DraftKings Bargains: Week Thirteen
If by chance your fantasy team is out of contention for the playoff this year, you have every right to focus your attention on DraftKings to see if you can put together a few winning lineups. By analyzing the weekly salaries and seeing which players are going for a bargain, we can maximize the overall value of our lineups, putting our teams in the most optimal position to take down some major tournaments.
QUARTERBACK
Derek Carr, QB OAK ($5,000)
Carr has a prime matchup this week against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders don’t have a chance at winning this game, which means Carr will get added opportunities to produce fantasy points in garbage time. The Chiefs are one of the worst teams in the league at defending the pass as well. They are susceptible to the big play, allowing 1,707 yards after the catch this season. Like just about every game the Chiefs have played in this season, this game is expected to be a shootout. The Raiders should be playing from behind in most of this game causing the offense to dial up mostly passing plays to keep up Kansas City’s explosive offense.
If you are in search of a bargain this week, you have to be eyeing Carr. DraftKings has him ranked QB20 in salary this week behind the likes of Josh Allen, Case Keenum, and Eli Manning. He has one of the best matchups this week and his low salary is going to allow you to spend more at other positions. You may want to limit your exposure to him in GPP formats because he might be heavily owned due to his matchup and cheap price point. Just because he’s a chalky play, doesn’t mean you should completely avoid him either. It’s highly likely that he’s going to deliver a return on your investment.
The over/under for this game is set at 56 points and to no surprise, the Chiefs are favored to win this game by 14.5 points. Considering the Chiefs are 8-2-1 against the spread, it’s highly likely that they are going to blow this game wide open. The Raiders will rely on the passing game early in this contest and that should fuel Carr’s fantasy production.
Other options: Mitchell Trubisky $5,700, Jeff Driskel $4,500, Cody Kessler $4,500
RUNNING BACK
Gus Edwards, RB BAL ($4,800)
Edwards has rushed for 233 yards and one touchdown in his last two games. He will be playing against an Atlanta Falcons team that has lost three straight games while surrendering 493 yards on the ground in those contests. This appears to be a good matchup for the rookie running back and I wouldn’t be surprised if he produces RB1 results this week. He’s getting a sizeable workload and the offense is rolling with him on the field. The coaching staff likes him and he’s getting every opportunity to succeed.
It’s not every week that you get a must-start running back at below $5,000 on DraftKings. His price tag is so low that his ownership rate doesn’t matter because he will open up a large portion of your bankroll to spend at other positions. You don’t have to go contrarian at every position in your line up to win a big tournament. With him being a chalky play this week, I must recommend limiting your exposure to him in your lineups. It’s important to diversify your portfolio just in case things don’t go as planned – this will mitigate the damage if Edwards completely busts on Sunday.
Vegas has the over/under set at 49 points and they have the Ravens favored by one point. The spread is indicating that this is going to be a tight game and there’s a 50 percent chance that the game script will favor Baltimore’s rushing attack. The Ravens are going to want to keep the ball out of the hands of the Falcons’ explosive offense. Therefore, they are going to lean on the run early in this game which will provide added opportunities for Edwards to produce in the box score.
Other options: Todd Gurley $9,300, T.J. Yeldon $4,500, Jordan Howard $4,000
WIDE RECEIVER
D.J. Moore, WR CAR ($5,600)
The people at DraftKings obviously don’t respect Moore because they have him priced at $5,600 going into one of his most favorable matchups of the season. Moore as led all receivers on the team in the last three weeks with a 22 percent target share and 268 receiving yards. The Buccaneers defense has allowed 3,017 yards through the air, which is sixth worst in the league. They are also allowing an average of 274 passing yards per game. Moore will be a major focal point in Carolina’s passing offense and will get the chance to work against one of the worst pass defenses in the league.
All the wide receivers in his salary range either have a tough matchup or there are question marks surrounding their workload. His target share and his ability to burn opposing defenses for big plays increase his upside in this game. Moore will get plenty of opportunities to showcase what he can do against a weak Buccaneers defense.
Carolina has lost their last three games and they need to get win this week if they want to even have a shot at making the playoffs. Vegas has the over/under at 56 points and they have the Panthers favored by 3.5 points. I look for Carolina to come out firing in this game, passing the ball early and often trying to take advantage of the inefficiencies of the Bucs’ defense. With that being said, the game-script should definitely benefit Moore and he should be a main focal point of the offense on Sunday.
Other options: Allen Robinson $5,700, Corey Davis $5,500, John Brown $4,400
TIGHT END
Kyle Rudolph, TE MIN ($3,600)
The Vikings will be traveling to New England to play the Patriots, who are allowing 15.6 fantasy points per game to tight ends. Rudolph has received five or more targets in all of his games but three this season. Bill Belichick wants to prevent Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen from busting open any big plays – this will open the middle of the defense for Rudolph to work, allowing him to easily get open and be a big factor in the offensive game plan.
At $3,600, he’s one of the cheaper tight ends on Draft Kings. I feel he’s a good play for both GPP and cash formats. He’s going to be relatively safe to roster due to his cheap price tag and potential workload. I don’t think he’s going to be heavily owned this week, making him an optimal play in big tournaments.
The over/under is set at 48.5 points for this game and I’m pounding the over. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see 60 or more points scored by both of these offenses combined. The Patriots are favored to win by five points. This game is going to be a dogfight and it should be a high scoring affair. Rudolph should see plenty of targets in this game.
Other options: Eric Ebron $4,200, Austin Hooper $3,900, Cameron Brate $3,700
