Draft Kings Week 13: 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
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers ($5,100): Garoppolo hasn’t been officially named the starter, but let’s be real, C.J. Beathard ain’t coming back. The 49ers need to see what Garoppolo can do for them before slapping a franchise tag on him, and the Bears are a fairly soft opponent for him to make his first start in red and gold. He’s thrown two passes in 2017, so this is just going off his low price as a starter. I think the potential for him with Marquise Goodwin is vast, and that RB Carlos Hyde will help him be efficient and useful.
Trevor Siemian, Broncos ($4,800): Siemian is, and always has been, the best option at QB for Denver. He’s not good, but he’s good enough to produce with weapons like Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas at his disposal. With a cake matchup against the Dolphins this week, I highly recommend rolling with Siemian if you want to spend big on RB or WR. Siemian threw for 159 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Paxton Lynch last week; expect a similar line with more yardage this time around.
Geno Smith, Giants ($4,500): Geno Smith is a terrible real-life QB, and the Giants are unlikely to win with him under center. However, Geno does run. That’s always a plus in DraftKings, as they give weight to running QBs thanks to their four-point passing touchdowns. Smith also has the benefit of debuting against the Raiders, owners of the NFL’s worst pass defense in 2017. Don’t expect greatness, but count on usefulness.
Running Backs
Dion Lewis, Patriots ($5,500): Lewis is clearly established as the primary downs back for one of the best offenses in football, and he will face the 27th-ranked run defense (Buffalo) this week. It’s really that simple. Last week Lewis carved up the Dolphins for 112 yards on just 15 carries, and they have Ndamukong Suh. The Bills have no such force along the defensive line, and I suspect Lewis may even find the end zone this time.
Adrian Peterson, Cardinals ($4,800): Peterson has a tasty price considering his sneaky good matchup. The Rams have a very good defense, but it’s got some holes regarding the run game. The Rams rank only 19th against opposing running games, and Peterson should be able to exploit them based on the sheer volume of carries he gets. Unless the Rams jump out to an early lead, expect AP to approach 100 yards.
Isaiah Crowell, Browns ($4,100): Crowell is really just so damn hard to trust, but you can feel some excitement when he has a great matchup. This week, Crowell has just that. The Chargers have one of the best dozen defenses in football per FootballOutsiders.com, but that’s owed to their elite pass D. Against the run, the Chargers rank a very weak 30th, and that’s why the Browns would be wise to feed their beast as much as possible.
Wide Receivers
Josh Doctson, Redskins ($4,900): Doctson is reaching a point where he’s useable even on a bad day. Last week he was essentially erased from the game by Giants CB Janoris Jenkins, yet saved his outing with a late TD. The Cowboys have no such corner capable of containing this physical freak, and I’m fully anticipating a breakout game. Dallas ranks just 26th vs. the pass, and they’re even worse (28th) against No. 1 WRs. Kirk Cousins will get those deep jump balls to him, and against subpar CBs Doctson will shine.
Seth Roberts, Raiders ($3,700): Roberts has weak stats this year, and that’s why he’s at such a ridiculously low price. This week, however, he’s a No. 1 receiver against a Giants team that has benched it’s future Hall of Fame QB and is entering full tank mode. I don’t see the Giants unleashing Janoris Jenkins on him for a full game, so Roberts will likely be peppered with double-digit targets from Derek Carr; Michael Crabtree and his chain are suspended, and Amari Cooper is recovering from a nasty-looking concussion. Fire up Roberts, and go spend on two elite receivers.
Dede Westbrook, Jaguars ($4,100): I’m hesitant to put too much stock in Westbrook because I’m not too familiar with his work, but he’s drawn 16 targets in two weeks, so he is rapidly ascending to WR1 for the Jaguars. That’s also part of the problem; this is a Leonard Fournette offense with a terrible QB in Blake Bortles. Still, someone will catch passes, and with a soft matchup (Colts), Westbrook should produce with enough targets.
Tight Ends
Hunter Henry, Chargers ($4,700): Henry’s my favorite play of the week. If you are a tight end, and you face the Browns, you score. That goes for TEs who are far less talented than Henry, who was a touchdown machine a year ago, and has seen five targets in back-to-back weeks. Henry is going to score at least once vs. the Browns.
Ben Watson, Ravens ($3,100): Much like Cleveland, the Lions have been particularly porous vs. opposing TEs, ranking second-to-last against them despite being solid overall vs. the pass. Watson isn’t as talented as Henry, cannot count on consistent looks, and deals with a way worse QB (Joe Flacco). He’s also $1,600 cheaper with about as good a matchup, so both guys are good plays.
Jesse James, Steelers ($3,000): James is riskier than the other two because sometimes Ben Roethlisberger just forgets he exists. That said, he faces the third-worst defense against tight ends (Bengals), and has been targeted 12 times in the past two weeks. Take a shot, he’s cheap AF.