Daily Fantasy Football Best Bargains Week 11 Values on Draft Kings
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
Alex Smith, Washington ($5,300): Smith has been oddly productive on this team, turning in back-to-back games with 300+ passing yards, although he’s only thrown one touchdown in that span. Smith has returned to his dump-off ways, so the yardage is empty calories, but they still count all the same in fantasy. Washington has a soft defense in front of them this week in the Bengals, and their offense is capable of turning this into a shootout. I’m not sure I see a Top 10 opportunity for Smith here, but it is possible for him to sneak into the Top 15, which is nice value for this price.
Taysom Hill, Saints ($4,800): Hill is not likely to be the starting QB for New Orleans in Drew Brees’ absence, but he will likely see the field a lot more. He has already seen five or more carries in three straight games, and with Jameis Winston’s penchant for killer turnovers, Hill could be the primary QB around the goal line. This would obviously be a very risky play at QB, but it would really allow for high-value players elsewhere, and isn’t much different than utilizing a TD-dependent RB. Also, it’s just kind of fun to do something weird.
Running Backs
Duke Johnson, Texans ($5,400): Johnson was a bust in his first opportunity to carry the load for Houston, but in fairness, the weather was atrocious and kept him from being used properly. Johnson can make magic happen on the ground, but his best attribute is his pass-catching; on Sunday in raging winds, he saw one target all game and didn’t reel it in. This week he’ll face a Patriots defense that entered Week 10 ranked 31st in the NFL against the run, and will be fully focused on neutralizing Deshaun Watson. Maybe Duke just isn’t cut out for more than a change-of-pace role, but all metrics in his past point to him being an underutilized asset waiting to break out. It’s now or never.
Nyheim Hines, Colts ($5,200): Hines is shaky, but he was so startlingly superior to both Jonathan Taylor and Jordan Wilkins last week in a plus matchup that I’m feeling pretty good about returning to the well. Hines has the most secure role of the three as the clear choice on passing downs; that may come in handy if the Packers come to play and start scoring early. Hines also has the ability to eat into the early down work of the other two if he gets going and shows he is the hot hand. Hines is incredibly fast, so he has big play potential, and the ability to score long TDs either on handoffs or receptions. Plus, Green Bay ranks in the bottom third of the league against the run. The downside is Hines’ inconsistent presence on the field; he’s been over 50% just twice this year, but both times he scored two touchdowns. Maybe the Colts are just now realizing he’s actually their top RB?
J.D. McKissic, Washington ($5,200): McKissic is supremely relevant with Alex Smith at QB, and the prices haven’t caught up. He has seen 29 targets in the last two games, which is astronomical for a top flight WR, let a lone a RB. In a full-PPR format, he’s becoming a must-play at this price. McKissic’s ceiling isn’t the highest, but he has about as high a floor as any RB in fantasy if this is the type of target share he commands moving forward.
Wide Receivers
Marvin Jones Jr., Lions ($5,500): Jones stepped up big in a tough matchup against Washington, and now gets a tasty matchup vs. the Panthers, who allowed the second-most points per game (10.3) to WR1s in football entering Week 10. Keep an eye on the status of Kenny Golladay, as my outlook on Jones wouldn’t be so rosy if he returns. If Golladay misses again though, fire up Jones with confidence, as he’s scored four touchdowns in his last three games.
Jakobi Meyers, Patriots ($4,900): Volume reigns supreme in fantasy, and right now Meyers is one of the most targeted receivers in football. Nevermind his meager draft pedigree, noodle-armed QB and lack of supporting pass-catchers; Meyers has been targeted 31 times in three games caught five or more passes in all of them, and gets to face one of the softest defenses in football in Week 11 (Houston). Stay in the flames, and plug him in as a WR3.
Tim Patrick, Broncos ($4,800): Patrick may be in an ugly offense, but he’s got a cake matchup vs. the Dolphins, who ranked second-worst in the league against opposing WR2s going into Sunday. Patrick has big play ability, and has papered over a few low-yardage outings with a TD. I’m not in love with his QB Drew Lock, but he’s overcome it for the most part this season. Matchups mean a lot, and only the Seahawks have been friendlier to WR2s, so he’s safe to roll out if you’ve spent like a drunken sailor at other spots.
Tight Ends
Jared Cook, Saints ($4,100): Cook carries plenty of risk as a fairly TD-dependent player, and the risk is now double without Drew Brees under center. He also has the Falcons in front of him, who came into Week 10 allowing the third-most points to opposing TEs in the NFL. Jameis Winston didn’t make much use of his TEs in Tampa Bay, but that could’ve just been the design of Bruce Arians’ offense. Cook can goose you, but he scored in three straight games from Weeks 5-8 (there was a bye), and he had scored in four of five games at one point. The matchup is there, and New Orleans will be scoring a ton on Atlanta so it’s a calculated risk.
Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers ($4,300): Gronkowski also has a nice matchup vs. the Rams, and like Cook, carries big risk. He has scored in three of his last four games, but he also has three catches combined in the last two weeks. Tom Brady has a lot of options in the passing game, so in any given week Gronk could be asked to block and help his QB find one of the three Pro Bowl options in this offense. Still, the Rams allow the fourth-most points to TEs, and he’s not catching passes from a backup QB.
Dallas Goedert, Eagles ($3,800): The disappearance of Goedert has been weird, as Carson Wentz has always hyper targeted his TEs. I’m a believer in Goedert’s talent though, and the 9.6 points per game Cleveland allows opposing TEs is the most in football. If Goedert can’t get it done here, he can be safely ignored rest of season. He could literally be the TE1 this week, so that upside at $3,800 is tantalizing. He’s a bit riskier than the first two bargains here, but I think he’s my favorite play of the three.