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Draftkings NFL Cash & GPP Lineup Daily Fantasy Football Week 10

Draftkings NFL & Cash GPP Lineup Daily Fantasy Football Week 10

Week 10 of the NFL features four teams on bye, and three of the four are teams that we generally like to use players from their offense. The Ravens, Chiefs, Raiders, and Eagles are on bye. Teams that are also not on the Draftkings main slate are the Seahawks, Cardinals, Patriots, Broncos, Dolphins, and Panthers. The slate features three teams that are more than 10 point favorites in the Lions (-13), Rams (-11.5), and the Steelers (-10.5).

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Get our NFL Seasonal package for 50% off for a LIMITED TIME using code “NLA5017”

Quarterbacks:

Draftkings NFL Cash & GPP Lineup Daily Fantasy Football Week 10

There are four teams implied to score more than 25 points this week, which is generally the mark we like to target for QBs. The Rams lead the league in scoring and lead the slate with a 28.5 implied total. The Lions are second with a similar projection at 28.25. The Steelers and Falcons are both implied to score about 27 points. These QBs should lead the pack in ownership this week a the QB position.

Matthew Stafford (DK $6,800) – Stafford is the third highest priced QB on the main slate and faces the Browns who allowed the league’s worst aFPA (Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed) (20.4) to quarterbacks, per 4for4. Stafford is coming off of a 25 point performance against a bad Packers secondary. Stafford has thrown for over 300 yards in his last three games and has reached value in each of those starts. Stafford is still relatively priced down due to the fact he played on Monday night and is at $6,800. The Lions are implied to score the second highest points on the slate, and because of their running back committee, Stafford typically accounts for all the team’s points. Stafford is a safe cash play and is also viable in GPP’s.

Ben Roethlisberger (DK $6,600) – For $200 less, you can end up with Big Ben who is in a great spot this week. He goes up against a Colts defense that has been vulnerable to opposing quarterbacks when their team was implied to score more than 24 points. The Colts rank 25th in the league in aFPA, per 4for4 and Roethlisberger, is coming off of a bye. My concern here with Ben as a cash play is that the Steelers are on the road. Ben historically struggles on the road and quite frankly hasn’t been good this season for DFS. Ben has only hit value once this season but comes in with the most upside of all the quarterbacks. I’d use Ben as a GPP play only and find the extra $200 to get up to Stafford.

Value Play

Marcus Mariota (DK, $5,800) – An exciting value play is Marcus Mariota. I always like playing Mariota for his rushing upside, and now that he has his Chris Davis back he has more weapons at his disposal. Mariota goes up against a Bengals defense that ranks in the middle of the pack in aFPA. He’s failed to meet value five of his last six games, but the bright side is that you get him at a $600 discount. At $5,800 he only needs 17 points to hit value, and we’ve seen Mariota hit that earlier this season with Davis on the field. Mariota is a sneaky value GPP play that can help you fit in stud running backs.

Cash game plays:

M. Stafford, D. Prescott, T. Taylor, M. Ryan

Gpp plays:

(all of the above) B. Roethlisberger, M. Mariota, E. Manning

Running Backs:

Draftkings NFL Cash & GPP Lineup Daily Fantasy Football Week 10

This is a FANTASTIC week to pay up for running backs! Le’Veon Bell is the top-priced back at $9,800 on the road. Elliott and Gurley follow with an $8,800 and $8,700 price tag, respectfully. And then we have a slight drop off in price with Fournette ($8,400) and McCoy ($8,300). If I’m ranking these, I’d go Elliott, Gurley, Bell, McCoy, Fournette.

Ezekiel Elliott (DK $8,800) – Elliott again avoided suspension for yet another week. While that’s great for DFS, it’s a huge headache for season long. Fortunately, this write up is for DFS and Zeke is in another great spot. Zeke failed to reach value last week against the Chiefs, but outside of last week, he’s been a monster the two weeks before that. Zeke has 88 touches the past three weeks and has six touchdowns to show for the volume. This week he’s going up against the Falcons who allow the 6th most points to opposing running backs in PPR formats. They just let Christian McCaffrey score 20.4 PPR. That’s why I like Elliott; the Falcons are among the worst defenses in the league to give up points to pass-catching running backs. However, for Elliott, there is a concern being that he only has five targets and two catches in the last three games. I like Elliott more for GPP’s, but Gurley is by far the safer cash game play. I just have a feeling that the game flow could benefit Zeke getting around 35 touches.

Todd Gurley (DK $8,700) – If you like to go for trends then, Gurley is the obvious play over Zeke. Gurley checks all the boxes you’d want for a running back. He’s at home, favored by 11.5 points, and his team is implied to score the most points on the slate. Gurley has seen 12 targets out of the backfield and has caught seven passes for 97 yards. If there’s any concern here is that Gurley’s matchup is tough on paper. The Texans have allowed the least PPR fantasy points to running backs this season (15.7). The Texans rank second behind the Vikings in allowing opposing running backs to reach value with a -5.7 +/- rating per Fantasy Labs. The matchup is tough, but the Rams could get up early and feed Gurley so I can see him getting 25-30 targets.

Jordan Howard (DK $6,100) – Jordan Howard has received a lot of volume in the last four weeks. Howard has received 99 carries and has gained 410 yards in that four-week span. He’s getting a lot of work for a back at 6k and should eclipse 25+ touches. The issue with Howard is that he’s not very active on the receiving end. But in this case, I’m okay with giving up that receiving equity to gain the rushing attempts against a Packers defense that has given up the 10th most rushing TDs. Howard is a nice cash game play as a home favorite.

Carlos Hyde (DK $6,300) – Sticking around the same price range, Carlos Hyde has also been getting an uptick in touches since their rookie quarterback took over. Last week Hyde went for 4x value when he had a team-high 11 targets and caught nine balls for 84 yards to go along with his 12 carries. The 49ers pass blocking is terrible, and they rank in the top 10 in run blocking. In a game that should remain close, the 49ers could lean on Hyde over Bethard’s arm against the Giants who rank 21st in aFPA to running backs.

Bilal Powell (DK $4,000) – Forte missed practice on Wednesday. If Forte is out, Powell will see an uptick in snaps and targets. He’s your ideal back in a PPR format so if Forte’s limited he’s worth a shot.

Cash:

E. Elliott, T. Gurley, L. Fournette, J. Howard, O. Darkwa

Gpp:

(all of above) L. Bell, L. McCoy, L. Fournette, M. Gordon, C. McCaffery, M. Ingram, T. Rawls

Wide Receiver:

Draftkings NFL Cash & GPP Lineup Daily Fantasy Football Week 10

Julio Jones (DK, $8,000) – Seriously, what is up with Julio this year? I knew the Falcons offense would regress without Kyle Shanahan, but I did not expect Julio to only have one touchdown through week 10. Last week was Julio’s best game in terms of yardage. He saw double-digit targets (12) for only the 3rd time this season and caught half of his targets for 118 yards. The Cowboys rank 24th in the league in aFPA allowed to wide receivers so if Julio is going to get going you’d expect it to come in a home game that could go back and forth. This game has the highest over/under on the slate so it also has the potential to shoot out.   

Golden Tate (DK $6,800) & Marvin Jones Jr. (DK $6,200) – If we expect Stafford to be the highest owned quarterback on the slate, it’s not a bad idea to bring it back with his two primary receivers. We saw Jones go off against the Packers on Monday night and his price does not reflect it, jumping up only $700. Jones actually leads the team in targets the past 3 games with 44 and Tate is second with 32. Tate is more of the slot receiver that racks up PPR points, while Jones is emerging as the bigger red zone threat. Both are in play here against a Browns defense that doesn’t scare me.

Robert Woods (DK $5,000) – Can I catch lightning in a bottle two weeks in a row? I’m not sure. But the Rams receivers are in a decent spot against the Texans who rank 29th in the league in aFPA to wide receivers. Over the past three games, Woods has taken over the target share for the Rams passing offense. Woods leads the wide receivers with 27 targets, followed by Cooper Kupp with 26 and over-rated Sammy Watkins has 16 in the past three weeks. There isn’t much separation, but Woods has returned value his last four games. The problem is that I will likely get my exposure to this high team total with Gurley and Woods is $1,300 more expensive than the past four games.

Value Receivers (I like these value receivers quite a bit)

Adam Humphries (DK $3,100) – He’s the T.Y. Hilton of this week. Nearly the stone minimum with an increase of snap count and a potential increase in targets with Mike Evans suspended for this game. I’m not sure if he’ll be popular, yet but he’s a clear value play to punt at this position. I’m hesitant because Ryan Fitzpatrick will be throwing him the ball and their team total is very low at 20 points.

Corey Davis (DK $4,000) – I’m a fan of Corey Davis for the talent he has. He had a very promising first week of the season, receiving ten targets and catching more than half of those but his progression was slowed down by injury. Last week he returned and played 75% of the snaps. He received five targets and caught two passes. I expect Davis to be on the field more and if you’re playing Mariota, why not stack him with Davis for some salary relief.

Marqise Lee (DK $4,100) – Lee has been the biggest beneficiary once Allen Robinson went down. Since week 2, Lee leads the team in targets with 54 and is averaging over seven targets per game. This week he faces the Chargers who are 17th in aFPA to wide receivers.

Cash:

A. Brown, J. Julio, G. Tate/M. Jones, A. Thielen, A. Humphries, M. Lee

Gpp:

D. Hopkins, D. Bryant, S. Diggs, J. Kearse, R. Woods, J. Smith-Schuster, S. Shepard

Tight End:

Draftkings NFL Cash & GPP Lineup Daily Fantasy Football Week 10

Eric Ebron (DK $3,100) – Again, back to the Lions passing attack. But this is just following my general rule of thumb. Which team is playing the Browns? Which tight end is starting for them? Play that tight end. Ebron has only scored once this season, but the Browns have given up 6 to tight ends this season.

Garrett Celek (DK $2,500) – Starting tight end George Kittle has already been ruled out for this game, pushing Celek into the starting lineup. In 3 games since starting for the 49ers, Cj Beathard has targeted his tight ends 18 times. The Giants are second to last behind the Browns for most aFPA to tight ends.

Cash:

E. Engram, C. Brate, E. Ebron, G. Celek

Gpp:

V. Davis, D. Walker, H. Henry,

Defense:

Draftkings NFL Cash & GPP Lineup Daily Fantasy Football Week 10

Defenses are the most volatile picks in a DFS lineup; I often recommend going with whatever is best for your roster construction. This week there are three teams as big favorites and are viable plays. The Browns, Packers, Colts, Texans, Bengals, Chargers, 49ers, and Bucs are all implied to score less than 20 points. Targeting any one of their opponents should be fine for a defense to play.

Cash:

Tennessee, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit

Gpp:

Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, New York Giants






Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 9

*Chris Durell*

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 9

For a limited time use code "NLA5017" to receive the rest of the NFL season for 50% off!

For a limited time use code “NLA5017” to receive the rest of the NFL season for 50% off!

 

 

Tier 1

I will start with wide receiver Julio Jones in the first tier. Although the Falcons rank in the top half of the league in DVOA pass offense(15th) and passing yards per game(251.1), it has been a disappointing fantasy season for Julio who has just one touchdown and has also only seen double-digit targets twice this season. Now he gets one of his toughest matchups of the season vs. a Panthers team that ranks 7th in DVOA vs. the pass and 8th in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts. he would be my separation play in this tier but would only consider if you are multi-entering. Both running backs enter this week as favorites but I prefer Todd Gurley on the road for a couple reasons starting with the fact Fournette is coming off an ankle injury. Both the Giants(120.7) and Bengals(111.9) have sub-par rush defenses but looking at DVOA ranks vs. the rush, Gurley has the edge as the Giants rank 24th while the Bengals rank 10th. The final straw is the targets as DraftKings is a full PPR site and Gurley is receiving 5.4 targets per week while Fournette is averaging just 2.9 per week.

Tier 2

Now, this is where it gets really interesting. First of all, we have the most unsustainable form I have ever seen with Will Fuller as he has just 13 receptions this season and seven of them have gone for touchdowns. That is about as crazy as it sounds but he does have one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league, DeShaun Watson, with absolutely full trust in his skill. He also gets an elite matchup vs. the Colts who have allowed the second-most passing yards per game(290.4), rank 30th in DVOA vs. the pass, and 27th in DraftKings points per game to wideouts. Fade at your own risk! Then we have another wideout in Mike Evans who has been a target monster since entering the league and ranks 4th this season with 9.4 per game but gets a tough matchup vs. a much-improved Saints defense that ranks 4th in DVOA vs. the pass and 16th in DraftKings points allowed to wideouts. It would also be a huge downgrade for Evans should his quarterback, Jameis Winston, miss week 9 as he is dealing with a shoulder injury. Stay tuned. On the other side of the ball is our third choice with Saints running back, Mark Ingram who is in a plus situation as the Saints are currently seven-point home favorites. The Bucs sit mid-pack allowing 111.7 yards per game on the ground, rank 20th in DVOA vs. the run and 23rd in DraftKings points allowed to running backs. Then combine that with the fact Ingram has been red-hot since the departure of Adrian Peterson as he has received 65 carries and rushed for 294 yards(4.5 yards per carry) in the last three games.

Tier 3

Only four options in the third tier but some tough decisions to make as all four get near elite matchups vs. teams ranking in the bottom third in DraftKings points allowed to their respective positions. Mark Ingram was discussed in the previous tier and I prefer him over Kamara who has received 10 carries just once this season and is more of a third-down back who gets work when the Saints are down. That should not be the case this week as they are huge 13 point home favorites to the Bucs who could be without their star quarterback. Speaking of questionable players, Lamar Miller is questionable in week 9 with a knee injury and was limited in Wednesday’s practice. If he plays, he is likely to be the highest owned in this tier anyway coming off a fantastic week where he scored twice. I spoke about Zach Ertz last and how I was fading him in the toughest matchup of the season for him was dead wrong. He continued to be Carson Wentz’ top target in the red and he also leads the league with six red-zone touchdowns, having caught eight of his 10 targets inside the 20-yard-line. This week he faces a Broncos defense who has had a ton of trouble with tight ends ranking 30th in DraftKings points allowed to the position. He is my top pick in this tier.

Tier 4

Now we jump into the quarterbacks and it won’t be easy as three of them(Wentz, Mariota, Ryan) face defenses ranked inside the Top 10 of DraftKings points allowed to the position and all but Cam Newton face defenses ranked inside the Top 15 in DVOA vs. the pass. Looking at each quarterback’s last four starts, only Jameis Winston has multiple 300+ yard passing games but has only tallied four touchdowns in those games and like I mentioned earlier, is questionable to play this week with a shoulder injury. The other high-risk option in this tier is Marcus Mariota who has 830 passing yards in his last four games with just three touchdown passes but is coming out of a bye week and is reported to be 100% after dealing with a hamstring injury for some time now. I am not at all interested in using him in a tough matchup vs. the Ravens who rank 2nd in DVOA vs. the pass and 2nd in DraftKings points allowed to quarterbacks. Like last week, I will turn to MVP candidate, Carson Wentz, who has been extremely consistent with 1,005 yards passing and 13 touchdowns over his last four games. He gets a tough matchup vs. a Broncos defense who hasn’t allowed a 300-yard passer all season but that should only help with his ownership in the tier.

Tier 5

For starters, we can eliminate Trevor Siemian off the list as head coach, Vance Joseph, announced it would be Brock Osweiler under center this week for the Broncos. Andy Dalton will be starting this week but he is also a scratch off my list as he faces the league’s #1 defense when looking at passing yards allowed per game(161.7), DVOA vs. the pass, and DraftKings points allowed to the quarterback. The next option that gets crossed off for me is Blake Bortles despite coming off his best start of the year. He just doesn’t have the targets with Allen Robinson on the shelf and also doesn’t have to force the ball downfield often with an elite defense and one fo the rookie of the year candidates in Leonard Fournette at running back. That leaves two sophomore quarterbacks who are both on the road this week with decent matchups as the Giants(27th) and Texans(29th) both rank near the bottom of the league in DraftKings points per game allowed to the quarterback. Of those two options, I prefer Jared Goff as the Rams rank 10th in DVOA vs. the pass while the Colts sit way down in 30th. While Brissett has the best overall target in T.Y. Hilton, Goff has the better collective group with Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, Todd Gurley, and Cooper Kupp at his disposal. I wouldn’t fault you for playing either this week, but I will be leaning on Goff and the Rams.

Tier 6

Like the previous tier, we can eliminate players and it starts with Kelvin Benjamin who was traded to the Bills and per DraftKings, will not accrue fantasy points this week. Another situation we will have to monitor as the week goes on is the status of Devonta Freeman who suffered a shoulder injury and was limited in Wednesday’s practice. Even if he plays, I will be avoiding as he gets a tough matchup vs. a Panthers defense that ranks Top 5 in rushing yards allowed(81.6 per game) and fourth in DraftKings points allowed to running backs. Wide receiver A.J. Green leads all players in this tier with 17.7 DK points per game but gets a very tough matchup this week vs. an elite Jaguars defense at home and will likely be shadowed all day by Jalen Ramsay who currently ranks #3 when looking at PFF’s cornerback rankings. My favorite play in this tier is Christian McCaffrey who is already getting elite targets(8.3 per game) and with Benjamin shipped out of town, could see even more volume moving forward.

Tier 7

Another tough tier this week as DeSean Jackson may be without his quarterback and also faces a tough Saints defense that ranks 4th in DVOA vs. the pass. The same tough matchups exist for Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram, and Mohamed Sanu who face defenses (Rams & Panthers) who rank Top 10 in DVOA vs. the pass. For me, I will be turning to Tedd Ginn Jr. of the Saints who gets a near elite matchup vs. the Bucs who rank 31st in DVOA vs. the pass and dead last in DraftKings points allowed to wideouts. The consistency hasn’t been there but Ginn is a home run threat and may not even have to face slot corner, Brent Grimes, who is questionable. The Vegas total(50.5) is one of the highest of the week and I am willing to take a risk here.

Tier 8

I will lead off with the tight ends in this tier as they both have shown consistency and upside. Cameron Brate is only seeing 58% of the snaps for the Bucs this season but continues to be utilized heavily when in the game as he has five straight games with 60 or more yards and has already scored four touchdowns. He gets a tough matchup this week against the Saints who rank Top 5 in both DVOA vs. the pass and DraftKings points allowed to tight ends. At the position, I prefer Jack Doyle who is coming off a 100-yard game and his second touchdown of the season but it’s the volume I like more than anything. He is second to T.Y. Hilton on the team with 6.9 targets per week. The two other plays I will be targeting in this final tier will be Panthers wideout Devin Funchess who has now become the #1 wideout in Carolina with the trade of Kelvin Benjamin at the trade deadline. The matchup is a toss up for me as the Falcons rank 12th when looking at DraftKings points given up but then rank 25th when looking at DVOA vs. the pass. Funchess isn’t going to break any long runs after the catch but should see 10+ targets and be a key in the redzone for Cam Newton. The final play I like in this tier is rookie Joe Mixon who somewhat broke out last week after 91 receiving yards and saw his biggest snap count share of the season at 63% vs. Jeremy Hill who seen is lowest at 13%. He also gets an elite matchup vs. the Jaguars who despite being a top defense against the pass, have been awful against the run and rank 32nd in rush yards per game allowed(138.6) and 32nd in DVOA vs. the run.

 

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!

 

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 8

*Chris Durell*

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 8

For a limited time use code "NLA5017" to receive the rest of the NFL season for 50% off!

For a limited time use code “NLA5017” to receive the rest of the NFL season for 50% off!

 

Tier 1

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

There are only three players in the first tier again this week but the decision is much tougher. Both LeSean McCoy and Julio Jones are coming off a week in which they reached the endzone for the first time in 2017 while A.J. Green had a down week in a divisional matchup vs. the Steelers. This week they all get near elite matchups and it starts with LeSean McCoy who faces a Raiders team that ranks 20th in DVOA vs. the rush, and 18th in DraftKings points per game vs. the running back position(113.9 yards per game). The Bills are at home where they have yet to lose a game this season and open as slight favorites(-2.5) and with the lack of receiving options, will rely heavily on McCoy. He is my top choice in this tier. If you are looking to go with a wideout here, I prefer Julio who gets a slightly better matchup vs. a Jets team that ranks 23rd in DVOA vs. pass and 27th in DraftKings points per game to the position. What scares me most about A.J. Green this week is that the Bengals are currently double-digit favorites which could take the game script away from Green as they could focus more on getting the run game going this week.

Tier 2

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

Looking at the running backs in the second tier, there is a case to be made for and against both of them. Melvin Gordon gets the much better matchup facing a Patriots team that ranks 26th in DVOA vs. the rush and 29th in DraftKings points allowed to running backs but Chargers are currently 7.5 point dogs which doesn’t bode well for Gordon’s projected carries. The good news is that he ranks 6th among running backs with 6.1 targets to game. For Ingram who has the lesser of the matchups vs. the Bears who rank 16th in DVOA vs. the rush and 14th in DraftKings points per game allowed, he does have the projected game script in his favor as the Saints sits as large nine-point favorites. He also sits in the Top 10 with 5.1 targets per game and has been much more effective since the departure of Adrian Peterson with back to back 100-yard rushing games. With all that said, I lean Ingram in this spot, even over Mike Evans who has been a beast with touchdowns in three of his last four games. The issue with Evans is the matchup vs. the Panthers who rank Top 10 in DraftKings points allowed to wideout this season and have allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game through the air(180.7).

Tier 3

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

Naturally, Tom Brady will see a lot of ownership in a pick’em format and it makes sense as the Pats have the #2 passing offense with 300 yards per game. The issue for me in Week 8 is the matchup vs. the Chargers who rank 8th in DVOA vs. the pass, have allowed the fifth-fewest yards per game through the air(185.4), and rank 6th in DraftKings points allowed to the QB position. The other seasoned veteran, Drew Brees, also gets a tough matchup vs. a Bears team that ranks 10th in DVOA vs. the pass and 6th in DraftKings points allowed to the position. Cam Newton has been struggling big time following his back to back 300+ yard games with just one touchdown in his last two games while not breaking the 250-yard mark. Matt Ryan also falls in the struggling quarterback column as he has not broken the 300-yard mark since week one and has just seven touchdowns all season. He would be my low-owned contrarian play in this range as he is starting to target Julio Jones more and faces a Jets team that ranks 23rd in DVOA vs. the pass and ranks 20th in passing yards per game allowed(231.3). My favorite play in this tier is young Carson Wentz who has helped the Eagles to the top overall record in the league. He has been dominant over the last three weeks with 794 yards passing and 11 touchdowns while averaging 28.6 DraftKings points per game. He also gets an elite home matchup vs. a 49ers team that ranks 29th in DVOA vs. the pass and 31st in DraftKings points allowed to the quarterback.

Tier 4

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

I suspect in this tier a lot of people will be chasing points with Derek Carr and Jameis Winston who are both coming off monster games. I am not buying into it as Winston faces a very stout Panthers defense that has limited opposing quarterbacks to the fourth lowest passing yards per game(180.7) and ninth fewest DraftKings points per game. Carr also gets a tough matchup going on the road to Buffalo to face a Bills team that ranks 11th in DVOA vs. the pass and 11th in DraftKings points per game allowed to the position. The Raiders wideouts also have some tough matchups as they will face E.J. Gaines and Tre’Davious White who rank 34th and 4th when looking at PFF’s cornerback rankings. I do like Andy Dalton as a low-owned option in this range but like I mentioned with A.J. Green, I think the game script gets the Bengals away from the pass as they sit as double-digit home favorites. My favorite play in this range is Philip Rivers who shouldn’t have an issue with game script facing a New England team that leads the league with 410 yards per game and sit as 7.5 point favorites at home. I have a feeling the Chargers will be chasing most of the game and that means volume for Rivers and his receiving core. While the Pats defense looked better last week, they still rank 28th in DVOA vs. the pass and dead last in DraftKings points per game allowed to quarterbacks.

Tier 5

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

Tier 5 gives us two elite tight ends with monster upside but the issue is they both get very tough matchups vs. teams that rank inside the Top 5 when looking at Draftkings points per game allowed to the position. I just finished telling you how Rivers was my top QB in the fourth tier so I naturally like the upside that Keenan Allen provides as his top target. I also doubt he will be the highest owned player in this tier either as he has struggled this season with just one touchdown(week 1) but sits Top 5 in targets and could easily breakout vs. a Pats team that ranks 30th in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts. Of the two running backs, I prefer Jordan Howard who continues to see the volume and gets a plus matchup vs. the Saints who are giving up 114 rush yards and 26.9 DraftKings points per game.

Tier 6

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

In Tier 6 we have five wideouts and Christian McCaffrey who has been used almost primarily like a wideout for the Panthers. His average of 8.4 targets per week not only leads all running backs in 2017 but would also rank him 13th if he were a wide receiver. He has not received double-digit carries in a game since week one but could possibly get a little more volume this week as Jonathan Stewart is dealing with a toe injury. If that is the case, he gets a nice matchup this week vs. the Bucs who have allowed 113.7 rushing yards per game and rank 23rd overall when looking at DraftKings points per game allowed to running backs. His teammate Kelvin Benjamin is my favorite target in this tier as he gets a nice matchup vs. a weak Bucs secondary that has allowed the third most passing yards per game(294.8) and rank dead last in DraftKings points per game to wideouts. I like the upside that the New England offense presents with Tom Brady under center but will be avoiding the situation this week as the Chargers outside cornerbacks ranks #9 and #11 out of 112 cornerbacks when looking at Pro Football Focus and rank 5th overall in passing yards allowed per game(185.4).

Tier 7

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

Combining opportunity and matchup in this tier, I turn to Pierre Garcon who leads all players(in the tier) with nine targets per game and gets a matchup vs. an Eagles secondary that ranks 28th in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts. The game script is also right for the picking as the 49ers are 13 point underdogs and should be forced to throw the ball a ton. I mentioned Kelvin Benjamin in the last tier and if you are not using him there, I would consider using Devin Funchess in this tier as the Bucs secondary, as I already mentioned, is bad. Both of their outside corners(Brent Grimes & Robert McLain) rank outside the Top 65 in PFF’s rankings. Nelson Agholor is also a nice high upside play in this tier. The floor is low as he only sees an average of five targets per week but he knows how to gain yards after the catch and reach the endzone and has done so in three straight weeks.

Tier 8

Daily Fantasy DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Who to pick, who to pick? --- Every week Lineuplab.com has the answers!

With the news on Wednesday that Michael Thomas is dealing with a knee injury, I like the upside that Tedd Ginn Jr. provides. He is coming off a monster week where he went off for 141 yards and has scored twice in his last four games. Even with Michael Thomas in the game, teams have been blanketing coverage his direction forcing Drew Brees to go other directions and Ginn has been the benefactor. In a similar situation, I also like Mohamed Sanu of the Falcons as the Jets are likely to shadow Julio Jones with Morriss Claiborne which could open up extra targets for Sanu who is coming off a decent week where he caught six of his 10 targets for 65 yards. The final play I would consider in this range is tight end Hunter Henry who has all but taken over for future Hall of Famer, Antonio Gates. He has seen 80%+ snaps in back to back weeks while has seen just 57% and a season-low 31% last week. In those two weeks, Henry has caught nine of 12 targets for 163 yards and scored a touchdown in the two weeks prior to that. He gets a nice matchup this week vs. the Pats who rank 26th in DraftKings points allowed to the position.

 

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!

 

DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 7

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 7

Lineuplab.com - Start Winning on Draftkings and Fanduel

Welcome back for another week of daily fantasy football. The decisions are really starting to get interesting no matter the format you are playing as injuries are starting to pile up across the league. The good thing about the Pick’Em contests on DraftKings is that the decisions are not nearly as difficult. Let’s jump in and break down the players in each tier along with my favorite picks in each.

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

Tier 1

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

Rookie Leonard Fournette is neck and neck with Todd Gurley when looking at fantasy points per game this season. Fournette has the edge in rushing as he trails only Kareem Hunt in rushing yards with 596(4.6 per carry) while Gurley has 521 yards(4.2 per carry). Gurley has the slight lead in PPR points per game due to his 5.0 targets per game and 245 receiving yards while Fournette is averaging 3.3 targets per game with 145 yards receiving. Of the two backs, I lean Gurley as Fournette is questionable with an ankle injury and even if he plays could be limited as Chris Ivory looked good as his backup last week. If you are looking to go a bit off the board, LeSean McCoy is likely going to be lower owned than Gurley and has out targeted both the other backs averaging 6.4 per week. It makes sense as Tyrod Taylor doesn’t really have many targets these days. He gets a matchup vs. the Bucs who could be without Jameis Winston this week which should help with the game flow giving McCoy some extra opportunities if the Bills can get ahead early.

Tier 2

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

The second tier gives us three target monsters all on the road. Fitzgerald has been the most productive this season averaging 10.3 targets per game with 465 yards and three touchdowns but has the toughest matchup of the bunch vs. the Rams who rank 7th overall in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts and will see a lot of Nickell Robey-Coleman who has graded out as a Top 30 cornerback via Pro Football Focus. Mike Evans has yet to break 100 yards in a game and comes with a ton of risk if Jameis Winston should sit out. He also gets a tough matchup vs. the Bills who do sit in the middle of the pack when looking at the DraftKings points per game but rank 3rd overall when looking at DVOA defense vs. the pass. Michael Thomas trails both in targets per game(8.6) but gets the best matchup facing the Packers who rank 20th in DraftKings points per game and 19th when looking at DVOA defense vs. the pass. He also has the highest upside quarterback throwing to him in Drew Brees.

Tier 3

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

Right off the top, I will be fading both Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston for injury reasons. I already discussed Winston’s questionable tag as he is dealing with a shoulder issue and did not attempt any passes in Wednesday’s portion of practice. Mariota is working on a short week after returning for the Monday night game and was limited in the sense that he remained in the pocket for the majority of the game and only attempted two rushes for zero yards. For me this week, it is either Carson Palmer or Drew Brees depending on who you chose in the tier before between Thomas or Fitzgerald. I will be splitting my exposure between them and favor Brees slightly as he gets the better matchup vs. the Packers who rank 19th in DVOA defense vs. the pass this season.

Tier 4

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

In the fourth tier, we get some middle of the road quarterbacks and all but Josh McCown face a defense that rank outside the Top 25 in DraftKings points per game to the position. Looking at the matchup and the weapons available to each, I favor Jared Goff in this tier who not has been the most productive but also sees a large gap in offense vs. defense as the Rams rank 5th in DVOA offense while the Cardinals rank 24th in DVOA offense. Alos, looking at Vegas lines, the Rams have the highest projected point total at the moment at 25.5 with Jaguars and Blake Bortles up next with 23.5 but I don’t trust Bortles one bit without his top wideout, Allen Robinson who was lost for the season. My second choice in this tier would be Tyrod Taylor who faces a Bucs defense that ranks 31st in DVOA defense vs. the pass and DraftKings points per game allowed to the position. He also adds the ability to rush the ball as he has done so 32 times this season for 121 yards.

Tier 5

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

For the record, I am a die-hard Vikings fan but will be avoiding both McKinnon and Thielen this week as this game has one of the lowest point totals of the week at 40. Not only that but the Ravens have allowed under 190 yards passing to their opponents and rank 2nd when looking at DVOA defense vs. the pass. When looking at the other two receivers, I prefer Jarvis Landry who has been Jay Cutler’s favorite option and sits second to only Antonio Brown with 11.4 targets per week. Kelvin Benjamin also sits with a questionable tag after leaving Wednesday’s practice with another knee injury. We are then left with two running backs who were teammates just two weeks ago but with Peterson being traded to the Cardinals, opens up more touches for both of them. In his first game with the Cards, Peterson went far and above expectation rushing 26 times for 134 yards with two touchdowns and looked like the “All Day” of old. While Ingram and the Saints have the edge when looking at Vegas(-5.5 favorites & 26.5 point projection), Peterson has the matchup edge as the Rams rank dead last in DraftKings points allowed per game to the running back position. I honestly don’t think you can go wrong with either this week.

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

Tier 6

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

The selection in tier six gets bigger but is not short of tough decisions. It starts with the injuries as Devonta Parker, DeMarco Murray, and Stefon Diggs all missed practice on Wednesday and are questionable to play on Sunday. Then we have a pair of wideouts who come with a ton of risk. It starts with Jordy Nelson who leads the league with six touchdown catches but lost his MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, for the foreseeable future. Then we have last season’s receiving yards leader, T.Y. Hilton, who faces one of the toughest matchups in the league against a Jaguars team who has limited opponents to 166 yards per game and rank #1 when looking at DVOA defense vs. the pass. For me in this tier, it comes down to one of the three other running backs and I am torn between Jay Ajayi of the Dolphins and Christian McCaffrey of the Panthers. Ajayi has the preferred matchup vs. the Jets who rank 25th in DVOA defense vs. the rush and 26th in DraftKings points allowed to running backs while McCaffrey has been a PPR beast as he leads all backs with 8.3 targets per game and has totaled 293 yards and two touchdowns. It comes down to personal preference and for me, I will be splitting them and constructing multiple Pick’Em lineups.

Tier 7

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 7 - October 21, 2017

The next tier gives us our first look at some tight ends and both have excellent matchups. Delanie Walker will be the lowest owned of the two as he is having a disappointing season, reaching the end zone just once through a rush. He gets an elite matchup vs. the Browns who rank dead last in DraftKings points per game to the position. Seferian-Jenkins has been targeted 19 times over the last two weeks, catching 14 of them and has scored a touchdown in both games. I think both make nice separation plays with the chalk picks in the other tiers but my favorite play in this tier is easily Davante Adams who was targeted 10 times by Brett Hundley last week after Rodgers exited the game and scored a touchdown. With most of the attention paid to Jordy Nelson, like most weeks, Adams should once again see a high target share vs. the Saints who rank 26th in DraftKings points per game allowed to wideouts.

Tier 8

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown

The final tier is another tough one and to start off, I will be avoiding Sammy Watkins who is likely going to draw shadow coverage from Patrick Peterson of the Cardinals. I think this is going to open up rookie Cooper Kupp in the slot to see possibly a team-high amount of targets this week in a much better matchup. I also really like the matchup for Duke Johnson this week facing a Titans team that ranks 25th in DVOA defense vs. the pass and the Browns have been using him almost exclusively as a receiving option. He is likely lower owned as well coming off a down week where he rushed for 40 yards and caught just three of five targets for -1 yards. This week it will be Deshon Kizer back behind center who he has been much more comfortable with this season.

 

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!






DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 5

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 5

Lineuplab.com - Start Winning on Draftkings and Fanduel

Week four of the NFL season is in the books and we now move on to the bye weeks. Technically the Tampa Bay and Miami have already had their bye week due to Hurricane Irma but this week four teams(Atlanta, Denver, Washington, New Orleans) will be getting a break from the action. With the limited games, the DraftKings Pick’Em “Early Only” contest is limited to just six tiers this week so let’s jump and take a look at some of the top picks.

Tier 1

The first tier gives us eight quarterbacks with a lack of top matchups when looking at DraftKings points allowed to the position as the Lions, Jaguars, Panthers, and Bills all rank Top 10 in that area. My top options in this tier is Carson Palmer who faces a Eagles team that has allowed the sixth-most DraftKings per game(20.3) to quarterbacks and the third-most passing yards per game(285). If the Eagles are unable to get pressure on Palmer this week it could spell trouble for the secondary as the Cardinals have a speedy wide receiver core with J.J. Nelson and John Brown and then have to deal with Larry Fitzgerald who may have the most reliable hands in the league. Palmer will most likely be the chalk here as he currently sits third in tags at the QB position when looking at FanShareSports. Next on my list is Eli Manning who trails on Carson Palmer in attempts this season after tossing it up 47 and 49 times over the last two weeks. The Giants are desperate for their first win of the season and Eli has the advantage of throwing to one of, if not the best wideout in the game with Odell Beckham Jr. The matchup isn’t great, by any means, as the Chargers rank 13th in DK points allowed to QB’s this season but that should only help keep his ownership down and that appears to be the case as he ranks 10th in tags on FanShare as of Wednesday night.

Tier 2

In the second tier, we get a nice mix of elite wideouts and running backs. For the wide receivers, Antonio Brown gets the toughest matchup facing the Jags who have allowed the fewest passing yard per game(147) and rank 2nd in DK points per game allowed to receivers. This has me leaning Le’Veon Bell who is coming off a huge bounce-back week where he rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns while catching four of six balls for an additional 42 yards. While the Jags have been dominant against the passing game, the same can’t be said for their rush defense as they have allowed the most yards per game(165.5) and rank 26th in DK points per game to the position. I am also in favor of rookie Leonard Fournette on the other side of the ball as the Steelers, like the Jags have been dominant vs. the pass but weak vs. the run. I talked about Eli above being one of my favorite quarterbacks due to the volume which automatically has me drifting towards OBJ who is averaging 8.3 targets per game. The only risk here is that he has been limited in practice this week due to an ankle injury. If it’s volume you are after, don’t discount the matchup for Keenan Allen who is likely going to see a ton of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as he is averaging 10 targets per game and already has two 100-yard games in 2017. While the Dolphins pass game ranks in the bottom of the league(28th in passing DVOA), I do like DeVante Parker this week as the Titans rank 31st in DK points per game allowed to wideouts and Parker is averaging nine targets per game and has over 75 yards in each game so far.

Tier 3

In the third tier, I favor the wideouts who all get matchups vs. teams who rank 25th or worse when looking at DraftKings points allowed to the position. By default, I lean Larry Fitzgerald as I mentioned Carson Palmer in the QB section being my favorite. Even at 34 years of age, Fitzgerald has not lost a step and still remains up there with the games elite. He sits fifth in targets per game(10.3) and has scored a touchdown in back to back contests. My second favorite wideout is Pierre Garcon who is likely going to be lower owned coming off a poor outing vs. the Cardinals but consider he had a very tough matchup vs. Patrick Peterson. Garcon is the leading receiver for the 49ers and is averaging 8.3 targets per game and has a good shot to score his first touchdown of the season. Of the four running backs, I lean Melvin Gordon who faces a Giants defense that has allowed the fifth most rushing yards per game(142.8) and should see some added volume after making it clear he has been frustrated with his overall touches.

Tier 4

We get a couple tight ends in this tier but I will be avoiding them as it’s a vulnerable position and both players get tough matchups s the Bengals and Cardinals rank Top 5 against the position. Of the two running backs, I lean Christian McCaffrey who is getting a whopping 7.3 targets per game. This should continue in Week 5 as the Lions have held opponents to 86.3 rushing yards per game which has been Jonathan Stewart’s department through four weeks. Looking at the wideouts, I favor Rishard Matthews who faces a Dolphins defense who has allowed sixth-most passing yards per game(272.3) and ranks 21st in DK points allowed to the position.

Tier 5

The decisions become a bit more tricky as we get into the final two tiers but there are a couple players who stand out. First of all, I like Duke Johnson over Joe Mixon at the running back position as he faces a Jets team that ranks 27th in DVOA defense vs. the run. He gets out-touched in the run game by Isaiah Crowell but has a rushing touchdown in back to back games and provides most of his value via the passing game. He has seen his target share rise each week with 5, 6, 7, and 10 targets and now has over 200 yards through the air. I won’t be touching Alshon Jeffery in any format this week as not only has he underperformed through four weeks, he also gets a terrible matchup and is likely to be shadowed by Patrick Peterson. I like Sterling Shepard and John Brown in this tier who make nice stacking options with their quarterbacks(Manning & Palmer) who I mentioned in tier one.

Tier 6

Things get even tougher in the final tier this week as there is no one name that stands out, which I guess should help level out the ownership. I love the speed of J.J. Nelson vs. the Eagles defense but he presents a ton of risk as he has taken the biggest hit since the return of John Brown who I mentioned earlier. I do, however, like his teammate Andre Ellington who is working in a committee with Chris Johnson and despite being out-touched in the run game over the past three weeks(36-12), has been getting the majority of the targets out of the backfield(27 last three games) and has piled up 157 yards receiving over the past three games. Despite a tough matchup vs. the Panthers, my only other target in this tier is Ameer Abdullah who scored his first touchdown last week on a seaosn high 20 carries and 94 yards.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!

 

DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 4

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings Pick’Em Breakdown – Week 4

Lineuplab.com - Start Winning on Draftkings and Fanduel

Week 4 in the 2017 NFL season is upon us and I am very excited to bring you a new weekly article looking at the DraftKings Pick’Em games. I will be breaking down each Tier and who is likely to be the chalk and who makes a nice pivot to separate yourself in the large field contests. When projecting ownership for fantasy, my main source is always FanShareSports. They track all relevant articles as well as social media mentions and put it all together in an easy to view “Most Tagged List” with sentiment ratings. It’s a great way to determine who is chalk and who will most likely be low owned. This week DraftKings has changed up their slate designations giving us just two Pick’Em slates. I will be looking only at the Sunday Early Only this week. With all that said, let’s jump right into the article.

Ezekiel Elliott - DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

TIER 1

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The first tier has three elite wide receivers and looking at FanShareSports, it appears that A.J. Green is going to be the chalk here. He currently leads all wideouts in tags with 16 and is one of just two at the moment with double-digit start calls. It makes sense as Green gets the best matchup of the three facing the Browns who rank 13th in DraftKings points allowed per game to wideouts(32.3). In comparison, Antonio Brown has nine tags(7 start) and Julio Jones has seven tags(1 start). While Julio holds the Q tag this week, he is my top pivot in tier one. He has seen his targets increase each week and is the only receiver in this group on home field.

TIER 2

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

We get three elite running backs in tier two and the tags are fairly close at this point between Bell(14), McCoy(12), and Elliott(10). Gameflow is huge for running backs and looking at the Vegas lines, Ezekiel Elliot has the edge as the Cowboys are currently -6 at home to the Rams while McCoy and Bills are eight-point dogs. Bell and the Steelers are small -2.5 favorites on the road but the total is only 42. Looking at the matchups, Elliott and McCoy get the slight edge over bell as the Rams rank 30th and the Falcons 29th in DraftKings points allowed to running backs while the Ravens rank 18th. Elliott would be my top choice followed by Bell who has torched the Ravens for 100+ yards and a touchdown in two of their last three meetings. He has also received 20 targets in those three games with an additional touchdown scored.

TIER 3

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

Tier three expands to five players with a mix of running backs and wideouts. As of Wednesday afternoon, Devonta Freeman leads all five players with 14 tags (8 start) with fellow running backs Todd Gurley(9 tags, 4 for start) and Christian McCaffrey(9 tags, 7 for start) right behind. Of the three backs, Freeman has, by far, the worst matchup as the Bills rank 3rd overall in DraftKings points allowed. Gurley faces the Cowboys who rank 24th and McCaffrey gets the best matchup vs. the Pats who rank 31st through three games. While McCaffrey is seeing split carries with Jonathan Stewart, he has been heavily involved in the passing game with 23 targets which trails only the Bears Tarik Cohen. Bot wideouts make great pivots as they sit fourth and fifth in tags in this tier. Diggs has seven tags and has been terrific this season with two games over 90 yards receiving, both with two touchdowns. Cooks would be my deep pivot play as he has seen just three tags so far and appears to have built some chemistry with Tom Brady(caught game-winning TD last Sunday) after catching just five balls on 11 targets in the first two weeks.

TIER 4

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

Tier four gives us a mix of each non-quarterback position and so far this week is very chalky. Each player besides Dez Bryant has seen double-digit tags on FanShare with DeAndre Hopkins leading the way with 10 start calls. He faces a Titans team that ranks 29th in DraftKings points allowed per game to wideouts and leads everyone in the NFL with 12.3 targets per game. Both Cook and Fournetter have nice matchups as well as both the Jets(26th) and Lions(25th) rank near the bottom of the league in DraftKings points per game allowed to running backs. I will be fading Gronk this week in both salary cap contests and pick’em as he draws one of the worst matchups for tight ends as the Panthers rank 3rd overall in DraftKings points per game to the tight end position.

TIER 5

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The first of two quarterback tiers gives us some interesting options. Andy Dalton and Dak Prescott are the only two that have seen double-digit tags on FanShare so far with Dalton having the best matchup of the two as the Browns rank 25th in DraftKings points per game allowed to quarterbacks. Cam Newton is having a rough start to the season after offseason surgery but gets the best matchup on paper this Sunday as the Pats rank dead last in DK points per game allowed to quarterbacks. If you are looking to completely separate yourself in the large tournaments I would consider Matthew Stafford who has just one tag right now as he faces a tough Vikings defense on the road. He does, however, lead all five of these QB’s with an average of 19.6 Dk points per game.

TIER 6

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The second tier of quarterbacks includes a bunch of young guys and the veteran Super Bowl Champ, Joe Flacco. The most popular choice will definitely be rookie Deshaun Watson who nearly took down Bill Belichick and the Pats in Gillette Stadium last week. He only attempted 31 passes but threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns while also using his legs running eight times for 41 yards. While the Pats rank dead last vs. QB’s so far, the Titans aren’t far behind ranking 29th, allowing 22.7 DK points per game. I have no problem eating the chalk here in this tier. I will be fading Bortles simply due to the fact he is the only one of the QB’s that is a favorite this week which takes away from his projected pass attempts. I will also be fading Flacco who has only thrown for 300+ yards vs. the Steelers once in his last nine games. My secondary option in this tier would be Deshone Kizer who has attempted 30+ passe sin each of his first three games (47 last game) and like Watson, uses his legs effectively with 17 rushes for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

TIER 7

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

Tier seven is lead in a big way by Joe Mixon of the Bengals who is expected to see a bigger role this week. If I had to guess, I would expect Mixon to be about 40% or more owned in this tier as he is the only player to see double-digit tags(18) thus far and sits third overall which includes all positions. The Bengals are also road favorites which helps the game flow but the matchup is not in his favor as the Browns rank 10th in DK points allowed to running backs. The Patriots wideouts also face a tough matchup as the Panthers rank 6th in DK points allowed to WR’s but they do have Tom Brady throwing to them and if I had to choose one it would be Chris Hogan who has much more upside as a deep threat. Adam Thielen and Golden Tate face off in Minnesota this week and I would lean Thielen as Tate will likely draw shadow coverage from Xavier Rhodes who has shut everyone down this season

TIER 8

DraftKings Pick'Em Breakdown - Week 4 - NFL - Daily Fantasy Football - Lineuplab.com

The final tier has two tight ends this week and I will be avoiding both as the position has been very inconsistent this season. We also get a choice between two of the Patriot running backs and game-flow makes the decision easy for me this week. The Patriots are currently nine-point favorites at home and projected to score around 28-30 points. That works into Mike Gillislee’s favor as he is the pounder of the two and gets the goaline work. Of the four wideouts, I lean Rishard Matthews who is averaging eight targets per week and has scored a touchdown in nine of his last 15 games.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions leading up to Sunday morning lineup lock, be sure to hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9). Good luck everyone!






Fantasy Football 101: Draft Picks Strategies and Running Back Concerns

Last week I wrote up a report on how to approach your fantasy draft before your draft day. Whether this is your first ever fantasy football draft or your tenth, that guide will help you craft a team that will put you in a good position to win your league with the proper draft pick strategies.

Now, being that it is “National Draft Week,” I’ll look into providing you with a strategy for wherever you may be picking, either 1-12 through the first five rounds in this installment of Fantasy Football 101. A lot can be pre-decided if you know where you are picking in your fantasy draft, but the later picks in the draft should generate some discussion.

Generally, a top 5 pick guarantees you a top tier running back to build your team around. Unfortunately, that’s not the case this season. This season the “top tier” running backs ranked 3 through 12 all have question marks. That leaves us with two consensus running backs, Le’Veon Bell and David Johnson. Those two will be the first two players off the board in 98% of leagues. There’s no justification needed to draft either of these guys in the first round because they’re so far and beyond better than the next best running back. I’m going to point out some concerns over the next running backs with their average draft position (ADP) within the first two rounds.

LeSean McCoy - Buffalo Bills - draft pick strategies

LeSean McCoy – Ever since the news about the suspension of Ezekiel Elliott, McCoy has moved up to the number three ranked running back. While McCoy provides lots of upside for the number three ranked back, he has some concerns heading into the 2017 season. McCoy plays for the dumpster fire that is the Buffalo Bills. The Bills offense will be managed by former Denver Broncos Coordinator, Rick Dennison. Dennison ranked in the middle of the pack in run-pass percentage last season with the Broncos, which is surprising considering they had a subpar quarterback for most of the season. It will be interesting to see how much Dennison decides to utilize McCoy in his offense that no longer has a receiver that could stretch the field. That is because the Bills also just traded away their number one receiver and cornerback, so it’s anyone’s guess what direction this team is heading and if they even are looking to win this season. The Bills could find themselves out of several games early and often this season, and that doesn’t bode well for McCoy’s touch numbers.

Verdict: McCoy is a talented back that has finished in the top three of running back scoring in three of the last four seasons. His talent isn’t questioned, it’s the team that surrounds him that makes me skeptical of using a top 3 or even 5 pick on him with the direction of the organization. I’d be willing to pick him as early as 8th overall.

Melvin Gordon – Like McCoy, Melvin Gordon provides a good deal of upside, which is why I have him ranked as my number four running back. He had a nice bounce back season after a terrible rookie year in 2015. With Anthony Lynn as the new head coach, Gordon could be a lock to have his first 1,000-yard season. The biggest flaws with Melvin Gordon is his offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked the Los Angeles Chargers as the 21st ranked offensive line in the league. The Chargers did their best to upgrade their offensive line by adding Russell Okung and Dan Feeney but whether or not they have a good year remains to be seen. Gordon is also coming off of a knee injury that cut his season short last season. He didn’t have surgery in the offseason, so that’s a good sign, but owners who are investing a top 10 pick would want to keep an eye on that knee this preseason.

Verdict: Gordon plays for a Charger offense that has plenty of weapons to keep the defense honest, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Gordon has a breakout season. He relied heavily on touchdowns last season so if his TD numbers don’t translate into this season he could see a drop in points. There’s no other running back on the Chargers roster that will take away from Gordon’s reps, and Anthony Lynn has proven to feed his running backs the ball with 14 consecutive 1,000-yard rushers in his career. I can justify taking Gordon as the 10th pick.

Devonta Freeman - draft pick strategies - Atlanta Falcons

Devonta Freeman – Freeman has been a pleasant surprise over the past two seasons. He’s a dual threat running back that plays for the most dangerous offense in the NFL. However, there are reasons to be wary of drafting him in the top ten. Freeman’s touches last year were down from his 2015 breakout season. Last year Freeman had 58 fewer touches than he did in 2015, that is due in large part to Tevin Coleman. Also, Atlanta lost their offensive guru Kyle Shanahan and replaced him with Steve Sarkisian. There’s no telling how Sarkisian will run this high powered offense, but that could mean that Freeman loses some pass catching opportunities, which hurts his value.

Verdict: Freeman is the more talented back out of the two in Atlanta. He received most of the goal line work last season and didn’t have to worry about eight men in the box with Matt Ryan under center. Freeman is a borderline top 12 pick in my opinion as the wide receivers available at the end of the first round are too consistent to pass up. He’s missed time this preseason due to concussion concerns so that would be a situation to monitor moving forward.

DeMarco Murray – Murray had a nice bounce back season last year after an atrocious season with the Eagles. Despite being 29, he didn’t falter with production, totaling over 1,500 total yards last season. The concern here is with his role in the team moving forward. We saw rookie running back Derrick Henry steal some of his touches last year, and he was producing with the opportunities. Henry had 123 touches and scored five times last season. Being that it’s Henry’s second year in the offense, you can expect to see him eat into Murray’s production particularly in the second half of the season. Aside from Henry’s presence, the Titans also revamped their passing game by drafting Corey Davis and signing Eric Decker in free agency. Mariota has plenty of offensive weapons now with Davis, Decker, Delanie Walker, and Rishard Matthews, so it’s fair to question Murray’s workload this season.

Verdict: Murray will still be the featured back in this backfield, but barring injury or a breakout season by Henry who knows what his workload could look like. The Titans like to run the ball, but with a revamped passing game perhaps the offense becomes more balanced this season. Nonetheless, Murray is still a solid option if you’re drafting at the later part of your draft. I see Murray as a top 14 pick in non-PPR format.

draft pick strategies - Ezekiel Elliott - Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott – This is pretty clear, the suspension really killed his ADP. After being hit with a six-game suspension, Elliott went from number 3 overall to a borderline second rounder, in my opinion. There’s no doubt about Elliott’s talent and supporting cast, but the fact that he’s going to miss half of the fantasy season puts teams who draft him in a difficult spot.

Verdict: Elliott was one of the few running backs that could look to improve off of a stellar rookie season. The suspension is certainly something that should weigh down his value, but if you do decide to take him, make sure you’re drafting Darren McFadden as a handcuff in the later rounds. There are too many solid wide receivers to justify taking Elliott in the first or even early second round. I see Elliot drafted within the top 24 picks, but even that could be a reach. There’s no doubt that he has the talent to be a top 5 back. But risking half of the fantasy season on one player is a risk too steep for me to get over. Elliott would need to fall dramatically for me to own him this season.

These next few guys I’m going to bunch into one category because they all fall under the same tree.

Jay Ajayi, Jordan Howard, Todd Gurley, Leonard Fournette, and Isaiah Crowell – All these running backs round out the top 12 of the running back position. What do all these backs have in common? They all play for bad teams. Every one of these running backs plays for a team that has quarterback questions. This leads to more men in the box and less running lanes. It also will be difficult for running backs to get consistent touches on a weekly basis when their team projected always to be trailing. It isn’t as if these running backs are multi dimensional. For the exception of Gurley and Crowell, none of these backs caught more than 40 passes last season so, for the most part, they are dependent on rushing yards and touchdowns.

Verdict: We know that each of these running backs possesses high upside. We saw Ajayi’s 200-yard weeks, Howard and Crowell had nice seasons last year for terrible teams, Gurley was an absolute stud two years ago, and Fournette is considered the best running back out of this rookie class. They just aren’t as safe as the wide receivers available in their draft range.

If I’d have to go with two of these backs, I’d say my favorite would be Gurley and Crowell. Gurley had a terrible follow-up to his rookie season, but now with new head coach Sean McVay and an upgraded offensive line, it’ll be interesting to see how McVay incorporates Gurley into the offense. The Rams offense added a few offensive weapons in Cooper Kupp and Sammy Watkins so if Jared Goff can make a leap perhaps Gurley can have another big season. Isaiah Crowell had a sneaky good season last year, which is why I like him. I’ve seen Crowell fall on draft boards because he plays for the Browns but here’s the thing. The Browns actually come into the season with the number 2 ranked offensive line according to PFF.com. Although the Browns are likely to be terrible yet again, Crowell has established himself as the feature back in Cleveland over Duke Johnson and should score the majority of the points that Clevland scores this season.

Recap:

The Running Back position is the most important position in fantasy football. This is a position where it’s difficult to find production when you miss on top players. This year is not easy just jamming in the top running back in your first two picks. Aside from the creme of the crop, the other top running backs have some issues that you should at least consider before investing your first pick on one of them. When you compare that to the depth of top wide receiver position, it’s tough to justify forcing a running back to your team in the early rounds. It really depends on where you draft and who’s available, so I’ll show you how I’d approach a draft based on the different draft slots available.

Live Draft

The picks below were taken from a draft that I participated in earlier this week where I picked 7th. I’ll add some input on each team’s picks through the first five rounds.

Team 1

1.01 – Le’Veon Bell (David Johnson)

2.12 – Dez Bryant

3.01 – Demaryius Thomas

4.12 – Larry Fitzgerald

5.01 -Jordan Reed

What sticks out to me is Bell over Johnson, but there really is no right or wrong answer here. Picking at the top of the draft is always difficult to find a solid RB 2. I can understand how this team went WR in three consecutive picks.

Team 2

1.02 – David Johnson

2.11 – Doug Baldwin

3.02 – Rob Gronkowski

4.11 – Danny Woodhead

5.02 – Jarvis Landry

Solid start. Again this shows that when you pick early in the draft, it’s hard to find a decent RB 2 in the first three rounds. I think this team made out okay by drafting Woodhead in the fourth round.

Team 3

1.03 – Antonio Brown (Julio Jones)

2.10 – Leonard Fournette

3.03 – DeAndre Hopkins

4.10 – Frank Gore

5.03 – Delanie Walker

This team was a prime example of drafting a player based on the need to fill every starting spot right away. Drafting Walker was a reach if I’ve ever seen one. Walker has an ADP of going in the 8th round and the fact that he got taken in the 5th shows this team panicked when they saw the TE position thinning out and drafted by need, not by value. Also, I can’t see drafting Hopkins over Pryor or Crowell, but maybe this team knows something I don’t.

Team 4

1.04 – Mike Evans  (Julio Jones or Odell Beckham Jr.)

2.09 – Ezekiel Elliott (Dez Bryant)

3.04 – Terrelle Pryor

4.09 – Bilal Powell

5.04 – Mark Ingram

This team took the chance to draft Elliott. Elliott was drafted in the late second round, which is right around where I’d expect him to go. My issue with this is that he didn’t do that great of a job covering his grounds by drafting Ingram and Powell, both are backs that split time and don’t have lots of upside. Ingram? Maybe but that’s only at the end of the season if Peterson gets injured.

Team 5

1.05 – LeSean McCoy (Julio Jones or Odell Beckham Jr.)

2.08 – Brandin Cooks (Dez Bryant)

3.05 – Marshawn Lynch

4.08 – Golden Tate

5.05 – Devante Adams

Out of the first five teams, this is the team to beat right now. One thing that this team did that’s worth noting is that they skipped over three pretty good wide receivers (Jones, OBJ, & Green). This team was set on running back early and drafted McCoy. In this case, it worked out because of how low the receivers dropped, and the team was able to draft a good WR in the second round. Not a bad strategy when you consider how deep WR is.

Team 6

1.06 – Julio Jones

2.07 – Michael Thomas

3.06 – Isaiah Crowell

4.07 – Alshon Jeffery

5.06 – Greg Olsen

Solid start. Would be interesting to see where this team goes for their second running back slot.

Team 7 – My team

1.07 – Odell Beckham Jr.

2.06 – Todd Gurley

3.07 – Christian McCaffrey

4.06 – Aaron Rodgers

5.07 – Emmanuel Sanders

First off, I was thrilled that OBJ fell this far in the draft. This was a no brainer for me, and I still can’t fathom how this happened. The one thing I did here that I RARELY do is I drafted a QB. But to me drafting Rodgers in the fourth round was too good of a value to pass up. The decision was between Rodgers and Tate, and I felt that Rodgers production was far and away better than the other QBs than Tate was with the remaining WR. Hence the Sanders pick that followed.

Team 8

1.08 – Devonta Freeman (Melvin Gordon)

2.05 – Amari Cooper

3.08 – Dalvin Cook

4.05 – Martavis Bryant

5.08 – Julian Edelman

I felt Bryant was a reach in the early fourth round, only because you don’t know what role he’ll play with this offense that already has so many mouths to feed.

Team 9

1.09 – A.J. Green

2.04 – Lamar Miller (Dez Bryant or Todd Gurley)

3.09 – Carlos Hyde

4.04 – Kelvin Benjamin (Alshon Jeffery or Aaron Rodgers)

5.09 – Allen Robinson

This team has a solid balance of players who are going to see a lot of volume. I have Gurley and Bryant ranked over Miller, but I can understand why he decided to go with Miller over those two.

Team 10

1.10 – Melvin Gordon

2.03 – T. Y. Hilton

3.10 – Michael Crabtree

4.03 – Doug Martin (Alshon Jeffery)

5.10 – Kareem Hunt

My biggest issue here is drafting Hilton this early. With Luck’s timetable up in the air, you don’t know what type of production you’re going to get from Hilton Scott Tolzien behind center. Also, Doug Martin is suspended for the first four games.

Team 11

1.11 – Jordy Nelson

2.02 – DeMarco Murray

3.11 – Tom Brady

4.02 – Travis Kelce

5.11 – Jamison Crowder

This team jumped the gun on Tom Brady and Travis Kelce. Certainly two of the top players in their position but this puts the team under pressure to have a strong back end of the draft at essential positions.

Team 12 

1.12 – Jordan Howard

2.01 – Jay Ajayi

3.12 – Ty Montgomery

4.01 – Keenan Allen

5.12 – Tyreek Hill

The triple running backs method. It didn’t seem to hurt this team as they were able to get some wideouts with high upside. Ironically I think the wideouts are safer than the running backs, though.