DFS Strategy Week 15: 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
Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($5,500): Prescott’s matchup with the Colts isn’t the gold mine of years past. The reason I love Prescott this week has more to do with his recent play, and his heavenly connection with Amari Cooper. Prescott has thrown for seven touchdowns in his last three games, and last week unleashed 45 pass attempts vs. the Eagles, totaling more than 400 yards through the air and three scores. He’s continued to add points as a rusher as well, which is particularly valuable in DraftKings’ four-point passing touchdown format. Prescott doesn’t have the best matchup, but it’s fine; for what he’s capable of, this price is the best bargain at the position.
Josh Rosen, Cardinals ($4,700): Rosen is inconsistent and risky, but not incapable of competent games. Yardage has been a struggle for the rookie, but a date with Atlanta’s Swiss cheese secondary may be just the antidote for him. Missing WR Christian Kirk hurts, but the weak opposition, plus the potential for a pass-heavy game script if the Falcons offense clicks early, make Rosen a high upside choice at this extremely low price.
Nick Foles, Eagles ($4,500): Foles is likely to start this week, so you’re getting a decent QB at a backup price. That’s hard to argue with, especially when he’s at the helm of a team in a must-win game. The Rams’ defense has shaped up as of late, and he’ll have to deal with the best defensive player in football in Aaron Donald, but at this cost there’s really almost no downside to throwing Foles in your lineup with weapons like Alshon Jeffery and Josh Adams to do damage. In fact, the switch to Foles may even jumpstart Philadelphia’s stagnant offense.
Running Backs
Josh Adams, Eagles ($4,800): With Philly rolling with Foles, they may decide to ramp up the usage of Adams in the running game to offset some of Foles’ rust. The Rams’ run defense ranks just 24th per FootballOutsiders.com, and at a healthy five yards per carry, Adams is poised to gash them as long as Los Angeles’ offense doesn’t boat race the Eagles early and force them to be one-dimensional. For this low price, Adams’ upside is tremendous.
Gus Edwards, Ravens ($4,400): Edwards’ price tag is staying low because of the threat of Kenneth Dixon stealing his workload. While Dixon’s presence does put a cap on Edwards’ ultimate upside, it’s still Edwards leading the backfield in carries by quite a bit. He’s also racking up inefficient carries; Edwards is churning out 4.8 yards per rush, and he’s eclipsed 65 yards on the ground in each of the last four games. With Lamar Jackson at QB, Edwards and the running game will continue to be the foundation of the Baltimore offense, establishing a very stable floor as an RB2.
Damien Williams, Chiefs ($4,100): Williams isn’t someone I think of as a top talent, but he’s going to be the primary running back this week for a Chiefs offense that is absolutely ridiculous. Being in this offense allowed him to score two touchdowns last week on 13 combined targets and carries. This week, the backfield is all his, and he’s up against a middle-of-the-pack Chargers rushing defense. I like his chances of putting up above-average numbers, and especially at this backup price.
Wide Receivers
Dante Pettis, 49ers ($4,400): Pettis has evolved into something of a target hound, drawing seven looks in each of his last three games from Nick Mullens. Pettis has scored four times in the last three games, and even put forth a monster effort in Week 13 when he torched Seattle for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Pettis gets Seattle again, this time at home, and if he keeps getting this many looks he’ll still wind up being useful even if he is kept out of the end zone.
Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals ($4,700): Fitzgerald, an ageless wonder, is actually showing his age a bit. Still, he’s a quality wide receiver who has managed to be productive this year in the right matchups. This week, the Cardinals have one of those matchups in Atlanta, where he makes a pretty cheap stack along with Josh Rosen if that’s what you’re into. I am fully expecting a touchdown here.
Curtis Samuel, Panthers ($4,300): Samuel is the kind of player whom you can throw short passes or screens to and have him break big plays in space. That’s how the Panthers have been using him lately, especially since Cam Newton is hurt and it’s one of the worst-kept secrets in football. Over the last four weeks you can rely on Samuel to either score a touchdown, or tally at least 80 receiving yards. Expect the productive trend to continue in a must-win game against the Saints, who have improved over the course of the year defensively, but not to the point that I’d shy away from them.
Tight Ends
Cameron Brate, Buccaneers ($4,000): Facing Brate sucks, because he exists to hit his fantasy opponents with sparse body shots. This guy has topped 35 receiving yards once this entire season, but that’s not what he shows up to do. Brate arrives, scores touchdowns, and goes home. Tampa Bay is facing the Ravens this week, and while Baltimore has an excellent defense in 2018, they actually rank only 26th against opposing tight ends. Firing up Brate is a sneaky way to get a cheap touchdown, and also utilize someone whom most will probably ignore based on him facing the Ravens.
C.J. Uzomah, Bengals ($3,600): Uzomah has been a disappointment since getting the starting TE role all to himself for the Bengals, and I’m hesitant to recommend him. With that said, he will face the Raiders this week, who are unmatched in their futility vs. tight ends this year. So, the matchup literally couldn’t be better. Do with that what you will.
Chris Herndon, Jets ($2,900): Herndon, like Brate, has a matchup vs. a defense that’s strong overall (Houston), but is weaker than you’d think against tight ends. His targets fell off a cliff last week, but the Jets’ receiving corps is lackluster. He’ll probably see at least four or five targets with Houston’s strong pass rush forcing quick throws, and he’s frankly more talented than Uzomah. He also costs less than $3,000, so you can make up for it if he turns in a dud.