DFS Strategy Week 3: Best Bargains On DraftKings
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
Derek Carr, Raiders ($5,400): Carr was a huge disappointment last season, and through two games in 2018 he has just one touchdown pass, but that has just lowered his price enough that he’s become a nice value. I’m less concerned with his TD total, and more excited about his usage. Carr has thrown 30+ passes in both tilts, is averaging 295 yards per game, and gets a soft matchup with the Dolphins in Week 3. The Raiders defense is wobbly in the wake of the Khalil Mack trade, lending to pass-heavy games for Carr, who has some nice weapons around him. He has blowup potential on any given Sunday, and also has a high floor because of how often he’s throwing the ball.
Mitch Trubisky, Bears ($5,500): Trubisky still looks like a bit of a mess when it comes to throwing the ball – admittedly an issue for a quarterback – but Week 2 solidified him as a bona fide “running quarterback,” a positive label for DraftKings. In four-point passing TD formats, a QB who racks up rushing yards and has a weekly shot at six-point TDs gains value. Trubisky is taking advantage of the RPO plays Chicago has introduced, and has the athleticism to break off big runs. I don’t think he’s a good NFL QB, but his running makes him useful for us DFS players.
Dak Prescott, Cowboys ($5,100): Like Trubisky, Prescott has looked anemic as a passer. Prescott is probably a better quarterback, but his weapons are significantly worse. Prescott’s best playmaker is gadget player Tavon Austin, which shows; Prescott hasn’t topped 170 yards through the air in either of Dallas’ first two games. The good news is that the Seahawks are on the slate, and their defense has looked very pliable so far. Since Prescott is averaging six rushing attempts per game, he’s in the Trubisky zone re: fantasy usefulness.
Running Backs
Corey Clement, Eagles ($4,300): Clement’s value this week is largely due to a potential increase in workload if Jay Ajayi is out. The Eagles are proceeding as if Ajayi may play this week, but even if he does, it’s unlikely he will work as a bell cow, and could see even less work than usual. With Ajayi limited or out of the picture completely, Clement is exciting. He’s averaging 5.1 yards per carry this year, and last week caught five of his six targets, racking up 55 yards through the air. Clement has big upside if handed a lead role, and he has the perfect matchup (Indianapolis) to explode this week and force himself into the job that was supposed to be Ajayi’s. He’s my favorite play this week.
Theo Riddick, Lions ($4,400): Riddick has retained his passing-downs role so far despite rookie Kerryon Johnson bringing pass-catching skills to the table, and that is promising this week against the Patriots. Coming off a loss the Pats are going to be motivated and clicking on all cylinders; against a bad Lions defense, that means this could become a shootout. If so, Riddick is the Lions RB you’ll want, because he has already been peppered with 19 targets through the first two games of the year.
James White, Patriots ($4,900): White is the Riddick of New England. While talented, in the past White has been a very dicey play because of his tendency to just fall off the face of the Earth in any given week. That could happen again now that rookie Sony Michel is back in the fold, but through two weeks White is producing. He’s been targeted 17 times in the last two weeks, scoring a touchdown in Week 1 and gashing a tough Jaguars defense for 77 yards in Week 2. Detroit’s defense is poor, so all the Patriots have the potential for big weeks, but few of them are as much of a bargain as White.
Wide Receivers
DeSean Jackson, Buccaneers ($5,300): Jackson has looked like the best version of himself this season with red-hot Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing to him, scorching opponents for touchdowns of 75, 58 and 36 yards. Jackson isn’t necessarily a PPR stud, as he relies on big plays, but if he’s taking these long passes to the house you will not need the reception volume. Jackson is always a threat to have a bad week because of the nature of his long targets, but the matchup in Week 3 with the Steelers’ shaky secondary is promising. At the price of a WR3 you simply cannot get this upside with the other players in this range.
Allen Robinson, Bears ($5,400): Robinson is saddled with a below-average QB, but if you get enough work that tends not to matter. Robinson is by far the Bears’ best receiver, and he was targeting a ridiculous 14 times Monday night against Seattle. Trubisky is wise to mask his shortcomings by throwing to this beast, and so far he’s hurled it at his big WR 21 times in two games. Robinson is bound to find the end zone with that kind of workload, and he’s up against a mummified Cardinals team in Week 3. CB Patrick Peterson is problematic, but he may not be glued to Robinson all game.
Randall Cobb, Packers ($5,200): Cobb has tremendous upside in any game as long as Aaron Rodgers is playing, and Rodgers is playing. Week 1 was a showcase of what the best of Cobb looks like; anyone will take 140+ yards and a TD from their most expensive player, let alone a guy costing you barely five grand. His muted Week 2 performance – four catches for 30 yards – represents his floor with Rodgers. That’s very uninspiring, but it’s better than the zero you’ll sometimes get from players in this price range. Cobb’s floor is a few points, but his ceiling really is a WR1. That ceiling is what makes him one of the smartest picks in this range.
Tight Ends
Jared Cook, Raiders ($4,000): Cook continues to see targets from Carr. These two make for a nice little stack, and it’s nice to see Cook finally making good on his potential. Hopefully this isn’t a fluke like we’ve seen in the past, and Cook can really be a steady performer at a position that many times is not fun to draft. He only saw four targets last week, after seeing 12 in the Raiders’ opener, but he caught all four and amassed a serviceable 49 yards.
Eric Ebron, Colts ($3,400): I will make the argument until his price rises, but for now I’ll continue to happily benefit from Ebron’s bad reputation. Ebron was a Top 10 pick once upon a time; his physical gifts are prodigious, and despite his frequent failings, it’s important to recognize when a superb talent has found a beautiful situation. Andrew Luck turns turds into gold when they play tight end, and he’s now been handed a hidden diamond. Ebron has scored twice in two games now, and that trend is going to continue as long as the Colts’ offensive line doesn’t get Luck murdered.
Kyle Rudolph, Vikings ($4,100): Rudolph turned a measly two targets into a TD in Week 1, and rewarded the Vikings with 72 yards last week when he saw seven targets. Rudolph is a quality player, and with all the insane weapons he’s sharing an offense with, he’s become an afterthought. That’s fine, because when Minnesota is in the red zone he’ll be a very inviting target for Kirk Cousins.