Draft Kings Strategy Week 16: 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
Andy Dalton, Bengals ($5,200): Dalton is a mediocre quarterback who can produce big numbers if the situation is just right. Last week, against the Patriots, he was horrendous and threw four interceptions. This week, he’s up against the Dolphins, whose pass defense ranks last in the NFL per Football Outsiders. That’s all I need. Dalton’s ceiling seems to have come down from past years, likely because A.J. Green hasn’t suited up in 2019, but there’s still a path to 300 yards and two touchdowns against Miami in good weather.
Dwayne Haskins, Redskins ($4,700): The Giants present nearly as soft a matchup as Miami these days for opposing QBs, and Haskins is a good $500 cheaper than even Dalton. Their floor is around the same, but Haskins proved last week that his ceiling isn’t far removed from Dalton’s. Haskins managed 261 yards and two touchdowns against the Eagles, and he chipped in 26 rushing yards which Dalton doesn’t really offer. I don’t love this play, but at that price I don’t imagine he’s going to kill you since the Giants defense is just dreadful.
Running Backs
David Montgomery, Bears ($5,200): Montgomery’s rookie season has sucked, but it hasn’t been for lack of opportunity. Montgomery has seen double-digit rushing attempts in every game since Week 8, with varying degrees of success in terms of yardage. The touchdowns are where he’s disappointed, but that’s the Bears offense as a whole. This week, Montgomery will take on the Chiefs, who entered last week as the NFL’s worst rushing defense. They’d likely still rank that way had Denver not inexplicably decided to have Drew Lock throw 40 passes in a blizzard. I expect Montgomery to get right this week and flash the talent that caused the Bears to trade up for him.
Adrian Peterson, Redskins ($5,000): Peterson is just a freak. He scored last week for the third straight game, and continues to see heavy work as Derrius Guice remains out of action. The Giants actually have a Top 10 run defense this year, aided by the addition of Leonard Williams at the trade deadline, but Peterson’s volume is likely enough to overpower the bad matchup. At $5,000 AP allows you to grab a higher-end RB or WR, or pay the premium for a TE who is reliable while still giving you reasonably high expectations for a TD.
Wide Receivers
Darius Slayton, Giants ($5,500): Slayton’s volume dipped significantly in his second game with both Sterling Shepard and Golden Tate active, but he still turned his meager three targets into two catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. Slayton has scored three times in the last two weeks, and has three multi-TD games this year so his upside is clear. He has a beautiful matchup against the Redskins’ terrible secondary as well, so I’m confident with him regardless of whether Eli Manning or Daniel Jones are under center.
Michael Gallup, Cowboys ($5,500): The Eagles have reverted to their porous ways against the pass, and that’s bad news with Gallup coming to town. Gallup is a burner of the highest order, and he’s been a target hound if you throw out last week’s weird dud. He’s gone over 100 yards four times this season, and some of those performances were against good defenses. Philadelphia is a borderline bad one, and in a must-win scenario Dak Prescott is probably going to force the issue with his top receivers, Gallup and Amari Cooper. This could be a blowup game.
Mike Williams, Chargers ($5,000): The positive Mike Williams regression is happening. Ride it. Williams has consistently put up big yardage on long receptions this season, as is his way. The touchdowns have not been there though, after striking paydirt 10 times a season ago. Williams has scored in back-to-back games now, and he gets to face a demoralized Oakland team that has struggled all year vs. the pass and just dropped their final game in the Black Hole to Gardner Minshew. Yikes. Get Williams in your lineup.
Tight Ends
Jared Cook, Saints ($5,000): Any talented TE is going to be fantasy relevant with Drew Brees, and Cook is no exception. Since returning in Week 10, Cook has only dipped below 50 yards once, and has scored four touchdowns. This week he’ll face the Titans, who have a solid defense that ranks just 22nd against opposing TEs. Brees knows this, and is probably getting Cook at least one touchdown.
Austin Hooper, Falcons ($4,400): Hooper has been a dud since returning to action, piling up just 52 total yards in his last two games. The Jaguars are one of the NFL’s most effective remedies for an ailing TE though; they’re 31st in the league against opposing TEs, and just let Darren Waller eviscerate them for 122 yards.
Jacob Hollister, Seahawks ($4,200): Hollister hasn’t been the breakout that Will Dissly was before he got hurt, but Hollister is a TE who will face the Arizona Cardinals this week. That’s really all you need to feel okay plugging him into your lineup. Cook and Hooper are better players in good spots, but if those $200 – or $800 if you’re considering Cook – will help you, then feel okay about this play.