Draft Kings Strategy Week 17: 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
Sam Darnold, Jets ($5,000): Darnold has cooled off significantly from his red-hot run against a string of ass defenses (stinkbomb at Cincinnati notwithstanding), but in Week 17 options begin to shrink because certain teams, with players you want, don’t go full throttle because they have the playoffs in mind. The Jets are not one of those teams, but the Bills are! Buffalo has had one of the NFL’s top defenses all season, and sure, maybe they want to smack Gang Green and enter Wild Card weekend on a high note. But they are locked into the fifth seed, so it’s more likely they will be resting key players on offense and defense. On the flip side, Darnold is starting to develop a trend of playing really well towards the end of the season and he’s talented enough to capitalize on a defense if it’s peppered with backups. He’s not particularly high upside this week, but for $5,000 he can definitely provide value.
Robert Griffin III, Ravens ($5,100): Because RGIII is an exceptionally fast human, many think the Ravens can continue to run basically the same offense they’ve run all year with Lamar Jackson. That’s likely too simplistic; the offense is heavily reliant on Jackson’s rushing, sure, but it also requires Jackson to make a lot of throws that RGIII is not going to successfully make. For fantasy purposes, however, I do expect RGIII to take off a fair amount, and he’s capable of doing damage on the ground. The matchup with the Steelers isn’t promising, but I do see a back of the Top 12 ceiling here for the Ravens backup. There’s a super low floor as well, but the price is worth the risk.
Running Backs
Carlos Hyde, Texans ($5,000): Hyde doesn’t have a great matchup vs. the Titans, who are highly motivated to win this game, but he does have a high-volume role in a great offense, so he is a valuable play in all but the worst matchups. Hyde has scored in back-to-back games, and ripped off 104 yards with a score just two weeks ago in Tennessee. While I’m sure the Titans are aware of that, they’re focus is likely to remain on slowing down Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins, so Hyde should be able to find the end zone for a third straight week.
Rex Burkhead, Patriots ($4,500): Burkhead is certainly a big risk due to his incredibly low floor, but if you are trying to spend big on multiple positions because it’s Week 17, it’s truly difficult to find upside like Burkhead’s in this price range. He has scored in back-to-back games, and he’s getting involved again in the passing game. Sony Michel’s usage is straight up impossible to predict, but it seems like Burkhead is locked into around eight touches per game, often in high-value situations. Against the Dolphins, I expect New England’s offense to get right, and that means Burkhead will have some chances to score.
Wide Receivers
Michael Gallup, Cowboys ($5,400): Gallup hasn’t scored since Week 10, so be grateful that that is depressing his price. He’s a very high-end option this week, as Dallas is in a must-win, and Gallup gets to feast on the best matchup in football for No. 2 wide receivers, the Washington Redskins. Despite the poor touchdown luck, Gallup has seen double-digit targets four times since Week 10, and only dipped below six targets once in that span. He has also put up 55 yards minimum in all but one of those games, making him a safe option even if he does not strike pay dirt. If you decided to spend huge on both RB positions, I’d feel okay rolling out Gallup as a WR1.
Greg Ward, Eagles ($4,700): The Eagles control their own playoff destiny, and that’s great news for Ward. He’s currently operating as the Eagles’ No. 1 receiver, and he gets a matchup with the Giants as a belated Christmas gift; Big Blue ranks dead last vs. No. 1 receivers per Football Outsiders, and Ward will be working against them all day since Philadelphia needs the win to cement a playoff berth. Absolutely love him this week.
Tajae Sharpe, Titans ($4,300): My enthusiasm for Sharpe would decrease if Corey Davis is cleared for action, but right now Davis is in the concussion protocol, opening up a major role for Sharpe against a bad Texans pass defense. Sharpe has been inconsistent and unreliable in his short NFL career, but he has also flashed big talent at times, and he’s dealt with Marcus Mariota since entering the league. Last week, with Davis sidelined, Sharpe exploded for 69 yards and two touchdowns. His floor his very low, but the blowup potential is there to provide low-end WR1 or high-end WR2 value for the price of an iffy FLEX. Worth a shot if you are planning to use Christian McCaffery at RB and eating up a huge portion of your budget.
Tight Ends
Dallas Goedert, Eagles ($4,900): Goedert has become a fairly consistent player with Philly’s receiving options so banged up. The Giants’ defense has actually been okay against opposing tight ends, but all of the Eagles’ healthy pass-catchers are decent plays in a must-win vs. a bad defense. Goedert simply has much higher TD upside than most of them besides Zach Ertz, who’ll run you $1,100 more
O.J. Howard, Buccaneers ($4,300): Howard’s been a major disappointment all year, logging one damn TD and failing to top 73 yards in any game this year despite Jameis Winston throwing for 4,908 yards so far. But, with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both out, Howard is seeing a healthy target share, and his talent makes him a blowup candidate in basically any matchup. I’m comfortable rolling him out and expecting him to turn in a Top 10 TE performance. Problem is that could just be a few catches and flirting with 50 yards. At least it’s not expensive.
Jonnu Smith, Titans ($4,200): Looking for upside? Smith’s target share is less guaranteed than Howard’s, but unlike Howard, Smith has gotten busy when he does get the ball. Smith has scored in two of his last three games, and the Texans have struggled badly against the pass of late, even if their season-long performance vs. TEs has been decent. During training camp I would be shocked by the following statement, but Smith provides bigger upside in Week 17 than Howard does and he’s $100 cheaper.