The NFL season is officially on the back end of the schedule. As week nine wrapped up with some intense matchups, we're heading into the most essential part of the season as we find out each team's true identity. At this point, it's pretty clear who the contenders and pretenders are for teams as a whole. Also, we have a pretty good grip on which players are the real deal in fantasy terms, and which ones are total busts.
Just because select players let you down all season, doesn't mean that they can't have a good week here and there. We're going to dive into week ten and find the find the best value plays that will give you a bang for your buck. After all, you don't want to just pay for a name. So, while you're setting your early game slates for Sunday, keep in mind that everybody is playing. You want to be different and find the guy who will go off on your team, but not anybody else's.
That's what we're going to break down here. We will go over some of the best bargain plays, that issue high-upside for cheap. And I will also throw in some obvious cash plays for you grinders out there that need to know who is undoubtedly going to go off this weekend.
So, for those of you who are new to DraftKings, or maybe you even need a refresher, let's go over the rules real quick.
The Rules of The Game
DraftKings is pretty simple and straightforward. Although there are many different games, you can play, and slates you can get involved in, we are going to stick with the early classic slate. That means we will only have access to players that are involved in eight of the 1 pm EST. Games. Here is the full outlook slate that we will be going over.
- New Orleans Saints @ Cincinnati Bengals
- Atlanta Falcons @ Cleveland Browns
- Jacksonville Jaguars @ Indianapolis Colts
- Detroit Lions @ Chicago Bears
- Arizona Cardinals @ Kansas City Chiefs
- New England Patriots @ Tennessee Titans
- Washington Redskins @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets
Just like any Daily Fantasy platform, you are issued a salary for each individual contest. Each lineup will have $50k available. Every player will have a price tag on them based on their value each week. For this slate, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is the most expensive, while the Arizona Cardinals defense is the cheapest. You cannot exceed the $50k salary, but you also don't have to use it all up.
While I suggest using up the majority of the $50k salary, you don't have to if it isn't necessary. In GPP games, the idea is to find the cheapest players with low ownership percentage and high ceilings. If you figure that out, then you most likely won't go over the limit. Don't make that second-guess your picks. Just because you still have money available, doesn't mean it needs to be spent. If you love your lineup, roll with it.
Okay, enough chit-chat, let's get into this.
Quarterbacks
Everybody has a different outlook on quarterbacks. In real life, quarterbacks are the most critical players on a team. They are the heart of the offense and the leaders of the group. Organizations give up an arm and a leg for franchise quarterbacks, and it totally makes sense. When it comes to fantasy though, you don't have to sweat it much. Especially in Daily Fantasy.
Quarterbacks aren't the most important position on your lineup. We all know that the Aaron Rodgers' and the Tom Brady's of the NFL are the visible long-term players that you want, but on a weekly basis, you just want to find that one guy that will go off.
For example, in last week's matchup between the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers, you would think Derek Carr would be the obvious play, right? Nope. 49ers third-string quarterback Nick Mullens ends up going off. That's the type of player you have to be on the lookout for. So, let's see if gives us the most upside for the early games.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - $5,900
Is FitzMagic back? Who really knows? This guy has become one of the hottest, cold quarterbacks in the NFL. Earlier in the season, he was the best quarterback in the league statistically but quickly fell off the face of the earth as Jamies Winston took his job back. After that, it didn't take long for Fitzpatrick to find himself back into the game. Last week, he was starting again for the Buccaneers, and he threw for four touchdowns, with a total of 243 yards.
Fitzpatrick is a gunslinger, but it's evident that gunslingers come with a risk. Being that Fitzpatrick likes to air the ball out, he's prone to throwing interceptions. It's unfortunate, but it's the truth. This week, the Buccaneers are taking on the Washington Redskins. The same secondary that Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons exposed last week. So, add that in with a DeSean Jackson revenge game brewing, and you have plenty of FitzMagic to be made.
Andrew Luck - $5,500
We can finally start assuming that Andrew Luck is the real deal again. For a moment there, it seemed like the Indianapolis Colts quarterback was never going to be himself ever again. False alarm there, though. Luck is back to trending upwards, which is a great sign. It's an even better sign for this week as the Colts are playing a struggling Jacksonville Jaguars defense. That doesn't mean we should sleep on the Jags defense, but don't shy away from Luck either.
That Jacksonville secondary is not the same. This week, everybody is going to fade Luck since they will be worried that Jacksonville will eat him up. Not me though. Luck for $5.5k is a steal. He could get you somewhere around the same amount of points as say, Drew Brees or Tom Brady for almost a thousand dollars cheaper. Spend your money wisely, and don't waste it all on a few more points from your quarterback.
Running Backs
Welcome to the most challenging part of setting a lineup. Over the last couple of years, the running back position has become one of the hardest positions to figure out in fantasy football. In 2018, many teams have shifted towards the committee approach when it comes to backfields. Running backs just aren't as game-changing as they once were. Aside from about five to eight running backs, there aren't many elite prospects anymore.
Now, we have to try and decode certain teams running approaches since not every team has that bell-cow running back that's going to get over 150 all-purpose yards anymore. If you can't find a running back that gets at least 20 touches whether it's through the air, on the ground, or both, then you have to go with the running back that gets the most red zone usage. Find the back that gets into the end zone. Let's dive into this weeks slate for running backs.
David Johnson - $6,800
Two years ago, David Johnson was the number one back in the NFL. The downfall of the Arizona Cardinals made him no longer as valuable as he once was though. Now, Johnson's just a really good running back trapped on a team that struggles to move the football. Hence why he comes with such a cheap price nowadays. Johnson may not issue the same value as he once did before on a weekly basis, but his opponent this week makes it hard not to play him.
The Cardinals will take on the Kansas City Chiefs. Don't shy away from the player, just because you don't like the matchup though. Kansas City's run game is not good. They have allowed over 1,100 yards on the ground this season, and 11 touchdowns. They rank in the bottom half of the NFL for rushing defenses. I wouldn't commit to David Johnson long-term, but this is definitely the week to use him in DFS.
Adrian Peterson - $5,700
Here's an even better one for you. Washington Redskins resident OG, Adrian Peterson. This man has been running through defenses since 2007. We thought because after one lousy season on both, the Saints and the Cardinals that Peterson was finished. Nope. This guy's still got it. Just two weeks ago, he went off on the New York Giants where he was one yard shy of cracking 150. The Falcons 'stopped' him last week, as they held him to 17 yards off of nine carries, but don't let the numbers fool you.
Atlanta tore up Washington's defense, and they had to throw the ball all day from the beginning to try and keep up. With the slate clean, the Redskins will be able to issue Peterson his carries once again. And guess what? The Buccaneers rushing defense is not good. As a matter of fact, they give up the most fantasy points to opposing running backs! Mix in the fact that Chris Thompson will be out, and Kapri Bibbs is hardly useful, and you have a potential Adrian Peterson breakout game once again in week ten.
Wide Receivers
Finding a good wide receiver isn't hard. If you look at the numbers from week one up until now, you can figure out who's going to be consistently productive. However, when you have to choose three different wideouts, you want to make sure that you can mix in a little bit of unknown in your lineup if you're not grinding it out in a cash game.
Here's how you do that; Figure out which team has an injury going on in their wide receiver core, and find out who will see more looks from the quarterback. Also, figure out who gets the most targets on a team. Certain quarterbacks in the league will throw to the same guy consistently throughout the day. He might not lead the team in yards, but if leads in targets and has an easy matchup, then that player is due for a big afternoon.
Jarvis Landry - $6,200
Browns receiver Jarvis Landry hasn't been the most consistent player on the team, but he's become a great security blanket for Baker Mayfield. The Browns are having issues this year on the offensive side of the ball. I mean, they did just fire their offensive coordinator and head coach all in the same week. It was clear they were going to struggle last week, but now they have an opportunity to bounce back this time around.
Landry has received a double-digit amount or targets in all but two of the last nine matchups the Browns had. There's a strong chance that the Browns can engage in a shootout with the Falcons as their offense can score, but their defense can't stop anybody that has somewhat, a decent passing attack. This could be an excellent week for Landry, and DFS players should take advantage of it.
DeSean Jackson - $4,900
If you plan to play Ryan Fitzpatrick this week, stack him with DeSean Jackson. I can't stress enough that Jackson loves a good revenge game. Do you see him play against the Philadelphia Eagles? He destroys them. He calls it personal every time. He loves showing his former teams exactly what they are missing. And with the Washington Redskins being his latest team to depart from, you can expect he's going to want to show them what they are missing too.
Forget all of the reports from this week about Jackson being unhappy in the Bucs offense. That's not news. Every player on the Bucs offense is going to be miserable because they are losing. DeSean Jackson wants out, and at this point, he sees every weekend as an opportunity to showcase his talent that is clearly still there for any potential buyers in the offseason. Pay up for Jackson this week, and you won't regret it.
Maurice Harris - $3,900
Who? Maurice Harris is on the Washington Redskins for those who don't know. The Redskins are a weak passing team. They don't have many valuable weapons outside of the average Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson. Speaking of which, those are two guys who are constantly injured. While everybody waits on Josh Doctson's breakout game, the logical players will be forking up almost nothing for Maurice Harris.
Alex Smith found his new best buddy last week when he decided to target Harris for a total of 12 times. Harris came up with ten catches for a total of 124 yards. Not bad for an unknown. Now, if they can emulate that production and mix in a touchdown, then we got ourselves a steal here. Harris is no longer the best-kept secret, but don't be the guy/gal that misses out on him because you're worried he can't follow up with a better game.
Tight Ends
Tight Ends are becoming like kickers nowadays. While the good ones can get you 10-15 points on a consistent basis, the rest of them are like a dime-a-dozen that can get you 8-10 points. Don't go crazy for tight ends not named Travis Kelce, George Kittle, or Zach Ertz. Heck, I wouldn't even pay up for Rob Gronkowski nowadays, but that's just me.
Find someone who is reliable, and is likely to get some red zone targets. Like I said, unless you want to pay up for a tight end, who happens to be just another wide receiver, then you shouldn't expect too much out of these guys on a weekly basis. Find somebody cheap, who can get over ten points and you're solid.
C.J. Uzomah - $3,700
Here is your cheapest value play for week ten tight ends. Cincinnati Bengals' tight end C.J. Uzomah. If you look at his stats from this season, he's not going to impress you much. But 17 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns isn't bad for a guy that was just supposed to be a backup. This week, the Bengals play the Saints, who are on a hot streak right now. But their defense is going to be more focused on locking down the Bengals wide receivers.
Uzomah isn't going to draw a ton of attention, which is perfect. I have to be honest, this may end up being a blowout by New Orleans, but that's works in Uzomah's favor. The Bengals are going to end up throwing a lot, and the tight end is going to get his looks. With A.J. Green out of the picture, Andy Dalton might be looking for his tight end to become a security blanket. That's a winning situation for sure.
Jordan Reed - $4,400
You have to love the Washington versus Tampa Bay matchup this Sunday. The Redskins are coming off of a tough loss against the Falcons, as their offense couldn't get anything going against Atlanta. They have a prime opportunity to climb back after falling off, and you can expect them to try and air it out on the Buccaneers weak defense.
Tampa Bay doesn't fare well against tight ends. Jordan Reed hasn't exactly been dominant this year, but like I said, if you can get a tight end who's been consistently average at least, then find their high-upside matchup. Here it is for Reed. Just hope that he can stay healthy, and that nobody eats up his targets (looking at you, Vernon Davis.)
D/ST
Choosing a defense/special teams is pretty self explanatory. The simple objective here is to find the good defense that is playing the bad offense. Simple enough, right? Of course, there's always that one week or two where you choose the good defense that plays a bad offense and boom, trap game ensues. But we can't play scared here. That's all a part of the game.
I don't suggest taking a ton of time choosing a defense, but understand that it can be very valuable to find that team that is going to force multiple turnovers. There are a few obvious plays all the time, but you really do not want to miss out on the big time points, as it could make or break your lineup if you choose the wrong one that gets you negative points.
New York Jets - $3,400
The New York Jets are not a great defense. But you know what? The Buffalo Bills are an awful offense. There's no Josh Allen at quarterback, as expected. Derek Anderson already issues a favorable matchup for the defense but guess what? He's not playing either. Once again, Nathan Peterman is running the offense in Buffalo, and it's a secondary's dream to play against him.
Peterman has played for the Bills in four different games this year. He's thrown one touchdown and seven interceptions. The only game that he hasn't thrown an interception in was against the New England Patriots, where he only threw two total passes. All of the other games, he's thrown at least two interceptions in. He's a nightmare for the Bills but issues a dream scenario for any defense playing against him.
Buffalo Bills - $3,200
Two bad offenses going against each other calls for two good defensive matchups in one game. While the Jets defense will take care of the Bills offense with ease, the Bills defense, aka the strength of the team, will have a nice little matchup with the Jets. First off, the Jets have been regressing as of late. Sam Darnold hit his rookie wall and hasn't been doing that well, while their receivers can't seem to stay healthy.
Add in the fact that Darnold is actually going to be out this week, and now we have an interesting scenario on our hands. I don't want to say Josh McCown is going to be bad on Sunday. But he definitely isn't going to be good. There's no Teddy Bridgewater in New York to save them this weekend so this could go south for the Jets offense quickly. The Jets versus the Bills could very well end up being a game of turnovers, and everybody should take advantage of it. I'd suggest being more confident in the Jets defense over the Bills, but if you don't have the money to spare, the Bills are still a great second option.
DraftKings Picks: Top Options for NFL Week 10 Early Slate