Tag: Tyler Higbee

10 sleepers in fantasy football for Week 7

Need an extra boost this week? Check out 10 sleepers to play in fantasy football for Week 7.

Finding sleepers in fantasy football is essentially the name of the game. Getting value added to your lineup every week in addition to your studs is the goal of every fantasy football manager.

Actually putting that into practice is a much more difficult endeavor. We all take our shots but rarely do we truly come away with a game-changer. But that doesn’t mean we don’t continue to take our shots.

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. – Wayne Gretzky” – Michael Scott.

Sleepers are even more important now with the bye-pocalypse arriving in Week 7. We’ve taken a look at the top streaming options for the week. Now, it’s time to take a look at the sleepers.

In order to qualify as a sleeper, we will be using the expert consensus rankings (ECR) from FantasyPros. Only players ranked outside of the top-12 for quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers along with those outside the top-six tight ends (adjusted for the barren landscape) are considered.

So let’s get to it. Here are 10 sleepers in fantasy football for Week 7:

Tyler Higbee was mic’d up for Rams’ win over Colts: ‘I’m the feds today, boys’

Tyler Higbee was the Rams’ ultimate hype man on Sunday. Get a behind-the-scenes look in this mic’d-up video of the TE.

Tyler Higbee flies under the radar a bit in the Rams offense because of the other playmakers Los Angeles has on that side of the ball. But he’s an important player as the unquestioned No. 1 tight end, playing every snap in the first two weeks.

He’s also a passionate player who gets his teammates fired up on the sideline and on the field, proving to be the Rams’ ultimate hype man. Higbee was mic’d up for the Rams’ win over the Colts and it gave fans a glimpse of his personality on game day.

He even joked, “I’m the feds today, boys,” when letting Robert Woods know that he was wearing a mic. And before just about every snap, he announced to the huddle what the down-and-distance was.

Higbee may not be the No. 1 option on offense, but as the starting tight end, he’s a valuable player in the passing game and as a blocker. The Rams are fortunate to have him.

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Rams restructure Tyler Higbee’s contract, create $1.65M in cap space

The Rams have freed up some spending money by restructuring Tyler Higbee’s contract.

Leading up to the season opener, the Los Angeles Rams have done some housekeeping with the salary cap. After restructuring Johnny Hekker’s contract last week, the Rams also reworked Tyler Higbee’s deal on Thursday.

The big difference is this change to Higbee’s contract isn’t a pay cut like Hekker’s was. Hekker lowered his base salary and can void the final year of his deal in 2023, allowing him to become a free agent.

With Higbee, the Rams simply converted $2.475 million of Higbee’s base salary into a signing bonus, which will be paid out sooner rather than being prorated over the course of the season. That frees up $1.65 million in cap space, according to ESPN.

Before making this change, the Rams had only $44,422 in salary cap space, according to Over The Cap. So even if there was a player they wanted to sign, they couldn’t have made it work without tweaking a contract like they did with Higbee’s.

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Kevin O’Connell shares how Rams view Johnny Mundt as ‘a vertical threat’ on offense

Kevin O’Connell discusses how the Rams plan on deploying Johnny Mundt for the 2021 season.

Tyler Higbee figures to be the No. 1 tight end for the Los Angeles Rams this season, but he won’t be the only tight end utilized in the offense. With the departure of Gerald Everett this offseason, Johnny Mundt is in line to receive more playing time in his fifth season with the organization. Kevin O’Connell, the offensive coordinator of the Rams, believes Mundt could be a “vertical threat” in the new-look offense that has Matthew Stafford under center.

That, despite Mundt being seen as more of a blocking tight end due to his lack of production as a receiver.

“I think he’s seen like that because he’s really excelled at that skillset, but Matthew and I were talking about him today, actually, just how much of a vertical threat he can be,” O’Connell said. “We all saw last year against Chicago, really in a week where we needed him, his playmaking ability with the ball in his hands, yards after catch, different ways we can activate him in our offense. And then, oh, by the way, he’s one of the best, in my opinion, on the edge blocking at the Y position, F position, however you activate those guys.”

The game O’Connell is speaking about came in Week 7 of the 2020 season. Higbee was sidelined with an injury, which led to Mundt seeing an increased role in the offense. Mundt would finish the game with three receptions for 48 yards, including a 34-yard reception that he caught over the middle of the field from Jared Goff in the second quarter.

By simply looking at his career numbers, Mundt hasn’t been very productive with only nine receptions for 84 yards in his first four seasons. Despite his unimpressive stats, the Rams seemingly view Mundt as an important piece of their offense. Aside from O’Connell’s confidence in Mundt being able to create plays down the field, he believes Mundt’s ability to contribute as a run-blocker makes him valuable moving forward.

Some people may be anxious to see rookie Jacob Harris become a cog in the offense this season. But with O’Connell heaping praise on Mundt, we should expect to see more of No. 82 on the field at the tight end position. While Higbee is expected to post the best numbers at the tight end position, there’s a chance Mundt has a career year with the Rams in 2021.

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Fantasy football draft prep: When to take a tight end

Tight end can be a tricky position to navigate for novice drafters.

Note: Our “draft prep” series is generally intended to an audience with limited fantasy football experience.

In recent years, tight end has been among the deepest of positions on paper, but we’ve seen serious volatility. This season, there is a top-heavy lean that is followed by a crop of midrange safety choices and then the usual “could-be” gambles.

How gamers choose to construct a team in the first few rounds tends to steer how the position is addressed on draft day.

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The first half of drafts

Kansas City’s Travis Kelce is the undisputed No. 1 option atop the position, followed by Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller. The former’s average draft position is 1:09 in PPR, whereas gamers typically have opted for Waller at Pick 2:10.

The position always will be a staple in Andy Reid’s system, and Kelce is the team’s best weapon in the red zone. Las Vegas’ lack of weaponry at wide receiver, coupled with Waller’s athleticism, makes him their de facto WR1.

There’s a third guy who isn’t drafted quite as early as these two beasts, but he should be in the conversation for brave gamers. San Francisco’s George Kittle — when healthy — has the chops to thoroughly dominate just like Kelce and Waller. There’s just so much more risk than what is found in the latter two … rotating quarterback potential, injuries, a more pronounced role as a blocker, greater emphasis on the ground game, etc.

Choosing Kelce in the first is expecting he finishes somewhere between a career-best 2020 showing of 312.6 PPR points and his second-highest mark (2019) of 296.6 points to secure what would be the No. 4 placement for both running back and receiver based on last year’s results. His selection requires the comfort with your decision to bypass RB and WR. Screwing up a pick that early can drastically hinder one’s odds of securing a championship, and this sentiment applies to all positions. That said, the only way he doesn’t return something awfully close to being a top-12 overall player (non-QB) is by missing several games with an injury.

Waller is in a similar boat. The investment is steep, yet gamers should feel comfortable with him that early. He set the tone in 2019 and exceeded his lofty figures last year. As mentioned, by necessity alone, he’s no different than a low-tier No. 1 receiver and well worth the cost of admission.

After “The Big 3” of tight ends leave the board, gamers are looking at the decision of either waiting for a late-round value, drafting the risky potential of a historic rookie, or investing in at mid-tier choice with little upside for true explosiveness from week to week.

Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts is arguably the most controversial player of the position in ’21. He was chosen No. 4 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and enters one of the friendliest systems (and situations) for tight ends. No one at the position was selected earlier than Pitts. The Florida product is much like Waller in that he is far closer to a wide receiver than a traditional tight end and won’t be asked to do too much blocking. All of the positives overshadow the reality that rookie TEs rarely produce anything worthy of TE1 status, let alone top-five results.

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Tight ends Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson figure to be your classic “Steady Eddie” types in fantasy, coming at an average cost of a Round 5 selection. Both team’s have suspect receiving corps, but each player is asked to block in a traditional “Y” role more than we can expect from Pitts. These guys will butter their bread with PPR volume. Andrews scored 10 times in 2019, so he has double-digit TD capability on his resume. And it’s unfair to say we’ve seen Hockenson’s ceiling just yet.

Round 6 doesn’t usually see a tight end come off the board, which brings us into the seventh with a trio of intriguing risk-reward choices.

Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert has the skills to live up to his placement as TE7, even if Zach Ertz is retained into the regular season. Philadelphia has a work-in-progress receiving corps, and the system will employ both tight ends by necessity. Should Ertz get sent packing, Goedert,  regardless of durability concerns, is a top-five fantasy asset among his positional peers.

Next is the Washington Football Team’s Logan Thomas, a surprise fantasy darling of a year ago. He is a converted quarterback. While he certainly could approach is 2020 line of 72-670-6, Thomas is far from a lock to repeat and/or exceed those figures. WR Curtis Samuel will gobble up a bunch of short and intermediate looks, and the upgrade at quarterback to Ryan Fitzpatrick actually will promote more downfield passing, which may work against Thomas (9.3 YPR last year).

Closing out Round 7, Denver’s Noah Fant has all the promise in the world but will be inconsistent if his quarterback play doesn’t drastically improve. Additionally, WR Courtland Sutton (knee) returns, and second-year wideout Jerry Jeudy has a reasonable chance to ascend his game to a degree that steals significant targets. Talent alone, the ultra-athletic Fant could be the TE1 and not just a TE1. He’ll need a few breaks to go his way before he consistently delivers the goods on a weekly basis.

Round 8 and beyond

The most commonly drafted names in Round 8 are Hunter Henry (New England) and Robert Tonyan (Green Bay).

The former Charger is an injury waiting to happen and now has to learn a complex system with serious question marks at quarterback. Plus, he’s not the only new pass-catching tight end in town. There will be quality games from Henry, but he’s not a weekly starter and will require a backup plan for the weeks he’s a lineup anchor.

Tonyan exploded last year by way of 11 touchdowns, which tied with Kelce for the most among TEs, and he did it with 53 fewer receptions, or one more catch than the Packer even recorded in 2020. Rarely does a tight end continue with such a high efficiency rating year after year, and the limited volume isn’t likely to improve with the return of Randall Cobb to steal underneath looks. Few players are poised to experience such a downswing from 2020 results.

The draft then brings a handful of more or less the same middling players with inconsistent results from week to week. While some have upside to outperform their draft stock, all of them come with significant risk factors to weigh.

  • Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (10th-round ADP): New QB may not equal chemistry, despite more chances. Has the highest ceiling of this group.
  • Evan Engram, New York Giants (11th): Finally stayed healthy for a full season last year but couldn’t find the end zone to save his life. NY added weapons around him to interfere with volume. Should score more but catch fewer balls.
  • Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11th): Sluggish return last season after a one-year layoff and was dependent on TDs once he found his groove. So many mouths to feed in this offense will create inconsistency.
  • Irv Smith Jr, Minnesota Vikings (12th): Finally gets a chance to showcase his skills as the TE1 but has struggled to stay healthy thus far. Talented and may finish as a top-10 TE with a few lucky bounces.
  • Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins (12th): Ascending efficiency to date but now has more talent around him to contend with for touches.

Rounding out the remaining five tight ends most commonly drafted:

  • Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints (13th): Mega potential if the quarterback situation doesn’t hold him back … should see more than enough targets to matter while Michael Thomas is out until around midseason. Value in red zone.
  • Jonnu Smith, New England Patriots (13th): Could be a sly TD monster, but like several others, QB situation warrants concern. May struggle with consistently delivering necessary volume.
  • Jared Cook, Los Angeles Chargers (14th): Awesome value this late for a proven veteran who has dialed up his scoring frequency in his twilight years. Reunited in LA with OC from Saints days.
  • Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks (14th): Knows the new system in Seattle and could shine if an injury takes out one of the top two receivers. Otherwise, erratic returns and more of a best-ball backup than weekly consideration.
  • Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles (14th): Kind of a wild card right now … seems like he still may get traded, despite it not happening yet. If he sticks around, gamers could be frustrated with the timeshare between he and Goedert.

Fantasy football takeaway

Understand how construction models around running backs and receivers play the largest role in determining when drafting a tight end is best for a roster. Teams with impressive core strength at the two positions have the ability to take fliers on tight ends. Players in smaller leagues shouldn’t feel compelled to take a second tight end after choosing a stud. Some owners will draft an early TE when they feel the value of a fringe RB1 just isn’t there.

Speaking of a stud, it’s tough to argue with drafting Kelce or Waller. There’s so much depth at receiver this year that going RB in Round 1 and then Waller in the second offers a smarter balance, but Kelce is just so consistently awesome that he might as well be a top-five WR or running back in PPR formats.

Doubling on the position in the second half of drafts is perfectly fine, and if your team is strong enough in other areas, there’s nothing wrong with taking a pair of risk-reward types rather than blending in a safer target.

The position is volatile. Recognize your willingness — or lack thereof — to accept the challenge of weekly rotation at the position vs. being more in the mode of “set and forget” with a top-six tight end.

Getting to know the new-look LA Rams offense

Assessing how the offseason changes affect fantasy football plans.

While Aaron Rodgers dominated offseason headlines, the NFC North quarterback to actually switched teams was Matthew Stafford, who was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for Jared Goff and some picks. The move was meant to reinvigorate an LA passing attack that had stumbled under Goff’s regression, whilst freeing Stafford to make a run at playing January football.

Unfortunately, the new-look Rams suffered a setback before camp even began when running back Cam Akers (Achilles) suffered a torn Achilles that’s expected to cost him all of 2021. With several major changes in LA, it’s a good time to sort through what they mean to fantasy owners.

QB Matthew Stafford

Given his sub-.500 record and solitary Pro Bowl nod, Stafford may not appear to have elite credentials. Don’t be fooled. Stafford has averaged 4,231 yards, 26 TDs and 12 INTs per season over the last 10 years. During that stretch, he also shed the “Matty Ice Pack” moniker he was given early on by starting 16 games nine times.

Stafford played with some great wideouts in Motown, including Calvin Johnson and Kenny Golladay, but the depth of receiver talent in LA should be the best group he’s played with. The veteran is also well versed in a pass-heavy approach given Detroit’s long-standing struggles in the running game. As such, while the loss of Akers could affect LA’s balance, Stafford has dealt with those shortcomings before.

Like Goff, Stafford is no threat to run, but he’s far nimbler and has shown a penchant for making off-schedule plays in the mold of Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes. He should also be highly motivated by the hope of a deep playoff run following a decade-plus in Detroit. Stafford holds borderline top-10 value.

RB Darrell Henderson

After seeing steady touches early last year, Henderson played sparingly following the Week 9 bye as Akers became the starter. With Akers injured, Henderson will be counted on as LA’s top back; this was confirmed by head coach Sean McVay, who announced that the Memphis product won’t play in any preseason games in an effort to keep him healthy. That has proven difficult as the third-year back dealt with high-ankle sprains each of his first two seasons, despite modest usage and now reports of an unspecified injury during the offseason.

Henderson was productive in college and has flashed talent in limited chances with the Rams. Now he needs to show he can answer the bell on a weekly basis. With teams gearing up to stop the pass, Henderson is worth rolling the dice on as a low-end RB2 or strong RB3/flex play.

Remaining running backs

Unless the Rams add a veteran in August, their RB2 will be an unproven commodity as none of their other backs have logged an NFL carry. Xavier Jones and Raymond Calais are both holdovers; the latter appeared in four games on special teams.

Funk was drafted in the seventh round out of Maryland after averaging 8.6 YPC in 2020. He’s torn his ACL twice, though, and it’s hard to envision anyone in the current group as a viable lead back if Henderson goes down.

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WR Cooper Kupp

While Kupp (92-974-3) isn’t a true No. 1 receiver, he and Robert Woods form one of the NFL’s better duos. Which one functions as Stafford’s favorite may alternate from week to week, but we’ll classify Kupp as the steadier choice. Kupp works in the short and intermediate game, averaging 10.6 YPC last year, and his lack of TDs (13 in 186 catches over the past two seasons) serves to limit his ceiling. To his credit, Kupp caught 10 touchdowns on 94 receptions in 2019, following it up with only three over 92 grabs a year ago. More options in the passing game could cancel any gains made by Stafford’s arrival, leaving Kupp on the fringes of the top-20 fantasy wideouts.

WR Robert Woods

Despite being under contract through 2025, Woods could face an uncertain future following consecutive Day 2 receiver selections. The 29-year-old has been a picture of consistency over the last three years, averaging an 87-1,096-5 line while appearing in 47 of 48 games. At 6-foot, 195 pounds, Woods has never been a force around the goal line, though, and it makes him more of a strong No. 2 after finishing no worse than WR21 in non-PPR scoring over those three seasons.

WR Van Jefferson

With Josh Reynolds gone, the Rams need a new No. 3 receiver for 2021. Jefferson (19-220-1) has already established a reputation as a route runner and also earned praise from McVay, who called him a “major bright spot” this offseason. He’s no lock to secure the job, but he seems to have the inside track given his familiarity in the offense. Still, the Rams are looking for an influx of speed offensively, and that’s not his game. If that creates a timeshare for snaps, it’d rob Jefferson of any serious upside.

WR DeSean Jackson

Even at his apex, D-Jax was feast or famine from one week to the next … and that was seven years ago. Injuries ruined Jackson’s second tour of duty with Philly as he played in just eight games combined over the past two seasons. If he can stay healthy, he could give Stafford, an underrated deep-ball thrower, a downfield threat, but that’s a big ask entering Jackson’s age-35 season. Stay away.

WR Tutu Atwell

Normally a second-round receiver on an offense with LA’s potential would draw major fantasy interest, but Atwell appears buried on the depth chart. Although he offers the breakaway speed the Rams were searching for this offseason, Atwell is unlikely to see more than spot duty as a designated deep threat. He’s exclusively a dynasty target.

TE Tyler Higbee

Higbee put himself on fantasy radars in 2019 when he combined for 43 receptions, 522 yards and 2 TDs in five December games. Amazingly, that nearly matched his output for all of last season when he posted a 44-521-5 line. Doubtless fantasy owners will be wary after being burned, but with Gerald Everett (41-417-1) gone, this could be a big year for Higbee — both Eric Ebron and T.J. Hockenson had good years with Stafford under center. If you’re looking for a late-round lottery ticket, Higbee could pay off.

Tyler Higbee ready to step up for the Rams

Tyler Higbee enters the best situation of his career.

Tyler Higbee is certainly no newcomer entering his  sixth season with the Los Angeles Rams, but there are reasons why it should be his best. His first three seasons were mediocre with never more than 25 catches, but then he turned into Cinderella for 2019. Through Week 12, Higbee had just another ho-hum season with a catch or two in each game. Then, he suddenly blew up in epic proportions for the next month and ended with a career-best 69 catches for 734 yards and three touchdowns.

Tyler Higbee, 2019 season

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That helped win a few fantasy championships to waiver wire hounds who caught him early and rode him on in. Last season calmed down, with only 44 catches for 521 yards and five scores. Still better than any of his first three seasons, but only good enough to rank No. 18 last year.  That was a  disappointment coming off his record year as the No. 8 fantasy tight end.

Higbee became more interesting this season when the Rams let Gerald Everett leave for Seattle. That only leaves behind Johnny Mundt and Jacob Harris to try to replace Everett who turned in around 40 catches for 400 yards in each of the last two seasons. Mundt is no threat with only nine catches over his three seasons. Harris was drafted in the fourth round as the overall  ninth tight end selected.

Harris is a dynasty league target for the future. The 6-5 tight end only weighs 219 pounds which is very light for the position that typically relies on 260-pound players. But Harris ran a 4.39 40-time. While that screams “receiving tight end,” it remains to be seen what he will do at such a light weight that will be a disadvantage if they expect him to block. More than anything, Harris only played football for one year in high school and then two seasons with Central Florida. He brings minimal experience.

The little-used Mundt and the very raw Harris are not going to be a factor for 2021. With Gerald Everett gone, Higbee is in line to step up his workload. And the loss of Cam Akers means that the Rams will be throwing more than they initially intended. With a quarterback new to the system in Matt Stafford.

The outlook for Higbee would be marginal if that five-game span of 2019 never existed. He’d be just another tight end. And there is no certainty that he doesn’t end up as such again this year. But – why did he have that amazing end to 2019? The No. 1 fantasy tight end  over that period, and it wasn’t close.

There are two reasons to consider. First, Higbee hit a stretch in the schedule that included some of the worst secondaries against tight ends. That’s a major factor, with no argument. The passing schedule strength is only average this year and again, with a new quarterback to establish chemistry.

The other factor is relevant. During the Monday night game of Week 12, Everett hyper-extended his knee against the Ravens. He never had another catch that year. Higbee totaled 43 catches over those final five games. Again – the opponents were all weak against the position, so in context it wasn’t quite as mind-blowing as it seemed.

But Higbee enters his seventh season with the Rams in the best situation of his career. Everett is gone, and the rest of the tight ends don’t look like contributors this year. In a position where maybe five or six tight ends offer any advantage, Higbee merits a roster add. Especially if you waited until the later rounds.

Rams’ Tyler Higbee to attend star-studded tight end summit in Nashville

Tyler Higbee will attend a tight end summit in Nashville hosted by Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Greg Olsen.

Tyler Higbee has established himself as an above-average tight end in the last two years, racking up 1,255 yards and eight touchdowns since 2019. He’ll be in the presence of the NFL’s best tight ends this offseason when he attends a summit hosted by George Kittle, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen.

Tight End University was started by Kittle, Kelce and Olsen this year and will be held in Nashville. It’ll give the league’s best tight ends a chance to collaborate and work on the field together, similar to Von Miller’s pass-rush summit that he hosts each year.

Higbee was announced as a TEU participant Monday, joining a list of players that includes O.J. Howard, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews, Zach Ertz, T.J. Hockenson and others.

It hasn’t yet been announced exactly when the summit will take place or what players will be doing, but Higbee isn’t going to miss the opportunity to learn from some of the best tight ends in the league.

PFF ranks Tyler Higbee among top 20 tight ends in NFL

Tyler Higbee is unquestionably the top tight end in L.A. now after the departure of Gerald Everett.

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From top to bottom, the Los Angeles Rams have as much talent on offense as anyone. Their receiving corps is deep, their backfield features two dynamic runners, the offensive line is solid when healthy and Matthew Stafford is an above-average quarterback who should thrive in Sean McVay’s offense.

One position that shouldn’t get overlooked is tight end, where Tyler Higbee has been the top option for the last several years. In his last two seasons, Higbee has caught 113 passes for 1,255 yards and eight touchdowns, excelling as the team’s No. 1 tight end ahead of Gerald Everett.

Now that Everett is in Seattle, Higbee should see an uptick in playing time and earn an even larger role. Pro Football Focus ranked him as a top-20 tight end in the NFL heading into 2021, putting him 18th at the position.

Higbee’s red-hot close to the 2019 season didn’t carry over into the 2020 campaign. Over the last five weeks of the 2019 season, Higbee ranked third among all offensive players in PFF receiving grade (91.2) and receptions (43). No player had more receiving yards (522), either.

Higbee remained TE1 in Los Angeles last season, out-snapping Gerald Everett by nearly 200 snaps over the course of the regular season, but his production took a hit. Higbee’s PFF grade dropped nearly 20 points to 67.6 in 2020, and his 1.62 receiving yards per route run was nearly a full yard lower than his mark in 2019 (2.60).    

Everett was ranked three spots lower than Higbee at No. 21, but both players should have strong seasons in 2021. Higbee will compete for targets with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, DeSean Jackson and others, while Everett has DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on his team.

Higbee shouldn’t be pushed much by the Rams’ other tight ends – Brycen Hopkins, Johnny Mundt and Jacob Harris – as he enters Year 6 in the NFL.

DFS Fantasy Football: Favorite Pro Plays – Divisional Round

WinDailySports’ CEO Jason Mezrahi checks in with his top DFS fantasy football for FanDuel and DraftKings

Top-ranked daily fantasy sports pro Jason Mezrahi, founder and CEO of WinDailySports.com, breaks down his favorite DFS plays at various salary ranges for the Divisional Round of Playoffs.

We are now in Round 2 of the playoffs and things are heating up. It was a long year for us all but I hope I helped you make it a profitable one. Our projection model at WinDailySports.com has been firing on all cylinders to this season so its time to crank out some playoff lineups. What I will do in this article is list some of our highest projected players based off raw points and our highest point per dollar plays based on DraftKings.com pricing.

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These are some of the players Jason will be locking in his lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel for this weekend’s slate.

QUARTERBACKS

PATRICK MAHOMES, KC

$8,000 DRAFTKINGS, $9,200 FANDUEL

What can I say about Patrick Mahomes? He is really good at football and he has some of the best weapons in the game around him. Don’t overthink things and simply have your fair share of Mahomes stacks with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. Have some lineups with one of his pass catchers and then run some lineups with them both. Mahomes should be a lock for 300+ yards and a minimum of 2 touchdowns but if this game stays tight we can see a ceiling game here for Mahomes and all the Chiefs. Lock him in your cash games and focus on building some nice game stacks with both Chiefs and Browns mixed in.

JOSH ALLEN, BUF

$7,400 DRAFTKINGS, $8,800 FANDUEL

Josh Allen is carrying a city on his back and I know he doesn’t want to disappoint. We saw him take over in the wildcard round and he was the quarterback you needed on your roster on the Saturday only slate. If you’re not paying up for Mahomes in your cash games Allen is the safest place to land. He has one of the highest ceilings at the position and I prefer Allen over Jackson in this game. If you need some salary relief for tournaments and are fading the two quarterbacks I mentioned, I would pivot all the way down to Brees or Mayfield at $5,600 or $5,300 on DraftKings.

RUNNING BACKS

ALVIN KAMARA, NO

$7,900 DRAFTKINGS, $9,000 FANDUEL

If you’re building cash lineups on DraftKings or have the salary to spend up for one running back Kamara is my top choice at the position. Kamara has averaged 25.2 DraftKings points on the season and with the full point PPR on DraftKings, he has the safest floor of any position player on this slate. There is a path to fade him on FanDuel and once we get a clearer picture on practice reports from Helaire and Jones Jr. there may be some nice values that open up like Fournette or possibly Bell. I am currently leaning on an all value running back core to pay up at the wide receiver position but I will also have shares of Kamara as well. Devin Singletary, Kareem Hunt, Cam Akers, and Leonard Fournette (if Ronald Jones is out) are all nice values to squeeze into your lineups.

KAREEM HUNT, CLE

$4,800 DRAFTKINGS, $6,200 FANDUEL

Kareem Hunt will be an integral part of this offense that will most likely be playing catch up mode for most of the game. The current line is set at the Browns +10 points which means we should see a lot of Kareem Hunt catching balls out of the backfield. We need to find safe value in the playoffs and there are a couple of nice value pieces at the running back position that I named above with Hunt leading the charge especially on DraftKings. The total in this game is set at 57.5 and is the highest of the slate so you will need exposure to this game. At $4,800 you won’t be able to find anyone else in this price range that has the upside and floor that Hunt has. Feel free to lock up Kareem Hunt and the narrative of him playing against his old team who let him go not too long ago.

WIDE RECEIVERS

TYREEK HILL, KC

$8,000 DRAFTKINGS, $8,800 FANDUEL

You can call him the “Freak” or the “Cheetah” but on this slate I will call him “Mr. Upside”. The upside Tyreek has coming off a couple weeks of rest is second to none. He is my favorite receiver to pay up for on the slate and there is truly no way to guard him with Mahomes and Kelce by his side. The Browns can be beat through the air as we saw last week and they rank 29th in the league at defending the wide receiver position. I will have shares of Diggs, Adams, Landry, and the trio of Tampa Bay receivers but if I had to choose just one it would be Hill, especially in lineups I passed up on Kelce. Make sure you get some Mahomes / Hill stacks during the divisional round weekend slates.

MICHAEL THOMAS, NO

$6,700 DRAFTKINGS, $7,200 FANDUEL

The pricing algorithm simply can’t catch up to the proper price levels on Thomas and he is your free square at the position. He is simply too cheap and safe to pass up on in what looks to be the second highest scoring game as per Vegas. With this game having a tighter spread of only 3 along with an over/under of 52 we can see the most production from the wide receiver position coming out of this game. It’s truly tough to predict which of the Tampa Bay receivers will be the highest scoring but I can say with great confidence that Thomas will lead the Saints. Tampa Bay ranks 25th at defending the wide receiver position and Thomas should have a field day when the Saints square off against the Bucs.

TIGHT ENDS

TRAVIS KELCE, KC

$7,800 DRAFTKINGS, $7,600 FANDUEL

Sooner or later people will realize that Travis Kelce out produces most wide receivers on every slate and rostering him is like having 4 wide receivers in your lineup. It’s a cheat code which has made Kelce a lock for me in cash in every slate I play and I load up on him in tournaments as well because no other tight end comes close in providing the consistency that he does week in and week out. Kelce is averaging 22.1 DraftKings points per game and draws an elite matchup versus the Browns defense who ranks 30th against defending the tight end. Lock him up in all your cash lineups and have him as your highest owned tight end in tournaments as well.

TYLER HIGBEE, LAR

$3,000 DRAFTKINGS, $5,200 FANDUEL

Tyler Higbee is the safest cheap option at the position at only $3,000 on DraftKings. With Cooper Kupp dealing with a knee injury, the Rams will need to get production out of Higbee whether or not Kupp makes it on the field Saturday. With Kupp dealing with a questionable tag due to a sore knee combined with the fact he will be dealing with harsh temperatures in Green Bay, it has me believing Higbee will be a nice value to slide into your tight end or even flex spot this weekend. The Rams should be trailing in this game, so Higbee could be the beneficiary of a prevent defense and some garbage time. That’s all you may need at $3,000 on DraftKings so get some Higbee shares in tournaments Saturday.

DEFENSES

GREEN BAY PACKERS

$3,900 DRAFTKINGS, $4,600 FANDUEL

With only 8 teams to choose from, give me the Packers defense who are favored by 7 and going against the Rams who possess the lowest team total offense as per Vegas. This Packers defense has been getting better over the season and a matchup versus Jared Goff is all they need to force some turnovers and keep this game low scoring. They have secured 17 sacks over the past 5 weeks and anytime I can get a home favorite against a Quarterback 2 weeks out from thumb surgery on his throwing hand I will take it.

BUFFALO BILLS

$2,900 DRAFTKINGS, $4,000 FANDUEL

We saw Lamar Jackson make some bad throws and scramble a lot last weekend. Now he faces off against a team who has secured 15 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries on the season which could be a recipe for defensive fantasy points. The Bills are cheap and have the upside with playmakers who can find their way into the end zone on Saturday if the ball bounces right. Split up your shares of Defense, but as of right now with Lamar Jackson carrying some heavier ownership I like the leverage that the Bills bring to the table this weekend.

Jason Mezrahi has been a professional, top-ranked Daily Fantasy Player on FanDuel and DraftKings for more than eight years. He has won FanDuel’s $155,555 King of the Diamond competition and placed second in DraftKings’ Fantasy Basketball World Championship, earning him $300,000. He owns and operates WinDailySports.com, which supports the DFS and Sports Betting community with resources such as tools, projection models, expert chat, in-depth written analysis and podcasts, plus much more.

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