Allow me to wish everyone a safe and happy New Year, and if you’re reading this, you’re my kind of person. With many people out there done with their seasonal fantasy leagues, DFS is where they turn. What better way to ring in the New Year than winning some contests?

This weekly article aims to comb through the data, stats, and matchups to determine some of the better positional values this slate offers.

Let’s get into it.

Quarterbacks

DraftKings

Brock Purdy (QB – SF) $5,500 vs. LV

Some say that Brock Purdy’s limited success is due to the system and/or the yards-after-catch crew surrounding him. Others may point out that he has made some talented throws, shown good control, and plays with confidence in the pocket. Either way, this is a great spot to cash in on a perfect storm type of situation.

Purdy has started three games, in those games, he has averaged 18.3 DK points per contest and thrown for two touchdowns in each of them, which is more during the same stretch than Tom Brady, Tua Tagovailoa, and Derek Carr. He is the QB11 in fantasy points per game during this stretch and is now headed into a prime matchup against the Raiders.

Las Vegas allows the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, with an average of 255.5 passing yards and 1.5 passing touchdowns per game.

Purdy does not offer slate-winning upside, but he remains a bargain for the salary and frees up some money to allocate to other positions. With a nice matchup, he is a prime tournament play for this slate while keeping the risk at a minimum.

FanDuel

Mike White (QB – NYJ) $7,000 vs. SEA

No one is sure how many doctors Mike White had to consult to finally be cleared for contact, but rest assured, whichever one did rosters Garrett Wilson and must be playing for a title. White’s return to the starting lineup means good things for the Jets’ offense and their pass catchers. In two of the three games he has started this season, he has surpassed 300 yards and finished as a QB1.

The Seahawks are allowing the 11th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks and surrendering 231.7 passing yards per game. They’ve given up eight passing touchdowns over their last five games despite allowing 17 or fewer completions in four of them. John Wolford was the only quarterback in that stretch who failed to throw a touchdown.

With a tidy matchup and a reasonable salary, White is on the QB1 fringe this week but with plenty of potential upside to offer.

Running Backs

DraftKings

Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – WAS) $5,200 vs. CLE

Volume and matchup. These are key things we chase when it comes to the non-obvious starters for fantasy football. This week, Brian Robinson Jr. represents both. Since returning to the field in week five, Robinson has seen double-digit carries in all but two games. He has cleared 80 or more yards four times in that stretch and scored twice. While far from imposing numbers, Antonio Gibson has been ruled out for this week’s game. Caution is advised against assuming he will add a higher-than-normal target count, as that work could be split between Curtis Samuel and Jonathan Williams ($4000).

Then, there is the matchup against the Cleveland Browns. They are allowing the third-most fantasy points, 117.3 rushing yards, and 1.0 rushing touchdowns per contest this season.

Expect the volume and a good matchup. From a ranking perspective, Robinson is an RB2 with upside this week.

FanDuel

Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL) $6,700 vs. ARI

Expect Arthur Smith to intensify his base desires with fellow rookie Desmond Ridder under center: Run the dang ball. Recently, Tyler Allgeier has been the recipient of this desire and has seen double-digit carries in all but three games this season and 17 or more in two of the last three. He also averages 4.9 yards per carry and has broken off for 40-plus yard runs in three games this season. With Caleb Huntley no longer a threat, Allgeier should retain that volume at the least and potentially see a little more work, such as the five targets he saw last week.

The Cardinals are allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to the position. They allowed Latavius Murray to rumble for 130 yards two weeks ago and 162 scrimmage yards to Leonard Fournette last week.

While Desmond Ridder gets more comfortable under center, expect Allgeier and Corrdarrelle Patterson to remain a one-two punch on the ground, with Allgeier being the larger volume share on the ground.

Wide Receivers

DraftKings

Romeo Doubs (WR – GB) $4,700 vs. MIN

Full disclosure, this value is somewhat contingent on whether or not Christian Watson suits up Sunday. With Watson’s health status still a looming question mark and a later kick-off time, the late swap is in play for Romeo Doubs.

Doubs played less of a role in last week’s game, logging a 13% target share while playing 61% of the snaps. However, his route participation was barely above 50% for the game. If Watson were to be held out, Doubs would be more involved from a participation standpoint. Doubs’ market share climbs to 18.7% when Watson is absent.

The Vikings’ defense is susceptible to perimeter wide receivers and allows the most yardage to the position and the second-most fantasy points. The matchup is fantastic, and Doubs could retain some deep appeal even if Watson is good to go, but becomes far more attractive at his price point if Watson sits.

FanDuel

Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS) $6,100 vs. CLE

Jahan Dotson has returned to the field and hopes to continue to build on the success he was on pace for earlier this season. The move to Carson Wentz is part of what makes Dotson and his salary so appealing.

Splits data courtesy of DLF

The Browns are a tougher matchup for wide receivers. Wentz will play with a short leash and may lean on the run a little more if the Commanders establish a lead. In negative or neutral game scripts, expect Dotson to see a healthy amount of targets.

Dotson is best utilized as a GPP receiver and likely will not have a high roster percentage. Assuming he regains his near 50% end zone target share that he has enjoyed with Wentz, another touchdown is definitely in his range of outcomes.

Tight Ends

DraftKings

Evan Engram (TE – JAC) $4,400 vs. HOU

In his last four games, Evan Engram has earned 40 targets. That is more targets in the same span than Davante Adams, DeVonta Smith, DK Metcalf, and Diontae Johnson. Averaged out, it has resulted in 91.75 receiving yards per game with three total touchdowns. The Engram emergence has been both a little surprising and difficult for many to trust.

The Texans have been middle of the road against tight ends this season but are allowing an average of 53.3 receiving yards per game. Christian Kirk has been the primary recipient of top defensive coverage, allowing both Zay Jones and Evan Engram to string together good games. While both are in play this week, Engram is a volume-based TE1 for the week without paying top salary for the volume.

FanDuel

Tyler Conklin (TE – NYJ) $4,900 vs. SEA

This is dumpster diving and hoping to find a gem. So, the DFS players that mostly play cash games might want to skip this one. Conklin does not have a pile of impressive stats to display and dissect. What he does have is the right quarterback to disperse targets and the best matchup for the position. The splits without Zach Wilson are startling. Conklin has averaged 6.4 PPR points/game with Wilson versus 9.4 PPR points without. His yardage average goes from 25.8 to 37.8 with either Joe Flacco or White under center, and his target share is 15.4% without Wilson.

The volume and the production without Wilson are enough to peak DFS interest for those who are looking for a bargain, then there is the matchup. The Seahawks, as previously mentioned, allow the most fantasy points to the position, averaging 65.2 receiving yards and .5 touchdowns per game.

For those that want to top-load their rosters for tournaments, Conklin is one of the better tight end targets, from a value perspective to slot in. As always with tight end dart throws, we are all just hoping for that elusive touchdown.

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John Hesterman is a featured writer and Expert Consensus Ranker at FantasyPros. He also writes for DynastyLeagueFootball.com. For more from John, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @John_Hesterman.