Draft Kings Week 11: Best Bargains at Each Position
The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.
Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position on Draft Kings that will let you splurge elsewhere. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is Draft Kings’ scoring system.
The bargains are listed in the order I like them.
Quarterbacks
Blake Bortles, Jaguars ($5,400): Many people think of the Saints when they think of the ideal matchup, but, according to Football Outsiders, the dream matchup for a QB is the Lions. Well Bortles, enjoy your feast. This is perfect; Jaguars-Lions matches up two terrible defenses, and two awful running games, which means a bonanza for the QBs. Bortles is priced closer to a backup than an elite option, but he’s gonna rack up yardage, especially if the Lions jump out to an early lead. Bortles has been over 250 yards in his last three games, and thrown seven touchdowns against just two picks in that span. Enjoy.
Colin Kaepernick, 49ers ($5,200): Kaepernick has been a solid fantasy QB since taking the starting job, even if it’s a bit ugly in terms of real football. Kaep’s rushing is easily the best in the league lately from the QB position, and his near-400 yard performance vs. New Orleans showed what he’s capable of against a horrendous D. New England, despite their reputation, is NOT a good pass defense. Expect San Fran to fall behind, and for Kaep to pile up stats chasing them.
Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins ($5,100): Tannehill might not have quite the explosive upside of the previous two picks, but he’s a better overall player than either Bortles or Kapernick right now. He hasn’t thrown an interception in his last four games, and against the Jets he finally threw for more than one touchdown. The Rams defense isn’t that scary these days and the Fins are on a roll; at this price, I kind of love the idea of rolling with Tannehill.
Running Backs
James Starks, Packers ($4,200): With no Eddie Lacy, Starks’ role is set to increase. He is the lead back for the Packers, and in addition to the ground work he’s going to see a fair share of targets in the passing game. Couple that with a matchup against the Redskins, the third-worst defense in the NFL against the run, and you have a perfect bargain.
Thomas Rawls, Seahawks ($4,300): Rawls is back! In case you worried about splitting work, the Seahawks cut Christine Michael to clarify it for you. Rawls is here, and while C.J. Prosise will get third down work, Rawls is ready to get significant carries and touchdown opportunities.
Kenneth Dixon, Ravens ($3,900): Dixon is a riskier choice, but at this price the payoff potential is huge. Terrance West has been horrific the last few weeks, and Dixon is healthy. He notched 38 yards on just six carries last week, so his role is slowly expanding. If he can get going relatively early its common sense to ride the hot hand and let West take a back seat to the highly-touted rookie.
Wide Receivers
Jamison Crowder, Redskins ($5,100): The Packers’ defense is ranked just 18th against the pass and fifth vs. the run, which means expect Washington to air it out. That’s great news for Jamison Crowder, who has become their No. 1 receiver, and has seen nine, 13 and six targets, respectively, in his last three games. Crowder is catching about 70 percent of his targets, and despite his average size, has scored in each of the last two weeks.
Cameron Meredith, Bears ($4,100): Meredith has done absolutely nothing lately, but when Alshon Jeffery was out, Meredith was a complete target hound, registering double-digit targets in back-to-back weeks. With that volume he was extremely productive, and now that Jeffery is suspended for four games, Meredith instantly becomes a sneaky WR3 option that can perform at a WR1 level.
Tyreek Hill, Chiefs ($4,500): Hill is a lightning-fast playmaker who is set to thrive once again as the Chiefs’ No. 1 receiver. Jeremy Maclin is likely to be out again this week, and last week, in Maclin’s absence, Hill caught 10 passes for 89 yards. Even with Maclin in action Hill has found the end zone in four different games, so he won’t need many touches to do real damage.
Tight Ends
Dennis Pitta, Ravens ($3,600): Pitta’s inability to score TDs has been frustrating this year, but I can’t help but recommend him in this cake matchup. The Cowboys have been shocking in every facet, but against TEs specifically they rank 30th in the NFL. No one will be thinking that when they glide right over Pitta’s name, but you won’t do that. You’ll ride Pitta toward a money finish.
Charles Clay, Bills ($2,600): Clay is not someone you’d normally play in any format of fantasy, but with Buffalo’s receiving corps thinned out by injury, this week’s matchup vs. the Bengals is very favorable. Cincinnati ranks just 29th vs. TEs, so even if Clay’s targets remain limited, he still has the ability to make the most of them and score a touchdown.
Will Tye, Giants ($2,700): Tye is not a special player, but his role seems carved out. He’s finally unseated Larry Donnell as the Giants’ main tight end, and he’s seen 15 targets over his last two games. His yardage tends to be low, but at this price the chances of him scoring a TD are high enough to warrant the risk.