I always try to be transparent with you guys and we have to call last week’s article what it was. While it wasn’t terrible, it certainly wasn’t good. I have high standards for my DFS plays and I am disappointed that I didn’t give you guys better picks. That’s why I’ve done extra homework this week and have some great plays for you guys. It does happen to be one of the most limited slates of the season though, with a handful of teams on bye. With that in mind, let’s get into our DraftKings breakdown.
The Thursday game features an NFC West matchup between the 49ers and the Cardinals. That makes all of the Arizona players off-limits and it’s always hard to trust the San Fran offense. With that in mind, Tevin Coleman could have another big game, as I anticipate San Fran rolling. The Sunday Night fixture is a brilliant game between the Patriots and Ravens. Almost every significant piece is fantasy worthy but I anticipate Julian Edelman having another solid outing. The Monday Night game is good too, with the Giants hosting the Cowboys. My favorite play in this fixture is easy, Ezekiel Elliott. The star RB has been back to his workhorse ways and could be in for another monster fantasy performance against this bad NY defense.
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Quarterback of the Week
Matthew Stafford (DET): $6,800 at OAK
The quarterback position was actually one of the toughest slots to fill but Stafford has been performing brilliantly all season long. In fact, the Lions quarterback is now averaging 22.4 DK points per game for the season while recording at least 30 pass attempts in every game played. Attempts are the biggest indicator when evaluating quarterbacks and anyone who throws the ball this much has to be in consideration. What makes it less surprising is the fact that this is one of the worst running games in football, with Kerryon Johnson on IR due to a knee issue. That means it’s all in Stafford’s hands which is bad news for a Raiders defense who’s allowed the second-most passing yards in the NFL.
Cash Game Running Back
Le’Veon Bell (NYJ): $7,700 at MIA
Bell has had a disappointing year for his standards but don’t be surprised to see him go off the next few weeks. His next six games go as followed: MIA, NYG, WSH, CIN, OAK, and MIA. That makes Bell one of the best buy-lows in season-long leagues but let’s keep this DFS related. Bell gets to face the Dolphins this week and that’s big news considering they allow the most fantasy points in the league to opposing running backs. A fantastic matchup like that is brilliant for a bell-cow like this, with Bell leading the NFL in snaps at the RB position while ranking second in the league with a 20 percent team target share. He’s plenty capable to produce with that workload too, averaging 14.1 DK points per game despite the recent struggles.
GPP Running Back
Frank Gore (BUF): $4,300 vs. WSH
This feels crazy. I never thought that I’d put a 68-year-old running back into one of these articles but here we are. Ok, Gore is only 36-years-old but it’s amazing that this guy is still doing work at that age. Since Week 1, Gore has 84 carries for 402 rushing yards and two touchdowns. That’s a good six-game stretch for anyone and looking at age really only detriments ourselves. That equates to 11.2 DraftKings points per game, which is absurd production for a player priced this cheaply. The matchup is simply the icing on the cake, with Washington allowing the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL while posting a 24th OPRK against that position according to DraftKings. Not to mention, he and the Bills enter this matchup as a 9.5-point favorite, making him a viable candidate for 15 carries and a couple of goal-line opportunities.
Cash Game Wide Receiver
Kenny Golladay (DET): $7,500 at OAK
If we like Stafford, we have to love Golladay. This dude is coming off one of the best games of the season, collecting six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Week 8. That’s not the first time he’s done that, with Golladay averaging 18 DraftKings points per game for the season. Much like Stafford, the role tells us everything we need to know. Not only does Golladay have at least eight targets in all but one game this season, he’s also playing close to 90 percent of the team’s snaps. That’s horrific news for a Raiders secondary who owns a 32nd OPRK against opposing wide receivers this season.
GPP Wide Receiver
Mike Williams (LAC): $4,400 vs. GB
Williams is truly a GPP wide receiver because his production makes him hard to trust. What doesn’t make him hard to trust is his current role. In fact, Williams is playing 93 percent of the teams snaps over the last five games while averaging 8.4 targets per game in that span. That doesn’t even take into consideration that he’s got about 120 air yards per game in that same span, which is one of the best marks in the NFL. That limits the risk in a tough matchup and it makes him a great GPP play below $5,000.
Tight End of the Week
Jonnu Smith (TEN): $3,800 at CAR
Smith was all over my lineups last week and we’re going right back to the well here. While we’re unsure of Delanie Walker’s status at this point, we still like Smith no matter what. The reason for that is because Smith has been usurping Walker even before this injury. That’s clear when you see that he’s played 78 percent of the team’s snaps over the last two weeks while playing on 61 percent of the team’s snaps for the year. That’s nearly double what Walker has done and he’s clearly the number one tight end whether Walker plays or not. It’s led to some good fantasy numbers too, with Smith accruing nine receptions for 142 yards and one touchdown over the last two games. That directly correlates with Ryan Tannehill taking over behind center and we’re not concerned with Carolina’s 21st-ranked defense.
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Joel Bartilotta is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @BartilottaJoel.
