NFL DraftKings Lineup Walkthrough - Week 15
It was an interesting week of football. We had some great games, some blowouts, and a lot of high scores in the DFS world. I had a couple of duds in my DraftKings’ lineup this week, which means I am going to need some Monday night magic in order to cash. Luckily, there should be plenty of points scored between the Lions and Saints in New Orleans.
Drew Brees (vs. Detroit Lions)
Quarterback wasn’t as cut and dry for me this week as it usually is. There were a number of quarterbacks on my radar, including Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Carson Palmer, and Matthew Stafford. I ended up on Brees, because he is almost always a safe bet at home. I liked his chances to top the 300-yard mark against the Lions, especially since the Saints are highly unlikely to give the ball to Tim Hightower 30 times again.
Adrian Peterson (vs. Chicago Bears)
Peterson was an obvious play this week. I knew that I wanted to have some exposure to him this week, but couldn’t decide if I wanted to use him on FanDuel or DraftKings. Once Spencer Ware was declared the emergency back in Kansas City, it made my decision a little easier, as Charcandrick West was only $5,900 on FanDuel. That led to Peterson being on my DraftKings team. His injury ended up killing his fantasy outing, but it was a dream matchup on paper.
Denard Robinson (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
I was torn between Charcandrick West and Denard Robinson this week. Since I already had exposure to West on FanDuel, I decided to go with Robinson on DraftKings. He was filling in for the injured T.J. Yeldon and was expected to be the workhorse back. The Jaguars have failed to give their backs carries in the redzone this season, but they are always involved in the passing game, which was a nice boost on a full-PPR site.
Michael Floyd (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
Floyd was everyone’s favorite value play at receiver this week. He had been very good in his previous five games and he was facing an Eagles’ secondary that had been burned deep on a number of occasions this season. Floyd was too cheap for his recent level of production and the matchup was just icing on the cake. He ended up having a decent game, but he failed to find the endzone.
Calvin Johnson (vs. New Orleans Saints)
Earlier in the week, I thought the Saints would use Delvin Breaux to shadow Johnson. However, as the week progressed, it became clear that Johnson will run most of his routes against Brandon Browner, who has been one of the worst corners in the NFL this season. I was still a little worried about Johnson’s questionable tag, which is why I only used him on DraftKings. That way, if he ends up being a late scratch, I can always swap to Golden Tate.
Julio Jones (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Jones has been on my radar for weeks. Despite seeing an absurd number of targets, he hadn’t scored a touchdown in more than a month. We knew that was going to change soon and many expected it to come against a beatable Jaguars’ secondary. Jones ended up having a big day, although the Falcons didn’t go to him nearly as often in the second half.
Heath Miller (vs. Denver Broncos)
Miller was probably my biggest disappointment of the week. Adrian Peterson would take the cake, but injuries happen and we have to just deal with them. I was expecting a big game from Miller. The Broncos haven’t allowed many touchdowns to tight ends, but they have given up a lot of yards to the position. With the Steelers’ wide receivers locked up in tough matchups against the Broncos’ cornerbacks, I figured Miller would be a big part of the game plan. Unfortunately, the Steelers couldn’t protect Ben Roethlisberger early in the game and Miller ended up being an extra pass-blocker for the majority of their plays.
David Johnson (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
Johnson was a no-brainer for me this week. He has seen 24+ touches in every start and he was facing a very beatable Eagles’ defense. Johnson has that breakout type of potential and we finally saw that on Sunday night. He finished with over 220 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. If I somehow end up cashing this week, it will be thanks to this man.
Houston Texans (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
I was debating between the Seahawks and Texans at defense this week. Ultimately, $4,200 was just too much for me to spend on a defense, which is a position that relies so heavily on sacks and turnovers. I felt that the Texans had just as good of a chance at creating turnovers against a hobbled Matt Hasselbeck.