Draft Kings Week 17: 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

Marcus Mariota, Titans ($5,000): Mariota has been a complete disappointment in 2017, and that’s reflected in this low price. However, he still has blowup potential, and the matchup with the Jaguars is sneaky great. Jacksonville’s spot in the AFC playoff picture is clinched, and they’re unlikely to start anyone of consequence. On the flip side, the game is a must-win for Tennessee, meaning Mariota should be on point against the Jags’ skeleton crew. At $5,000, the QBs don’t typically have much upside; Mariota does, and he has an easy matchup.

Tyrod Taylor, Bills ($5,300): Taylor is always appealing against soft defenses because of his running ability and deep passing talent, and this week Miami qualifies as a soft matchup. Taylor may also be auditioning for a contract; the Bills loaded up on draft capital this offseason and during the season, presumably aiming to trade up for a QB. The Bills have shown they don’t have much interest in Taylor as a cornerstone, so it wouldn’t be surprising if they released him. A blowup performance may leave prospective teams with grand visions of a dual threat signal caller.

Brett Hundley, Packers ($4,700): Hundley, as bad as he’s been, is cheap AF. He is facing a mediocre at best Detroit defense which had it’s playoff aspirations dashed last week. Meanwhile, this is Hundley’s last chance to impress since Aaron Rodgers will presumably return healthy in 2018. Hundley has been weirdly awesome on the road, tossing six touchdowns against zero interception in his last two away games. He has also rushed for 66, 31 and 48 yards in his last three games, making him a very viable DraftKings option.

Running Backs

Derrick Henry, Titans ($5,500): Henry is my favorite play of the week. DeMarco Murray has a torn knee ligament, so ignore any chatter about him playing through it; the truth is Henry has been better all season. Henry’s workload has been limited, but when he is fed the rock he averages 4.7 yards a tote. Henry has totaled 50+ yards in all but one game in which he’s seen double-digit carries, and the only time he eclipsed 15 carries he rewarded Tennessee with 131 yards and a touchdown. This week the Jaguars will be resting starters, have nothing to play for, and came into the game with the NFL’s third-worst run defense with the starters! Play Henry.

Bilal Powell, Jets ($4,700): A weak matchup and their situation dictating that Matt Forte need not be used led to Powell blowing up for 145 yards and a score last week. The scenario is a carbon copy in Week 17; Powell will be leaned on with the abominable Bryce Petty/Christian Hackenberg combo at QB, and the league’s worst run defense (New England) lining up across from him. Powell has scored in three of his last four games, and seen 13 or more carries in each of those tilts.

Corey Clement, Eagles ($4,100): The Eagles don’t have anything to play for, so it’s prime time for a young player like Clement to get a ton of run. Clement has been in a timeshare with LeGarrette Blount lately, with both slotting in behind Jay Ajayi. Clement is more explosive though, and can potentially be a factor in Philadelphia’s future, whereas Blount won’t be. Clement averages 4.4 yards per carry and has been seeing a bit of work in the passing game. If he gets a big workload boost this week, he should tear up the demoralized Dallas defense.

Wide Receivers

Mohamed Sanu, Falcons ($5,400): Sanu has been a very involved member of this offense – much to Julio Jones owners’ chagrin – and he’s up against a Panthers defense this week that ranks just 22nd against No. 2 receivers. This is a must-win for both teams, so expect the Panthers to focus heavily on containing Jones. If so, that leaves Sanu with plenty of one-on-one opportunities against a secondary that’s struggled against his ilk.

Randall Cobb, Packers ($4,700): Cobb looks like a sneaky stack with Hundley if you’re looking to get creative on the cheap. The Lions have struggled all year with slot receivers, and Cobb could see his targets rise dramatically with Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams banged up. Cobb has caught four or more passes in half his games, and that’ll be a floor for him if Nelson, Adams or both are limited.

Eric Decker, Titans ($3,200): Keeping up with the Titans theme, I think Decker is wildly underpriced, which is great for us. Decker’s season has been a big ole’ thud, but he’s been more Decker-ish of late. He’s racked up more than 50 yards in his last three games, and saw a season-high 10 targets last week. This is an even cheaper stack than Hundley/Cobb, and carries the added benefit of not deploying Brett Hundley.

Tight Ends

Ben Watson, Ravens ($3,800): The Bengals are the second-worst team in football vs. opposing tight ends, recently overtaking the Ravens in that category. Watson has scored in two of his last four games, and has been useful to above-average against TE-friendly defenses. This is one of them, so you can feel very safe with him as a cheap option.

Charles Clay, Bills ($3,700): Like Watson, Clay is up against a defense (Miami) that has been atrocious all year (28th) against tight ends. Clay’s targets are there; he hasn’t done much with them of late, but I’ll take his involvement in the offense at this point in the year, especially when some of the top tier TEs may play limited roles with their playoff positions secure.

Jesse James, Steelers ($4,000): James has had several very useful games at low, low prices, and this week he faces the Browns, who rank dead last against tight ends. He’d be my top recommendation if it weren’t for the presence of Vance McDonald, and the big fat zero he put up last week. James is fairly high risk for limited reward; on the other hand, this matchup sets him up for a borderline blowup wek.

Raimundo Ortiz