Draft Kings Strategy Week 9: 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

Mitchell Trubisky, Bears ($5,000): This week isn’t pretty for DFS players who love cheaping out at QB. If you insist, Trubisky is the sub-$5,500 QB I like the most because his upside is Top 10, even if his floor is QB32. We’ve really only seen “good” Trubisky emerge once this year, a three-touchdown effort in Week 3 vs. the hapless Redskins. The Eagles are a much better team overall than Washington, but their secondary has been desecrated repeatedly. Trubisky has a chance to put up some numbers, and with his rushing potential he makes for a solid play this week.

Running Backs

Tevin Coleman, 49ers ($5,500): Coleman’s price is depressed due to his role in a committee, but make no mistake, he’s the lead dog. Prior to his three-touchdown explosion against the Panthers last week on just 11 carries, Coleman rushed 16, 18 and 20 times in the three prior tilts. He’s running behind a fantastic offensive line, and he can also contribute as a receiver, even though he hasn’t been called on to do that this year. Arizona’s defense is among the NFL’s worst, so he should be able to run rampant all over it. He was one of my favorite plays last week, and I recommend using him again. He can be trusted as an RB1.

Phillip Lindsay, Broncos ($5,300): Denver is without Joe Flacco for the next few weeks, likely making them even more dependent on the running game. It’s also noteworthy that Royce Freeman, a serious drain on Lindsay’s workload, is dealing with a shoulder injury. Those factors point to a high-usage afternoon for Lindsay, one of the most purely talented RBs in the game. Pair that with a soft matchup vs. the Browns, and you have yourself a Week 9 overachiever. I’ll be shocked if Lindsay doesn’t perform at a low-end RB1 level at minimum.

Adrian Peterson, Redskins ($4,200): Excitement for the return of Derrius Guice has, rightfully, diminished interest and enthusiasm for Peterson. It’s Week 9 though, and for one more game the Redskins are going to feed AP like it’s Thanksgiving. He’s averaging 19 carries and 91.7 yards over the last three games, not coincidentally games coached by Bill Callahan. He’s going to push 30 carries this week against the Bills, a defense with a big reputation, but is sneaky bad against the run per Football Outsiders. Volume is your friend here, and Peterson is long overdue for a touchdown or two based on the workload and him having not scored since Week 2.

Wide Receivers

Robby Anderson, Jets ($5,500): Anderson started hot last week and then the Jets inexplicably went away from him. He busted out in Sam Darnold’s first game back for 125 and a touchdown, was shut down vs. the Patriots (no shock) and then looked like himself against the Jaguars. Anderson will definitely be inconsistent for season-long fantasy owners, but a date with the Dolphins is an opportunity to get his stats up. The Dolphins have the worst defense in football, rank dead last vs. the pass and also rank 32nd vs. No. 1 receivers. He can’t possibly have a better matchup.

D.J. Moore, Panthers ($4,800): Moore has struggled a bit this year to put up gaudy numbers, despite looking the part of a No. 1 receiver and mostly getting a strong target share. He has, however, been extremely steady in games where he sees six or more targets. In those five instances, Moore has been held to fewer than 72 yards just once, against the 49ers last week. With only a single touchdown on the year, Moore is due for some positive regression, and the Titans rank only 26th vs. No. 1 receivers. He’ll make for a lovely WR2 this week.

Cole Beasley, Bills ($4,100): Beasley’s run of nice matchups continues. This week he gets the Redskins’ awful pass defense, which ranks 27th vs. slot receivers in 2019. Beasley has only caught three passes in each of his last three games, but he’s found the end zone twice. The volume is still there, so I’d bank on around 75 receiving yards, a touchdown, or possibly both. Washington surprisingly ranks 1st against No. 1 receivers, so non-John Brown receivers should expect to be peppered.

Tight Ends

Evan Engram, Giants ($5,100): Engram’s price tag has stayed low because he hasn’t topped 42 yards since Week 5. He continues to be one of the most targeted TEs in the NFL, however, and his explosiveness makes him a weekly threat against any defense. This week, he happens to have the second-best matchup possible against the Cowboys, who rank 31st against the position per Football Outsiders. With Sterling Shepard still dealing with concussion issues, Engram is going to be a major target for Daniel Jones and should blow up. George Kittle at $7,000 is awesome, but I think you can get 90% of that production from Engram for damn near $2,000 cheaper.

Chris Herndon, Jets ($4,000): Maybe you spent big at RB and WR and you can’t afford Engram. Monitor his injury status, but if Herndon is active, he’s pretty much plug and play. There’s no data to go off of this year since he hasn’t played yet, but Ryan Griffin just scored twice against Jacksonville. Sam Darnold makes use of the TE, and he had a noticeable connection with Herndon last year. A game vs. the Dolphins tends to be a cure-all for most teams, and the Jets desperately need it.

T.J. Hockenson, Lions ($3,700): Hockenson could be a very rewarding play if you can stomach the risk of getting goosed. Hockenson’s talent is sky high, and he proved he can put up numbers in Week 1 when he went off for 131 yards and a score. He hasn’t topped 32 yards since, and his one target vs. the Giants showed that the Lions might not trust him at the moment. Still, the matchup is great and Detroit’s running game is in shambles without Kerryon Johnson. There will be lots of targets to go around, and Hockenson’s are probably going to come in the red zone and near the goal line.