DFS Strategy Week 13: Best Bargains at Each Position on Draft Kings
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
Matthew Stafford, Lions ($5,400): Volume is a quarterback’s best friend, and while Stafford’s receiving corps has been decimated by trade and injury, this week’s matchup with the Rams is going to necessitate 40+ pass attempts. Detroit’s horrid defense is likely to be shredded from the first drive by Los Angeles’ rested offense, so regardless of the score, count on Stafford to pile up yardage. In addition to the favorable game script, the Rams’ defense on it’s own has been easy to dice up for opposing QBs. CB Aqib Talib may return, but he’ll hardly be in midseason form.
Kirk Cousins, Vikings ($5,500): Cousins hasn’t been the consistent force Minnesota expected when it handed him a record contract, but he has reminded us several times this year what his ceiling is when he’s clicking with his elite skill position players. This week the Vikings are facing a pliable Patriots defense, and could find themselves in a shootout if New England finds its rhythm on O. Cousins lit up Green Bay last week for 342 yards and three touchdowns, so hopefully your catching him on a hot streak.
Josh Allen, Bills ($5,300): Running quarterbacks provide the best bang for the buck in DraftKings, due to the four-point passing touchdowns and the equivalency of 25 passing yards to 10 rushing yards. Allen ran for 99 yards and a touchdown last week vs. the Jaguars; do NOT expect that type of production again, but you can count on him to rush the ball four times at minimum. Allen is not a polished passer yet, nor does he have the receiving weapons to throw the ball a ton. He is best suited right now to utilize his athleticism on the ground, and try to open up easy throws with play action. The Dolphins’ offense isn’t likely to score much on Buffalo’s strong defense, so the game should play out in a fashion to let Allen run the ball, possibly score a rushing touchdown, and limit turnovers.
Running Backs
Phillip Lindsay, Broncos ($5,400): Lindsay has shown each week that he’s not just a fantasy find in a great situation, he’s a legitimately excellent running back. His price incorporates the vulture potential of fellow rookie Royce Freeman, but with each passing week Lindsay has gobbled up more of the workload. This week Denver has a tasty matchup with the Bengals, who are dead on their feet and now rank in the bottom six of the NFL per FootballOutsiders.com’s weighted defense metric. Cincinnati is even worse when measured against just the run, ranking 28th in football. This is a premier matchup, and Lindsay is being highly undervalued.
Gus Edwards, Ravens ($4,800): Edwards is a player whom I had never heard of before last week. But back-to-back games with more than 100 rushing yards gets my attention real fast. Edwards is a boulder, and he has a date with the Raiders’ horrific defense, which ranks 30th vs. the run. Edwards’ dominance has likely relegated Alex Collins to the bench, leaving only Ty Montgomery to swipe some third downs from him. Edwards is primed for a another huge game.
LeGarrette Blount, Lions ($3,900): Blount will lose value if Kerryon Johson suits up, but I’m not expecting that to be the case. Blount isn’t exciting, and he offers nothing in the passing game, which hurts in DraftKings’ PPR format. Still, he was able to pummel the Bears, the best run defense in the NFL, for 88 yards and two scores. The matchup vs. the Rams is a bit scary, but the TD potential he offers at less than $4,000 is basically irresistible, provided Johnson is out of the picture.
Wide Receivers
Jarvis Landry, Browns ($5,300): Landry’s been on a rough stretch, made even more brutal by the success Baker Mayfield has had individually. He’s still seeing enough targets to be effective for fantasy purposes, and this week gets the Texans, who have a strong defense that has mostly struggled vs. No. 2 receivers per FootballOutsiders.com. Landry may lead the team in targets, but Antonio Callaway is functionally the nominal No. 1 receiver. Landry will move around, and could see his target share blow up again as Mayfield seeks his best playmaker in the passing game.
Courtland Sutton, Broncos ($5,200): I know Sutton was a complete dud last week, but cut him a little slack, he’s still a rookie. Actually, he’s a physically extremely gifted rookie, who is set to exploit the Bengals’ broken defense which ranks a lowly 26th vs. No. 2 receivers. Denver is on a roll, and even though Sutton was trash last week, he’s still seeing about four to six targets a week. That’s not much, but he’s averaging nearly 20 yards per reception, so that’s all he needs to do some serious damage to a cake matchup.
Jermaine Kearse, Jets ($4,000): Kearse has a tendency to fall off the face of the Earth at times, but he is the Jets No. 1 receiver, and he has a favorable matchup. Tennessee is second-worst in the NFL vs. No. 1 receivers, and they’re much more vulnerable through the air than on the ground. Kearse has seen double-digit targets three times in 2018, and that kind of target share upside is unheard of at this price. It’s worth the risk.
Tight Ends
David Njoku, Browns ($4,300): Njoku rebounded nicely from a complete dud vs. the Falcons with five receptions, 63 yards and a touchdown. Expect more of that from Njoku as Baker Mayfield continues rolling sans Hue Jackson, and he lines up against a Houston defense which ranks second-to-last against tight ends.
Rob Gronkowski, Patriots ($5,400): It’s hard to believe Gronk has become a DraftKings bargain, but his injury-plagued season has been a huge disappointment. He looks well past his prime, but his long TD vs. the Jets showed there’s still gas in the tank, and he’s got a fantastic matchup with the Vikings, who have a solid defense but are vulnerable to TEs (27th per FootballOutsiders).
Cameron Brate, Buccaneers ($3,700): Brate is touchdown-or-bust, so the low price tag is understandable. However, Brate is basically Jameis Winston’s favorite target in the red zone. With no O.J. Howard in the mix, and the 30th-ranked defense against tight ends (Carolina) on the slate, he’s a nice play for a very low cost.