DraftKings Bargain Bin: Week 10
The purpose of this column is to feature players that are underpriced on DraftKings. In addition, I will be isolating players to target due to injury, and therefore are expected to receive an increase in usage. For additional cheap plays, check out Notorious’ Bargain Bin Ballers.
Quarterbacks
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, $6,600 – The Carolina quarterback is one of the most divisive players in all of daily fantasy football. Watching him can be quite frustrating as he’ll make an athletic move that few other signal callers can execute, and then miss an easy ten yard out pattern. Such is the life of rostering Newton. Cam is a preposterous 16th when it comes to the most expensive QBs on the board, which looks even more egregious when considering teams on bye. The price is clearly down enough, the matchup is more than fair, and with his ability to run, the ceiling is more than ideal for tournaments.
Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons, $6,300 – The “Matty Ice” moniker was earned through good play and was considered a form of flattery. If we were being honest, the ice sould currently imply that he’s been cold; as in he’s been downright frigid. That said, don’t fret as he’s coming off a bye week and its looking like a prime spot for a rebound week. No, he’s not playing at home, but Ryan does get the benefit of an extremely tasty matchup. The Buccaneers have the 30th ranked pass coverage according to Pro Football Focus and have allowed the 31st most passing yards per game (285.3). If Matt doesn’t turn it around this week, its just not going to happen.
Running Backs
Ronnie Hillman, Denver Broncos, $6,100 – It appears that Montee Ball is a modern day Wally Pipp. Years back, Wally was a New York Yankee who lost got injured, only to never get it back. Ronnie is playing the role of Lou Gehrig in this little scenario, and while I’m not suggesting he’ll be a future Hall of Famer, he’s been exceptional since taking over as the Denver starting running back. There is a chance that Montee comes back this week, but I don’t anticipate that he will put a huge dent in Ronnie’s usage. He’s averaged over 22 DraftKings points in his last four contests, with Oakland up next. The Raiders yield the 4th most DK points to running backs according to the RotoGrinders Defense vs Position Rankings so I don’t suspect his streak stops this week.
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles, $5,600 – You will notice that many players seem to be a bit underpriced on DraftKings this week. Few come with a more appealing asking price than Mr McCoy. He has not scored a touchdown since Week 2 which is pretty shocking when considering his usage. This is a product of variance more than anything as LeSean has had at least 24 touches in his last four games. Touchdownss can be fickle, so I’m not overreacting to the lack of scores. Just be happy that you can now play him at such a suppressed price.
Wide Receivers
Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers, $4,200 – There are so many tempting wide receiver price tags/matchups this weekend. The aforementioned Julio Jones, Jordy Nelson, and Brandon Marshall are just several. Of all the excellent options, Benjamin just might be the most tempting. I get that he is coming off a rough game, but seeing the talented rookie’s salary tumble to this level feels a little extreme. I did recommend Cam Newton, and pairing your quarterback with a receiving option is DFS 101. With that in mind, I’m loving the prospect of rolling out the Newton to Benjamin combination for the low price of $10,800.
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons, $6,600 – Alright, so I’m doubling down on the idea of packaging my wide receivers with previously highlighted quarterbacks. I said it once already, but it demands repeating; Tampa Bay is atrocious in the secondary as they have yielded over 285 yards through the air per game. He’s been quiet, but you’re not going to convince me that Jones should just be the 9th most expensive WR on the board (especially with six teams on bye). Take advantage of this discounted price while you can and lock Julio in your lineups.
TIGHT END
Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos, $4,900 – While I’m going to try and pay all the way for a priced down (although a little too pricey for this article) Jimmy Graham, Julius doesn’t make for a bad consolation prize. The reasoning for his price drop? Thomas is more touchdown dependent than most and he’s been held scoreless in two of his last three contests while racking up minimal yards. That’ll do it. That said, the Broncos are slated to pile up a slew of points this week against the hapless Raiders. Denver is a massive Vegas favorite (11 points) with a team total hovering in the area of 30 or so. It’s safe to say that the offense, including Thomas, is bringing its appetite to Oakland this Sunday.
DEFENSE
Arizona Cardinals, $3,400 – This may be an article about finding value, but the price difference between the cheapest defense versus the most expensive is so incremental, that it makes sense to splurge and pay up a little bit. Arizona has not been as good as they’ve been in years past, but have you seen the “skill” players on the Rams? Kenny Britt and Austin Davis headline their offense by default, and it only goes down from there. Vegas also points us in the direction of the Cards as they are seven point favorites in one of the lowest over/under numbers of the week (43) which further justifies the Cardinal’s consideration.