It’s Week 11, and as your redraft leagues are winding down, I hope you’re in the playoff hunt. If not, it’s the perfect time to check out daily fantasy sports (DFS), which can help keep fantasy football interesting even as your redraft lineup limps to the finish line.
Each week, I’ll break down the projected player roster percentages at the top DFS sites. These figures are generated based on numbers pulled from full-slate contests, so they won’t be perfectly accurate, but they give us a good measurement of who’s popular.
Check out our full Projected Roster % Report here 
Quarterback
Well, FanDuel doesn’t let you start Taysom Hill at quarterback, so we’re in for a normal week at the position.
Deshaun Watson is close to chalk here, so you should consider taking him in cash leagues and betting againt him in tournaments. He’ll play in what could become a high-scoring matchup against the New England Patriots as the Texans look to rebound from their one-score showing against the Browns last week. That said, the Patriots give up the seventh-fewest FanDuel points per game (FDPPG) to quarterbacks (16.8), so I’m not sure if I buy into the hype.
Behind Watson, three quarterbacks grace the 10-20% range: Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, and Tua Tagovailoa. Of the trio, I’m most sympathetic to Flacco — not only is he the cheapest, but he’s also the only one who will have to play from behind. Big Ben may get out to a big lead early (or struggle, because it’s the Steelers in a trap game), while the Dolphins have shown that they can win without Tagovailoa needing to do much.
Flacco is an especially great play because of the speedy weapons at his disposal. Both Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims can get open downfield, so he’ll provide you with considerable upside at a low price.
Of the remaining options, I’m partial to Cam NEwyon and Alex Smith. Newton should get a lot of rushing work against the Texans, as they’ve given up a league-high 1507 rushing yards. Meanwhile, Smith takes on the defense that gives up the eighth-most FDPPG, and he’s coming off a 390-yard performance against the Lions.
Running Back, Wide Receiver, and Tight End
Great. Since Taysom Hill is listed at tight end on FanDuel, he should be in everyone’s lineup at the position. You should start him in cash leagues and consider betting against him in tournaments — it’s not 100% clear what Sean Payton has in mind here, so he could bust if Payton opts to rotate him with Jameis Winston.
No other player slots above the 10-20% range. In fact, Dalvin Cook is the only running back to even qualify for the list! He’s in a great spot against the Cowboys defense, as the heavily-favored Vikings should grind out a win against Dallas on the ground.
A bunch of receivers cracked the list, however, and a few jump out at me as especially smart plays. Jakobi Meyers has led the Patriots in both targets and receiving yards over the last two weeks, and he was the lone Patriots wide receiver to catch a pass against the Ravens. He sees enough volume to deserve a higher price, and he makes a smart addition to any lineup.
Both of the Steelers receivers featured (Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson) should put up points against Jacksonville, as their defense gives up the 10th-most FDPPG to the position (32.6). That said, I like Claypool more because Pittsburgh has featured him on the ground, and his two-way usage gives him more upside at the same price.
Mark Andrews should be another popular option at tight end, but if you’re not starting Taysom Hill, you should probably reconsider spending so much at the position. Alternatives like Logan Thomas could make for a better use of your salary cap.
Defense
We have three favored defenses this week, and all but one of them are the betting favorites. The Steelers are projected to tee off against the Jaguars, as they’re currently 10.5-point favorites, but I’m not so sure that they’re worth their salary here. Pittsburgh is notorious for playing down against bad opponents, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jacksonville at least keep things close.
I think the Vikings and Bengals offer better value. The Vikings may not have a good secondary, but they’re facing Andy Dalton, and he’s inspired absolutely no confidence this season. If they get out early, they’ll wind down the clock with their running game, and that’ll reduce the risk that the Cowboys find the end zone.
The Bengals might be underdogs against the Football Team this week, but it’s very close — they’re currently at just a 1.5-point disadvantage. While Alex Smith looked good last week, he’s not perfect; he’s tossed three picks and taken 10 sacks in three games. At just $3,700, they’re not a bad option, especially since Washington’s run-heavy offense doesn’t lend itself to tons of scoring.
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Beyond our daily fantasy football content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Football Tools. From our Value Plays – which allows you to identify players who are projected to outperform their salaries – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
Isaiah Sirois is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Isaiah, check out his archive and follow him @is_sirois.
