

Darrell Henderson has been solid all season. Meanwhile, Tennessee has been better against the run than the pass, but that isn’t saying much. All of the upper-tier RBs to face the Titans have clowned them. I like Henderson as the RB2 on this slate, and he should put up solid numbers regardless of the game script. Sony Michel has served a role with Los Angeles. In recent weeks, he has put up solid numbers in mop-up time. Still, he won’t have sizeable value without a Henderson injury. On this board, he is RB6 and could be considered as an injury-pivot or even as a FLEX play. Personally, I would rather leave him for Showdown lineups where he won’t need an injury to potentially return value.

At this point, we cannot trust that Julio Jones will suit up each week. If he does shed his hamstring issue, I like him as a WR2/3 option, since he won’t have to deal with a Jalen Ramsey shadow. A.J. Brown will see that shadow regardless of whether or not Julio plays. It hasn’t been the death sentence of previous years, but it definitely knocks him down to no higher than WR4 on the slate. The Ramsey-risk paired with his typical salary makes him a hard guy to use here. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Josh Reynolds could be usable as WR3/FLEX plays here if Jones is out. Even as a standalone play, Reynolds could get some rub in a revenge game narrative. Chester Rogers was a factor earlier this year, but a groin injury has kept him in check for the last month. He could also have some FLEX value if Jones is not on the field. Marcus Johnson saw five targets last week, but I believe a lot of that was because Reynolds was battling an illness. I don’t think he has enough usage this week to be worth even a dart throw.

Cooper Kupp will be the WR1 on this slate. It isn’t close. Just lock him in your lineups and build around him. Don’t miss out on his pair of scores this week. Robert Woods gets the WR5/6 slot on the docket, and he will be a consideration for your WR2 slot. I just don’t know if I want both of them in my lineup. Van Jefferson may be the better option financially if you need to triple-stack the Rams’ passing attack.

Tennessee has three mediocre tight ends. None of Geoff SwaimAnthony Firkser, or MyCole Pruitt should be trusted outside of Showdown this week.

Tyler Higbee failed me last week, but he is still the TE1 on this slate. If you don’t use Van Jefferson at WR3, make Higbee the third stake in your Rams stack.

The Rams have a great NFL defense, but the MNF game features two cheaper options that have higher upside this week. Starting the Titans defense is only a great idea if you like getting kicked in the groin repeatedly. Never start a defense that is likely to allow over 30 points.

On Monday, the Justin Fields experiment gets its first primetime appearance. This alone would be a great excuse to fade Fields. Then add to that the fact that he has to face Pittsburgh’s elite defense, and this will not end well for Fields nor for his fantasy owners. His best hope is on the ground and Pittsburgh has given up a total of 77 rushing yards to QBs this year. Plus, Matt Nagy will be back at the helm calling plays this week. So, we cannot even count on him getting the carries necessary to rely on his legs from a fantasy perspective.

Ben Roethlisberger is clearly showing his age this season. His arm has been shaky all year, but he does have weapons. He has a higher potential ceiling than Tannehill here, but also a lower floor. This puts him at QB3 for me this week. If Tennessee doesn’t get Julio back from his injury, I might bump Big Ben up to QB2.

David Montgomery is eligible to come off of the IR. Of course, Matt Nagy has been unforthcoming as to his status for this week and the foreseeable future. If he returns this week (and I doubt he will), I’d leave him on my bench since he will be weaned back into the play script. Chicago can afford to do that because Khalil Herbert has been a beast in his stead. Pittsburgh has a stifling run defense, but based on volume alone I still give Herbert RB3 consideration. Damien Williams hurt his knee Sunday and hurt his relevance chances a few weeks back when Herbert lapped him. Both he and Ryan Nall can stay off your lineup card.

Najee Harris is officially a bell-cow RB. Meanwhile, Chicago has been trounced by at least one back in six of eight games. This is why I have more faith in Harris than any other back on this board. If I can afford it, I will have both him and Henderson in my lineups.

Everyone in the fantasy world was begging for Allen Robinson to be traded this week. It didn’t happen. So, unfortunately, his value will continue to remain in the outhouse. There have been multiple WR1s to have success against Pittsburgh this year but none since Week 5. I cannot see A-Rob finally breaking out here. Darnell Mooney has been far more involved in the Chicago offense this year and can be considered as a WR3/FLEX play here. Still, it doesn’t make me feel confident using him here, either. I was shocked to learn that Marquise Goodwin was still in the league. I still don’t know if I believe that. I think someone is screwing with my box scores and just inserting early 2010’s players to make my mind blurry during analysis.

Diontae Johnson is a target beast. I have him as my WR2 here. He will be my primary pivot if I don’t use Kupp. Chase Claypool has also been very solid. I don’t trust him anywhere near as much as Johnson, but he could be used at WR2/3 to save a few bucks. James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud have split the WR3 role with JuJu Smith-Schuster on IR. Neither has done enough to warrant DFS usage. I’d argue that Pat Freiermuth and Harris have more value in the passing game than either of those two.

Cole Kmet and Jesse James have split targets the last couple of weeks. Kmet is clearly the stronger talent, but James has the experience advantage. Pittsburgh is in the middle of the road against TEs, so I could see using one of them. If I had to choose, I’d go with Kmet. That said, James scored the TD last week, and he has a revenge game narrative at play. Jimmy Graham will also return this week, but he has exactly three targets all season. I’m not concerned about his impact here.

Pat Freiermuth will always be known as the other tight end from this draft. That said, he has produced playable lines in four of seven games. Eric Ebron is injured, and he hasn’t done anything this season. I’m not going to waste my time with him. Freiermuth, on the other hand, is arguably the TE2 on this slate with a growing upside if Ebron misses the game. Zach Gentry has seen a bump in targets with Ebron dinged up but his usage is too infrequent to trust here.

Choose one of these two defenses. They are cheaper than the Rams and both teams have issues on offense. I prefer Pittsburgh, because they are facing the less experienced QB on the road in his first primetime appearance.

[lawrence-related id=461819]

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $5.8k for Tua Tagovailoa. $7.2k for Aaron Jones. $5.2k for Boston Scott. $6.1k for Brandin Cooks. $5.6k for Jaylen Waddle. $4.8k for Hunter Renfrow. $4.9K for Mike Gesicki. $5.8k for Eli Mitchell at FLEX. $4k for the Buffalo Bills defense.

At FD: $7.3k for Tua. $7.1k for Mitchell. $7.6k for Nick Chubb. $7.9k for Ja’Marr Chase. $6.1k for Waddle. $6.8k for Cooks. $6.5k for Gesicki. $6.3k for Scott at FLEX. $3.7k for the Los Angeles Chargers defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford at SF, Mitchell and Scott, Stefon Diggs, Rashod Bateman, Josh Reynolds, Cooper Kupp at FLEX, and Tommy Sweeney.

DraftKings FanDuel
Josh Allen $8,200 $9,000
Kyler Murray $7,900 $8,200
Patrick Mahomes $7,800 $8,500
Lamar Jackson $7,300 $8,300
Justin Herbert $7,000 $7,600
Dak Prescott $6,900 $7,900
Joe Burrow $6,800 $7,600
Jalen Hurts $6,700 $7,800
Kirk Cousins $6,200 $7,400
Derek Carr $5,900 $7,500
Tua Tagovailoa $5,800 $7,300
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,700 $7,200
Daniel Jones $5,600 $7,300
Matt Ryan $5,600 $6,700
Sam Darnold $5,500 $7,000
Taysom Hill $5,500 $7,000
Baker Mayfield $5,400 $6,600
Trevor Lawrence $5,400 $6,400
Trevor Siemian $5,400 $7,000
Mac Jones $5,300 $6,500
Teddy Bridgewater $5,300 $7,000
P.J. Walker $5,000 $6,300
Tyrod Taylor $5,000 $6,900
Jordan Love $4,400 $6,000

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Most of the high-priced QBs are usable this week. I especially like Josh AllenPatrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Lamar Jackson. The midtier is much less appealing as only Derek Carr and Tua Tagovailoa jump out to me. That said, Tua may be my favorite play of the week. Baker Mayfield and Teddy Bridgewater could be decent punt options. With Jordan Love forced to start, he wouldn’t be a rotten option against the abysmal KC defense.

Fantasy Four-pack

Josh Allen, Bills @ JAX
($8,200 DK, $9,000 FD)
Jacksonville has been a middle-of-the-road unit against QBs this season. Their numbers look somewhat good because most teams just run the ball relentlessly against them. Of course, when you consider the Bills, Allen is their best runner. He is also their most reliable ball carrier at the stripe. Over his last five games, Allen has had 17 total TDs. Pencil him in for another three or four here.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs vs. GB
($7,800 DK, $8,500 FD)

Mahomes is not dominating as he has in previous years. Somehow, opposing defenses have limited him to five total TDs over his last four games. It hasn’t been all doom and gloom, though. In his first four games of the year, Mahomes had 15 total scores. Green Bay is without their top two cornerbacks — not exactly what you want to hear when you are about to face the Chiefs. The only reason to have a concern here is determining what effect, if any, Jordan Love will have on the game script.

Lamar Jackson, Ravens vs. MIN
($7,300 DK, $8,300 FD) 

Poor Minnesota. One of their starting interior defensive linemen is currently out with an injury. Then they traded one of their depth defensive ends. Then their best edge rusher/end suffered a season-ending injury. Now they have to tangle with arguably the most shifty QB in the league. Jackson has thrown for more than one passing TD only once this season. So, it is hard to predict multiple passing scores even with Rashod Bateman healthy and active. The reason we use Lamar, though, isn’t his passing acumen (which he can channel on occasions), it is his legs. Only eight other players have more rushing yards this season and they are all RBs.

Justin Herbert, Chargers @ PHI
($7,000 DK, $7,600 FD)
Herbert has only one game this season where he has neither thrown for multiple scores nor topped 300 yards. That was on the road against a very strong Ravens defense. Philly is a mess right now, and Herbert is considerably better than last week’s opponent, Jared Goff. Darius Slay remains a great shutdown corner, but he can only guard one of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. My belief is he shadows Allen, leaving Williams as the player to stack here.

DFS Sleepers

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins vs. HOU
($5,800 DK, $7,300 FD)
Houston we have a problem. You have a QB that doesn’t want to be there, and that you don’t want to be there, and now it is too late to trade him. You also have a top WR that doesn’t want to be there and that you refused to trade. You have a three-headed RB situation where none of them is any good. You are starting either a career backup or an unready rookie at QB. You also traded or allowed to walk most of your defensive talent over the last 12 months. Tua’s NFL progress took some time to develop, but up until this past Tuesday, there was some question as to how much confidence Miami’s front office had in him. Miami didn’t trade for Deshaun Watson. So, for at least the next nine weeks, Tua will get the chance to win that confidence. Houston has allowed three passing TDs in each of their last two games. I could see Tua throwing at least two here.

Baker Mayfield, Browns @ CIN
($5,400 DK, $6,600 FD)
Did anyone see what Mike freaking White just did to the Bengals? It goes without saying that Mayfield is a stronger QB than White. Baker likely will be without Odell Beckham this week, but it isn’t as if Beckham has done anything this year. Mayfield was shutout versus the stingy Steelers last week, but he came out of the game no worse for wear in regards to his shoulder. Perhaps the removal of the clubhouse cancer OBJ will strengthen this offense moving forward. This will be a great test of that theory.

DraftKings FanDuel
Alvin Kamara $8,200 $9,400
Christian McCaffrey $8,000 $10,000
Austin Ekeler $7,900 $9,000
Dalvin Cook $7,700 $8,800
Aaron Jones
$7,200 $8,500
Joe Mixon $7,100 $7,400
Ezekiel Elliott $7,000 $8,200
Nick Chubb $6,700 $7,600
James Robinson $6,400 $7,500
Cordarrelle Patterson $6,300 $7,000
Josh Jacobs $6,200 $7,200
Chuba Hubbard $6,100 $6,800
Damien Harris $6,000 $6,600
Devontae Booker $5,900 $6,300
Eli Mitchell $5,800 $7,100
Myles Gaskin $5,800 $6,100
Darrel Williams $5,700 $6,700
Latavius Murray $5,500 $5,700
D’Ernest Johnson $5,400 $5,500
Chase Edmonds $5,300 $5,900
James Conner $5,300 $6,100
Zack Moss $5,300 $6,000
Boston Scott $5,200 $6,300
Melvin Gordon $5,200 $6,400
Kenyan Drake $5,100 $6,200
Kenneth Gainwell $5,000 $5,200
Carlos Hyde $4,900 $5,600
Devonta Freeman $4,900 $5,500
Javonte Williams $4,800 $5,800
Mike Davis $4,700 $5,600
Tony Pollard $4,700 $5,800
AJ Dillon $4,600 $5,200
Jordan Howard $4,600 $5,700
Mark Ingram $4,600 $5,200
Devin Singletary $4,500 $5,300
David Johnson $4,400 $5,300
Rex Burkhead $4,300 $5,000
Rhamondre Stevenson $4,200 $4,900
Phillip Lindsay $4,100 $5,100
Brandon Bolden $4,000 $5,100

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Austin Ekeler didn’t make my lineups last week, because I was concerned by his Friday injury status. He still showed out. I think he is the best play among the RBs this week. Alvin Kamara has a great matchup but I am concerned about what effect the presence of either Taysom Hill or Trevor Siemian will have on his production. Nick Chubb is the other high-priced RB that I like as a pivot from Ekeler. Tier two features some decent talent at a decent price. I like Chuba Hubbard (if Christian McCaffrey does not play), Myles Gaskin, and Eli Mitchell (assuming he plays). Discount options I like for the FLEX slot include both Eagles, both Broncos, and both Bills.

Fantasy Four-pack

Austin Ekeler, Chargers @ PHI
($7,900 DK, $9,000 FD)
Philly has allowed a league second-high 163 combo yards per game to opposing RBs. Meanwhile, Ekeler has topped 100 combo yards in five of seven games. He also has six total scores over his last four games. I like him for 125-1 here with seven or eight receptions thrown in.

Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. ATL
($8,200 DK, $9,400 FD
Atlanta is a cake matchup for most RBs. I typically would be all over this. However, we don’t know who will be under center for New Orleans this week. Will it be Trevor Siemian or Taysom Hill? Siemian could cause a stacked defensive front against Kamara and Hill could vulture TDs. I’m also concerned that Kamara hasn’t come up big in his last four meetings with Atlanta. In those games, he is averaging only 75 total yards and 0.5 total scores. Perhaps, the Saints will lean more on him with the QB change. If that happens then maybe we will see a 125-1 sort of day here.

Nick Chubb, Browns @ CIN
($6,700 DK, $7,600 FD)

Chubb was limited to just 69 total yards in his first game back and without Kareem Hunt. In his defense, Chubb was facing the new Steel Curtain. This week, he gets to face more of a Japanese paper folding screen. Over the last four weeks, Cincy has allowed five total RB scores, 152 combo yards per game, and nine receptions per game to opposing RBs. D’Ernest Johnson may get a pittance from that line, but most of it will go to Chubb.

Aaron Jones, Packers @ KC
($7,200 DK, $8,500 FD)
With Jordan Love under center, the Pack will have to lean even more on Jones and A.J. Dillon. Last week, Jones was basically the Green Bay WR1. This week he should shift back to being the primary ball carrier out of the backfield. Every team to face KC has had at least one RB top 85 total yards against them. That and a score is Jones’ floor.

DFS Sleepers

Boston Scott, Eagles vs. LAC
($5,200 DK, $6,300 FD)
I picked the wrong Eagles running back last week. Actually, I picked the third-best Eagles running back last week. I blame Nick Sirianni for pulling a “Shanahanigans.” Scott looked fully capable of being the primary runner for Philly, but he still ended up sharing touches with Jordan Howard and Kenneth Gainwell. All three could have big games this week against a Los Angeles defense that has allowed a league second-worst seven total RB scores over the last four weeks. This figure is remarkable since that four-week span includes their bye week.

Myles Gaskin, Dolphins vs. HOU
($5,800 DK, $6,100 FD)
Gaskin posted nearly double the number of opportunities of Salvon Ahmed last week. Still, his final line was depressingly bad. Fortunately for him, the Bills ranked fifth against the run and the Texans rank 30th. Houston has been toasted on the ground this year. No team has allowed more total RB rushing yards on the season. Gaskin has had marginal success both on the ground and through the air. I like him to finish here with 50 yards on the ground to go with 6-60 through the air and a score.

DraftKings FanDuel
Davante Adams $8,200 $9,000
Tyreek Hill $7,900 $8,500
Deebo Samuel $7,800 $8,000
Stefon Diggs $7,700 $7,600
Ja’Marr Chase $7,600 $7,900
Justin Jefferson $7,400 $7,600
CeeDee Lamb $7,200 $7,500
Mike Williams $7,100 $7,300
DeAndre Hopkins $7,000 $7,200
Adam Thielen $6,900 $7,400
Keenan Allen $6,700 $7,000
DJ Moore $6,400 $7,100
Brandin Cooks $6,100 $6,800
Marquise Brown $6,000 $7,700
Courtland Sutton $5,900 $6,700
Amari Cooper $5,700 $6,900
Marvin Jones $5,700 $6,000
Emmanuel Sanders $5,600 $6,500
Jaylen Waddle $5,600 $6,100
Cole Beasley $5,400 $6,300
Christian Kirk $5,300 $6,400
DeVante Parker $5,300 $6,200
Tee Higgins $5,300 $6,600
DeVonta Smith $5,200 $5,800
Jakobi Meyers $5,200 $5,500
Kadarius Toney $5,200 $5,700
Kenny Golladay $5,200 $6,000
Jarvis Landry $5,100 $5,900
Jerry Jeudy $5,000 $5,800
Marquez Callaway $5,000 $5,400
Tyler Boyd $5,000 $5,900
Russell Gage $4,900 $5,800
Hunter Renfrow $4,800 $5,600
A.J. Green $4,700 $5,700
Tim Patrick $4,700 $5,600
Allen Lazard $4,700 $5,700
Kendrick Bourne $4,600 $5,600
Randall Cobb $4,500 $5,600
Robby Anderson $4,500 $5,500
Donovan Peoples-Jones $4,400 $5,100
Laviska Shenault $4,400 $5,500
Tre’Quan Smith $4,400 $5,700
Jamal Agnew $4,300 $5,200
Sammy Watkins $4,300 $5,500
Rondale Moore $4,200 $5,300
Tajae Sharpe $4,200 $5,500
Brandon Aiyuk $4,100 $5,500
Bryan Edwards $4,100 $5,300
Nelson Agholor $4,100 $5,400
Jalen Reagor $4,000 $5,200
Rashod Bateman $4,000 $5,400
Deonte Harris $3,900 $5,200
Mecole Hardman $3,900 $5,400
Michael Gallup $3,900 $5,000
Quez Watkins $3,800 $5,400
Byron Pringle $3,700 $5,500
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $3,700 $5,300
Cedrick Wilson $3,600 $5,300
K.J. Osborn $3,600 $5,500
Nico Collins $3,600 $5,400
Olamide Zaccheaus $3,600 $5,200
Dante Pettis $3,500 $5,500
Gabriel Davis $3,500 $5,000
Demarcus Robinson $3,400 $5,200
Rashard Higgins $3,400 $5,000
Danny Amendola $3,200 $4,800
John Ross $3,200 $5,000
Chris Conley $3,100 $4,900
Noah Brown $3,000 $4,600

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy –  Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, and Mike Williams are my favorite WR1 plays this week. Brandin Cooks and Jaylen Waddle make a great game stack with Tua Tagovailoa if you want to skip the expensive WR1. Other options for WR2 include Cole BeasleyJarvis Landry, and Jerry Jeudy. WR3 should fall to Rashod Bateman if possible. Otherwise, I also like Hunter Renfrow and Tre’Quan Smith.

Fantasy Four-pack

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs vs. GB
($7,900 DK, $8,500 FD)
Over their last five games, the Pack has faced four Alpha WR1. They each destroyed a short-handed Green Bay secondary. Hill was definitely the Chiefs’ focal point on Monday when they got back on the winning track against New York. I expect them to continue to force-feed the Tyfreak as long as they want to keep winning.

Stefon Diggs, Bills @ JAX
($7,700 DK, $7,600 FD)
Diggs has underperformed this season, but a lot of that was due to his lack of TD volume. And most of that was due to vultures from Dawson Knox. Knox left Week 6 with a broken hand, and Diggs scored in that game as well as in Week 8 when Knox was out due to the injury. Dawson remains day-to-day, and he isn’t needed this week to defeat Jacksonville. I believe they hold him out one more week to fully heal. This should give all the value boost that Diggs needs to reach 3x.

Mike Williams, Chargers @ PHI
($7,100 DK, $7,300 FD)
Darius Slay will need to choose which WR he will shadow this week. My belief is that he follows Keenan Allen, which will leave Williams to do the most damage. Williams has been underutilized the last couple of games, which should keep his ownership numbers down. Use that to your advantage and stack him with Justin Herbert.

Deebo Samuel, Niners vs. ARI
($7,800 DK, $8,000 FD)
Back in Week 5, Samuel had more targets against Arizona than the entire rest of the WR room for San Francisco combined. That was with the not-ready-for-primetime Trey Lance under center. Jimmy Garoppolo is back starting for SF, and in the two games since their last battle, Samuel has posted 13-271-1 on 20 targets. If George Kittle returns this week, it could cost Samuel some targets but not enough to make him fall out of the top four.

DFS Sleepers

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins vs. HOU
($5,600 DK, $6,100 FD)
I’m torn between Waddle and his running mate DeVante Parker. In the five games that they have both played, Parker has 43 targets and Waddle has 42. Parker has more yards, but Waddle has more receptions. So it really is very close. Houston cannot stop anyone, so I have zero issues with starting either or even both of them in a stack with Tua Tagovailoa. Waddle is more expensive on DK but cheaper on FD. Perhaps use that as your divining rod as to which one to stack.

Hunter Renfrow, Raiders @ NYG
($4,800 DK, $5,600 FD)
Henry Ruggs’ felonious activities earlier this week leave him without a job and potentially with a lengthy prison term. This opens the door for even more targets for the PPR darling Renfrow. Despite often lining up opposite James Bradberry, opposing WR1s have actually been fairly dominant against the Giants. Plus, if Darren Waller remains out, then Hunter will see even more targets.

DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $7,000 $7,800
Darren Waller $6,200 $6,800
Kyle Pitts $5,900 $6,600
Mark Andrews $5,500 $7,100
George Kittle $5,200 $6,000
Mike Gesicki $4,900 $6,500
Dalton Schultz $4,800 $6,100
Zach Ertz $4,700 $5,500
Dawson Knox $4,600 $5,900
Dallas Goedert $4,500 $6,200
Hunter Henry $4,000 $5,300
C.J. Uzomah $3,900 $5,400
Evan Engram $3,800 $5,100
Dan Arnold $3,400 $5,100
Jared Cook $3,300 $5,200
Austin Hooper $3,200 $4,900
Tommy Sweeney $3,100 $4,700
David Njoku $3,000 $4,800
Foster Moreau $3,000 $5,000
Hayden Hurst $3,000 $4,600
Tyler Conklin $3,000 $5,200
Marcedes Lewis $2,900 $4,300
Adam Trautman $2,800 $4,400
Jonnu Smith $2,800 $4,700
Tommy Tremble $2,800 $4,500
Jordan Akins $2,700 $4,800
Albert Okwuegbunam $2,600 $4,500
Brevin Jordan $2,500 $4,600

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Both Darren Waller and George Kittle could make their returns this week. Each is a decent play. I don’t mind Travis Kelce this week, but the price savings to Waller is useful elsewhere. For me, there are three great plays in the second-tier. I love Mike Gesicki and Dallas Goedert. I also like Jared Cook. This could be a great week to use two of them in a double-TE lineup.  If Dawson Knox plays, he also has a good matchup. If he doesn’t play, Tommy Sweeney becomes a great punt play once again. Foster Moreau could also fall into that category if Waller doesn’t return. Speaking of absences, Albert Okwuegbunam should get the start if Noah Fant cannot clear the COVID protocol. At his price, he could be a tourney winner.  

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. GB
($7,000 DK, $7,800 FD)
Kelce has underperformed recently as defenses have attempted to take him out of each game. Green Bay just doesn’t have the dogs in the secondary to do this. I don’t love his price compared to some of the other top options at TE, but if you want exposure to this game, he is cheaper than Tyreek Hill.

Darren Waller, Raiders @ NYG
($6,200 DK, $6,800 FD)
If Waller was 100 percent healthy, he would reach 3x value this week in his sleep. Right now, it appears that he will be good to go come Sunday. With Henry Ruggs cut, Waller should see an uptick in targets. That would be nice since his numbers are down overall on the season. The Giants effectively shut down Travis Kelce last week. Don’t let that dissuade you from using Waller here.

Mike Gesicki, Dolphins vs. HOU
($4,900 DK, $6,500 FD)
Houston has given up a league-worst six TE scores. Gesicki had a ho-hum game last week versus an elite Buffalo defense. He still finished with 3-48 and a two-point conversion. This week will be much easier for him. On the year, only two TEs have more receptions than Gesicki and only three have more receiving yards.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles vs. LAC
($4,500 DK, $6,200 FD)
The Chargers are allowing an average of 73.5 yards per game to opposing TEs. That sounds like the floor for Goedert here. In his two games without Zach Ertz, Goedert is averaging 4.5-71 on six targets. This will be the week that he scores, too.

DFS Sleepers

Jared Cook, Chargers @ PHI
($3,300 DK, $5,200 FD)
Philly has allowed six TE scores since Week 3. Over that same span opposing TE rooms are averaging 7.3-68. Cook didn’t do much last week, but he does have two scores in the three games prior to that.

Albert Okwuegbunam, Broncos @ DAL
($2,600 DK, $4,500 FD)
Okwuegbunam was solid last year while Noah Fant was out. Dallas has given up 15-174-1 to the position over the last three weeks against so-so TEs. If Fant misses this game due to COVID, Albert O. could leave you screaming when you finish in the money.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 8

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 8 DFS fantasy football

Thank goodness the bye-pocalypse is done. That made for some ridiculous-looking lineups in regular fantasy leagues. The DFS landscape was also strained as so many stars were off of the main slate. This week, we have fewer teams on bye (two), but five of the best offenses in football are in primetime. So once again the DFS pool may seem shallow. I’d suggest wading in rather than cannonballing.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Dallas is heading north to Minnesota. Dak Prescott has been a stud this year, throwing for three or more TDs in all but one contest. He did suffer a small calf injury back in Week 6, but the bye week should have offered him more than enough time to heal. Minnesota will be without their top CB, Patrick Peterson, making an already subpar secondary look even worse. On a slate loaded with offensive potential, Dak may be QB1, and he is no worse than QB2, presuming his injured calf doesn’t keep Prescott on the pine.

Dallas also has some serious deficiencies in its secondary. You hate to see that when you are about to attempt to defend Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. Kirk Cousins would be the QB1 on most slates. Not this time, however. I’m going to be forced to slot him at QB3 on a loaded board. His salary will be cheaper though, which may make him more appealing.

The Vikings’ run defense was supposed to be a strength this year. They haven’t shown out yet. Still, the matchup looks less appealing than some of the others (especially when you consider that Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard continue to split touches). If Saquon Barkley (ankle) returns, I will give Zeke the RB3 slot and Pollard the RB5 slot. Otherwise, Zeke can be used as your RB2, and Pollard could be a cost-savings pivot there or as a FLEX.

Dalvin Cook is the top RB on this slate. Dallas has actually been considerably better against the run than the pass, but they also haven’t faced much talent or a run-forward game script yet this year. Dalvin is a stud — don’t get cute, just set him and forget him. Alexander Mattison has returned to a supplemental role, so use him only as an injury pivot in Showdown lineups.

The likely return of Michael Gallup should open this offense up even more. He is going to be the WR7 or WR8 on the slate and should be cheap enough to consider at WR3 to get exposure to this passing game. Both Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb are in play for WR2. I prefer Lamb over Cooper, but it may come down to money considerations. Either would be a great play. If Gallup misses this game, Cedrick Wilson could have value. Otherwise, I will pass on him and Noah Brown.

In what should be a high-scoring contest, I love Adam Thielen to cross the stripe at least once. He joins Cooper and Lamb in the WR2 conversation (and I prefer him slightly to both of them). I also like Justin Jefferson, but I feel Thielen is the safer play this week, especially since Jefferson will likely draw INT-machine Trevon Diggs. K.J. Osborn has been a bargain basement stud recently. With so much cost tied up at RB and WR, you may have to consider him at WR3 or FLEX.

Dalton Schultz has produced strong value this year. On this slate, he will get the TE2 nod. That said, the matchup doesn’t scream success. Minnesota has allowed only one big TE game this season. Plus, the possible return of Gallup could cut into Schultz’s targets. Not to mention that Blake Jarwin is still in play as well. As for him, I won’t use Jarwin outside of Showdown.

Tyler Conklin has made many Vikings fans forget about Irv Smith. Dallas has allowed some big games to opposing TEs, but Conklin still ranks no higher than TE3 here. He could even be the fourth-best based on matchup.

Obviously, if Prescott misses this game due to his calf, then use the Vikings defense. Otherwise, pass on both of them.

Daniel Jones could put up big numbers against a rotten KC defense this week and still finish as the worst QB on this slate. At the price-point separation, he may actually be the right play for you. Still, he will rank as QB4 here.

Patrick Mahomes was knocked around last week by Tennessee. He should be fine for this game and ranks as QB1 or QB2 on the slate. The Giants defense has been nearly as bad as the Chiefs. This smells like a get-right game for Saint Patrick, and only Prescott has a similar ceiling.

Saquon Barkley is the second-best RB on this slate. Unfortunately, he still remains questionable, at best, to play the game. If he goes, he must be in your lineup. In the event that Barkley sits out one more game, Devontae Booker gets a great matchup, and he should be RB4 overall as a great FLEX play. KC is so rotten on defense, even if Saquon plays, Booker could have FLEX appeal.

Darrel Williams has been an effective fill-in for a KC offense that remains without Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The only RB to not go off against this defense was Chuba Hubbard last week. With so much money spent elsewhere, you seriously have to consider using Williams at RB2 or FLEX. That said, in reality, he is right around RB4 here. Jerick McKinnon isn’t used enough to play him.

Finding a healthy receiver on the Giants is like finding a needle in a haystack. Sterling Shepard gets the volume, but his hamstring held him out last week. If he plays, he is a great option at WR3 to save money. Kenny Golladay has also been a frequent visitor to the inactive list. Again, if he can suit up, he makes a great WR3 option as well. That said, I have more faith in Shepard playing. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Kadarius Toney would make a great play this week if he can suit up. His injury is in an ankle, so he is even less likely than Shepard or Golladay to play. Darius Slayton returned from injury last week and led the team in targets and receiving yards. If the other three are all out again, Slayton needs to be played as a volume WR3. In that situation, Dante Pettis or John Ross could also be considered as a FLEX. Though neither offers the upside of any of the WRs in front of them on the depth chart. There was one week back in 2020 that I played Collin Johnson. That will remain the only week I will ever play Collin Johnson.

Tyreek Hill will lock horns with James Bradberry this week. Despite his frequent shadow coverage, opposing WR1s have had success against this defense. Cost may force me to pivot away from him, more so than Bradberry’s coverage. If I don’t use him, I will put two of the Vikings and Cowboys up top. To gain exposure to this game, Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle make slightly more sense, since they will be considerably cheaper. Either could be slid into your WR3 or FLEX slot. Demarcus Robinson isn’t getting the volume to rely upon. He is best left for Showdown slates. As for Josh Gordon, he has not played more than 11 snaps in any game since signing and he has a total of two targets over that span. Don’t even consider it.

The Chiefs have been awful against opposing TEs. Meanwhile, Evan Engram has actually seen an uptick in targets thanks to all of the injuries at WR. He deserves the TE3 tag here, and at his price, you should definitely consider using him. Kyle Rudolph remains strictly a depth piece and should be avoided.

Travis Kelce is the TE1 here. He remains the safest play among all of the KC pass-catchers, but good luck fitting his salary onto your roster.

In reality, KC’s defense is severely flawed. That said, on a slate full of bad defenses, always consider the one facing the worst offense. As for the Giants, you can chase some Mahomes INTs here if you want. They should be cheap.

[lawrence-related id=461624]

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $5.4k for Teddy Bridgewater. $6.5k for Darrell Henderson. $6.9k for Joe Mixon. $5.3k for Michael Pittman. $4.9k for Jerry Jeudy (if he plays) otherwise $4.7k for Tim Patrick. $9k for Cooper Kupp. $2.9K for Tommy Sweeney. $6.6k for Alex Collins at FLEX. $3.6k for the Cincinnati Bengals defense.

At FD: $7k for Bridgewater. $7.6k for Mixon. $7.7k for Henderson. $7.5k for Diontae Johnson. $6.6k for Pittman. $6k for Jeudy (or $5.8k for Patrick). $6.2k for T.J. Hockenson. $5.9k for Kenneth Gainwell at FLEX. $4.9k for the Cincinnati Bengals defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Bridgewater, Dak Prescott at SF, Mixon, Henderson, Collins at FLEX, CeeDee Lamb, Adam Thielen, Jeudy/Patrick, and Hunter Henry.

DraftKings FanDuel
Josh Allen $8,100 $8,800
Matthew Stafford $7,600 $8,200
Tom Brady $7,400 $8,300
Justin Herbert $7,300 $7,900
Jalen Hurts $7,200 $8,400
Joe Burrow $7,100 $7,800
Ryan Tannehill $6,600 $7,500
Jameis Winston $6,000 $7,400
Matt Ryan $5,900 $7,200
Carson Wentz $5,700 $7,200
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,600 $6,900
Sam Darnold $5,600 $7,300
Baker Mayfield $5,500 $6,500
Trevor Lawrence $5,500 $6,700
Tua Tagovailoa $5,500 $7,100
Ben Roethlisberger $5,400 $6,600
Teddy Bridgewater $5,400 $7,000
Geno Smith $5,300 $7,000
Taylor Heinicke $5,300 $7,000
Jared Goff $5,200 $6,800
Mac Jones $5,200 $6,900
Justin Fields $5,000 $6,400
Mike White $5,000 $6,300
Case Keenum $4,900 $6,400
Tyrod Taylor $4,900 $6,300
Davis Mills $4,800 $6,300

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford are the two best options this week. If I pivot off of them, it would be for Jalen Hurts, Ryan Tannehill, Jameis Winston, or Carson Wentz. Still, this feels like the week to spend down at the position. I really like both Teddy Bridgewater and Trevor Lawrence. I could also see putting out a few lineups with Geno Smith. Talk about a Halloween horror story.

Fantasy Four-pack

Matthew Stafford, Rams @ HOU
($7,600 DK, $8,200 FD)
In the only contest that Stafford did not throw for multiple TDs this season, he still finished with 365 passing yards. Meanwhile, Houston has remained middle-of-the-pack against the pass all season. They have given up 16 total scores to the position. That number may reach 20 after this game.

Josh Allen, Bills vs. MIA
($8,100 DK, $8,800 FD)

Allen faces a defense that has allowed a league-worst 358 passing yards per game over their last three. The Bills faced Miami earlier this season and Allen was held under 200 yards and to only two passing TDs. Those numbers were kept in check, though, because Buffalo was running over them with their backs. Miami does have Xavien Howard and Byron Jones back, but that didn’t keep Matt Ryan from shredding them last week. One thing to note, though, is the returning corners did limit Calvin Ridley’s production, so perhaps consider stacking Allen with either Cole Beasley or Emmanuel Sanders instead of Stefon Diggs.

Jalen Hurts, Eagles @ DET
($7,200 DK, $8,400 FD) 

Hurts has been prolific in garbage time but mediocre in the rest of the game script. So, this will be an interesting test for the young QB. How will he perform when his team is actually leading? With social media howlings for Gardner Minshew to replace him, Hurts will need to step it up. One thing we know for sure is that Hurts can hurt you with his rushing ability. With Miles Sanders on IR with an ankle injury, many people will use Kenneth Gainwell as a cheap RB fill-in. It is possible, however, Sanders’ absence could just lead to more throwing and more QB scampers by Hurts. Detroit can be embarrassed by either.

Ryan Tannehill, Titans @ IND
($6,600 DK, $7,500 FD)
Washington is the only team to allow more passing TDs than Indy. Tannehill finally has both A.J. Brown and Julio Jones healthy. It is about time as I am sick of seeing Tannehill being held to one or zero passing TDs. At least he has scored a few rushing TDs to keep his owners slightly sated during these first few weeks. Tannehill’s best game of the season was Week 3 versus the Colts. In that game, he threw for under 200 yards but managed three passing scores. He also was without Brown in that game. With both receivers at his disposal, I expect another three scores and a better yardage total.

DFS Sleepers

Teddy Bridgewater, Broncos vs. WFT
($5,400 DK, $7,000 FD)
Somehow #Teddy1TD has managed to throw for multiple TDs in five of his seven starts this year. Amazingly, he is still in constant danger of losing his starting job. Washington has allowed the most passing TDs this season. This includes 17 over their last five games. As long as Bridgewater doesn’t get benched due to fan disapproval, he will have another multiple TD game here. Heck, I may need to change his hashtag to #Teddy2TDs.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars @ SEA
($5,500 DK, $6,700 FD)
Trevor has had some horrible starts to begin his career. He also has had a couple of games where it appears the talent is legit. Seattle has allowed the fifth-most passing yards (296) per game at home. Apparently, the 12th man is now a burnable cornerback. In fact, neither team has much to write home about on a defensive front. This should allow both teams to put up some points here. Making this a sneaky game to stack players from.

DraftKings FanDuel
Derrick Henry $8,900 $10,500
Alvin Kamara $8,700 $8,400
Austin Ekeler $7,900 $8,700
Najee Harris $7,500 $9,000
Jonathan Taylor
$7,200 $8,500
D’Andre Swift $7,100 $7,900
Joe Mixon $6,900 $7,600
Nick Chubb $6,800 $8,000
James Robinson $6,600 $8,200
Darrell Henderson $6,500 $7,700
Leonard Fournette $6,300 $7,200
Cordarrelle Patterson $6,200 $7,300
Damien Harris $6,100 $6,900
Chuba Hubbard $6,000 $6,600
Antonio Gibson $5,700 $6,200
Myles Gaskin $5,600 $5,700
D’Ernest Johnson $5,400 $6,700
Eli Mitchell $5,400 $5,800
Khalil Herbert $5,400 $6,500
Alex Collins $5,300 $7,000
Damien Williams $5,300 $5,500
Javonte Williams $5,300 $5,900
Melvin Gordon $5,200 $6,000
Zack Moss $5,200 $6,100
J.D. McKissic $5,100 $5,400
Kenneth Gainwell $5,000 $5,900
Mike Davis $5,000 $5,500
Michael Carter $4,900 $5,700
Samaje Perine $4,900 $5,700
Jamaal Williams $4,700 $5,600
Devin Singletary $4,600 $5,500
Brandon Bolden $4,500 $5,500
Nyheim Hines $4,500 $5,600
Boston Scott $4,400 $5,800
Ty Johnson $4,400 $5,300
David Johnson $4,200 $5,100
Mark Ingram $4,100 $5,300
Giovani Bernard $4,100 $4,900
Marlon Mack $4,000 $5,300
Rashaad Penny $4,000 $6,000
Sony Michel $4,000 $5,200

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Derrick Henry’s price is improved over last week. I still cannot imagine having huge exposure to him. In fact, all of the top options are solid plays, but I feel this week I want to target that second tier. D’Andre Swift, Joe Mixon, Darrell Henderson, James Robinson, Damien Harris, and Chuba Hubbard are the ones I will have the most in my lineups. The bargain choices I will consider are Zack Moss, Brandon Bolden, and the Eagles duo.

Fantasy Four-pack

Derrick Henry, Titans @ IND
($8,900 DK, $10,500 FD)
The healthy WRs for Tennessee may limit Henry’s numbers some, but even limited may approach 30 points. Henry failed to score against Indy earlier this year, but he has three scores against the Colts in their last three meetings.

Joe Mixon, Bengals @ NYJ
($6,900 DK, $7,600 FD
The Jets are allowing 166 combo yards per game to opposing running backs. They have also allowed a league-worst 10 running back rushing scores. This includes four over the last two weeks (they also allowed a running back receiving TD over that span). Mixon has scored in four straight. He will score again here, probably twice.

Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. TEN
($7,200 DK, $8,500 FD)

Taylor and Nyheim Hines combined for 22 touches, 151 yards, and a score in Week 3 versus Tennessee. Hines actually slightly outproduced Taylor, but JT still averaged 6.2 YPC in that game. Hines’ usage has dried up of late as Frank Reich realized that he has an elite level back to feature. Over his last four games, Taylor has had four 100-plus-yard performances and six total TDs. In those same four games, Hines has posted a total of only 63 yards from scrimmage.

D’Andre Swift, Lions vs. PHI
($7,100 DK, $7,900 FD)
Swift trails his running mate Jamaal Williams in rushing yards this season. That said, he has more carries and more rushing TDs than Williams. In addition, Swift leads all Lions skill position players in receptions and receiving yards. He is also tied for the team lead in both targets and receiving scores. Philly has been bad against opposing RBs. Seattle is the only team allowing more total combo yards on the year. In their last two games, the Eagles have given up 362 combo yards, four total TDs, and 19 receptions to opposing backs. There is a legit possibility that Swift leads all backs in fantasy points this week.

DFS Sleepers

Zack Moss, Bills vs. MIA
($5,200 DK, $6,100 FD)
Since Week 3, Moss has outproduced Devin Singletary in every category. Week 2 versus the Dolphins was one of the last times that Singletary actually had more yards from scrimmage than Moss. Still, Moss had two scores in that game, while Singletary only had one. Including those three scores, Miami has allowed a total of 10 TDs to opposing RBs this year. Only two teams have allowed more.

Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles @ DET
($5,000 DK, $5,900 FD)
I’m fearful that this will be the chalk play this week. I’m also fearful that Nick Sirianni will do something insipid, like only run the ball with Jalen Hurts or Boston Scott. Either way, this could be a trap. Still, if the Eagles are smart, they should use the talented Gainwell to move the ball at will against a useless Detroit defense. It won’t take much for him to reach 3x if given adequate volume.

DraftKings FanDuel
Cooper Kupp $9,000 $9,200
Stefon Diggs $8,100 $7,300
Mike Williams $7,700 $7,600
Terry McLaurin $7,600 $7,400
Ja’Marr Chase $7,500 $8,200
Deebo Samuel $7,400 $7,800
DJ Moore $7,200 $7,700
Mike Evans $7,000 $7,500
A.J. Brown $6,900 $7,600
DK Metcalf $6,800 $7,400
Diontae Johnson $6,700 $7,500
Calvin Ridley $6,600 $7,000
Keenan Allen $6,500 $6,900
Chris Godwin $6,400 $7,200
Courtland Sutton $6,400 $7,100
Chase Claypool $6,300 $6,500
Robert Woods $6,300 $6,800
Tyler Lockett $6,100 $6,600
Michael Thomas $6,000 $6,500
Marvin Jones $5,900 $6,400
Julio Jones $5,800 $6,500
Brandin Cooks $5,700 $6,000
Jaylen Waddle $5,600 $6,400
DeVonta Smith $5,500 $6,200
Emmanuel Sanders $5,400 $6,700
Marquez Callaway $5,400 $5,900
Kalif Raymond $5,300 $5,700
Michael Pittman $5,300 $6,600
Corey Davis $5,200 $6,100
Tee Higgins $5,200 $6,300
Jakobi Meyers $5,100 $5,700
Jarvis Landry $5,000 $6,000
Allen Robinson $4,900 $5,600
Cole Beasley $4,900 $6,100
DeVante Parker $4,900 $5,700
Jerry Jeudy $4,900 $6,000
T.Y. Hilton $4,900 $6,200
Darnell Mooney $4,800 $5,700
Jamison Crowder $4,800 $5,600
Tyler Boyd $4,800 $5,800
Laviska Shenault $4,700 $5,800
Robby Anderson $4,700 $5,700
Tim Patrick $4,700 $5,800
Odell Beckham $4,600 $5,700
Kendrick Bourne $4,500 $5,600
Zach Pascal $4,400 $5,300
Brandon Aiyuk $4,200 $5,700
Donovan Peoples-Jones $4,200 $5,300
Russell Gage $4,200 $5,600
Jalen Reagor $4,100 $5,500
Nelson Agholor $4,000 $5,400
Quez Watkins $4,000 $5,300
Amon-Ra St. Brown $3,900 $5,100
Elijah Moore $3,900 $5,200
Tre’Quan Smith $3,900 $5,500
Van Jefferson $3,900 $5,700
James Washington $3,800 $5,100
Jamal Agnew $3,700 $5,300
Adam Humphries $3,400 $5,100
Olamide Zaccheaus $3,400 $5,100
DeSean Jackson $3,300 $5,200
Chester Rogers $3,200 $5,000
Freddie Swain $3,200 $5,000
Nico Collins $3,200 $5,100
Rashard Higgins $3,100 $5,000
Chris Conley $3,000 $5,000
Chris Moore $3,000 $5,000
Danny Amendola $3,000 $4,900
Josh Reynolds $3,000 $5,200
Keelan Cole $3,000 $5,000
Keke Coutee $3,000 $4,700
Mack Hollins $3,000 $5,200

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy –  Cooper Kupp is in a league of his own this year. It took a while but both sites have finally priced him in the Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, and Davante Adams stratosphere. Nevertheless, not starting him versus a bad Houston defense just seems wrong. If I decide to not pay up for Kupp, I could pivot to Deebo Samuel, DJ Moore, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, Chris Godwin, or Diontae Johnson at WR1. I don’t love the midtier this week at WR. So, if possible, I may also choose my WR2 from that group. There are only three sure things in that midrange in Marvin Jones, Emmanuel Sanders, and Michael Pittman. That said, Pittman is one of my absolute favorite plays of the week, so he may even get slotted at WR3 for me even if I spend up at WR2.  My other options at WR3 include Tee Higgins, Cole Beasley, Laviska Shenault, and the returning Jerry Jeudy. Punting doesn’t seem profitable here this week. The only options I like are Van Jefferson, Jamal Agnew, and Danny Amendola.

Fantasy Four-pack

Cooper Kupp, Rams @ HOU
($9,000 DK, $9,200 FD)
Kupp will score here with zero issues. The only question is how many times he will score here. I’ll lock him in for 10-120-1. This will just barely give him 3x value. If he scores more than once, it is cake. Watch to see if Tyrod Taylor starts for Houston. If he plays, the Texans may be able to keep this game closer. This in turn will keep Rams starters in the game longer.

A.J. Brown, Titans @ IND
($6,900 DK, $7,600 FD)
Brown is back and dominating the Titans’ WR categories over the last two weeks. Meanwhile, Indy has allowed the second-most WR scores this season. The only team to not have a WR1 destroy Indy this year was Tennessee back in Week 3. In that game, Brown was injured early and never had a chance to get on the board. Julio Jones finished that game with 3-47. This was easily the low-water mark for WR1s against this defense. In their other six games, Indy is allowing an average of 7-102 to the role to go along with 7 TDs.

Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals @ NYJ
($7,500 DK, $8,200 FD)
The Jets have actually been very good against the pass this year. It is opposing running backs that have made a mockery of them. That may make you think twice about starting Chase here. DON’T! Chase just clowned arguably the best CB in the league last week. Over the last three weeks, Chase has only recorded 18 receptions. Still, he has turned those into 457 yards, nearly 80 yards more than the next closest receiver. The Marlon Humphrey shadow kept me off of Chase last week. I won’t make that mistake again.

Deebo Samuel, Niners @ CHI
($7,400 DK, $7,800 FD)
No team has allowed more WR touchdowns than Chicago. This includes five over the last two weeks. Deebo was limited in practice on Wednesday with a minor calf issue, so keep an eye on this. Still, Samuel’s freakish athletic ability should have him on the field. San Francisco targeted Samuel on 47% of their passes last week. He had 11 targets, the rest of the WR room had four.

DFS Sleepers

Michael Pittman, Colts vs. TEN
($5,300 DK, $6,600 FD)
Pittman had a down week in Week 6 with T.Y. Hilton back on the field. Last week, in a torrential downpour, he wasn’t the most targeted receiver for Indy, but he did catch all four of his passes for 105 yards and a score. No other Indy WR had more than 14 receiving yards in that game. Back in Week 3 versus Tennessee, Pittman had more targets, receptions, and receiving yards than the rest of the Colts WRs combined. I expect a similar outcome here if T.Y. cannot play.

Jerry Jeudy, Broncos vs. WAS
($4,900 DK, $6,000 FD)
The absence of Jeudy has forced Denver to over-target Courtland Sutton. Sutton is a solid receiver, but Jeudy is slightly better. Coming off of an ankle injury, Jeudy may have his snaps limited. Of course, this could also suppress his ownership numbers. Washington is one of the worst teams in the league against opposing WRs. Only one team has allowed more yards to the position and only one team has allowed more TDs to the position. While everyone else is stacking Teddy Bridgewater with Sutton, pivot and stack him with Jeudy. If by off-chance Denver chooses to let him rest one more game, I’d even consider using Tim Patrick here.

DraftKings FanDuel
Kyle Pitts $6,300 $6,800
T.J. Hockenson $5,400 $6,200
Mike Gesicki $5,000 $6,300
Noah Fant $4,900 $5,800
Dallas Goedert $4,700 $5,900
Rob Gronkowski $4,600 $6,500
Tyler Higbee $4,500 $5,300
Hunter Henry $4,200 $5,500
Logan Thomas $3,900 $5,000
Ricky Seals-Jones $3,800 $5,400
C.J. Uzomah $3,700 $5,700
Pat Freiermuth $3,600 $4,900
Jared Cook $3,400 $5,200
Gerald Everett $3,300 $4,800
Mo Alie-Cox $3,200 $5,100
Austin Hooper $3,100 $4,800
Cole Kmet $3,100 $4,700
Eric Ebron $3,100 $4,700
Cameron Brate $3,000 $4,400
David Njoku $3,000 $4,700
Hayden Hurst $2,900 $4,700
Tommy Sweeney $2,900 $4,300
Dan Arnold $2,800 $4,900
Jonnu Smith $2,800 $4,800
Ross Dwelley $2,800 $5,000
Adam Trautman $2,700 $4,500
Anthony Firkser $2,700 $4,800
Donald Parham $2,600 $4,700
Tommy Tremble $2,600 $4,600
Charlie Woerner $2,500 $4,000
Jordan Akins $2,500 $4,600

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Both Kyle Pitts and T.J. Hockenson make great plays this week. They aren’t even that pricey when you consider where your top TEs are usually priced. If you want to save some money (or use double-TE), I could easily pivot to Noah Fant, Dallas Goedert, Tyler Higbee, or Hunter Henry.  I don’t mind using C.J. Uzomah on DK, but his FD price seems high. The only punt plays I feel great about are Dan Arnold, Tommy Tremble, and Tommy Sweeney. 

Fantasy Four-pack

T.J. Hockenson, Lions vs. PHI
($5,400 DK, $6,200 FD)
This might be the easiest 3x lock ever. Philly has allowed the second-most receptions and the most receiving TDs to the position. Seeing as how Hockenson (and D’Andre Swift) are the Lions’ offense, he will be featured early and often.

Kyle Pitts, Falcons vs. CAR
($6,300 DK, $6,800 FD)
This will be the last week that Pitts gets a sub-$7k salary. Carolina’s numbers against opposing TEs look elite. Those numbers are also flattened by a lack of talent faced. The only serviceable TEs they have gone against are Dalton Schultz and Dallas Goedert. Pitts posted more receiving yards over the last three weeks than any other TE. This is particularly amazing as this three-week stint includes his team’s bye week.

Noah Fant, Broncos vs. WAS
($4,900 DK, $5,800 FD)
Fant has alternated between good games and then mediocre games recently. This week would be his next good game based on the trend. The return of Jerry Jeudy could eat slightly into his targets, but also it may open up more of the field for him. Over their last two games, Washington has allowed an average of 8-110-0.5 to the position. If he can post two-thirds of that, I would be happy.

Dallas Goedert, Eagles @ DET ($4,700 DK, $5,900 FD)
Goedert finally gets the Philly TE1 job to himself. Last week, he led the Eagles in receiving yards and finished third in targets. Detroit has given up sizeable numbers to every decent TE they have faced. Goedert definitely is in the decent or better category.

DFS Sleepers

C.J. Uzomah, Bengals @ NYJ
($3,700 DK, $5,700 FD)
The Jets have allowed an average of 6.3-79-0.75 to opposing TEs over the last four weeks. Meanwhile, Uzomah has reemerged as a threat for Cincinnati scoring for the fifth time in his last four games. With opposing defenses forced to deal with Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins, Uzomah is left far too open far too often. I wish his FD price was a hair lower, but a score is all he needs to return 3x on DK.

Tommy Sweeney, Bills vs. MIA
($2,900 DK, $4,300 FD)
I bumbled my call on the @BlitzedPodcast this week when I had inadvertently switched out Durham Smythe and Sweeney on my notes for this game (mistakes happen). Smythe has actually been used efficiently behind Mike Gesicki for the Dolphins, but Sweeney is the TE that will fill in for Dawson Knox (and unlike Gesicki, Knox will actually miss this game). Sweeney caught a TD last week on his only target, so another score is always a possibility. That said, the reason I have even more faith in him is that back in Week 17 of 2019, Knox was given the week off to rest for the playoffs and Sweeney filled in catching all five of his targets for 76 yards.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 7

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 6 DFS fantasy football

Ok, we survived the London games, but now we are staring at Bye-mageddon. Speaking of which, with so many teams on vacation this week, how did Miami get forced to play on the week following their London game?

Six teams are taking the week off and we are not talking about a collection of also-rans here. We actually have to dodge the loss of the Bills, Steelers, Vikings, Chargers, Cowboys, and the Jaguars. That is a lot of talent that we will not be able to use on the main slate.

On top of that, we also have Denver, Cleveland, Indy, San Francisco, the Saints, and the Seahawks in primetime games. Ay, caramba!

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Indianapolis will be facing what was at one time (a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away) a good San Francisco defense. Now they will have to hold in check an Indy offense that has looked alive the last couple of weeks with Carson Wentz at the helm. With multiple creampuff defenses on this slate, Wentz will battle with Jameis Winston for QB1 here.

Indy’s defense may actually be worse than San Francisco’s. Unfortunately, we don’t know if Trey Lance will get the start with his sprained knee, or if Jimmy Garoppolo will be under center. Whoever gets the start will slide into the QB3 slot on this slate. Lance obviously has more upside with his rushing ability, but even that may be negated if his leg is problematic. As I mentioned, Indy’s defense is crummy. So, give a bump in passing numbers to whichever of these guys gets the start.

When Jonathan Taylor touched the ball last week, he looked like the best RB in the league. Still, Frank Reich felt the need to limit his touches for much of the game. This is obviously a horrific trait he learned while in Philly. I’m not taking anything away from Nyheim Hines and Marlon Mack, both of whom could have value as primary ball carriers for several other NFL teams. The Niners have given up a rushing TD in four of five games, so Taylor easily should lock into the RB2 slot this week. San Fran has also struggled with pass-catching backs, so I could see using Hines at FLEX as well. As for Mack, leave him for Showdown slates where his price has been ridiculously low.

Coming off of the bye week, good luck ascertaining which RB will lead the Niners. In Week 5, 11 of the 17 RB opportunities went to Elijah Mitchell. Still, his line was so-so as Deebo Samuel vultured a rushing TD and Trey Lance actually led the team in rushing yards. Indy gave up big yards to true RB1s the first three weeks. Then they faced RBBC backfields the last three weeks and held them mostly in check. If Mitchell gets a full RB1 volume, you can lock him in at RB3. Unfortunately, I don’t think we can rely on that. So, I would rather leave him as a money-saving pivot, at best. In Week 4 (with Mitchell out), Trey Sermon was the bell cow. He has done next to nothing in any of the other games, so leave him on your bench. The only other RB I could consider here is Kyle Juszczyk. He is always a red zone threat, and his pass-catching skills put him in FLEX consideration.

T.Y. Hilton returned last week and did his usual dismantling of the Texans. His presence seemed to hurt Michael Pittman the most. Unfortunately for Hilton, he suffered a new injury, which may cost him this game. If Hilton plays, he should be in consideration for your WR3 slot or FLEX. If T.Y. misses this game, consider it an even bigger boon for Pittman, who would immediately jump from middling WR3 to solid WR2 option. Parris Campbell scored on a long TD, and then he also left the game with an injury. It seems that Hilton’s presence won’t have an impact on his snaps but the injury certainly will as he is out indefinitely. Zach Pascal was an afterthought for Indy in Week 6 with only one target. He did have five targets or more in every prior game, so Hilton obviously hurt him, too. If Hilton misses this game, I’d consider Pascal at FLEX level.

Deebo Samuel is locked into the WR1 role on this slate. Opposing WR1s have clowned the Colts over the last three games. Deebo is averaging more than 110 yards on 10 targets per game. This week he should post 8-125-1. There is no excuse for the lack of usage of Brandon Aiyuk. If he doesn’t take advantage of this cake matchup, you can cut him. As it stands, he should post about 6-60 with the chance of a score. Mohamed Sanu is running fewer snaps than Aiyuk, but he has more counting stats this season. I just don’t see enough upside in using him.

I nailed the call on Mo Alie-Cox in Week 6. This week I want to skip him. T.J. Hockenson (back in Week 1) is the only TE to do anything against this defense. The only reason to consider him is that this slate is devoid of skilled players at the position. Alie-Cox gets the TE2 tag here, but I don’t particularly care for it. Jack Doyle can stay on the bench as well.

The Colts have been smooshed by TEs two of the last three weeks. They even bent (without breaking) versus Houston in Week 6. With George Kittle still on IR, Ross Dwelley gets the defacto TE3 nod here. That said, I don’t particularly care for him, either. Have I mentioned yet how bad the TEs are on this slate?

Indy’s defense, which has not been good, could be used if Lance gets the start. Still, neither should be used over New Orleans.

Speaking of the Saints, Monday night New Orleans visits the Cappuccino Capitol. I don’t know if they will bring any chicory coffee with them or if they will just hit up Starbucks when they land. Either way, I expect Jameis Winston to be fully wide awake and caffeinated as he picks apart a rotten Seattle secondary. Winston is my preferred choice at QB1, but his numbers will be very similar to those from Carson Wentz. Taysom Hill entered the concussion protocol in Week 5, but he should be back in time for this game. There really isn’t an easy way to get him into your lineup, except maybe as SF on Fanball.

It is easier to pass against New Orleans than run, but I still don’t like Geno Smith this week. You know the schedule makers are kicking themselves over having a backup QB for Seattle starting in primetime back-to-back weeks. Smith’s best ceiling would be 225-2, which would be the worst line on the docket by far.

I shouldn’t have to tell you to start Alvin Kamara. Your RB1 and RB2 should be Kamara and Jonathan Taylor, and if they aren’t, you can just Venmo me your entry fees.

The Saints are elite against the run, but they have been gouged this year by pass-catching backs. You could use that argument for playing Travis Homer this week. He wouldn’t be anything other than your punt FLEX play. Alex Collins (or Chris Carson if he actually plays) should be avoided. Collins, because he is dealing with multiple lower-body injuries. Carson, because he could get hit once and be knocked out of the game (and his price will be too high). Early reports are that Rashaad Penny will return this week. His presence will only further cannibalize either Collins or Carson anyways. If Both Collins and Carson are out, I could see giving Penny the volume FLEX play. DeeJay Dallas is no more than a Showdown dart throw.

I expected Michael Thomas to play more games this year than last. He is able to return to practice this week, but right now it appears he will miss at least a couple more games. Tre’Quan Smith is scheduled to return. Unlike Thomas, he may play this week, but he doesn’t exactly scare opposing defenses. Still, Seattle’s pass defense is so putrid that I could step in off the street and score this week. In their absence, Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway have both balled out. I love Callaway here, but Harris, who is also battling a hamstring injury, can probably be avoided. If Smith doesn’t play, then Harris can be considered. Kenny Stills played sparingly with the starters out, his production will take a huge hit from next to nothing to just plain old nothing with their return.

DK Metcalf will likely draw Marshon Lattimore. That combined with Geno Smith at QB really brings down his value. At his price, you are begging for a score to get him 2x value. Tyler Lockett gets a better matchup, but his reliability is suspect with Russell Wilson at QB and borderline unusable with Smith at QB. I will have some exposure to him at WR2, but not a lot. Freddie Swain has been a valuable third option for Seattle. You could do a lot worse for a punt WR3. Just know that he is really TD-dependent.

Juwan Johnson and Adam Trautman have combined for six catches total since Week 1. With the Saints’ WRs coming back healthy this week, neither of these two frauds belongs anywhere near your lineup card.

Gerald Everett is your TE1 here. Good Gawd! This reeks worse than microwave fish. One thing is for certain, double-TE is not in play on this slate. The Saints are actually really good against TEs, too, but backup QBs do tend to look to their TEs a little more than normal. At this point, I long for the days when Taysom Hill qualified at TE.

The Saints defense is the clear option one this week. I could see pivoting to the rotten Seattle defense in hopes that Winston throws an interception or two. I didn’t say I would do it. I just said that I could see someone doing it.

[lawrence-related id=461409]

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $7.1k for Matthew Stafford. $6.6k for Darrell Henderson. $6.1k for Chuba Hubbard. $8.4k for Cooper Kupp. $5.6k for Jaylen Waddle. $3.4k for Rashod Bateman. $3.9K for Zach Ertz. $5.8k for Darrel Williams at FLEX. $3.1k for the Arizona Cardinals defense.

At FD: $7.9k for Aaron Rodgers. $7.3k for Hubbard. $5.7k for J.D. McKissic. $8.8k for Kupp. $9k for Davante Adams. $5.9k for Waddle. $5.3k for Ertz. $5.2k for Le’Veon Bell at FLEX. $4.9k for the Los Angeles Rams defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Stafford, Rodgers at SF, Hubbard, McKissic, Bell at FLEX, Adams, Kupp, Bateman, and Ertz.

DraftKings FanDuel
Kyler Murray $8,500 $8,700
Patrick Mahomes $8,400 $8,800
Tom Brady $7,700 $8,000
Aaron Rodgers $7,500 $7,900
Lamar Jackson $7,400 $8,400
Matthew Stafford $7,100 $8,100
Jalen Hurts $6,900 $8,300
Ryan Tannehill $6,400 $7,600
Joe Burrow $6,200 $7,200
Derek Carr $6,000 $7,400
Sam Darnold $5,900 $7,700
Matt Ryan $5,700 $7,300
Tua Tagovailoa $5,500 $7,100
Daniel Jones $5,400 $7,000
Justin Fields $5,300 $6,500
Mac Jones $5,300 $6,800
Taylor Heinicke $5,200 $6,900
Zach Wilson $5,100 $6,400
Jared Goff $5,000 $6,700
Davis Mills $4,900 $6,400

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Basically every top QB on the board is a great play this week. Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray are the most expensive and are also among the best overall plays. To save a little money, I will be more exposed to Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. There are three midpriced options that I like in Sam Darnold, Matt Ryan, and Tua Tagovailoa. I won’t do a lot of it, but Mac JonesJustin Fields, and Taylor Heinicke could be worth stacking with their top option as a punt play.

Fantasy Four-pack

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs @ TEN
($8,400 DK, $8,800 FD)
Carson Wentz is the only QB this season to not net two or more TDs against this defense. Meanwhile, Mahomes has multiple TDs every week as he leads all QBs in total scores. I love Saint Patrick to post 375-3 here in an assumed shootout.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers vs. WAS
($7,500 DK, $7,900 FD)

Rodgers gets a slight discount double-check on price compared with Kyler Murray and Mahomes. Still, he has a legit chance to outproduce at least one of them. Washington has allowed the most passing yards, the most passing TDs, the second-most QB rushing yards, and the fifth-most QB rushing TDs. Rodgers doesn’t run a ton, but he has called his own number at the stripe on occasion. Of course, any rushing prowess is cake on top of the 325-3 that Rodgers will finish with through the air.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. HOU
($8,500 DK, $8,700 FD

Houston has been atrocious against the run and just mostly atrocious against the pass. Most of this is due to the fact that teams don’t really have to throw against them. Murray looked smooth again last week following three stinkers. I expect his positive streak to continue here. Passing for 275 and three total scores feels like his floor, and that isn’t even including any ground yardage he nets.

Matthew Stafford, Rams vs. DET
($7,100 DK, $8,100 FD)
This season the money-winning stack has been Stafford and Cooper Kupp basically every week except one. That week the winning stack was Stafford and Robert Woods. Detroit won’t be able to cover either of them. Heck, they will struggle to cover Van Jefferson. The only game that Stafford hasn’t thrown multiple TDs was Week 5. In that game, he still finished with 365 passing yards. Another 300-3 should be in play here with a 275-2 floor.

DFS Sleepers

Matt Ryan, Falcons @ MIA
($5,700 DK, $7,300 FD)
Miami decided to not take their bye week following their trip to London. This is just the most recent example of shoddy decisions by their coaching staff. They have several injuries in their defensive backfield and those who are healthy will likely be jet lagged. Meanwhile, Ryan is going to get back his entire complement of pass-catchers. Just lock me into the triple stack of Ryan-Calvin Ridley-Kyle Pitts.

Tua Tagovailoa, Dolphins vs. ATL
($5,500 DK, $7,100 FD)
I am concerned about the Miami defense in this game due to their playing last week in London. That said, I am also concerned about the Atlanta defense due simply to them being awful. Tagovailoa put up big numbers against the Jags, so perhaps he is turning the page in terms of confidence. Lord knows that he might need a boost of confidence with all of the trade rumors circling him. I will definitely be using him stacked with Jaylen Waddle or Mike Gesicki.

DraftKings FanDuel
Derrick Henry $9,200 $11,000
Aaron Jones $7,500 $8,500
Saquon Barkley $6,700 $6,500
Darrell Henderson $6,600 $8,000
Joe Mixon
$6,500 $7,200
Leonard Fournette $6,400 $7,000
Cordarrelle Patterson $6,300 $8,000
Josh Jacobs $6,200 $6,900
Chuba Hubbard $6,100 $7,300
D’Andre Swift $6,000 $7,100
Antonio Gibson $5,900 $6,600
Darrel Williams $5,800 $6,700
Latavius Murray $5,800 $5,800
Damien Harris $5,700 $6,800
Chase Edmonds $5,600 $6,200
James Conner $5,600 $6,500
Damien Williams $5,500 $6,100
Devontae Booker $5,500 $5,800
Myles Gaskin $5,300 $5,600
Khalil Herbert $5,200 $6,000
Mike Davis $5,200 $6,300
Miles Sanders $5,100 $5,900
J.D. McKissic $5,000 $5,700
Kenyan Drake $4,900 $5,500
Jeremy McNichols $4,800 $5,500
Michael Carter $4,800 $5,600
Rhamondre Stevenson $4,700 $5,600
Samaje Perine $4,700 $5,400
AJ Dillon $4,600 $5,400
Jamaal Williams $4,600 $5,300
Le’Veon Bell $4,500 $5,200
Devonta Freeman $4,400 $5,700
Mark Ingram $4,400 $5,400
David Johnson $4,300 $5,000
Kenneth Gainwell $4,200 $5,200
Phillip Lindsay $4,200 $4,900
Sony Michel $4,200 $5,300
Giovani Bernard $4,100 $4,900
Jerick McKinnon $4,100 $5,000
Chris Evans $4,000 $4,800
Malcolm Brown $4,000 $5,200
Salvon Ahmed $4,000 $5,100

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Derek Henry is a stud. I will gladly play him on DK. That said, even I cannot envision a methodology to get an $11k Henry into a FanDuel lineup. While there are several awesome plays at QB this week. The RB slate is kind of lame. I don’t mind Joe Mixon, but I am scared he will hurt himself. I might have some exposure to him, but most of my RB slots will be taken up by Chuba Hubbard and Darrell Henderson. I don’t mind Cordarrelle Patterson‘s DK price. I could also see spending down and using one of Darrel Williams, Damien HarrisDevontae Booker, or one of the Cardinals. To save money for top-tier WRs, I may just use two of that second tier of backs. I also really like the idea of using J.D. McKissic, Le’Veon Bell, or Mark Ingram as a volume punt piece.

Fantasy Four-pack

Derrick Henry, Titans vs. KC
($9,200 DK, $11,000 FD)
$11-Freaking-Thousand. Come on, man! Henry is always capable of reaching the 30-point plateau, but it’s never a lock. Plus, I am actually concerned that Tennessee will be forced to throw to keep this game close. I adore some of the expensive WRs on the board, so I will likely pass on him here.

Darrell Henderson, Rams vs. DET
($6,600 DK, $8,000 FD
The Lions are allowing just under 160 combo yards per game to opposing RBs. They have also allowed two total RB scores per game. Henderson may split some of the work with Sony Michel (shoulder) this week, presuming the former Patriot is active, but he should be safe to finish with at least 100-1, if so. I wish his FD price was a tad less, but that won’t keep me from using him.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons @ MIA
($6,300 DK, $8,000 FD)

As bad as the Dolphins defense has looked against the pass the last few weeks, their rushing defense has been worse. This defense made Peyton Barber and Leonard Fournette look like Barry Sanders and Marshall Faulk. Sure, Mike Davis will get his share, but I love Patterson to continue his absurd reception pace. Much like Henderson above, Patterson’s FD price is high. Still, I’ll be using him a fair amount on DK.

Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ NYG
($6,100 DK, $7,300 FD)
He may not be Christian McCaffrey, but Hubbard has been serviceable as an injury replacement. This week will be his easiest matchup to date as the Giants have allowed four total RB scores and 184 offensive yards per game over their last three contests.

DFS Sleepers

Devontae Booker, Giants vs. CAR
($5,500 DK, $5,800 FD)
Booker appears on track to get his second-straight week of filling in for Saquon Barkley. Carolina looked elite against the run early on this year, but in two of the last three weeks, they have been gouged. Booker should approach 100 total yards, and I like him to punch in a score in what could be a sneaky score fest.

J.D. McKissic, Football Team @ GB
($5,000 DK, $5,700 FD)
McKissic has five or more receptions in three of his last five games. His usage is obviously trending up while Antonio Gibson battles his shin injury. Gibson has played through the injury for a couple of weeks now, but he suffered enough of a setback to require an MRI this past Monday. I can basically guarantee that McKissic will finish with 5-50 through the air. If he gets a healthy share of the carries, too, 100 total yards and a score becomes a lock.

DraftKings FanDuel
Davante Adams $8,900 $9,000
Tyreek Hill $8,600 $8,500
Cooper Kupp $8,400 $8,800
DeAndre Hopkins $7,700 $8,000
DJ Moore $7,100 $7,700
Terry McLaurin $6,900 $7,200
Calvin Ridley $6,600 $7,300
Mike Evans $6,500 $7,100
Robert Woods $6,400 $6,800
A.J. Brown $6,300 $7,000
Antonio Brown $6,300 $7,400
Ja’Marr Chase $6,200 $7,500
Julio Jones $6,100 $6,900
Brandin Cooks $6,000 $6,500
Chris Godwin $5,900 $6,700
Marquise Brown $5,800 $7,300
Kenny Golladay $5,700 $5,700
Jaylen Waddle $5,600 $5,900
Sterling Shepard $5,600 $6,500
Henry Ruggs $5,500 $5,700
DeVonta Smith $5,400 $5,800
Christian Kirk $5,300 $6,200
Jakobi Meyers $5,300 $5,700
Corey Davis $5,200 $5,900
A.J. Green $5,100 $5,600
Allen Robinson $5,100 $5,800
DeVante Parker $5,000 $5,600
Jamison Crowder $4,900 $5,800
Tee Higgins $4,900 $6,100
Hunter Renfrow $4,800 $5,600
Robby Anderson $4,800 $5,500
Kalif Raymond $4,700 $5,500
Tyler Boyd $4,700 $5,800
Darnell Mooney $4,600 $5,900
Sammy Watkins $4,500 $5,500
Kendrick Bourne $4,400 $5,300
Rondale Moore $4,300 $5,800
Mecole Hardman $4,300 $5,400
Allen Lazard $4,200 $5,500
Amon-Ra St. Brown $4,100 $5,000
Darius Slayton $4,000 $5,500
Randall Cobb $4,000 $5,400
Russell Gage $4,000 $5,200
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $3,900 $5,300
Quez Watkins $3,900 $5,300
Jalen Reagor $3,800 $5,200
Nelson Agholor $3,700 $5,500
Olamide Zaccheaus $3,700 $5,300
Chris Moore $3,600 $5,200
Dyami Brown $3,600 $4,900
Elijah Moore $3,600 $4,900
Van Jefferson $3,500 $5,500
Chester Rogers $3,400 $5,300
Demarcus Robinson $3,400 $5,300
DeSean Jackson $3,400 $5,400
Rashod Bateman $3,400 $5,300
Byron Pringle $3,300 $5,200
Chris Conley $3,300 $5,000
Josh Gordon $3,200 $5,000
Nico Collins $3,200 $5,100
Adam Humphries $3,100 $5,000
Danny Amendola $3,000 $4,800
DeAndre Carter $3,000 $4,800
Josh Reynolds $3,000 $5,100
Keelan Cole $3,000 $5,100

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – It’s not often that I am gung ho to spend up at WR. This week is the exception. Davante Adams and Cooper Kupp have absurdly sick matchups. Plus, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, and Calvin Ridley each have cake matchups as well. I love the idea of mixing and matching two of that fivesome. There are three cheaper pivots that I don’t mind in A.J. Brown, Brandin Cooks, and Jaylen Waddle. I could even see using one of them at WR3. The other WR3 options that I like are Christian Kirk, Hunter Renfrow, Robby Anderson, Darnell Mooney, and Rondale Moore. Still, there is no single play at WR that I like better than Rashod Bateman. Start your roster build with him in the WR3 slot.

Fantasy Four-pack

Davante Adams, Packers vs. WAS
($8,900 DK, $9,000 FD)
Adams didn’t blow up like I imagined last week. When Adams has a down week, you can be damned sure that he will evicerate the defense the following week. The poor saps on the Washington Football Team don’t know what’s in store for them. This smells of a 13-175-2 game.

Cooper Kupp, Rams vs. DET
($8,400 DK, $8,800 FD)
Kupp has topped 90 receiving yards in every game except one. He has double-digit targets in every game. Plus, he has multiple TDs in half of his games. Detroit has posted adequate stats against the pass. This is because they are so rotten against opposing rushing attacks. This week, the Lions will succumb to both. His numbers won’t be as ridiculous as Adams’, but Kupp also has a 10-120-2 ceiling.

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs @ TEN
($8,600 DK, $8,500 FD)
Tennessee has allowed the most receiving yards, the most receiving TDs, and the most total receptions to the WR position. So why isn’t Hill ranked higher? Simply put, I am concerned both about the quad injury that he has played through and the volume of weapons that Patrick Mahomes has to choose from. Week-to-week, his ceiling is astronomical. I just wish he had a slightly safer floor here.

Calvin Ridley, Falcons @ MIA
($6,600 DK, $7,300 FD)
We may never know what the “personal issues” were for Ridley last week. I only hope that he is ok on all levels coming back into work this week. Miami is short-handed in their secondary and they have allowed multiple fantasy-relevant WR performances each of the last four weeks. I will put together several stacks with Matt Ryan-Ridley-Kyle Pitts.

DFS Sleepers

Jaylen Waddle, Dolphins vs. ATL
($5,600 DK, $5,900 FD)
Miami loves to throw the ball to Waddle and Mike Gesicki. I was concerned that a returning Tua Tagovailoa might not target Waddle as frequently as Jacoby Brissett did. Tua still looked his way 13 times last week. That is elite. As I mentioned above, I love the Falcons stack this week. This makes Waddle a great run-it-back candidate.

Rashod Bateman, Ravens vs. CIN
($3,400 DK, $5,300 FD)
Bateman may already be the best receiver on the Ravens. In his first game as a professional, Bateman led the Ravens in targets. His yardage and reception numbers weren’t anything huge, but that will come, starting this week. Detroit is the only team to not have a possession receiver dominate this defense. We may see Bateman’s first double-digit target game, and I would not be surprised if he hauls in his first career score here.

DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $7,600 $8,200
Darren Waller $6,700 $6,800
Mark Andrews $6,000 $7,500
Kyle Pitts $5,900 $6,100
T.J. Hockenson $5,100 $6,200
Rob Gronkowski $4,800 $6,500
Mike Gesicki $4,700 $6,000
Dallas Goedert $4,600 $5,900
Tyler Higbee $4,500 $5,500
Hunter Henry $4,100 $5,700
Zach Ertz $3,900 $5,300
Ricky Seals-Jones $3,700 $5,400
Evan Engram $3,600 $5,000
Robert Tonyan $3,500 $5,100
Cameron Brate $3,300 $4,600
Anthony Firkser $3,100 $4,900
C.J. Uzomah $3,000 $5,200
Cole Kmet $3,000 $4,900
Jonnu Smith $2,800 $4,900
Hayden Hurst $2,700 $4,800
Tommy Tremble $2,700 $4,700
Jordan Akins $2,600 $4,600

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Both Travis Kelce and Darren Waller are in play this week. Just not on my roster builds as I am spending too much elsewhere. Kyle Pitts in the threeway stack, and his game opponent, Mike Gesicki, make nice options to build around. To save a little money, Hunter Henry, Zach Ertz (my personal favorite TE of the week), and Ricky Seals-Jones would be my choices. Also, keep an eye on Dallas Goedert’s status going into the game. If he clears COVID protocols, he will have a huge target share. The punt picture is weak this week. C.J. Uzomah and Tommy Tremble are the only two I care to have on my roster.

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ TEN
($7,600 DK, $8,200 FD)
Tennessee’s numbers have looked elite against the TE position. Sometimes, stats can hide facts, though. Prior to facing Dawson Knox on MNF, the best TEs that Tennessee had played against were Dan Arnold and Mo Alie-Cox. I’m not going to stretch to fit Kelce into my lineups, but he makes a nice in-game pivot from Tyreek Hill if you want exposure to the Chiefs offense.

Darren Waller, Raiders vs. PHI
($6,700 DK, $6,800 FD)
Waller did not get the boost in usage that I was hoping for with the Raiders’ coaching change. In fact, he received a season-low in targets. That is slightly concerning, but not as concerning as how bad the Eagles are performing right now. They have allowed the third-most receptions and the most receiving TDs to the position. The offense will find Waller sooner rather than later, starting this week.

Kyle Pitts, Falcons @ MIA
($5,900 DK, $6,100 FD)
Matt Ryan was forced to use Pitts in London. I think he got the message that the rookie is an otherworldly stud. Now that Atlanta has seen the domination this specimen can unveil on the opposition, there is no putting it back in the box. Yes, Atlanta is getting back Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage this week. I like them both as well. Pitts may not top 100 yards this week, but get used to 7-75-1 as a weekly floor.

Mike Gesicki, Dolphins vs. ATL ($4,700 DK, $6,000 FD)
Yet again, I am seeking as much exposure to this game as possible. Each side will post huge numbers because both defenses are just plain putrid. The Falcons have faced a couple of quality TEs. Each has fared well against them. Meanwhile, Gesicki went off for 8-115 last week with Tua Tagovailoa back at the helm. This may be the start of a beautiful friendship between them (assuming Tua isn’t traded).

DFS Sleepers

Zach Ertz, Cardinals vs. HOU
($3,900 DK, $5,300 FD)
Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty, Ertz is free at last. Sure, that isn’t what Martin Luther King was proclaiming when he made his famous speech. Still, Ertz must feel emancipated from his forced split of duties in Philly. With the Cardinals, he will still split targets with a lot of talented individuals. The difference is none of them are fellow TEs. Houston has allowed an average of 6-68 to the position including five TDs. Ertz will score here and don’t be surprised if he finishes with more than five receptions.

Ricky Seals-Jones, Football Team @ GB
($3,700 DK, $5,400 FD)
Seals-Jones rewarded his users with 4-58-1 last week. Green Bay is not as bad against TEs as KC is, but they have given up three scores to the position already. The Football Team remains short-handed in their passing game, so don’t be surprised if RSJ continues to be fed, provided he can overcome a quad injury that limited him Thursday in practice.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 6

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 6 DFS fantasy football

In case the Britons thought we were being cruel last week by giving them Atlanta and the New York Jets, we double down on insulting their love of American football this week by giving them the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins.

We also have our first byes of the season as the New Orleans Saints, Jets, Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers all take a week to reassess their flailing lots in life. Plus, we will be without six other teams that play the Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night games.

All together that takes 12 teams out of the player pool for the main slate. That is more than one-third of the NFL player pool. This should get interesting. Pair that with all of the fantasy-relevant injuries from last week and we have the makings of a three-ring DFS circus. So without further ado, let’s pull back the curtain.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

When they scheduled this game for primetime back this spring I am sure that the schedule makers were pumped to see Russell Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger lock horns. Well, fast-forward six weeks and Wilson is out with injury and Geno Smith will have to lead the Seattle Seahawks into battle. Pittsburgh’s defense has been a shell of what was predicted coming into the season, but I still cannot get behind Smith as more than QB4 on the docket.

In addition to being without Wilson, we get to witness something resembling what was Ben Roethlisberger attempt to relive his glory days. Unfortunately for Ben, he will be without one of his top receivers, and he has to play behind a shoddy offensive line. Seattle’s secondary woes should mask some of the Pittsburgh offensive issues, but you still have to feel like 275-3 is Ben’s absolute ceiling. Still, on this slate that might be second best at the position.

Chris Carson missed last week with a neck injury. This is not optimal for a running back. It has been reported that Carson will have a shot to play this week. I’m not holding my breath. Especially with this being a late start. Even if he does play, one bad hit and he will end up sidelined again. I’d almost rather watch Seattle put him on IR and let him fully heal before reintroducing him to full contact. If Carson plays, he is no better than RB3 on the slate, and I’m going nowhere near him. Alex Collins filled in last week and looked very good. If Carson is out, Collins is the clear RB3 on the slate based on volume alone and should be your FLEX. If Carson does play, Collins could see FLEX value if you believe that Carson will be knocked out midgame. DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer split a third of the touches last week. This isn’t a great matchup. So, neither deserves consideration, regardless of what happens with Carson.

Najee Harris has dominated the backfield touches for Pittsburgh. He has handled a mind-boggling 88 percent of the RB opportunities for the Steelers. Seattle has been bloodied by opposing rushing backs. They stand no chance here. I’ll pencil Harris in for 140 total yards and at least one TD as RB2 on the slate.

Seattle has two possible WR1 candidates every week. The hard part is deciding which weeks Tyler Lockett will have any value. Pittsburgh has been equally burnt by both big-bodied WRs and speed receivers this year. So, a lot falls on whether Smith can deliver the deep bombs needed to support Lockett’s value. I’m not holding my breath on that one. For me, Lockett will be an overpriced trap here. I do like DK Metcalf here. He has five touchdowns in five games and Smith kept him involved last week. That said, this is a deep WR pool this week, so weigh your options (especially if you intend to roster both Najee Harris and Derrick Henry at RB). If Wilson was the QB, I would use Freddie Swain as a possible WR3. With Geno at the helm, I don’t even think I’d use him in Showdown.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is out for the season following shoulder surgery. This should make the roster decisions easier for Pittsburgh WR owners. With three alphas to consider, choosing the right ones was hard. One less option improves the outlook week-to-week for Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. What is disappointing is that Johnson received his lowest target output of the season last week. That should change here as Seattle has been nothing short of atrocious against the pass. Both should be targeted double-digit times, and I like each to post about 8-80-1. Claypool has the higher TD upside as he is the larger-bodied option built for red zone action, but both will score. Ray-Ray McCloud was on the field for more than half of the Pittsburgh snaps last week, but he did very little with that playing time. I’m maybe using him in Showdown but only if James Washington is still out. If Washington returns from his groin injury, McCloud is bench chaff and Washington can be considered as a WR3/FLEX option.

Will Dissly did nothing with his opportunity to lead the Seattle TE room. I would still consider him in Showdown, because his price will be infinitesimal, but just know that Pittsburgh is very good against TE. Plus, Gerald Everett is expected back from the COVID list to reassume the lead role. It is a shaky slate for the position, which gives Everett a thin hold on TE2. I just don’t like the matchup for upside.

Meanwhile, Pat Freiermuth and Eric Ebron are back to splitting targets for Pittsburgh. Their matchup is better than on the other side of the ball, but I don’t trust either enough to use them here.

Pittsburgh’s defense has sucked this year, but against the backup QB, they deserve the DST1 rating this week. I also don’t mind using Seattle here despite their defensive struggles, since Big Ben is looking like a turnover machine.

Monday night Buffalo travels south to Tennessee. The Titans have struggled with every QB they have faced except Carson Wentz. Topping things off, they have even given up a pair of QB rushing TDs this year. Josh Allen has done that several times over his career, and he will get another this week. Of course, Allen will also throw for 300-3 making him the obvious QB1 here on a weak QB slate.

I like Ryan Tannehill more in reality than fantasy this year. He has thrown for one or zero TDs in four of the five games so far. In his defense, he has been short-handed at WR. Buffalo is stingy against the pass. So, even if Tannehill gets all of his weapons back, I can’t trust him as more than QB3 here.

Zack Moss continues to dominate the backfield usage by Buffalo over Devin Singletary. Tennessee was gouged by James Robinson last week, but they haven’t been atrocious against the run, since every team just throws the ball at will against them. Moss is clearly the better receiver of the two, and he is the goal line option as well. I’d use Moss as my FLEX if Carson suits up for Seattle. Singletary can probably stay planted on your bench.

Derrick Henry is the only reason why Najee Harris isn’t the RB1 here. Henry has averaged 172 combo yards per game over the last four weeks. Henry’s receptions have started to dwindle once again, but it doesn’t matter as no one can contain him for 60 minutes. Jeremy McNichols (ankle) could be a sneaky FLEX play if Tennessee falls behind huge early and has to abandon the run, or if the Titans remain short-handed at WR.

Stefon Diggs owners have to be getting frustrated with his lack of TDs this year. After last week’s dud, they may trade him to you for pennies on the dollar. Diggs is not one to remain silent about a lack of usage. So, I am expecting him to get his wheels squeaking at some point this week. Coming off a poor outing, his ownership might be down in DFS as well. This means he is the perfect WR1 choice this week. If you want access to this offense for less money, both Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley can be used. Sanders has had four TDs over the last three games. This recency bias should drive his ownership up. Meanwhile, Beasley has been quiet the last two weeks. I will gladly use him here at WR3 as he is overdue. Gabriel Davis finally caught a pass last week. This alone is newsworthy. I’ll still leave him for Showdown lineups.

A.J. Brown returned last week from a hamstring injury and did a whole lot of nothing. This should be fairly familiar to his owners since he has not done anything this year. It won’t be any easier this week against Tre’Davious White. If Julio Jones misses this game, Brown will see some volume, but it won’t be quality. At this point, I don’t trust Brown as more than a WR3 and his price won’t represent that. Speaking of Julio, his presence could help Brown, or he could show up as a decoy. That said, his chances of playing are still no better than 50-50. Coming off of his own hamstring injury, it may be better for Tennessee to hold him out again. Both Chester Rogers and Josh Reynolds faded into oblivion last week falling behind even the returning Marcus Johnson. You can leave both Rogers and Reynolds out of your lineups. Johnson, on the other hand, has field-stretching ability that plays well as a fill-in for Jones. If Julio misses this game, I could see using him as a punt WR3/FLEX.

So, this is what it has degraded to … Dawson Knox is the TE1 on this slate. He is averaging under four catches per game but has five TDs over the last four contests. The rest of the position looks weak here, so just use him.

Anthony Firkser is a decent TE, but the matchup alone isn’t strong enough to make him start-worthy. It really sucks that MyCole Pruitt vultured him last week, but even if Firkser got that score last week, I still wouldn’t feel great playing him. He gets a courtesy TE3 rank here, which could bump to a TE2 (albeit one with a low ceiling) if Jones doesn’t play.

Buffalo is the best real defense on this slate. With the obvious exception of Henry, Tennessee is weak enough offensively to use them here. Tennessee, on the other hand, should be nowhere near any DFS lineup.

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The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $8.3k for Patrick Mahomes. $7.9k for Austin Ekeler. $6.6k for Jonathan Taylor. $3.1k for John Ross. $4.2k for Mecole Hardman. $4.2k for Amon-Ra St. Brown. $7K for Travis Kelce. $4.7k for Brandon Bolden at FLEX. $3.5k for the Indianapolis Colts defense.

At FD: $9k for Mahomes. $8.4k for Ekeler. $7.5k for Taylor. $7.9k for Cooper Kupp. $5.4k for Ross. $5.2k for St. Brown. $5.5k for Tyler Higbee. $5.2k for Darrel Williams at FLEX. $5k for the Los Angeles Rams defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Mahomes, Joe Burrow at SF, Ekeler, Taylor, Najee Harris at FLEX, Ja’Marr Chase, St. Brown, Hardman, and Ricky Seals-Jones.

DraftKings FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes $8,300 $9,000
Kyler Murray $7,900 $8,400
Lamar Jackson $7,400 $8,200
Justin Herbert $7,300 $8,000
Aaron Rodgers $7,200 $7,700
Dak Prescott $7,100 $8,100
Matthew Stafford $6,700 $7,900
Joe Burrow $6,300 $7,400
Kirk Cousins $6,200 $7,100
Sam Darnold $6,100 $7,500
Baker Mayfield $5,900 $6,800
Taylor Heinicke $5,800 $7,300
Teddy Bridgewater $5,700 $6,600
Derek Carr $5,600 $7,000
Daniel Jones $5,500 $7,200
Carson Wentz $5,400 $6,700
Brandon Allen $5,300 $6,400
Davis Mills $5,200 $6,700
Mac Jones $5,200 $6,500
Jared Goff $5,100 $6,900
Justin Fields $5,100 $6,400
Mike Glennon $5,000 $6,400

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Patrick Mahomes is due for a huge game, and he gets the perfect creampuff to unload against. I expect to use him in many lineups. There are three higher-priced pivots that I like in Aaron RodgersMatthew StaffordJoe Burrow. Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz are both safe discount options with capped ceilings. I also have three upside punt options in Mac Jones, Jared Goff, and Davis Mills.

Fantasy Four-pack

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs @ WAS
($8,300 DK, $9,000 FD)
Washington has given up four passing TDs in three straight games. Now they have to face a Chiefs offense that is desperate for a victory and without their primary running back. What this means is Mahomes will throw the ball at least 60 times this game. We could see 500-5 here.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ CHI
($7,200 DK, $7,700 FD)

Rodgers should have an easy time going against a Chicago defense that played better in Week 5 but that has played mediocre the rest of the year. Last year, Rodgers threw for eight touchdowns against this defense. That was over two games, but you get the picture. Rodgers has a huge simpatico thing going with Davante Adams right now. Get them both into your lineup if you can.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals @ CLE
($7,900 DK, $8,400 FD

The two premium QBs to face Cleveland this season (Mahomes and Justin Herbert) both decimated this defense. Murray should make it a hat trick. After scoring nine times over the first two weeks, Murray has accounted for only four scores over the last three. Still, Cleveland has allowed three different QBs to score a rushing TD. This is something that Kyler has an obvious familiarity with. If he can rush one in on top of a pair of passing scores then he will lock up a top-three fantasy line this week.

Lamar Jackson, Ravens vs. LAC
($7,400 DK, $8,200 FD)
I need to give props to Jackson for his amazing comeback performance on MNF. It took him a while to get going, but in the second half he opened up a can of whoop-a$$ on the Indianapolis Colts. The Los Angeles Chargers are easier to run than pass against, but Jackson does both effectively. Plus, he will likely get back Rashod Bateman this week, and he might be an even better stack option than Marquise Brown or Mark Andrews.

DFS Sleepers

Carson Wentz, Colts vs. HOU
($5,400 DK, $6,700 FD)
Houston has allowed 11 total TDs to the QB position despite facing four middling passers (and Allen). Carson Wentz is on par with the other also-rans the Houston Texans have crumbled against, so a 250-2 line seems like a safe floor. Plus, we need to pay close attention to the potential return of T.Y. Hilton this week. If you look up the Texans’ Wikipedia page, it lists Hilton as their father. Even if Hilton is only 50 percent but dressing this week, I will have a stack built around him. If Hilton doesn’t play, Michael Pittman can stand in as a stepfather.

Jared Goff, Lions vs. CIN
($5,100 DK, $6,900 FD)
Cincinnati has fared well against the two rookie QBs they have faced this year. Of course, all three grizzled veterans they have faced have thrown for over 300 yards against this defense. Goff will have to deal with a short-handed passing game with Quintez Cephus out for the year and Tyrell Williams still out with a concussion. He does have some other young talent to work with in Kalif Raymond and Amon-Ra St. Brown, not to mention T.J. Hockenson and the running backs. Cincy has really struggled with pass-catching RBs this year, so consider that when you make your discount stacks.

DraftKings FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey $8,800 $10,000
Austin Ekeler $7,900 $8,400
Dalvin Cook $7,700 $8,800
Aaron Jones $7,300 $8,000
Nick Chubb $7,200 $8,100
Ezekiel Elliott $7,100 $8,300
Saquan Barkley $6,800 $6,500
Jonathan Taylor $6,600 $7,500
Antonio Gibson $6,500 $6,700
Joe Mixon $6,400 $7,000
D’Andre Swift $6,300 $7,100
Alexander Mattison $6,200 $7,700
Kareem Hunt $6,200 $7,400
Darrell Henderson $6,000 $7,300
Chuba Hubbard $5,900 $6,900
Josh Jacobs $5,900 $6,800
Damien Williams $5,800 $6,500
Latavius Murray $5,700 $5,800
Chase Edmonds $5,600 $5,900
Tony Pollard $5,600 $6,000
James Conner $5,500 $6,100
Devontae Booker $5,400 $5,900
Damien Harris $5,200 $6,200
Melvin Gordon $5,100 $6,000
Javonte Williams $5,000 $5,600
AJ Dillon $4,900 $5,400
Darrel Williams $4,900 $5,200
Jamaal Williams $4,900 $5,700
Samaje Perine $4,900 $5,700
Ty’Son Williams $4,900 $5,800
J.D. McKissic $4,800 $5,200
Nyheim Hines $4,800 $5,100
Brandon Bolden $4,700 $5,200
David Johnson $4,600 $5,200
Khalil Herbert $4,600 $5,500
Le’Veon Bell $4,500 $5,000
Rhamondre Stevenson $4,500 $5,100
Jerick McKinnon $4,400 $4,600
Kenyan Drake $4,300 $5,300
Sony Michel $4,300 $5,400
Mark Ingram $4,200 $5,300
Marlon Mack $4,000 $5,000

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Austin Ekeler is at a reduced price for a top RB, and he has a very nice matchup. I will have him in most of my lineups. I will likely pair him with one of Jonathan Taylor, Antonio Gibson, or D’Andre Swift. I’m not sure I am ready to spend up for Dalvin Cook or Christian McCaffrey against each other and possibly on snap counts, if they even play. If I need to save a little money, I could use Darrell Henderson or Damien Williams (if he can clear COVID protocols). Damien Harris could also be a nice play if he can play through his rib injury. Also, keep an eye on Kareem Hunt with Nick Chubb is forced to miss this game. You can take a flier on Darrel Williams or Devontae Booker as injury replacements who will get volume. Unfortunately, they both have tough matchups. If I choose to spend down here, Brandon Bolden, Sony Michel, and Khalil Herbert (especially if Williams misses this game with COVID) are my favorite choices. Samaje Perine could also be valuable if he recovers from his COVID diagnosis.

Fantasy Four-pack

Austin Ekeler, Chargers @ BAL
($7,900 DK, $8,400 FD)
Ekeler’s price is weirdly discounted despite his scoring six TDs over the last three weeks. Baltimore is not the run-stopping force that you might remember from a few years back. They have especially struggled with pass-catching backs. Ekeler will get about 50 yards on the ground and maybe a score, but I can see him blowing away value by finishing with 8-75-1 through the air.

Jonathan Taylor, Colts vs. HOU
($6,600 DK, $7,500 FD
Taylor is also badly underpriced, especially since he is facing the rotten Texans. His usage has been a tad sporadic as Indy has attempted to rotate in Nyheim Hines and Marlon Mack. Still, Taylor has made a statement scoring three times in the last two weeks while reestablishing himself as the alpha.

Kareem Hunt, Browns vs. ARI
($6,200 DK, $7,400 FD)

Arizona has struggled this year against top-tier RBs. I would have preferred Nick Chubb this week prior to him being ruled out. With the bulk of the touches going to Hunt, he should be a dual-threat monster.

D’Andre Swift, Lions vs. CIN
($6,300 DK, $7,100 FD)
As mentioned above, the Bengals are horrible against pass-catching backs. Swift has split carries with Jamaal Williams this year, but D’Andre has stepped up of late as the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield. Swift should see even more opportunities this week as Detroit will likely be playing from behind and are without their top two WRs.

DFS Sleepers

Devontae Booker, Giants vs. LAR
($5,400 DK, $5,900 FD)
Despite having a ferocious defense, the Rams have actually been so-so against opposing RBs. Based on volume alone, Booker should see 20-25 touches this week. Especially with New York being short-handed in their passing game. Devontae hasn’t been a huge pass catcher in the past, but he did haul in three of four targets last week, including an airborne TD. I see no way that Booker doesn’t finish with at least 80 total yards and a single score.

Brandon Bolden, Patriots vs. DAL
($4,700 DK, $5,200 FD)
Opposing RBs are averaging seven catches per game against Dallas. That is Bolden’s primary role on this offense. Damien Harris is dealing with injured ribs, but it sounds like he will play. The Patriots will also use Rhamondre Stevenson in the run game, but Bill Belichick already has him on a short leash. If Harris reinjures his ribs or cannot go, Bolden could easily get carries on top of the receiving work, making him even more valuable.

DraftKings FanDuel
Davante Adams $9,000 $8,500
Tyreek Hill $8,500 $8,700
Mike Williams $8,100 $8,000
Justin Jefferson $8,000 $7,900
Cooper Kupp $7,900 $8,200
DeAndre Hopkins $7,800 $7,700
DJ Moore $7,300 $7,600
Terry McLaurin $7,100 $7,400
Ja’Marr Chase $6,700 $7,800
CeeDee Lamb $6,500 $7,000
Keenan Allen $6,400 $7,100
Courtland Sutton $6,200 $6,600
Robert Woods $6,100 $6,900
Amari Cooper $6,000 $6,800
Marquise Brown $5,900 $7,000
Adam Thielen $5,800 $7,200
Brandin Cooks $5,800 $6,500
Kadarius Toney $5,600 $6,000
Jakobi Meyers $5,500 $5,800
Michael Pittman $5,500 $5,800
Tyler Boyd $5,400 $6,300
Allen Robinson $5,300 $5,900
Tee Higgins $5,300 $6,400
Henry Ruggs $5,200 $5,500
Odell Beckham $5,100 $6,000
Tim Patrick $5,100 $6,100
Christian Kirk $5,000 $5,900
Kalif Raymond $5,000 $5,100
Sterling Shepard $5,000 $6,200
A.J. Green $4,900 $5,400
Hunter Renfrow $4,900 $5,700
Robby Anderson $4,800 $5,500
Rondale Moore $4,600 $5,700
Rashard Higgins $4,400 $5,300
Zach Pascal $4,400 $5,300
Darnell Mooney $4,300 $5,600
Sammy Watkins $4,300 $5,500
Amon-Ra St. Brown $4,200 $5,200
Mecole Hardman $4,200 $5,500
T.Y. Hilton $4,100 $5,000
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $4,000 $5,000
Michael Gallup $4,000 $5,000
Nelson Agholor $4,000 $5,400
Cedrick Wilson $3,900 $5,200
Randall Cobb $3,900 $5,300
Darius Slayton $3,800 $5,500
Kendrick Bourne $3,800 $5,200
DeSean Jackson $3,700 $5,400
Bryan Edwards $3,600 $5,400
Allen Lazard $3,500 $5,100
Donovan Peoples-Jones $3,500 $5,100
K.J. Osborn $3,500 $5,000
Terrace Marshall $3,500 $4,900
Devin Duvernay $3,400 $5,000
Josh Gordon $3,400 $5,500
Parris Campbell $3,400 $4,900
Van Jefferson $3,400 $5,400
Chris Conley $3,300 $5,200
Demarcus Robinson $3,300 $5,000
Byron Pringle $3,200 $5,200
Chris Moore $3,100 $5,300
John Ross $3,100 $5,400
C.J. Board $3,000 $4,800
Collin Johnson $3,000 $4,900
James Proche $3,000 $5,000
Rashod Bateman $3,000 $5,000

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – I don’t know if I can afford to spend up at WR this week. I would certainly like to since both Tyreek Hill (If he gets past his quad issue) and Davante Adams are primed to blow up. I will probably force myself to fit one of them under the cap at WR1. If I choose to go cheaper, D.J. Moore, Ja’Marr Chase, and Terry McLaurin all look juicy. One of those five will probably be my WR1. There are three WRs that I love in the WR2 range: Brandin Cooks, Jakobi Meyers, and Michael Pittman all have great matchups. Of course, if T.Y. Hilton plays he is a must-start at such a discount price. Hilton could be your WR3, but I also really like Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashod Bateman, and Mecole Hardman (if Tyreek is out), along with the WRs other than Sterling Shepard that start for the Giants.

Fantasy Four-pack

Davante Adams, Packers @ CHI
($9,000 DK, $8,500 FD)
Adams destroyed Cincinnati last week (just as we predicted). This week won’t be as easy, but he has scored at least once in seven of his last 10 games against Chicago. It helps you land a few scores when you are getting 45 targets over the last three weeks. He won’t finish with 200-plus yards again, but I could realistically see 10-125-1 here.

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs @ WAS
($7,700 DK, $8,000 FD)
Hill exited Sunday’s game with a slightly dinged-up knee that later was deemed a quad injury. Early reports are that this is a nothing burger. If he plays he is in the WR1 conversation. Meanwhile, Washington has allowed the second-most yards to opposing WRs among teams on this slate. Plus, no team has allowed more total receptions to the position among teams on this slate. Tyreek and Patrick Mahomes make a great stack, but don’t forget about Mecole Hardman, too. Every team to face Washington this year has had multiple fantasy-relevant WR performances.

Cooper Kupp, Rams @ NYG
($7,900 DK, $8,200 FD)
Coming off of a game where Matthew Stafford went out of his way to use Robert Woods instead of Kupp, people may be shy to use Cooper. Give me that lower ownership percentage all day! Kupp is still an elite WR going against a subpar secondary that has one legit CB, who very well may line up opposite Woods. Plus, it wasn’t as if he was ignored last week. He still had double-digit targets for the fifth straight game.

DJ Moore, Panthers vs. MIN
($7,300 DK, $7,600 FD)
Moore just finished his roughest game of the season against a very tough Philly secondary and was taken for a Slay ride. This week he gets an easier-to-exploit Minnesota Vikings’ secondary that still feels it necessary to start Bashaud “Burned” Breeland. Plus, Minnesota won’t be able to key on Moore if Christian McCaffrey returns. Don’t be surprised if Moore scores a pair this week.

DFS Sleepers

Jakobi Meyers, Patriots vs. DAL
($5,500 DK, $5,800 FD)
The Patriots stack is going to be one of my most used this week. Mac Jones and Meyers are both cheap enough to help you fit one of the stud WRs plus two very good RBs. Dallas has been abused by every WR1 they have faced this year, including a smashing by Kadarius Toney last week. If the “scary” duo of Mike Glennon and Toney can clobber this defense, I have solid faith in Jones and Jakobi.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. CIN
($4,200 DK, $5,200 FD)
St. Brown is my favorite cheap WR3 play this week. Assuming that T.Y Hilton does not play against Houston, I doubt there is a way for me to fade Amon-Ra here. St. Brown has eight targets each of the last two weeks and now Detroit will be without both Tyrell Williams and Quintez Cephus. I also like Kalif Raymond here, but St. Brown is cheaper and he has been more consistent in his usage. I may even build some stacks with him, Jared Goff, and D’Andre Swift.

DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $7,000 $8,500
Darren Waller $6,600 $7,000
Mark Andrews $5,200 $6,300
T.J. Hockenson $5,000 $6,400
Dalton Schultz $4,900 $6,500
Noah Fant $4,800 $5,800
Tyler Higbee $4,500 $5,500
Hunter Henry $3,900 $5,600
Robert Tonyan $3,800 $5,200
David Njoku $3,700 $5,100
Evan Engram $3,400 $5,000
Jared Cook $3,200 $5,400
Tyler Conklin $3,200 $5,100
C.J. Uzomah $3,100 $5,300
Mo Alie-Cox $3,100 $5,000
Jonnu Smith $3,000 $4,800
Ricky Seals-Jones $3,000 $5,000
Donald Parham $2,900 $4,900
Jack Doyle $2,900 $4,500
Austin Hooper $2,800 $4,700
Cole Kmet $2,800 $4,700
Tommy Tremble $2,600 $4,800

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Both Travis Kelce and Darren Waller seem slightly underpriced on DK, but I cannot really afford either of them this week based on my roster build. Mark Andrews is even cheaper, but he may be over-owned after last week’s heroics. I believe that Tyler Higbee is the best/safest per-dollar option on the board. C.J. Uzomah and Mo Alie-Cox are more TD-dependent, but both feel like safe TD targets. My favorite play this week is Ricky Seals-Jones in the revenge game versus KC. He could be a great punt, as could Donald Parham, who has become a red-zone beast.

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ WAS
($7,000 DK, $8,500 FD)
Kelce suffered a mild neck injury last week but all signs point to him playing here. The price on DK is so very inviting as Kelce’s weekly floor is 21 points. I prefer the QB-WR matchups in this game slightly more, but if you can afford Kelce, it is never a bad idea to play him. He could be a huge play if Tyreek Hill misses this game with a quad injury.

Darren Waller, Raiders @ DEN
($6,600 DK, $7,000 FD)
Speaking of underpriced stud tight ends, Waller also feels slighted here. His usage since Week 1 has been steady, but he hasn’t been the target hog that he has been in prior seasons. A new coaching regime in Vegas makes this game the most intriguing from a gameplan standpoint. With changes imminent, I presume that Derek Carr will seek out the targets he is most comfortable with. That is Waller. Denver’s numbers look elite against TEs, but Mark Andrews is the only legit option they have faced. Last year, Waller had a dud against Denver early on but finished the season with a steamrolling of them.

Mark Andrews, Ravens vs. LAC
($5,200 DK, $6,300 FD)
How does Andrews get only a $5.2k salary after that last game? Heck, even the $6.3k seems too low. I mean, it would be one thing if the Chargers were defensive dynamos against the position. They aren’t. In fact, only two teams have allowed more yardage to tight ends. I really will do what I can to fit him into my lineups. My only concern here is that at this price and with the recency bias of last week, his ownership percentage will be astronomical.

Tyler Higbee, Rams @ NYG ($4,400 DK, $5,500 FD)
A few years back we regularly picked on the Cardinals for their ineptitude at covering TEs. This year, that “honor” goes to the Giants. In Week 5, Dalton Schultz and the Cowboys were the first TE room to not score against this defense. Schultz still posted a strong 6-79 against them. Tyler Higbee has been quiet from a yardage standpoint recently, but he has still managed to snag two TDs over the last three weeks. He also has five or more targets in three of the five games.

DFS Sleepers

Mo Alie-Cox, Colts vs. HOU
($3,100 DK, $5,000 FD)
Alie-Cox has averaged only 3-46 over the past two weeks, but he did score twice in Week 4. Meanwhile, Houston has allowed the second-most receptions, the fourth-most yards, and the most TDs to the position. Jack Doyle could reestablish his role in the passing game and/or T.Y. Hilton could return and usurp all of the inside targets, but Big Mo just needs that one red-zone target to reach 3x on DK. In a good matchup, I’ll roll those dice.

Ricky Seals-Jones, Football Team vs. KC
($3,000 DK, $5,000 FD)
The Chiefs have allowed an average of 93 receiving yards to the TE position. The caveat to that is that they have faced a murderer’s row of TEs … oh wait, no they haven’t … they’ve just faced a bunch of middle-of-the-road guys. Interestingly enough, Seals-Jones has faced KC only once before. That was back in 2018 with the Cardinals. In that game, he set a career-high in targets and receptions. KC will be ahead in this game, so Washington will be forced to throw the ball a lot. They will also be without Logan Thomas, also likely down Curtis Samuel and Dyami Brown. In what is technically a revenge game, I like RSJ to have an above-average performance at a minimal salary.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 5

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 5 DFS fantasy football

We have one more week of full roster main slate before the byes start infesting this game. So as an advance to the bye week terrorism, the NFL has graced us with the first London game of the year. The New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons will not be included in the main slate on FD or DK.

Fortunately, that only takes about six legitimate options off of the table as both of those teams are pretty devoid of talent.

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m moderately concerned that the British government may consider the U.S. sending them the Falcons and Jets as an act of war. At best, they will just cut off our supply of sticky toffee pudding and spotted dick.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

The schedule gurus do strike a blow to the main slate as Buffalo and Kansas City lock horns on Sunday night. Josh Allen has the best matchup among the four QBs here. That said, this should be a shootout and both he and Patrick Mahomes will share QB1 honors. KC has been one of the worst teams in the league on defense against both the run and the pass. So, I am firmly expecting Allen to finish with 300-3 through the air and at least one rushing score as well.

The Bills’ pass defense actually ranks first overall. Of course, they have faced the washed-up remains of Ben Roethlisberger, an injured Tua Tagovailoa, and Jacoby Brissett, backup QB Taylor Heinecke, and the shouldn’t-be-on-an-NFL roster Davis Mills. Buffalo has one great CB, and he alone will not be able to stifle the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes should still post 300-3 as well … he just doesn’t have the rushing TD upside. The thing to remember here, however, is that this game could devolve quickly into a track meet. If that happens both QBs have a legitimate chance at approaching 500 yards and five TDs. Amazingly, last season, these two teams combined for only 43 total points on MNF in mid-October. They then met up again in the postseason to post a more expected 62 combined points.

Zack Moss has established himself as the goal line back for Buffalo. He has also evenly split all of the carries and targets since being inactive in Week 1. The Chiefs are worse against the run than the pass, but I expect this game to be a throwing fest. In a split backfield, he is no better than the RB2 here. Devin Singletary has been decent as well but just isn’t getting any TD love. In a favorable matchup, he still deserves consideration at FLEX. Unfortunately, both of them are in danger of losing rushing TDs to Josh Allen and short-yardage scores to Dawson Knox.

After being underutilized the first couple of weeks, Kansas City has allowed Clyde Edwards-Helaire to top the 100-yard rushing mark in back-to-back games. Negative game scripts have taken out every RB to face Buffalo so far this year. They’ve allowed a few yards through the air but not much on the ground. The game script won’t be negative here — it will be sideways. This suggests that CEH joins Zach Moss in the RB2 discussion at best. Your hope here is that he catches another shuttle pass for a touchdown. Darrel Williams actually outperformed Edwards-Helaire in the playoffs last year. He has scored a touchdown in two of the last three games, but he remains primarily a handcuff. There are enough talents on this slate to bypass Williams in tournaments, but he could be used in Showdown contests.

Stefon Diggs hasn’t been the touchdown threat he was last year, having scored only once through the first four weeks. Still, he is averaging 10 targets per week and posting reasonable supplementary stats. I have him as the top WR on this slate, because Tyreek Hill may have to deal with Tre’Davious White and because KC has allowed a 7-122 WR performance to each of the last two teams they have faced. Plus, despite the 7-122 line,  DeVonta Smith has been the only WR1 to not score against this defense. Secondary WRs have also had success against KC this season. I will give the slight edge to Emmanuel Sanders on FD, since he has been more consistent than Cole Beasley. Still, both have huge upside here at WR2/3 range. I give Beasley more value on DK, where we get the full PPR. Gabriel Davis has become a forgotten man in Buffalo. He has had a total of TWO targets over the last three weeks. That won’t cut it for DFS, even in a likely high-scoring game.

Tyreek Hill was held in check last year during their regular-season contest, but he exploded for 9-172 in the playoff meeting, and 71 of those yards did come on one pass, but that still left him 8-101 the rest of the game. What is concerning is that he failed to score in both of the games. I’m certainly not going to fade Hill here, but don’t be surprised when he doesn’t have another three-TD outing. On this slate, consider him the WR2 overall and a fine WR1 play, just know that he will have huge ownership numbers after last week. Josh Gordon may be active this week, if you believe Andy Reid’s coach-speak. If he is, then he could be used as a WR3 or FLEX. I will still probably pass. If Gordon is inactive, Demarcus Robinson, Byron Pringle, and Mecole Hardman can be considered as WR3 plays, in what should be a shootout. However, know that they will likely cannibalize each other’s overall numbers.

No team has allowed more receiving yardage to opposing TEs than Kansas City. That isn’t the reason I like Dawson Knox here, though. Knox has evolved into a Darren Fells-type goal line threat. He also is catching a reasonable amount of passes, they just aren’t going for many yards. By sheer volume, I expect Knox to approach 5-50, and another short TD is a lock. This should lock up TE3 for him on this short slate.

Travis Kelce must be locked into your lineup and built around this week. In the two meetings last season, he posted a combined 18-183-4. Buffalo really hasn’t been challenged yet this year by the position, so expect Kelce to explode here.

I dare you to use one of these defenses this week. The best bet either team has is a special teams return TD.

Carson Wentz has received a wrongly deserved injury-prone label. Yes, he has sustained many injuries in his career, but he also played behind a grade school offensive line in Philly. Indy’s line is on a different interplanetary level compared to that of the Eagles. Unfortunately, Wentz has still been subject to a fair amount of pressure, partly thanks to key lineman injuries. It doesn’t help Wentz that he has two bum ankles right now. In fact, you could argue that Wentz has outperformed what his injured body should have allowed him this year. If the line can hold taught here against a Baltimore defense that netted five sacks last week versus Denver, then Wentz should be fine. Still, he will be the QB4 on this stacked slate.

Apparently, the NFL does not want us to use Lamar Jackson in DFS main slate lineups. This is Baltimore’s third primetime game in five weeks. Indy’s pass defense is atrocious. No team has allowed more passing TDs than the Colts. Jackson may get rookie Rashod Bateman active for this game, which should help his passing numbers. Still, you are playing Jackson for his rushing acumen. Only eight players have more rushing yards than Jackson through four weeks. All of them are running backs. Jackson’s rushing numbers have been stunted slightly the last two weeks due to a back injury, but he can break one from anywhere on the field. I have Jackson slightly behind both Sunday night QBs, but he could be a sneaky pivot at less ownership.

Jonathan Taylor finally eclipsed 100 rushing yards and scored last week, despite continuing to split touches with Nyheim Hines and once again Marlon Mack. Mack is the surprising of the two as it was reported that the team would be keeping him inactive in preparation for a trade. Mack’s performance didn’t help his trade value any, and if Taylor appears to be fully healed from his knee issue, I wonder if he will even be active this week. Hines will be active, and his pass-catching skills make him a great FLEX play this week as Baltimore has allowed big yardage to pass-catching backs. Taylor gets the RB1 grade here as Baltimore has been mediocre, at best, against the run and has allowed the second-most running back rushing scores.

I feel bad for anyone that blew their FABB budget on Ty’Son Williams. The Ravens went full Shanahan on the situation listing him as a healthy scratch last week. In Baltimore’s defense, Latavius Murray has been serviceable since signing, scoring in three of four games. Le’Veon Bell didn’t do much in his first action of the season, neither did Devonta Freeman. You can leave them both on your bench. Murray is the RB4 on this slate if Williams is out again, and you can use him at RB2 or FLEX. If Ty’Son plays, it just muddies this situation even more. That would probably take all of them out of play.

I was overexposed to Michael Pittman last week. What I failed to consider was that Miami’s pass defense has some solid individual pieces. Pittman still led all Colts receivers in every category, so it wasn’t like he was awful. Over the last three weeks, only five WRs have more targets than Pittman. Baltimore has stymied every WR1 they have faced this year, so I won’t use him as anything more than a WR3. I almost feel more comfortable using Zach Pascal here, if I need an Indy WR in my lineup. Parris Campbell hasn’t been used enough to reach for here. I like saying Ashton Dulin, I do not like playing Ashton Dulin.

Marquise Brown failed to catch three coulda been TDs in Week 3. He made up for it by catching an absurd, highlight-reel TD in Week 4. In a solid matchup here, I like Brown to score again. I’m just not pumped for his reception volume. Rashod Bateman may get his first start of the season this week. He is coming off of a groin injury, so you need to be concerned about reinjury in his first game back. Nevertheless, Bateman is going to be a target hog and a receiving stud once he gets up to speed. I’ll definitely use him in a couple of lineups at WR3 if he plays. Sammy Watkins has seven or more targets in every game so far. Unfortunately, the calendar has turned to October and Watkins has turned back into a pumpkin. If Bateman is a no-go, Watkins is no better than a FLEX play. If Bateman plays, you can cut Watkins off your season-long rosters. James Proche had a solid Week 4, but prior to that he had four targets for his career. I’m not chasing him here.  I always like Devin Duvernay in Showdown slates, but I’m not reaching for him, especially since Miles Boykin may also return this week and there won’t be enough volume to go around.

I suggested Jack Doyle last week. I had the right team, just the wrong TE. Doyle has had two targets over the last two weeks while Mo Alie-Cox has had seven. Doyle has been dealing with some back discomfort so that may be partially to blame. It shouldn’t matter on this slate, as both would be TE4 at best. Baltimore has allowed the most receptions and the second-most receiving yards and TDs to the position. That said, those numbers are slightly inflated by facing Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, T.J. Hockenson, and Noah Fant the first four weeks.

Mark Andrews will eventually start losing targets and TD opportunities once Rashod Bateman is fully incorporated into this offense. For now, he has been averaging 5-78 over the last three weeks, putting himself in a position to be the TE2 here.

With Wentz’s foot ailments in play, I have to assign Baltimore the top defense slot here. It isn’t a great play, but none of them are on this slate.

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $5.2k for Jacoby Brissett. $9k for Derrick Henry. $8.4k for Dalvin Cook. $5.2k for Antonio Brown. $4.8k for Jaylen Waddle. $4.8k for Laviska Shenault. $4.2k for Mike Gesicki. $5.5k for Damien Harris at FLEX. $2.9k for the Las Vegas Raiders defense.

At FD: $6.3k for Brissett. $10.4k for Henry. $9k for Cook. $5.1k for Allen Lazard. $5.8k for Shenault. $5.4k for Waddle. $6.2k for Dalton Schultz. $6.5k for Harris at FLEX. $5k for the New England Patriot defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Kirk CousinsJosh Allen at SF, Samaje Perine, Damien Williams, Ezekiel Elliott at FLEX, Cole Beasley, Adam ThielenDalton Schultz, and Travis Kelce.

DraftKings FanDuel
Kyler Murray $8,000 $8,500
Tom Brady $7,400 $8,400
Aaron Rodgers $7,100 $8,000
Jalen Hurts $7,000 $8,100
Dak Prescott $6,900 $8,100
Justin Herbert $6,800 $7,700
Sam Darnold $6,600 $7,600
Kirk Cousins $6,500 $7,500
Ryan Tannehill $6,400 $7,200
Derek Carr $6,100 $7,100
Joe Burrow $6,100 $7,000
Daniel Jones $6,000 $7,400
Taylor Heinicke $5,900 $7,300
Trevor Lawrence $5,800 $6,500
Trey Lance $5,700 $6,900
Jameis Winston $5,600 $7,000
Baker Mayfield $5,500 $6,800
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,500 $6,900
Teddy Bridgewater $5,400 $6,600
Ben Roethlisberger $5,300 $6,600
Jared Goff $5,300 $7,100
Mac Jones $5,300 $6,700
Jacoby Brissett $5,200 $6,300
Justin Fields $5,200 $6,400
Taysom Hill $5,100 $6,100
Drew Lock $4,900 $6,600
Davis Mills $4,800 $6,300

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Aaron Rodgers and Kyler Murray are the top two highest-priced options. Unfortunately, I will be hard-pressed to roster them at those salaries. Kirk Cousins is slightly cheaper and makes a decent pivot. I like but don’t love Joe Burrow and Daniel Jones. Their prices are better on DK than FD. My favorite play in this price range is Trevor Lawrence. To save money, take a flier on Mac Jones or Jacoby Brissett.

Fantasy Four-pack

Kyler Murray, Cardinals vs. SF
($8,000 DK, $8,500 FD)
San Francisco’s defense has been acting as a whipping boy for everyone they have faced. Now they face their toughest matchup in Murray. If Jared Goff and Jalen Hurts can scorch the Niners, then Murray should be safe for 300-3 and another score on the ground.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ CIN
($7,100 DK, $8,000 FD)

Cincinnati allowed 351-2 to Kirk Cousins in Week 1. Since then, they have faced a weak trio of QBs and held them mostly in check. Rodgers is better than all four of the other QBs that the Bengals have faced. Plus, Rodgers rediscovered his favorite weapon from the past in Randall Cobb. If you choose to use Rodgers, you can stack him with Cobb, Davante Adams, or Allen Lazard (my personal choice this week). I would even consider a stack with two of them. The one player I won’t be sticking with Rodgers is Robert Tonyan.

Dak Prescott, Cowboys vs. NYG
($6,900 DK, $8,100 FD

Prescott’s yardage numbers have looked lame since Week 1. Still, he has thrown for three or more TDs in three of the four games. Middling QBs, such as Teddy Bridgewater and Taylor Heinicke, have each thrown for two scores against New York, so another three-score finish seems right. Unfortunately, once again, I expect his yardage numbers to be lower as the team should run at will against New York as well.

Kirk Cousins, Vikings vs. DET
($6,500 DK, $7,500 FD)
The Vikings will run the ball a lot in this game, but don’t underestimate what Cousins will achieve through the air. Cousins’ former coach Kevin Stefanski is the only person to slow down the Vikings’ passing game. Detroit doesn’t have that kind of insider information. What the Lions do have is an undermanned secondary and a defense that allowed a total of 625-6 (plus a rushing TD) to Cousins last season. A similar 300-3 will happen here as well, especially if Dalvin Cook is still limited.

DFS Sleepers

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars vs. TEN
($5,800 DK, $6,500 FD)
Lawrence can take it upon himself this week to put Urban Meyer out of the news stream with a strong performance against a bad Tennessee defense. All you truly need to know about Tennessee is that they just allowed Zach Wilson to nearly top 300 yards passing. Lawrence will have his best game as a pro, and I would not be surprised if Jacksonville pulls off the upset. I particularly like stacking Lawrence with Laviska Shenault this week.

Jacoby Brissett, Dolphins @ TB
($5,200 DK, $6,300 FD)
Speaking of mediocre QBs that play in Florida (no I am not referring to Tom Brady), Brissett has looked like a quarterback who deserves to hold a clipboard instead of a football, a role that Brissett got comfortable with behind Brady in New England. Tampa Bay has allowed a league-worst 11 passing TDs and a league second-worst 1,321 passing yards. This included allowing both Matt Ryan and Mac Jones to post startable lines – and now their secondary is even weaker this week.

DraftKings FanDuel
Derrick Henry $9,000 $10,400
Christian McCaffrey $8,700 $10,000
Alvin Kamara $8,600 $8,600
Dalvin Cook $8,400 $9,000
Aaron Jones $7,900 $8,400
Austin Ekeler $7,600 $7,700
Saquan Barkley $7,300 $7,800
Ezekiel Elliott $7,000 $8,000
Najee Harris $6,900 $7,300
Nick Chubb $6,700 $7,500
Antonio Gibson $6,400 $6,600
Joe Mixon $6,200 $7,100
D’Andre Swift $6,100 $6,900
Chuba Hubbard $6,000 $6,700
James Robinson $6,000 $7,400
Chase Edmonds $5,900 $6,200
Josh Jacobs $5,900 $7,200
Kareem Hunt $5,800 $7,000
Miles Sanders $5,700 $5,900
Damien Williams $5,600 $5,800
James Conner $5,600 $6,300
Tony Pollard $5,600 $5,600
Alexander Mattison $5,500 $6,500
Damien Harris $5,500 $6,500
Melvin Gordon $5,300 $5,900
Eli Mitchell $5,200 $5,500
Jamaal Williams $5,200 $6,000
Leonard Fournette $5,200 $6,400
Myles Gaskin $5,100 $5,300
J.D. McKissic $5,000 $5,300
Jeremy McNichols $5,000 $5,100
Trey Sermon $5,000 $5,800
Javonte Williams $4,900 $5,800
Kenneth Gainwell $4,900 $5,700
Kenyan Drake $4,900 $5,700
Ronald Jones $4,700 $5,500
Giovani Bernard $4,600 $4,600
AJ Dillon $4,500 $5,500
David Johnson $4,500 $5,000
J.J. Taylor $4,400 $5,300
Mark Ingram $4,300 $5,400
Carlos Hyde $4,200 $5,200
Kyle Juszczyk $4,200 $4,500
Brandon Bolden $4,000 $4,900
Chris Evans $4,000 $4,800
Phillip Lindsay $4,000 $4,800
Samaje Perine $4,000 $5,600
Khalil Herbert $4,000 $5,200

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Derrick Henry is once again the top play. A healthier Dalvin Cook and an actually used Alvin Kamara are solid pivots. I also like both Saquan Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott in their meeting at the JerryDome. Nick Chubb draws a decent matchup against a Los Angeles defense that struggled against the run until this past Monday night. They appeared to be faster to the outsides in that game, so I feel safer using Chubb than Kareem Hunt. James Robinson’s DK price is very nice in what could be a sneaky shootout. I will have heavy exposure to Henry paired with one of Damien Williams, Damien Harris, and Leonard Fournette (if Gio Bernard doesn’t play).  The punt plays that I like this week are Brandon Bolden and Samaje Perine (if Joe Mixon doesn’t play).

Fantasy Four-pack

Derrick Henry, Titans @ JAX
($9,000 DK, $10,400 FD)
Until Christian McCaffrey returns to full health, Henry will remain the certified top dog. It really helps that the schedule makers continue to put creampuffs in front of him. If Tennessee continues to be short-handed in their passing game, expect the force-feeding of Henry to continue. Through four games, he has 30 more carries than the next closest running back.

Dalvin Cook, Vikings vs. DET
($8,400 DK, $9,000 FD
Cook appeared mostly healthy last week. He did leave the game briefly but returned to finish it out. Detroit has allowed a league-worst nine total TDs to the RB position. Cook will be good for at least one here as long as he doesn’t aggravate his ankle injury. Perhaps you should consider a hedge lineup where you use Alexander Mattison instead of Cook?

Alvin Kamara, Saints @ WAS
($8,600 DK, $8,600 FD)

Kamara recorded the single-most carries of his career last week. Giving him the carries is a great idea. You know what else is a great idea, throwing him the damn ball. There are zero excuses for Kamara not getting targeted once when your top WRs are Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris. Washington has allowed a league-worst five RB receiving TDs this year. If Kamara isn’t targeted double-digit times this week, Sean Payton should hang ’em up.

Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. NYG
($7,000 DK, $8,000 FD)
After splitting touches near evenly with Tony Pollard through the first two games, Elliott has now averaged nearly a 2:1 touch ratio in Weeks 3 and 4. The Giants have only given up two RB rushing scores this year, but they are allowing 171 combo yards per game to the position. At a 2:1 ratio, Zeke should easily approach 120 total yards, and I like him to score again.

DFS Sleepers

Damien Harris, Patriots @ HOU
($5,500 DK, $6,500 FD)
James White is injured. Rhamondre Stevenson has been in the doghouse since Week 1. J.J. Taylor just joined him in the doghouse last week. Brandon Bolden is a pass-catching specialist only. This means a huge day for Harris against a defense that is allowing over 150 combo yards per game to the position. I like Bolden to fare well through the air as well, but Harris is a lock for 100-1.

Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers vs. MIA
($5,200 DK, $6,400 FD)
If Giovani Bernard misses a second straight game, Fournette will be locked in as the pass-catching and goal line back for Tampa Bay. In that spot last week, Fournette held a nearly 5:1 advantage on opportunities compared to Ronald Jones. Bernard was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Even if he is healthy enough to suit up on Sunday, he may not have a huge role coming off a knee injury. Opposing RBs are averaging 167 combo yards per game against this defense, and they have given up six total TDs to the position. Fournette will make it seven.

DraftKings FanDuel
Davante Adams $8,200 $8,200
Justin Jefferson $7,700 $8,000
DeAndre Hopkins $7,600 $7,500
DJ Moore $7,500 $7,900
Terry McLaurin $7,400 $7,400
Mike Williams $7,200 $7,700
Deebo Samuel $7,100 $7,700
Mike Evans $6,800 $7,000
Julio Jones $6,700 $6,800
Adam Thielen $6,600 $7,500
Diontae Johnson $6,500 $7,000
Keenan Allen $6,500 $7,200
Chris Godwin $6,300 $7,600
CeeDee Lamb $6,200 $6,900
Amari Cooper $6,100 $7,100
Brandin Cooks $6,100 $6,300
Chase Claypool $6,000 $6,000
Odell Beckham $6,000 $6,400
DeVonta Smith $5,900 $6,000
Kenny Golladay $5,900 $6,200
Ja’Marr Chase $5,800 $7,300
Marvin Jones $5,700 $6,600
Henry Ruggs $5,600 $5,900
Jakobi Meyers $5,600 $5,900
Allen Robinson $5,500 $6,100
Courtland Sutton $5,500 $6,100
DeVante Parker $5,400 $5,700
Sterling Shepard $5,300 $6,400
Tyler Boyd $5,300 $6,300
Antonio Brown $5,200 $6,500
A.J. Green $5,100 $5,700
JuJu Smith-Schuster $5,000 $5,900
Robby Anderson $5,000 $5,600
Tee Higgins $5,000 $6,700
Christian Kirk $4,900 $6,100
Hunter Renfrow $4,900 $5,800
Jaylen Waddle $4,800 $5,400
Kalif Raymond $4,800 $5,300
Laviska Shenault $4,800 $5,800
Darnell Mooney $4,700 $5,600
Marquez Callaway $4,700 $5,400
Tim Patrick $4,700 $6,000
Rondale Moore $4,600 $5,200
Brandon Aiyuk $4,500 $5,300
Nelson Agholor $4,400 $5,500
Quintez Cephus $4,300 $5,100
Jalen Reagor $4,200 $5,300
Cedrick Wilson $4,100 $5,200
Darius Slayton $4,100 $5,300
Deonte Harris $4,100 $4,900
Kadarius Toney $4,000 $5,300
Kendrick Bourne $4,000 $5,200
Randall Cobb $4,000 $5,500
Chester Rogers $3,900 $5,100
Tre’Quan Smith $3,900 $5,000
Bryan Edwards $3,800 $5,400
K.J. Osborn $3,800 $5,200
Allen Lazard $3,700 $5,100
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine $3,700 $5,300
Terrace Marshall $3,600 $4,900
Josh Reynolds $3,300 $5,000
Danny Amendola $3,200 $4,700
Dyami Brown $3,200 $4,700
Cameron Batson $3,000 $5,000
Collin Johnson $3,000 $4,900
Curtis Samuel $3,000 $5,200
Donovan Peoples-Jones $3,000 $4,900

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – This week I am spending down at WR. Not because I dislike the high-priced options, but because I love the lower-priced options. When that perfect situation arises, you need to embrace it and spend big elsewhere. Certainly, I love the opportunity to use Davante Adams or Justin Jefferson up top. Deebo Samuel and Adam Thielen are also great expensive options here. That said, my team will likely be made up of three of the following: Ja’Marr Chase, Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Tyler Boyd, Antonio Brown, Hunter Renfrow, Jaylen Waddle, Darnell Mooney, and Laviska Shenault. You could also go cheaper yet and use one of the Titans’ backups, one of the Giants’ backups, or Allen Lazard, or Randall Cobb.

Fantasy Four-pack

Davante Adams, Packers @ CIN
($8,200 DK, $8,200 FD)
Adams had a down game by his standards last week as Aaron Rodgers rediscovered Randall Cobb. I fully expect Rodgers to right that wrong this time around. Cincinnati has struggled all season with big-bodied WRs that line up all over the field. That is what Adams brings to the game. I also like Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb in this game. If you choose to do a Rodgers stack, consider using two of the WRs.

Justin Jefferson, Vikings vs. DET
($7,700 DK, $8,000 FD)
Jefferson has now scored a TD in three straight games. It is easy to envision four in a row when your opponent is the Detroit Lions. The Detroit secondary can not cover Jefferson nor Adam Thielen, let alone both of them. At a price cheaper than the other top QB options, I love the idea of stacking Kirk Cousins with one of his top-two WRs.

Deebo Samuel, 49ers @ ARI
($7,100 DK, $7,700 FD)
Larger outside WRs have scored in every game this season against Arizona. Meanwhile, Samuel has posted the second-most total yards of anyone in the NFL this year. The only thing that could hold back Deebo is if a full week of practice leads Trey Lance to prefer throwing the ball to George Kittle or Brandon Aiyuk. Either way, if Lance starts, this makes a nice stack.

DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals vs. SF
($7,600 DK, $7,500 FD)
Hopkins’ numbers appeared down again last week, but he still led the Cardinals in targets and yards despite being less than 100 percent and dealing with Darious Williams. This is now the third week since Hopkins was dinged up, so we can hope he is a full go for this week. That should be frightening to a San Fran defense that is worse than last year when they allowed Hopkins to post a total of 22-199 against them.

DFS Sleepers

Laviska Shenault, Jaguars vs. TEN
($4,800 DK, $5,800 FD)
The Jaguars stack is going to be one of my favorites this week. Shenault was the main benefactor of D.J. Chark’s injury last week. Meanwhile, Tennessee has allowed multiple fantasy-relevant WR performances in three of the first four weeks. This suggests you could even stretch and do a triple stack with Marvin Jones as well.

DeVante Parker, Dolphins @ TB
($5,400 DK, $5,700 FD)
I also will have a lot of exposure to the Dolphins’ stack involving Jacoby Brissett and either Parker or Jaylen Waddle. I do not have as much confidence in this as I do in the Jaguars, so I don’t imagine I’d use both WRs. That said, I could use one of the WRs and Mike Gesicki. Tampa has allowed the most receptions, second-most yards, and third-most receiving TDs to opposing WRs. Meanwhile, Parker was the top producer last week for Miami after Will Fuller left with an injury.

DraftKings FanDuel
Darren Waller $7,300 $7,400
George Kittle $5,600 $6,500
T.J. Hockenson $5,500 $6,400
Dallas Goedert $5,100 $6,100
Noah Fant $4,900 $5,900
Dalton Schultz $4,400 $6,200
Robert Tonyan $4,300 $5,300
Mike Gesicki $4,200 $5,600
Hunter Henry $3,700 $5,400
Jared Cook $3,600 $5,200
Tyler Conklin $3,500 $5,100
Maxx Williams $3,400 $5,200
Zach Ertz $3,400 $5,000
Cameron Brate $3,300 $5,000
Jonnu Smith $3,300 $4,900
Austin Hooper $3,200 $4,900
Evan Engram $3,200 $5,300
Anthony Firkser $3,100 $4,700
C.J. Uzomah $3,000 $5,500
Dan Arnold $2,900 $4,800
David Njoku $2,900 $4,700
Eric Ebron $2,900 $4,600
Pat Freiermuth $2,800 $4,500
Cole Kmet $2,700 $4,800
Adam Trautman $2,600 $4,300
Jordan Akins $2,500 $4,200
Ricky Seals-Jones $2,500 $4,900
Tommy Tremble $2,500 $4,400

Tight End

Weekly strategy – I am shocked by how inexpensive George Kittle is this week. I expect to make a few lineups with him in it, but I also like T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. That said, my most owned TEs this week will be Dalton Schultz and Mike Gesicki. Other options this week include both Patriots, Cameron Brate (if Rob Gronkowski doesn’t play), and Tyler Conklin. There are not many punt plays I like here. I might use C.J. Uzomah or Dan Arnold.

Fantasy Four-pack

George Kittle, 49ers @ ARI
($5,600 DK, $6,500 FD)
Kittle’s price tag is way too low here. I would be more excited if he wasn’t nursing a calf injury, but he played through it last week. Ross Dwelley vultured a TD, and Jamal Adams broke up another potential TD, making Kittle’s Week 4 line look worse than it was. Still, he has averaged 10 targets per game over the last two weeks. Arizona has been stingy against the position this season, but they also have not faced a true threat yet.

Darren Waller, Raiders vs. CHI
($7,300 DK, $7,400 FD)
Chicago has been pretty good at stifling opposing TEs through the first four weeks. They actually have faced some solid options, too. Still, Waller is better than any of the guys they have slowed down. Waller leads all TEs in targets and receptions, and he ranks second in receiving yards. This feels like it may be a floor game for Waller, but that would still be 6-60-1.

Dalton Schultz, Cowboys vs. NYG
($4,400 DK, $6,200 FD)
Schultz has been valuable in three of four weeks, not to mention he has been a verifiable stud the last two weeks. Meanwhile, the Giants have allowed the most TE touchdowns. With Amari Cooper clearly not 100 percent and acting the decoy role, Schultz has joined CeeDee Lamb as the possession option for Dallas. I expect Schultz to post 6-60-1 this week, which will be on par with the top options at a lower price point.

T.J. Hockenson, Lions @ MIN ($5,500 DK, $6,400 FD)
Hockenson’s final stat lines have been uninspiring the last two weeks. Fortunately, last week was the third time this year that he finished with eight or more targets. Minnesota has ignored the TE position for what seems like five straight years, including allowing Hockenson to score in one of their two meetings last year. Hockenson did pop up on the injured list on Wednesday with a knee issue and was limited Thursday. He didn’t show any signs of this affecting him in Week 4, so hopefully this isn’t a new injury sustained in practice. Assuming he takes the field, I expect him to lead Detroit in every relevant receiving category this week.

DFS Sleepers

Cameron Brate, Buccaneers vs. MIA
($3,300 DK, $5,000 FD)
Brate’s stat line last week didn’t look great. That said, I watched the game and the eye test suggested that Tom Brady targeted him more than the six times that were credited to him. The rain caused several of Tom’s passes to go errant, and I would not be surprised if some of the passes listed as targets for someone else were actually originally aimed at Brate. The nice thing about Brate is at that DK salary all he needs is to catch a single TD to reach 3x value. Miami allowed Mo Alie-Cox to haul in two of his three catches for TDs last week, so a Brate TD is certainly possible.

C.J. Uzomah, Bengals vs. GB
($3,000 DK, $5,500 FD)
This may seem like stat-chasing, and it is. You would chase stats, too, in this matchup. Green Bay has been dominated by stud TEs this year and even allowed Juwan Johnson to score twice in Week 1. They fared better in Week 4 versus Pittsburgh, but you can blame that on the return of Diontae Johnson and Ben Roethlisberger’s noodle arm. C.J. Uzomah did little the first three weeks, but he absolutely blew up last week. Lest we forget he missed most of last season with an injury after being fantasy-relevant for most of 2018 and 2019. The potential return of Tee Higgins this week could hurt Uzomah’s target share, but if Higgins is not out there, expect another big game from the tight end.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 4

Breaking down the top players and sleepers for DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 3 DFS fantasy football

Smaller slates provide just as much opportunity to score big as the full-day slates do. After stumbling slightly during the Main Slate last week, I balled out in the Primetime slate. This is why I include the Primetime breakdown every week in addition to the regular tournament plays. Hopefully, you also took advantage and fattened your wallet on Sunday and Monday night. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into those late games.

DFS: The Primetime Slate

Tom Brady returns to Foxborough with a chance of proving once and for all that he made Bill Belichick and not vice versa. The Patriots will certainly do everything in their power to slow down the Buccaneers offense. Unfortunately, this won’t be like Week 2 when they faced Zach Wilson, nor will it be like last week when they had to deal with Jameis Winston. Brady is the GOAT, and he will be looking to abuse this defense. He is the obvious QB1 on the slate, and I would not be surprised if he is allowed to pad his stats HEAVILY this week.

As for the Patriots, Mac Jones has some huge shoes to fill being the heir apparent to Brady. His numbers have not looked worthy of Brady’s shadow, but he has faced two solid pass defenses among his first three games. Add to that, an extreme lack of talent at the WR position, and any production at this point has to feel like a victory. Presuming that Justin Herbert will be okay to play on Monday, Jones is the QB4 here. That said, New England will be playing from behind, and it is impossible to run the ball against Tampa Bay, so Jones could get some garbage-time value. I’ll have at least one lineup with him.

Ronald Jones has less than half of the number of touches as Leonard Fournette through the first three weeks. That said, neither has proven reliable on a week-to-week basis. Giovani Bernard was the Tampa back to start last week as he hauled in nine passes while running the James White role in Brady’s offense. I actually believe that this was a slight outlier as well, since many of those short passes to Gio may have gone to Antonio Brown if he had played. I could see using Fournette at FLEX at best this week with Bernard (knee) injured, but I’m not rushing to put any of these guys in my lineup.

Speaking of James White, he is out for the year. This is a huge blow to the New England offense. Brandon Bolden assumed the White role last week after his injury. I expect that to continue. He should be given some FLEX consideration. Damien Harris struggled against a great run defense last week. This one is even better. By volume alone, he is still the RB4 on this slate. I’m just not very high on his output potential here. It also won’t help that he is basically unused in the passing game. Rhamondre Stevenson and J.J. Taylor should share a change-of-pace role, making both of them useless.

I was wrong about which WR would lead Tampa Bay last week. I thought that Mike Evans would be shadowed and swallowed up by Jalen Ramsey. He wasn’t. This WR room is going to become as difficult to predict as Pittsburgh’s. The difference being that Tom Brady can support all three of them while Ben Roethlisberger cannot any longer. An interesting trend through three weeks has New England allowing high catch volume to fast, smaller WRs. That suggests that both Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin have more value this week than Evans. I’d consider either of them as WR2. Evans will stay on my bench this week.

I joked earlier about the lack of talent that New England has at the WR position. They actually have three solid WRs, but none of them stand out as a legit alpha. Jakobi Meyers is probably the closest to that role as he leads the team in targets. Unfortunately, he is averaging less than 60 yards a game despite facing three so-so defenses. I actually kind of like him at WR3 against another bad pass defense here, in what will be a garbage-time special. Kendrick Bourne had a big game last week against New Orleans, but much of it came after James White exited with an injury. So, Bourne may actually have some value if he continues to haul in a bunch of those short passes that White would normally be targeted for. I can see using him at FLEX this week. Nelson Agholor had eight targets last week, but much like his time in Philly and Las Vegas, he struggled to bring them in. Agholor has some TD-dependent value here against a bad defense and could be used at FLEX. I just wish he had better hands.

Rob Gronkowski injured his ribs last week. If he plays, he is the TE2 here. I know it comes down to pain tolerance, so this will be a great test for Gronk. If Gronkowski doesn’t go, Cameron Brate becomes the TE4. It should be noted that New England has allowed nothing to the position so far this year. They also have faced absolutely nothing at the position this year. So, take that nugget with a grain of salt. O.J. Howard had a better pedigree than Brate, but he has done nothing (even in Gronk’s absence) to suggest he deserves a spot in your lineup.

Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry have the same number of receptions this season, but Smith has more targets and Henry has more yards. This suggests that Henry is the safer play of the two. He also played considerably better than Jonnu last week. Tampa Bay has allowed one big performance by an opposing TE each week. So, I see no problem using Henry as my TE3/TE4 here. He also makes a discount run-it-back play if you load your roster with Buccaneers. There is enough talent on this slate to dodge Smith outside of Showdown rosters.

If Justin Herbert (hand) starts as expected, then just use Tampa’s defense. Otherwise, pivot to Vegas’ defense against whichever backup the Chargers trot out there.

Monday night, Derek Carr gets a tough test facing a very good Los Angeles’ secondary. Of course, Carr has already made a mockery of three other very good pass defenses. I like him at QB3 this week. The only issue I have is choosing which WR to pair with him and Darren Waller in my stacks.

Justin Herbert has an easier matchup on paper, but Oakland hasn’t been awful against the pass and Herbert may be limited slightly due to a hand injury. All signs point to him playing, and unless we hear otherwise, he will be my QB2 on this slate. The stack here is easier as possession WRs have done the most damage against the Raiders. This points towards an Herbert-Keenan Allen stack.

Josh Jacobs has missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury. It appears that he might return in Week 4. If he does, he is a lock at RB2 on a weak RB slate. If Jacobs is out, we will see more of the dual backfield of Peyton Barber and Kenyan Drake. Los Angeles has been abysmal at stopping opposing RBs, so Barber would be an easy RB2 and Drake is one of the better FLEX options. If Jacobs plays, leave them both for nothing better than FLEX consideration.

Austin Ekeler is the RB1 of the primetime slate. He should be 100% owned. Larry Rountree and Justin Jackson are both handcuffs at this point. Neither has any standalone value here.

Las Vegas (much like New England) has several WRs that I could conceive of using at WR3. They also have ZERO WRs that I could conceive of using above that spot. No. 1 WRs have not done much against Los Angeles. That said, can you truthfully identify the No. 1 WR on Vegas? Henry Ruggs has the pedigree to be in that role, but he has been splitting the stats with fellow 2020 draft choice Bryan Edwards. I like both at WR3 this week, but I don’t love either of them. If I had to choose a Vegas WR it would probably be Hunter Renfrow. He leads the team in targets and receptions through the first three weeks, and he will definitely not get the defensive attention that Ruggs and Edwards will see. He will be my most-used WR3 option this week ahead of his two teammates and the Patriots’ crew.

Keenan Allen is my WR1 this week. I will roster him and one of the Buccaneers as my top two options. Vegas has struggled all year with possession receivers, making him the safest choice overall. Mike Williams has been an absolute beast this season. I wish that I had more shares of the breakout WR in dynasty, but I had written him off. Fortunately, DFS lineups can give me the opportunity to get exposure to him, even though I don’t have him under any long-term contracts. The Raiders have fared better against larger outside WRs than possession options, but they are by no means elite against them. It is hard to triple-stack two WRs with your QB, but I will do at least one lineup with both of them. I should warn you that Williams will likely have the higher ownership number based on recency bias. Jalen Guyton and Josh Palmer just don’t see enough targets to consider outside of Showdown slates.

Play Darren Waller. He is good. I love the idea of using him in double-TE lineups with Rob Gronkowski or Hunter Henry.

Jared Cook had a very good Week 1. Since then, he has barely posted that same total over the next two weeks combined. The matchup isn’t great and Los Angeles has basically abandoned throwing the ball to anyone not named Allen, Williams, or Ekeler, so start him with caution. Donald Parham is fun to play in Showdown contests due to his TD dependency, but he should not be used in regular tourneys.

If Herbert ends up missing this game due to his hand injury (not likely), then I’d consider using the Las Vegas defense. Otherwise, you can fade the defenses in this game.

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $7k for Matthew Stafford. $5.8k for David Montgomery. $6.1k for Antonio Gibson. $7.8k for Cooper Kupp. $5.4k for Michael Pittman. $4.9k for Jaylen Waddle. $3.6k for Dawson Knox. $6.3k for Jonathan Taylor at FLEX. $2.7k for the Indianapolis Colts defense.

At FD: $8.5k for Josh Allen. $9k for Alvin Kamara. $6.6k for Taylor. $8.6k for Kupp. $5.9k for Cole Beasley. $5.8k for Pittman. $4.5k for Maxx Williams. $7.1k for Gibson at FLEX. $4k for the Washington Football Team defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Tom Brady, Stafford at SF, Gibson, Taylor, Montgomery at FLEX, Kupp, Waddle, Rob Gronkowski, and Knox.

DraftKings FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes $8,100 $8,700
Josh Allen $8,000 $8,500
Kyler Murray $7,800 $8,200
Lamar Jackson $7,500 $8,000
Russell Wilson $7,100 $7,700
Matthew Stafford $7,000 $7,800
Jalen Hurts $6,900 $7,900
Aaron Rodgers $6,800 $7,600
Dak Prescott $6,700 $7,700
Kirk Cousins $6,400 $7,500
Ryan Tannehill $6,300 $7,500
Baker Mayfield $6,200 $7,300
Sam Darnold $6,000 $7,200
Taylor Heinicke $5,900 $7,400
Daniel Jones $5,800 $7,000
Teddy Bridgewater $5,700 $6,800
Jameis Winston $5,600 $6,900
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,600 $7,000
Ben Roethlisberger $5,500 $6,800
Carson Wentz $5,400 $6,600
Matt Ryan $5,400 $6,700
Andy Dalton $5,300 $6,200
Jared Goff $5,200 $7,100
Justin Fields $5,200 $6,400
Jacoby Brissett $5,100 $6,500
Nick Foles $5,100 $6,000
Zach Wilson $5,000 $6,400
Davis Mills $4,900 $6,400
Taysom Hill $4,900 $6,200

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Both of our “running QBs” have a tricky matchup this week. Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson both deserve some attention due to their production on the ground, just know that their overall numbers may be down this week. Jackson may also be limited by his back injury. Instead of these two, I will be more exposed to Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford. I can find clear issues with all of the midtier options. Kirk Cousins or Sam Darnold may be the best of the question marks in that range. If I choose to punt the position, I could use Jimmy Garoppolo, Carson Wentz, Taylor Heinicke, or even Jacoby Brissett. None of those options sounds appealing, but each has a chance to reach 3x value.

Fantasy Four-pack

Josh Allen, Bills vs. HOU
($8,000 DK, $8,500 FD)
Houston has failed to slow down much worse QBs than Allen through the first three weeks. Plus, Allen is coming off his best start of the year against a much tougher opponent. I love Allen stacked with each of his weapons (Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, and Dawson Knox), but I wouldn’t stack more than two of them with him.

Matthew Stafford, Rams vs. ARI
($7,000 DK, $7,800 FD)

Stafford survived and thrived in what could have been a tricky matchup with Tampa Bay last week. His connection with Cooper Kupp is otherworldly, and it has elevated Kupp into elite WR status. Arizona held Trevor Lawrence in check last week, but Stafford is a whole different beast. Jared Goff dissected this defense for 351 yards and two total TDs last year, and it is safe to say that Stafford is a better QB than Goff. The Rams defense is very good, but Kyler Murray should keep this game close, which should equate to Los Angeles being forced to throw the ball a lot.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs @ PHI
($8,100 DK, $8,700 FD

The Chiefs have been out of sorts of late stumbling to a 1-2 record out of the block. Mahomes is getting time in the pocket, but the opposition has been doing just enough to lock down victories. This week, Mahomes faces another solid pass defense in Philly. Still, this is Mahomes, and he should find his way to 300-3. Just do not expect him to go crazy here, unless he decides to take the team on his shoulders (as only he can) and wills them to the win.

Kyler Murray, Cardinals@ LAR
($7,800 DK, $8,200 FD)
This matchup looks tenuous on paper, but if it turns into a shootout Murray has the weapons to keep it close. In a similar spot last week, the Rams held Tom Brady to two total touchdowns, but he managed to throw for 432 yards. I could see a similar game script here. I still see Murray as more of a pivot than a sure thing. One thing we know for certain is that Murray is more valuable than Brady with his legs.

DFS Sleepers

Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers vs. SEA
($5,600 DK, $7,000 FD)
This is more about my trust in Garoppolo’s weapons than my trust in him. It is also about my complete lack of trust in Seattle’s beleaguered secondary. The first three QBs to face the Seahawks have netted 307 passing yards per game. Much like the Rams-Cardinals game, this could devolve into a shootout, although for slightly different reasons as neither team has much to write home about on defense. I like Jimmy G. to throw for 275-2 and a pair of scores here with a possible goal line plunge added on.

Carson Wentz, Colts @ MIA
($5,400 DK, $6,600 FD)
Miami’s defense has not been as solid against the pass as one might think. Both Josh Allen and Derek Carr posted a pair of passing scores against them, and even Mac Jones in his first career game flirted with 300 passing yards. Wentz has a solid group of weapons to throw to (for the first time in his career) and it smells like a 275-2 type of game here, assuming his ankles don’t give out on him.

DraftKings FanDuel
Derrick Henry $8,800 $10,200
Alvin Kamara $8,400 $9,000
Dalvin Cook $8,100 $9,500
Aaron Jones $7,700 $7,400
Nick Chubb $7,000 $8,000
Najee Harris $6,800 $8,200
Saquan Barkley $6,700 $6,900
Alexander Mattison $6,600 $6,800
Ezekiel Elliott $6,500 $7,000
Miles Sanders $6,400 $6,500
Chris Carson $6,300 $7,300
Jonathan Taylor $6,300 $6,600
D’Andre Swift $6,200 $7,700
Antonio Gibson $6,100 $7,100
Kareem Hunt $6,000 $6,400
Chuba Hubbard $5,900 $6,300
David Montgomery $5,800 $7,500
Tony Pollard $5,700 $5,600
Darrell Henderson $5,600 $6,000
Chase Edmonds $5,500 $6,100
Melvin Gordon $5,500 $6,200
Clyde Edwards-Helaire $5,400 $6,700
Eli Mitchell $5,400 $5,600
Jamaal Williams $5,300 $5,600
Myles Gaskin $5,300 $5,500
Zack Moss $5,300 $6,000
Sony Michel $5,200 $5,800
Ty’Son Williams $5,200 $5,700
James Conner $5,100 $5,500
Mike Davis $5,100 $5,400
J.D. McKissic $5,000 $5,200
Javonte Williams $5,000 $5,900
Trey Sermon $5,000 $5,900
Cordarrelle Patterson $4,900 $6,000
Nyheim Hines $4,900 $5,300
Devin Singletary $4,800 $5,700
Latavius Murray $4,700 $5,300
Mark Ingram $4,700 $5,300
Royce Freeman $4,700 $5,400
Ty Johnson $4,600 $4,700
David Johnson $4,500 $5,000
Michael Carter $4,500 $5,300
Tevin Coleman $4,400 $4,800
Kenneth Gainwell $4,300 $5,500
Malcolm Brown $4,300 $5,100
Phillip Lindsay $4,300 $4,900
Kyle Juszczyk $4,000 $4,500

Running Back

Weekly strategy – This is kind of an ugly week at every position for DFS. Derrick Henry is an easy play, but that FD price is so damn high. The better play is actually Alvin Kamara, and his FD price is much better. I don’t mind Najee Harris here, but I feel like we would be chasing targets. Miles Sanders has a great matchup, but his coach is apparently too busy channeling his inner Adam Gase when it comes to game strategy. If I don’t use the two high-priced guys, I will likely pivot to Jonathan Taylor or Antonio Gibson. I also like David Montgomery (DK only) and Chuba Hubbard (volume-based ROI) here. There isn’t much to choose from as a value play. Sony Michel could return value if Darrell Henderson misses another game. Cordarelle Patterson, J.D. McKissic, and Nyheim Hines could catch enough passes to return value. San Francisco could have a valuable RB starter against a bad Seattle defense, just good luck choosing who it will be. With so many question marks, this feels like a week to just pay up for a pair of the top RBs.

Fantasy Four-pack

Derrick Henry, Titans @ NYJ
($8,800 DK, $10,200 FD)
With A.J. Brown out and Julio Jones questionable, there is a slim chance that the prior-to-Week-2-never-used-in-the-passing game Henry could be one of the leading receiving options for Tennessee on Sunday. Or perhaps, the team will just hand the ball off to him 40 times. Either way, it should amount to a huge game from the monster RB. I am stressing the McCaffreyesque pricing on FD, but $8,800 on DK seems like a steal.

Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. NYG
($8,400 DK, $9,000 FD
Good things happen for New Orleans when they get their only superstar involved in the offense. The Giants’ run defense has been assaulted every week so far, especially through the air. This is Kamara’s sweet spot. I’m expecting a minimum of 150 total yards and a score here.

Najee Harris, Steelers @ GB
($6,800 DK, $8,200 FD)

19 targets? Damn! I’m not going to expect to see that again, but if Diontae Johnson remains out, it just might happen. Ultimately, it comes down to Ben Roethlisberger not being able to throw the deep ball right now while battling his way through injuries and old age. Green Bay has not allowed a ton of rushing yards to the position, but every RB room to face them has posted a serviceable RB2 stat line, thanks to receptions and receiving yards. Harris won’t be splitting any touches out of the backfield, so by sheer volume, he should approach 3x value.

Jonathan Taylor, Colts @ MIA
($6,300 DK, $6,600 FD)
With Marlon Mack getting DNP-management decision designation so that the team can trade him, Taylor has one less vulture to contend with. In each of the first three weeks, Miami has allowed multiple RBs to produce startable lines. So, even if Nyheim Hines continues to cut into Taylor’s workload, they are both startable here. In fact, they both should approach 100 total yards and score here, but Taylor is obviously the safer choice.

DFS Sleepers

Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons vs. WAS
($4,900 DK, $6,000 FD)
Running the ball against this defensive line should be tough for Atlanta. So, if they are smart, Patterson will get the majority of the RB touches this week (and then predominantly through the air). Patterson has seven targets each of the last two weeks. He should surpass that number this week, especially if Russell Gage is out again.

Myles Gaskin, Dolphins vs. IND
($5,300 DK, $5,500 FD)
I did not like the pair of TD vultures last week for Gaskin. His final line was pretty good, but it could have been so much better. This week Gaskin faces a defense that is allowing 142 combo yards per game against opposing RBs. So, even if he loses a few touches, Gaskin should top 100 total yards. Let’s just hope he isn’t vultured on the score again.

DraftKings FanDuel
Tyreek Hill $8,000 $8,200
Davante Adams $7,900 $8,100
Cooper Kupp $7,800 $8,600
DeAndre Hopkins $7,700 $7,600
Stefon Diggs $7,600 $8,000
Justin Jefferson $7,300 $7,800
DK Metcalf $7,200 $7,700
Tyler Lockett $7,100 $7,900
Calvin Ridley $7,000 $7,200
Terry McLaurin $6,900 $7,100
Adam Thielen $6,800 $7,500
CeeDee Lamb $6,700 $7,400
DJ Moore $6,600 $7,300
Deebo Samuel $6,500 $6,900
Julio Jones $6,500 $6,700
Brandin Cooks $6,400 $6,900
Diontae Johnson $6,200 $7,000
Chase Claypool $6,100 $6,500
Amari Cooper $6,000 $7,600
Allen Robinson $5,800 $6,400
Odell Beckham $5,800 $6,600
Courtland Sutton $5,700 $6,300
DeVonta Smith $5,700 $5,900
JuJu Smith-Schuster $5,600 $6,000
Kenny Golladay $5,500 $5,900
Sterling Shepard $5,500 $6,100
Cole Beasley $5,400 $5,900
Marquise Brown $5,400 $6,400
Michael Pittman $5,400 $5,800
Christian Kirk $5,300 $6,000
Robert Woods $5,300 $6,200
DeVante Parker $5,200 $5,400
Robby Anderson $5,100 $5,700
Sammy Watkins $5,100 $5,500
Brandon Aiyuk $5,000 $5,700
Corey Davis $5,000 $5,700
Emmanuel Sanders $4,900 $5,800
Jaylen Waddle $4,900 $5,400
Tim Patrick $4,900 $6,100
Will Fuller $4,800 $5,300
Jalen Reagor $4,700 $5,500
Jamison Crowder $4,600 $5,500
Rondale Moore $4,600 $5,300
A.J. Green $4,500 $5,600
Zach Pascal $4,500 $5,100
Kalif Raymond $4,400 $5,300
Mecole Hardman $4,400 $5,500
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $4,300 $5,200
Russell Gage $4,300 $5,000
Darius Slayton $4,200 $5,200
James Washington $4,100 $5,100
Olamide Zaccheaus $4,100 $5,100
Cedrick Wilson $4,000 $5,200
Quintez Cephus $4,000 $5,200
Terrace Marshall $4,000 $5,000
Tre’Quan Smith $4,000 $5,000
Darnell Mooney $3,900 $5,200
Devin Duvernay $3,900 $5,000
Freddie Swain $3,900 $4,800
Van Jefferson $3,900 $5,000
Demarcus Robinson $3,800 $4,900
DeSean Jackson $3,800 $5,400
Anthony Miller $3,700 $5,200
Braxton Berrios $3,700 $4,700
K.J. Osborn $3,700 $5,300
Adam Humphries $3,600 $4.700
Allen Lazard $3,600 $5,300
Deonte Harris $3,500 $5,100
Quez Watkins $3,500 $5,200
Dyami Brown $3,400 $4,900
Gabriel Davis $3,400 $4,800
Chester Rogers $3,300 $5,100
Randall Cobb $3,300 $4,900
Amon-Ra St. Brown $3,200 $4,900
Collin Johnson $3,200 $5,200
Donovan Peoples-Jones $3,200 $5,300
Parris Campbell $3,200 $4,700
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine $3,200 $5,300
Trent Sherfield $3,200 $4,600
Byron Pringle $3,000 $5,100
C.J. Board $3,000 $4,700
Cameron Batson $3,000 $4,900

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – I’m basically forced to spend down at WR if I am going to be forced to spend up at QB and RB. I will find spending room to roster one of Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, or Cooper Kupp. They are the clear top three choices this week. The only pivot I feel solid about is Terry McLaurin. I also like both DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel against each other if you decide to super-stack one game. Allen Robinson has a great matchup, but a serious question mark at QB. If I don’t use Diggs at WR1, I will use one of Emmanuel Sanders or Cole Beasley at WR2. Otherwise, I really like Michael Pittman, Brandon Aiyuk, Jaylen Waddle, Tim Patrick, Robby Anderson, and the other Dolphins here. In most cases, I will have to settle for one of them at WR2, but if I can afford it I’d take two of them. WR3 and punt options include potential injury substitutes like Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Collin Johnson, Chester Rogers, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Cedrick Wilson. I also like bad-offense plays, such as Anthony Miller, Quez Watkins, Braxton Berrios, and Darnell Mooney.

Fantasy Four-pack

Cooper Kupp, Rams vs ARI
($7,800 DK, $8,600 FD)
Kupp leads the league in receiving yards, receiving TDs, and he is second in targets. This is because Matthew Stafford has goo-goo eyes for him. Arizona has allowed multiple quality WR lines in every game so far. They have especially been damaged by possession receivers. Kupp should have zero trouble continuing his hot streak, and he should be the safest play of the week. That said, he will have huge ownership numbers.

Stefon Diggs, Bills vs. HOU
($7,600 DK, $8,000 FD)
Houston’s defense has struggled against every talented WR1 they have faced since early 2019. They’ve even struggled against some non-talented WR1s. The targets and yardage have been almost evenly split between Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, and Cole Beasley, but Diggs is still the alpha dog here. Against this defense, I see Diggs reasserting himself with a 12-125-2 line.

Davante Adams, Packers vs. PIT
($7,900 DK, $8,100 FD)
Pittsburgh’s defense has been a paper tiger this season. Multiple WRs have been successful against them this year, including all three WR1s. Adams has the elite-level skills to succeed against very good defenses. He should have little trouble exploiting this poor facsimile of last year’s Steelers. Adams got an absurd 18 targets last week. If he repeats that performance, he’ll challenge for overall WR1 this week.

DK Metcalf, Seahawks @ SF
($7,200 DK, $7,700 FD)
Metcalf dominated a bad Vikings’ secondary last week. Now he gets to face a team that has struggled against bigger-bodied WRs this season. It feels like just a couple of years ago these two teams featured elite defenses. Now, they are both in a battle of who could care less. This game could quickly devolve into a shootout, making it a sneaky stack game (especially if you want to go cheap at QB with Jimmy Garoppolo).

DFS Sleepers

Michael Pittman, Colts @ MIA
($5,400 DK, $5,800 FD)
Over the last two weeks, Pittman has had the third-most targets and seventh-most receiving yards among WRs. The thing he has failed to do is get into the end zone. I’m confident that will change this week in what could be a sneaky shootout featuring two mediocre defenses. If you want exposure to an underutilized stack, consider Carson Wentz-Pittman-Jaylen Waddle.

Robby Anderson, Panthers @ DAL
($5,100 DK, $5,700 FD)
I know that Anderson has been a complete stiff this season. As a multiple league owner of his, I know all too well how he has underperformed, despite his familiarity with Sam Darnold. This might finally be his week though as Trevon Diggs will likely shadow D.J. Moore. Coach Matt Rhule has already stated that the team has to get Anderson more involved, which will start this week as the team leans more on the passing game without Christian McCaffrey.

DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $8,100 $8,200
George Kittle $5,900 $6,700
T.J. Hockenson $5,800 $6,600
Mark Andrews $5,300 $6,500
Kyle Pitts $5,000 $5,800
Logan Thomas $4,900 $5,800
Dallas Goedert $4,800 $6,000
Tyler Higbee $4,600 $5,900
Robert Tonyan $4,500 $5,500
Noah Fant $4,300 $5,700
Mike Gesicki $4,000 $5,400
Austin Hooper $3,700 $5,200
Dawson Knox $3,600 $5,600
Tyler Conklin $3,500 $5,300
Zach Ertz $3,500 $4,700
Dalton Schultz $3,400 $5,000
Eric Ebron $3,300 $4,400
Gerald Everett $3,200 $4,900
Anthony Firkser $3,100 $4,500
David Njoku $3,100 $4,700
Pat Freiermuth $3,100 $5,000
Cole Kmet $3,000 $4,800
Evan Engram $3,000 $5,100
Maxx Williams $3,000 $4,500
Adam Trautman $2,900 $4,300
Jordan Akins $2,900 $4,200
Jack Doyle $2,700 $4,800
Tommy Tremble $2,500 $4,800

Tight End

Weekly strategy – I cannot afford Travis Kelce this week, but I believe he will have a very solid game as teams continue to attempt to shut down Tyreek Hill. You should always make at least a couple of lineups headlined by Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, despite the matchup. George Kittle is cheaper and has a softer matchup. He still is perhaps a smidgen outside of my budget. I will build my lineups using Logan Thomas, Noah Fant, and Mike Gesicki. I can also see pivoting to Dawson Knox or Tyler Conklin on DK. Dalton Schultz is also in this zone, but I feel he will be over-owned as people chase his two-TD start from last week. If I choose to punt the position, I could use Pat Freiermuth, Maxx Williams, Evan Engram, or Jack Doyle.

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs @ PHI
($8,100 DK, $8,200 FD)
Kelce continues to dominate the position. He has scored and/or topped 100 yards in all but four games since the start of 2020. Philly is very good against WRs, but they just got crumpled by Dalton Schultz last week. Don’t be surprised if Kelce posts another 10-100-2 line. Just know that he will be very hard to fit under the cap, unless you go thrift store shopping at WR.

George Kittle, Seahawks vs. SEA
($5,900 DK, $6,700 FD)
Kittle’s career averages of 4-49-0 against Seattle don’t scream “Start Me”. Plus, he is currently day-to-day with calf soreness. Nevertheless, this is the defense that just made Tyler Conklin look like an All-Pro. For as fragile as Kittle has been during his career, he has also been one of the toughest SOBs when he is on the field. I already have visions of NFTs of Kittle stiff-arming Seattle defenders out of their cleats being purchased by dot-com millionaires Monday morning. At such a discount compared to Travis Kelce, it is hard to not use Kittle here if you can afford him.

Logan Thomas, Football Team @ ATL
($4,900 DK, $5,800 FD)
In case Kittle’s salary is also too high for your tastes, may I offer you a tasty Thomas for $1k less. Thomas’ receptions and yardage have been stunted by all of the passes to the Washington RBs, but he has scored in two of the three games. Meanwhile, Atlanta is tied for the league lead in TE touchdowns allowed. The score is a lock, and I hope he finishes with roughly 6-60 this week. This should make him an interesting stack option with Taylor Heinecke and Terry McLaurin.

Mark Andrews, Ravens @ DEN
($5,300 DK, $6,500 FD)
Marquise Brown’s alligator arms will certainly cause Lamar Jackson to alter his target share elsewhere. The returning Rashod Bateman will eventually be part of that target share, but he will likely be on a snap count this week, if he is active. This leaves no one else but Andrews. Going into this season, Andrews was being written off as falling behind guys like T.J. Hockenson and Kyle Pitts on dynasty radars. Still, he has produced the seventh-most receptions and the fourth-most receiving yards among the position. Denver hasn’t allowed anything to the position this season, but the best TE they have faced is James O’Shaughnessy. This will be their first test.

DFS Sleepers

Dawson Knox, Bills vs. HOU
($3,600 DK, $5,600 FD)
Speaking of James O’Shaughnessy, he is one of several bottom-feeding TEs to do damage against the Texans this year. He has been joined by the elite ranks of Tommy Tremble, Harrison Bryant, and Chris Manhertz. Meanwhile, Knox only has 10 catches this season, but he has a TD in each of the last two games. If he finishes with a score again, 3x on DK is a lock.

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers @ GB
($3,100 DK, $5,000 FD)
I have a hard time saying Freiermuth’s name without adding “will you do the Fandango” afterward. Perhaps he should adopt that as his TD-celebration dance. Freiermuth scored the first of what I believe will be many career TDs last week. His usage should only continue to rise as Eric Ebron has apparently retired without letting anyone know, and since Ben Roethlisberger cannot throw the ball beyond 10 yards. Green Bay has already allowed huge games to George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson, not to mention the two-TD performance by Juwan Johnson opening weekend.

Fantasy Football DFS Domination: Week 1

Breaking down the top plays and best sleeper targets for Week 1 NFL DFS fantasy football contests.

Football is back. Fans are back. Fantasy football is back. As we approach Sunday morning, I feel like the Nicolas Cage Con-Air freedom GIF. Obviously, we are not 100 percent past the threat of COVID, but the reality of live football all across the country broadcast to nearly every nation in the world has to bring a smile to your face.

In Week 1, we get to dive right back into the deep end without a statistical-trend life preserver. So don’t go overboard taking excessive risks. The journey to building a strong bankroll is a long and arduous one. I strongly recommend devoting most of your bankroll to multipliers the first couple of weeks. Still, you are here to chase the ultimate dream.

Like each of us, you want that moment in the sun. You need the thrill of taking down that larger field tournament. Only then will you truly feel the adulation of being a champion. That glowing aura that will be your inevitability. The brass ring is waiting for you … come take it!

DFS: The Primetime Slate

On Sunday night, the Chicago Bears visit Hollywood. This won’t be a Goldilocks’ fairy tale. This will be a redheaded nightmare for Andy Dalton. The best-case scenario for Dalton is that he gets pummeled a few times and isn’t benched at the half. Dalton does have some weapons at his disposal, but the Los Angeles Rams defense is for real. He is the clear QB4 on this slate and shouldn’t be anywhere near your starting lineup. He is facing a ceiling of 240-2, with a considerably lower floor.

Matthew Stafford has a slightly easier matchup, and a stronger supporting cast, but the Bears defense isn’t a pushover. He gets the de facto QB2 nod here, but his ceiling isn’t significantly higher than Dalton’s. That said, everyone will be using Lamar Jackson, so Stafford is also the pivot.

David Montgomery is one of my favorite running backs for this season. The matchup Sunday isn’t elite, but he is the only back guaranteed to see a bell cow’s load. He proved last season that he could be effective both on the ground and through the air. The Bears will be forced to lean on Montgomery to keep Dalton from being decapitated. This suggests a ton of carries and a healthy dose of emergency dump-offs. Between the two, Montgomery should top 125 combined yards and score.

The Rams lost their starting running back, Cam Akers, for the season. This means that Darrell Henderson and the recently acquired Sony Michel will tote the rock for their offense. If we had just one of them, they would be the obvious RB2 on this docket. I believe that eventually Sony Michel will notch out the role of the goal-line back. For this week, I expect to see Henderson as the primary ball-handler, as long as his thumb injury doesn’t get aggravated. He wasn’t on the injury report Wednesday or Thursday, so it is unlikely Henderson misses any time.

Allen Robinson will finish the season as a top-10 WR. It won’t even matter who his QB is, as he has done it with schlock chucking him the ball previously. This week will be an interesting challenge for him, though, as he faces his former Jacksonville Jaguars running mate, Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey has owned Robinson in their prior meetings, so the best you can hope for here is 5-50-1. At his price, I cannot justify playing him. Darnell Mooney or the recently acquired Breshad Perriman are much safer options to roll out. Still, they have the Red Popgun throwing them the ball, so limit your expectations. That said, I’d consider Mooney at my WR3 slot based on price.

Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are easily the top-2 WR choices on this slate. Choosing between Woods and Kupp at WR1 will be your main roster decision this week. I recommend building multiple lineups, each headlined by one of the two. Keep an eye on DeSean Jackson‘s status for this game. He professes to be ready. If he suits up, play him at WR3. Over the last five seasons, Jackson has averaged 5-97 with four touchdowns in Week 1 games.

Cole Kmet may be something at some point this year. This week is not the week to use him. He is the TE4 on the slate, and it is by a monumental distance. Meanwhile, Tyler Higbee has bid adieu to his TE-by-committee partner, Gerald Everett. Higbee’s price is considerably cheaper than that of Las Vegas Raiders TE Darren Waller, and he has more competition for targets than the Baltimore Ravens’ Mark Andrews. That said, I enjoy the idea of using Higbee in double-TE lineups. Especially when you pair him with Stafford as a pivot-stack.

As for defenses, there is only one defense on this slate not to use (Las Vegas). The Rams are the best choice since they get to hogtie Dalton. The Bears defense would be my third choice.

Monday night, Baltimore looks to take down the house in Sin City. Lamar Jackson is the QB1 on this slate by the length of the Vegas Strip. Unfortunately, he will be nearly 100 percent owned and two-thirds of his receiving weapons are hurt. Still, Jackson’s rushing numbers paired with a pittance through the air will easily be the pacesetter among all skill position plays. Derek Carr has more weapons to throw to, but Baltimore has a strong pass defense. He will be my QB3, but he is much less safe than Stafford as a pivot.

Gus Edwards was expected to shoulder the load lost by the injury to J.K. Dobbins. Unfortunately, he sustained a season-ending injury of his own. Popular waiver wire pickup, Ty’Son Williams, and/or free-agent signees Le’Veon Bell, Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman will end up sharing the carries. Against Vegas’ so-so run defense, one of them could be used as a deep punt RB2 or FLEX play. Just watch the Friday practice to see who gets the first team run.

For the Raiders, Josh Jacobs was a solid running back last year. So, the team decided to reward him by signing Kenyan Drake to steal touches. In his own defense, Drake was also a solid running back the last couple of seasons. Now they are splitting touches and degrading each other’s value. Jacobs will likely remain the goal-line option, so he is a safe RB2/FLEX play. Drake will likely be the pass-catching option, which should also make him FLEX-worthy, at best. Keep an eye on Jacobs’ practice status Friday and Saturday as he has been dealing with a toe injury. If Jacobs is a no-go, Drake becomes almost a must-start at RB2.

Marquise Brown gets a great matchup this week, and he should be locked in as your WR2. By sheer lack of competition, I see him approaching 8-75-1. Sammy Watkins is also in play as a WR3. Much like DeSean Jackson, Watkins has made a career out of the first week of each season. One of those two should be your WR3, and I wouldn’t shame you if you played both of them in a lineup. Choosing which Raiders WR to play week-to-week is always a challenge. There is some upside to both Bryan Edwards and Henry Ruggs. I’ll avoid both this week and wait until one of them takes the lead here. If I need to roster a Raiders’ WR, I’ll likely use Hunter Renfrow, since he could see some target volume.

Andrews is always a solid TE option. With the lack of healthy receivers for Baltimore, he may see an uptick in targets this week. This should allow him to lock down the TE2 slot on the board. Much like Higbee, I can see using him in a double-TE lineup paired with Waller. Speaking of Waller, he is the only tight end approaching the rarefied air spectrum of Travis Kelce. Just play him, cause everyone else will be, and you cannot afford to not have his stats in your lineup.

Baltimore’s defense is my No. 2 choice this week behind Los Angeles. As for Vegas defense, you have a better chance of winning throwing your entire bankroll on double-zero on the roulette wheel.

The Main Slate: My recommended DFS lineups

At DK: $6.5K for Ryan Tannehill. $8.6K for Alvin Kamara. $5.9K for Antonio Gibson. $7.8K for DeAndre Hopkins. $5.7K for Brandon Aiyuk. $3.4K for Marquez Callaway. $3.2K for Anthony Firkser. $5.8K for Raheem Mostert at FLEX. $3K for the Minnesota Vikings defense.

At FD: $8.4K for Kyler Murray. $8.6K for Kamara. $7K for Gibson. $8.2K for Hopkins. $8.1K for Calvin Ridley. $5.3K for Michael Pittman. $4.7K for Firkser. $5.9K for James Robinson at FLEX. $3.8K for the Vikings defense.

At Fanball (SuperFlex – includes Sun Night): Tannehill, Sam Darnold at SF, Kamara, Dalvin Cook, Christian McCaffrey at FLEX, Russell Gage, Pittman, Callaway, and Firkser.

DraftKings FanDuel
Patrick Mahomes $8,100 $8,800
Kyler Murray $7,600 $8,400
Josh Allen $7,400 $8,100
Russell Wilson $7,000 $7,800
Aaron Rodgers $6,800 $8,000
Justin Herbert $6,700 $7,600
Ryan Tannehill $6,500 $7,700
Jalen Hurts $6,400 $7,600
Kirk Cousins $6,300 $7,200
Trevor Lawrence $6,200 $6,800
Ben Roethlisberger $6,100 $7,100
Matt Ryan $6,000 $7,300
Baker Mayfield $5,900 $7,100
Joe Burrows $5,700 $7,200
Carson Wentz $5,600 $6,500
Jimmy Garoppolo $5,500 $6,900
Ryan Fitzpatrick $5,500 $6,600
Tua Tagovailoa $5,400 $6,600
Daniel Jones $5,300 $6,700
Tyrod Taylor $5,300 $6,800
Jameis Winston $5,200 $6,700
Taysom Hill $5,200 $6,700
Jared Goff $5,100 $6,500
Sam Darnold $5,000 $6,500
Zach Wilson $5,000 $6,500
Teddy Bridgewater $4,800 $6,600
Mac Jones $4,400 $6,200

Quarterback

Weekly strategy – Playing Patrick Mahomes is never a bad decision. That said, his price against an improving Cleveland defense isn’t great. If I’m going to pay that much this week, I would rather use Kyler Murray or Aaron Rodgers. Better yet, I like saving some money and using Ryan Tannehill. Jimmy Garoppolo and Jameis Winston are interesting options in the low-to-mid price range. However, in that range, I believe that Ryan Fitzpatrick is the best play. I also love the idea of using Sam Darnold in the revenge game.

Fantasy Four-pack

Kyler Murray, Cardinals @ TEN
($7,600 DK, $8,400 FD)
Tennessee faced four “running QBs” last season: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Deshaun Watson (2x). Of those three, Jackson was the only one to do anything required of the title rushing QB. So, I’m not expecting Kyler to go ham on the ground here. Still, with Kliff Kingsbury’s offense being so wide open, Murray can finish as QB1 based just on his passing numbers. Only six teams allowed more passing TDs than Tennessee last season. They will start this season among the worst as well following this shootout. If Murray can also take advantage of his legs, he will walk away with the top point spot this week.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs vs. CLE
($8,100 DK, $8,800 FD)

Mahomes looked mortal in the Super Bowl behind a piecemeal offensive line. No team did more to upgrade their protection unit this offseason than Kansas City. Now, Mahomes can look left and right down the line and see perennial Pro Bowlers instead of perennial turnstiles. Cleveland’s pass defense numbers look improved for last season, but they are aided by games facing: Dwayne Haskins, an aging Philip Rivers, Mike Glennon, Colt McCoy, and Joshua Dobbs. They also got a Sam Darnold Jets game, and a game in which Carson Wentz started and was benched for Jalen Hurts. All that said, the Browns did limit Mahomes to two total TDs in their playoff matchup. This week two TDs are Mahomes’ floor, and I expect him to blow that number out of the water.

Aaron Rodgers, Packers @ NO (in JAC)
($6,800 DK, $8,000 FD

Rodgers led the league in touchdowns thrown last season. This included 12 games with three or more TDs. One of those games was a 283-3 performance against the Saints in Week 3. New Orleans loses the clear “home-field advantage” with the neutral site game, but Green Bay historically travels well anyways in terms of fan presence. Amazingly, during his lengthy tenure in the league, Rodgers has started against New Orleans only five times. In those games, he has averaged 316 passing yards and three total TDs per game. Just hitting that average will give Rodgers 3x value. Then factor in that Rodgers will be playing this season in scorched-earth mode.

Ryan Tannehill, Titans vs. ARI
($6,500 DK, $7,700 FD)
I mentioned above that this game will be a shootout. This equates to a big performance for both offenses. Tannehill will have his new toy, Julio Jones, ready to go for this game. Assuming that A.J. Brown is also good to go, Tannehill should be able to match yards for yards and points for points with Murray through the air. We also spoke earlier about Murray’s legs and his ability to get you bonus points with his rushing. Tannehill sneakily finished tied with Lamar Jackson for fifth among QBs in rushing TDs. This is a quiet bliss for Tannehill owners, since Arizona was actually the worst team in the league last year in yardage allowed on the ground to opposing QBs. Loving Tannehill is even simpler yet, since he is nearly $1k less in price.

DFS Sleepers

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Football Team vs. LAC
($5,500 DK, $6,600 FD)
Why am I choosing a sleeper QB in what I predict will be a low-scoring game? It is because Fitzpatrick finally has some job security, a great supporting cast, and he is facing a Chargers team that gave up a league-worst eight rushing TDs to opposing QBs. Fitzpatrick has never been a big-time rushing QB, but he has scampered for a couple of scores every season. This game will feature a lot of Ryan dumping the ball off to Logan Thomas, J.D. McKissic, and Antonio Gibson. That should allow him to post a reasonable 250-2 floor while possibly punching one in on the ground. Just don’t expect Fitzpatrick to single-handedly win the week for you. If you choose to play him, I recommend stacking him with Thomas. That pairing should let you spend like a drunken businessman on holiday in Thailand at the other positions.

Sam Darnold, Panthers vs. NYJ
($5,000 DK, $6,500 FD)
This is a popular bold sleeper of the week. Darnold facing his former team. Let’s analyze the upgrade from last year: Christian McCaffrey >>>> La’Mical Perine, Robby Anderson >> Breshad Perriman, D.J. Moore > Jamison Crowder, Terrace Marshall >= Denzel Mims, and Dan Arnold >= Chris Herndon. The Jets allowed the fifth-most passing yards and the third-most passing TDs last season and their defense is still in the process of being completely overhauled. Unfortunately, that new-look defense is still lacking mightily in veteran backfield presence. In superflex format DFS, Darnold is a lock for my SF slot. If I had to choose who to stack him with, I’d say  Anderson or Dan Arnold.

DraftKings FanDuel
Christian McCaffrey $9,500 $10,400
Dalvin Cook $9,100 $9,400
Derrick Henry $8,800 $8,900
Alvin Kamara $8,600 $8,600
Jonathan Taylor $8,000 $7,900
Saquan Barkley $7,800 $8,500
Nick Chubb $7,200 $7,700
Austin Ekeler $7,000 $6,900
D’Andre Swift $6,900 $6,400
Aaron Jones $6,800 $7,400
Clyde Edwards-Helaire $6,600 $6,800
Miles Sanders $6,500 $6,600
James Robinson $6,400 $5,900
Najee Harris $6,300 $6,500
Joe Mixon $6,200 $7,200
Myles Gaskin $6,000 $6,000
Antonio Gibson $5,900 $7,000
Chris Carson $5,900 $6,700
Raheem Mostert $5,800 $6,100
David Johnson $5,700 $5,700
Kareem Hunt $5,500 $6,000
Mike Davis $5,400 $6,200
Melvin Gordon $5,300 $5,600
Damien Harris $5,200 $5,800
J.D. McKissic $5,100 $5,100
Nyheim Hines $5,000 $5,400
Tevin Coleman $4,900 $5,400
Devin Singletary $4,700 $5,300
Phillip Lindsay $4,700 $5,200
Chase Edmonds $4,600 $5,900
Zack Moss $4,600 $5,400
Jamaal Williams $4,500 $4,900
James Conner $4,500 $5,500
Trey Sermon $4,500 $5,200
James White $4,400 $4,800
Mark Ingram $4,400 $4,700
AJ Dillon $4,000 $5,000
Javonte Williams $4,000 $5,600
Michael Carter $4,000 $5,300
Wayne Gallman $4,000 $5,000

Running Back

Weekly strategy – Considering their matchups, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, and Alvin Kamara are all great RB1 options. Unfortunately, they are all very pricey. That means that if you use one of them, you will have to go cheaper at RB2. Or, if you want to use two of them, then you will need to be chintzy at WR. James Robinson and Antonio Gibson are my favorite two options for RB2. I also like Raheem Mostert and Damien Harris. If you wish to punt RB2, consider using Javonte Williams. Just know that he will have an extreme ownership percentage and no guarantee of featured back usage.

Fantasy Four-pack

Alvin Kamara, Saints vs GB
($8600 DK, $8600 FD)
Green Bay was rotten against the run early in the season, but they did get better as the season progressed. The one thing they failed to improve in was covering pass-catching backs. Only one team allowed more RB receiving yards, and only three teams allowed more RB receptions than Green Bay. That defense will be pushed further in this game since Kamara will technically qualify at RB while performing the role of WR1 for New Orleans. Add on the release of Latavius Murray and you’ll see why Kamara will lead all RBs in DFS points this week.

Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. NYJ
($9,500 DK, $10,400 FD) 
Of course, FD refuses to give us a discount on the returning McCaffrey. I love this matchup, but seriously … 10k … already. Come on, man! As mentioned above, the Jets are installing a new defense. It should help improve their run coverage, but they get a test right out of the box. Achieving 3x at this price will be tough, but he still should post mid-20s in points and that will be enough to lock up a top-4 spot.

Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ CIN
($9,100 DK, $9,400 FD)

The Vikings have lost their top two TEs from last season. Their No. 3 tight end from last year missed all of the preseason with various maladies. His backup just arrived at the training facility earlier this week. Plus, both Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen have seen limited run this preseason due to injuries of their own. What I am getting at is that Cook will likely have to assume even more of the passing-game work than he has in previous seasons. Cincinnati has added some new pieces to their defensive front this offseason, but several of those new pieces are questionable with injuries right now.

Derrick Henry, Titans vs. ARI
($8,800 DK, $8,900 FD)
Henry is much maligned due to his lack of a pass-catching role in the Tennessee offense. That limited role will diminish even further this season with the presence of Julio Jones. Still, Henry’s ability to bust off a 90-yard TD run at any time makes him a safe floor play all season. Besides, who needs PPR points when Henry’s last seven games produced 1,081 rushing yards. That seven-game stretch would’ve finished as the fifth-highest rushing total for the entire season. Arizona and Tennessee are set for a high-scoring contest, so you must assume that Henry will get in the end zone at least once. That is if Tannehill doesn’t vulture him.

DFS Sleepers

Raheem Mostert, 49ers @ DET
($5,800 DK, $6,100 FD)
Everyone and their sister will be rostering Trey Sermon in this game against the league’s worst defensive team against the run from last season. I have zero reasons to think that Sermon won’t have a productive game. That said, this is Week 1 and Kyle Shanahan is not just going to hand over the reins of the backfield to a rookie. It is the same reason that we will not have Trey Lance at QB this week. Sermon may be the next great thing, but Mostert hasn’t shown any signs of degrading from his previous breakout. Consider both of them this week. Just know that Sermon will have a higher ownership percentage.

Antonio Gibson, Football Team vs. LAC
($5,900 DK, $7,000 FD)
I may end up with too much exposure to this game. Still, at $5.9k on DK this feels like a dramatic pricing error. It is much the same situation we are facing with the $5.9k price tag that James Robinson has on FD. I’ll likely have more exposure to Robinson, since I believe that game will have more combined points, but I’d be amiss to feign disinterest in Gibson. If I do use Gibson, it will be in a lineup without Ryan Fitzpatrick or Logan Thomas.

DraftKings FanDuel
Davante Adams $8,300 $8,600
Tyreek Hill $8,200 $8,500
Calvin Ridley $7,900 $8,100
DeAndre Hopkins $7,800 $8,200
Justin Jefferson $7,700 $8,000
Stefon Diggs $7,600 $7,900
DK Metcalf $7,500 $7,700
A.J. Brown $7,100 $7,800
Adam Thielen $7,000 $7,300
Keenan Allen $6,900 $7,400
Julio Jones $6,800 $7,000
Tyler Lockett $6,700 $6,800
Terry McLaurin $6,400 $6,900
Diontae Johnson $6,300 $6,600
JuJu Smith-Schuster $6,200 $6,400
DJ Moore $6,100 $6,700
Jarvis Landry $6,000 $6,400
Deebo Samuel $5,900 $6,300
DJ Chark $5,800 $6,100
Brandon Aiyuk $5,700 $6,500
Robby Anderson $5,700 $6,200
Chase Claypool $5,600 $6,000
Kenny Golladay $5,600 $6,200
DeVante Parker $5,500 $6,100
Mike Williams $5,500 $5,700
Odell Beckham $5,400 $6,500
Brandin Cooks $5,300 $6,300
Russell Gage $5,300 $5,700
Courtland Sutton $5,200 $5,800
Tyler Boyd $5,200 $5,900
Jakobi Meyers $5,100 $5,400
Sterling Shepard $5,100 $5,500
Laviska Shenault $5,000 $5,600
Corey Davis $4,900 $5,800
Curtis Samuel $4,900 $5,500
Tre’Quan Smith $4,900 $5,500
Ja’Marr Chase $4,800 $5,500
Jerry Jeudy $4,800 $5,500
Mecole Hardman $4,800 $5,400
Tee Higgins $4,700 $6,000
Jamison Crowder $4,600 $5,900
Christian Kirk $4,500 $5,200
DeVonta Smith $4,500 $5,300
Nelson Agholor $4,500 $5,600
Cole Beasley $4,400 $5,500
Tyrell Williams $4,400 $5,400
Demarcus Robinson $4,300 $4,900
Emmanuel Sanders $4,100 $5,300
Michael Pittman $4,100 $5,300
Allen Lazard $4,000 $5,600
Randall Cobb $3,900 $5,400
A.J. Green $3,800 $5,400
Darius Slayton $3,800 $5,000
Jalen Reagor $3,700 $5,400
Marquez Valdes-Scantling $3,700 $5,200
Parris Campbell $3,700 $5,000
Zach Pascal $3,700 $4,900
Jaylen Waddle $3,600 $5,200
Marvin Jones $3,600 $5,800
Nico Collins $3,600 $4,900
Denzel Mims $3,500 $4,900
James Washington $3,500 $4,900
Gabriel Davis $3,400 $4,900
Marquez Callaway $3,400 $5,200
Olamide Zaccheaus $3,400 $5.000
Anthony Miller $3,300 $5,200
Byron Pringle $3,300 $4,700
Deonte Harris $3,200 $5,300
Quintez Cephus $3,200 $4,700
Amon-Ra St. Brown $3,000 $5,000
Donovan Peoples-Jones $3,000 $4,700
Dyami Brown $3,000 $4,700
Elijah Moore $3,000 $5,000
Rondale Moore $3,000 $4,900
Terrace Marshall $3,000 $4,900

Wide Receiver

Weekly strategy – Calvin Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins are the top two options this week. A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin are my pivot WR1s. When planning WR2, I am looking at a Brandon Aiyuk, Robby Anderson, or D.J. Moore. At WR3, I like Russell Gage (if I don’t use Ridley) and the Bengals. DeVonta Smith could be a sneaky WR3 option if you want to take a flier on a rookie. I expect to have a fair amount of exposure to Michael Pittman or Zach Pascal. Both could also be used at WR3 or FLEX. If I choose to punt the WR3 position, I will take a chance on Marquez Callaway, Quintez Cephus, or Rondale Moore.

Fantasy Four-pack

Calvin Ridley, Falcons vs PHI
($7,900 DK, $8,100 FD)
Despite missing one full game and having one game that he was shut out in, Ridley finished fourth in receiving yards. This also came despite splitting looks with Julio Jones. Julio is gone and many expect Kyle Pitts and Russell Gage to inherit most of his departed targets, but Ridley will inherit a fair share, too. Philadelphia finished last season middle of the pack against the pass. That said, they were absolutely humiliated by most of the true WR1s that they faced. I’d be surprised if Ridley didn’t post 10-125-1 this week. If Jalen Hurts can keep this competitive against a bad Atlanta secondary, Ridley may even post higher numbers in response. I just don’t have that much faith in Hurts.

DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals @ TEN
($7,800 DK, $8,200 FD)
My QB1 is Kyler Murray so it makes sense that my WR1 should be his hookup. Hopkins had more targets last year than the next two Cardinals combined. Arizona has changed up their WR depth chart with the additions of A.J. Green and Rondale Moore, but both of them will eat into Christian Kirk’s target share, not Hopkins’. Tennessee typically allowed one huge WR performance each week (except against Cleveland). DeAndre will get the targets, so he will get the huge stat line as well. I particularly like reverse stacking him where I have Tannehill starting.

Davante Adams, Packers @ NO
($8,300 DK, $8,600 FD)
Yes, I am slightly concerned about Saints CB Marshon Lattimore. Still, this is Davante Adams. He is matchup-proof. Much like Ridley, Adams finished fifth in receiving yards despite missing two full games. He also finished second in total TDs to only Kamara. This could easily be another 10-120-2 game for Adams, but his floor is 7-75-1.

Tyreek Hill, Chiefs vs. CLE
($8,200 DK, $8,500 FD)
The Cleveland Browns held Tyreek Hill out of the end zone in their playoff matchup last year. Hill still caught eight of 10 passes for 110 yards, so it wasn’t a complete loss. Both Tyreek and Travis Kelce posted solid lines in that game, so starting a stack of Kelce-Mahomes-Hill may be worthwhile. Still, it would be detrimental to your overall roster construct. I’d feel better about just doing the Mahomes-Kelce stack.

DFS Sleepers

Russell Gage, Falcons vs. PHI
($5,300 DK, $5,700 FD)
Atlanta will be throwing the ball a lot, so any member of their offense deserves consideration. If you choose to not use Ridley at WR1, then you should definitely use Gage at WR3 and/or Kyle Pitts at TE. If you use Ridley pivot to one of the Jaguars or one of the Bengals at that WR3 slot. All you need to remember is that from Week 11 on last year, Calvin Ridley had the second-most targets among all WRs … Russell Gage had the 10th most. That was more than studs like Keenan Allen, Allen Robinson, DK Metcalf, A.J. Brown, D.J. Moore, and Terry McLaurin.

Michael Pittman, Colts vs. SEA
($4,100 DK, $5,300 FD)
With T.Y. Hilton on the shelf, Pittman gets anointed as the Colts’ WR1 and, most importantly, their primary possession receiver. Seattle allowed the third-most receiving yards to the position last year. They also allowed 15 percent more receptions than the next closest team. Zach Pascal and Parris Campbell both make decent WR3/FLEX plays here as well, but Pittman seems destined to be the primary beneficiary of this cake matchup.

DraftKings FanDuel
Travis Kelce $8,300 $8,500
George Kittle $6,300 $7,000
T.J. Hockenson $4,900 $5,700
Dallas Goedert $4,800 $5,900
Hunter Henry $4,700 $5,300
Logan Thomas $4,600 $5,600
Mike Gesicki $4,500 $5,500
Kyle Pitts $4,400 $6,000
Noah Fant $4,300 $5,400
Robert Tonyan $4,200 $5,400
Evan Engram $4,100 $5,100
Jonnu Smith $4,100 $4,900
Austin Hooper $4,000 $5,100
Eric Ebron $3,900 $5,200
Jared Cook $3,800 $5,200
Zach Ertz $3,800 $5,000
Hayden Hurst $3,700 $4,900
David Njoku $3,500 $4,600
Dawson Knox $3,400 $5,000
Gerald Everett $3,400 $4,800
Chris Herndon $3,300 $4,400
Anthony Firkser $3,200 $4,700
Jack Doyle $3,200 $4,800
Donald Parham $3,100 $4,300
C.J. Uzomah $3,000 $4,800
Jordan Akins $3,000 $4,800
Adam Trautman $2,900 $4,600
Mo Alie-Cox $2,900 $4,700
Tyler Conklin $2,900 $4,400
Kyle Rudolph $2,800 $4,500
Dan Arnold $2,600 $4,500
Albert Okwuegbunam $2,500 $4,200

Tight End

Weekly strategy – Paying up for Travis Kelce is never a mistake. George Kittle is $2k cheaper on DK and has a good matchup, too. After that pair, I would consider pivoting to Logan Thomas or Kyle Pitts. Gerald Everett and Jared Cook are possible plays for a discount. That said, if I am going cheap, I will use Anthony Firkser or Dan Arnold.

Fantasy Four-pack

Travis Kelce, Chiefs vs. CLE
($8,300 DK, $8,500 FD)
Kelce has reached the financial equivalency at the TE position of Christian McCaffrey at RB. He is even the same price as Davante Adams, so if you wish to use Kelce, know that you likely won’t be able to spend big at WR1. The matchup is very good, but I’m not sure that I want to spend this much when I can get solid production from Kittle for $2k less on DK and $1.5k less on FD. There is definitely a spot to triple-stack Patrick Mahomes, Kelce, and Tyreek Hill. To use that group, go with two cheap RBs like Myles Gaskin, Javonte Williams, Damien Harris, or Raheem Mostert.

George Kittle, 49ers @ DET
($6,300 DK, $7,000 FD)
I’d be concerned about the split in targets between Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Kittle … if they were facing anyone else. Detroit is rotten against every position. There is a decent likelihood that they all top 7-70-1. That is if the Niners don’t just run for 300 yards against the Lions. That possibility is even more concerning to me. I’m not going to use him on FD, but at $6.3k on DK, I like the price.

Logan Thomas, Football Team vs. LAC
($4,600 DK, $5,600 FD)
Thomas finished 2020 as the third-most targeted TE. It is a shame that he did not get the draft rub that other TEs got this offseason. Everyone expects T.J. Hockenson and Kyle Pitts to challenge for the TE3, TE4, and TE5 slots this season behind Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. I think the dark horse should be Lo-T. The Chargers were actually pretty solid against opposing WRs last year, but they struggled against TEs allowing a fourth-worst 10 TDs. If the Chargers effectively limit Terry McLaurin, expect a huge game from Thomas as well as the RBs.

Kyle Pitts, Falcons vs. PHI
($4,400 DK, $6,000 FD)
So obviously I am not going to roster all three of Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, and Pitts. I’m especially not paying $6k for Pitts in his game one on FD. That said, the $4.4k on DK isn’t awful if you don’t use either of the Falcons’ WRs. Mark Andrews was the only top-10 TE to not score a TD against Philly last year. Regardless of what you think about Pitts’ future potential, everyone believes he will be a top-10 TE this season.

DFS Sleepers

Gerald Everett, Seahawks @ IND
($3,400 DK, $4,800 FD)
Many people (myself included) are excited to see how Tyler Higbee performs now that he is free from Everett. I’m also excited to see how Everett performs without Higbee. In general, I am down on the Seahawks’ passing offense this season (despite the presence of two solid WRs) as I expect they will run the ball more than in prior seasons. The Colts’ numbers from 2020 against TEs are very good, but they also faced a lot of nobodies. The quality TEs they faced all (with the exception of Andrews again) did well against them. Russell Wilson has looked at his TEs in the red zone before. If Everett hauls in a touchdown at this price, he has already hit 3x.

Anthony Firkser, Titans vs. ARI
($3,200 DK, $4,700 FD)
First, everybody wanted him. Then nobody wanted him. Firkser was one of the most polarizing players this offseason for fantasy analysts. Much like Everett, at this price a single TD gives him 3x with everything else as gravy. The Cardinals were light years better against TEs last season than in previous seasons. Still, they are only one year removed from a decade of futility against the position. The statistical split between Firkser and Jonnu Smith last year wasn’t much with the exception of the TD category. Jonnu finished with just 61 more yards, two more catches, and 12 more targets. Together they posted a line of 80-835-9. That would have finished third in all three categories. If Firkser adds even a smidgen of Smith’s eight TDs to his line, he is in for a big season.