Greetings, friends, and welcome to Week 15 of the DFS Pricing Exploitation series. Every week in this space, we’ll take a look at pricing on DraftKings and FanDuel and identify our favorite quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends based on how we can best take advantage of recent changes to those prices.
Note: The NFL is dealing with a pretty massive COVID outbreak right now, and more than 100 players have landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list over the last few days. That means any of the below names could land on that list as we head into the weekend, so keep an eye on availability ahead of these Week 15 games.
Have questions or just want to talk football or DFS? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.
Create Optimal lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool 
Quarterbacks
Greetings, friends, and welcome to Week 15 of the DFS Pricing Exploitation series. Every week in this space, we’ll take a look at pricing on DraftKings and FanDuel and identify our favorite quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends based on how we can best take advantage of recent changes to those prices.
Note: The NFL is dealing with a pretty massive COVID outbreak right now, and more than 100 players have landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list over the last few days. That means any of the below names could land on that list as we head into the weekend, so keep an eye on availability ahead of these Week 15 games.
Have questions or just want to talk football or DFS? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.
Create Optimal lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Quarterbacks
FanDuel
Dak Prescott (DAL - QB) vs. NYG, $7,500 (-$600)
Sure, Dak Prescott is "slumping" right now, but he's still at the helm of one of the best offenses in the league taking on the lowly Giants this week. A $600 drop in price on FanDuel is silly. $7,500 puts him on QB12 on the full slate, and that's easy money and good savings that will allow you to spend elsewhere to fill out your lineup. When Prescott played against the Giants in Week 5, he threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns. He is coming off a couple of lackluster performances against the Washington something-or-others and the New Orleans Saints, but he threw for 375 yards against the Raiders in Week 12. This is an easy decision on FanDuel in Week 15.
DraftKings
Tua Tagovailoa (MIA - QB) vs. NYJ, $5,700 (N/A)
Want to know what's even better than playing the New York Giants? Playing the New York Jets. Tua has thrown at least 31 passes in three straight games, including throwing 41 passes two weeks ago against the Giants. The Dolphins are coming off their bye and have injury/health issues at the running back position, so they are likely to continue throwing the ball. He's QB20 on the DraftKings full slate but has QB1 upside against this defense this week.
Running Backs
FanDuel
Rashaad Penny (SEA - RB) vs. LAR, $6,100 (+$800)
Rashaad Penny rushed for 137 yards on 16 carries last week, and Seattle is saying he deserves some run as the main guy. Sure. Great. That means he's going to be expensive in DFS, right? Apparently not this week. He's RB32 on the FanDuel main slate despite an $800 price increase. Even against the Rams, grabbing a running back that is expected to receive a full workload for an RB3 price is exactly the kind of value we are looking for.
DraftKings
David Montgomery (CHI - RB) vs. MIN, $5,900 (+$200)
You could also go James Conner here, but keep an eye on that ankle injury. If he looks like he is good to go, then he is a value on DraftKings, even with Chase Edmonds back. But David Montgomery is an even bigger value on the DraftKings main slate. He is priced as a low-end RB2, but I have him projected for RB1 numbers. He has caught 14 passes over his last two games and finished as the RB3 overall two weeks ago against the Cardinals. His 10 carries against Green Bay last week were his fewest since Week 3 against the Browns. Look for a bigger workload and better numbers against the Vikings on Monday night.
Wide Receivers
FanDuel
Diontae Johnson (PIT - WR) vs. TEN, $7,200 (-$600)
For some reason, Diontae Johnson is WR16 on FanDuel's main slate this week. Johnson has received at least 10 targets in five straight games, with 13 or more targets in three of those games. The quarterback play in Pittsburgh hasn't been great, but Johnson has been as consistent as they come this season. Tennessee is allowing a ton of points to opposing wide receivers this season, and Johnson is great value at just $7,200.
DraftKings
Amari Cooper (DAL - WR) vs. NYG, $6,400 (+$500)
See Dak Prescott above. Cooper is fully healthy after missing a couple of games due to a positive COVID test, and he caught five passes for 51 yards and a touchdown against Washington last week. He found the end zone the last time the Cowboys played the Giants in Week 5, too. Cooper has been up-and-down this season, but that's priced into his WR21 cost on the DraftKings main slate. In Week 15, Cooper is a perfect lineup builder with upside at just $6,400.
Tight Ends
FanDuel
Zach Ertz (ARI - TE) vs. DET, $5,300 ($0)
This was a tough week to find value at the tight end position, but Zach Ertz against the Lions jumps out. It sounds like wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins could miss some time, which means more targets to go around for the other options in this offense. While Christian Kirk will be popular on waivers, Ertz could be one of the main benefactors here. The veteran tight end caught five passes against a much better Rams defense in Week 14, and he should have plenty of space to operate against the Lions. He is just TE17 in terms of price on FanDuel this week, and his $5,300 price tag is more than $2,000 cheaper than the TE1.
DraftKings
Ricky Seals-Jones (WAS - TE) vs. PHI, $3,400 (-$200)
We talked about RSJ last week and got burned as John Bates played more snaps, which was likely due to Seals-Jones working his way back into game shape. I'm going back to the well this week. Washington is dealing with a massive COVID outbreak, but Seals-Jones has thus far avoided landing on the reserve/COVID-19 list with many of his teammates. If he remains one of the healthy players left standing heading into the weekend, he has a great matchup against an Eagles team that doesn't employ any linebackers or safeties capable of covering a tight end on a regular basis.
Want to keep the conversation going or just have a question? Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.
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Mike Maher is an editor and featured writer at FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive, follow him on Twitter @MikeMaher, and visit his Philadelphia Eagles blog, The Birds Blitz.
