Draft Kings Strategy Week 5: 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 DraftKings that will let you splurge elsewhere. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is DraftKings’ scoring system.
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins, Vikings ($5,300): This week is the perfect time to fire up Kirk Cousins. The Vikings passing game has been anemic, received loads of bad press after Adam Thielen savaged it after a 16-6 loss, and no one wants to touch him. But, he has a fantastic matchup this week vs. the Giants, who look middle-of-the-pack on FootballOutsiders, but received a boost from the Redskins’ dreadful performance last week. Thielen and Stefon Diggs are the squeakiest of wheels right now, and the attention being paid to their low passing volume is like a bug under a magnifying glass. There’s a ton of money tied up in Cousins and his receivers, and this Giants secondary offers an opportunity for them to let it fly.
Joe Flacco, Broncos ($4,700): Flacco’s always a risk to bust, so I’m being up front about that, but he’s cheap and has shown some upside. Flacco’s quietly thrown for 268 yards or more in three of Denver’s first four games, and turned back the clock last week with 303 yards and three TDs vs. the Jaguars. This week he’ll get a Chargers pass defense that currently ranks 30th against the pass, and should have a hard time with Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton.
Running Backs
Phillip Lindsay, Broncos ($4,900): I tend to like using Lindsay in DFS, because even though he gets work stolen from him by Royce Freeman, it’s always Lindsay that has the breakout games, and his price is always reasonable because of the threat of being vultured. This week, the Broncos get the Chargers, who aren’t the worst run defense, but are far from the best. Week 4 was the first time Lindsay didn’t hit double-digit carries, and that was largely because Flacco had it going on. The week before, Lindsay gashed a touch Packers front seven to the tune of 81 yards and two scores. Lindsay has big play potential, sees targets as a receiver, and doesn’t cost much. He should perform at close to an RB1 level in this matchup.
Jaylen Samuels, Steelers ($4,100): Samuels saw a LOT of action with Mason Rudolph at QB, and fellow RB James Conner got a bit banged up vs. the Bengals on Monday night. With a short week of prep, expect Samuels to see at worst the low end of a 55/45 split with Conner and a bunch of targets in the passing game. Last week Samuels caught all eight of his targets for 57 yards, and in Week 5 has a home date with the NFL’s second-worst defense vs. RBs in the passing game. This is a sneaky high-volume play, and he’s really cheap. Love him as a FLEX where you are spending big elsewhere.
Jordan Wilkins, Colts ($4,400): Wilkins’ viability depends on Marlon Mack missing the game, so play close attention to Mack’s status throughout the week. But if Mack is out, Wilkins has a shot to return RB1 value at the price of a low-end FLEX. He’s averaging an absurd 8.1 yards per carry – granted in extremely limited work – and will be up against the NFL’s second-worst rush defense (Chiefs). The Chiefs could turn this into a shootout that potentially shifts the value over to Nyheim Hines, but at $4,400 the risk is pretty low.
Wide Receivers
Calvin Ridley, Falcons ($4,900): Yes, Ridley disappointed last week, but that’s how it goes sometimes. At least his targets returned; Matt Ryan looked his way six times after a bizarre one-target game the prior week vs. Indianapolis. Ridley was averaging 84.5 yards and a touchdown per game before running into tough games with the Colts and Titans, so bank on the talent, and the raw passing attempts being put up in this offense.
Courtland Sutton, Broncos ($4,800): Sutton is quietly becoming a different, more complete receiver. He’s seen seven or more targets in every game this year, and topped 60 yards three times. He finally found the end zone (twice) last week, and has generally been consistent with a high floor. This week he has a plus matchup with the Chargers, and makes for a cheap, potentially explosive DFS stack with Flacco.
Tight Ends
Tyler Eifert, Bengals ($3,300): Eifert has had decent opportunity for a tight end, seeing five or more targets in three of Cincinnati’s four games, but he’s failed to do much with that work. I’m still recommending him, however, because of his matchup with the Cardinals. Arizona’s defense is such a mess it’s almost art, and they’re particularly reprehensible against opposing TEs. Eifert always carries the risk of a zero, but it’s rare to have such high touchdown upside from a player who costs $3,300.
Dawson Knox, Bills ($3,100): Knox, a rookie tight end, is promising. He’s put up 68 and 58 yards, respectively, in the past two games, and has a plush matchup with the Titans. While the Titans have one of the top overall defenses in football, they’re lowkey weak against the tight end (29th per FootballOutsiders). This could all mean nothing if Josh Allen is out and Matt Barkley is in, but he might be finding some chemistry with Allen and may wind up as a high-floor TD threat. Keep tabs on Allen’s health before inserting him into your lineup though.