NFL DraftKings Lineup Walkthrough - Week 9
I mentioned in my WR/TE article on Rotoworld that this week felt awfully too easy. There were players that I felt confident in at every position and when I was building lineups, the salaries all seemed to work together. Generally, when I have a lineup that I feel great about, it is either a little over or a little under the salary cap, but that wasn’t the case this week. The salaries were nestled all snug in their spots, while visions of winnings danced in their thoughts.
Here is what my DraftKings cash game lineup looked like in Week 9:
Ben Roethlisberger: $6,600
As I do every week, I like to give myself a few different options at quarterback and then ultimately settle on the one that:
1. I feel the most confident in.
2. Allows me to roster my favorite plays at the other positions.
I narrowed down my three selections to Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger. I was able to get a lineup that I liked with Brady on FanDuel and I didn’t want 100% exposure to him in a potential blowout. That left Rivers and Roethlisberger. Even though I loved the spot for Rivers, it ultimately came down to weapons and Roethlisberger had the better surrounding cast.
Devonta Freeman: $8,000
At the beginning of the week, I was higher on Toddy Gurley than I was on Devonta Freeman. That slowly changed throughout the week, as every smart person that I trust in the industry had Freeman ranked higher. It didn’t end up making a difference, as I used both on DraftKings, but it did sway my choice on FanDuel. Anyway, Freeman was in a great spot against the struggling Niners’ run defense in what was expected to be an easy win for the Falcons. Game flow didn’t exactly play out as expected, but Freeman had a big day catching the ball out of the backfield.
Todd Gurley: $6,900
As mentioned above, I was higher on Todd Gurley than most this week. Most people saw the fact that the Vikings were one of the top teams in fantasy points allowed to running backs and immediately looked elsewhere. While that was true, the Vikings were actually ranked near the bottom of the league in FootballOutsiders’ run defense and in yards per carry allowed. I treat my touches in the NFL like I treat my minutes my minutes in the NBA. I was expecting another heavy workload from Gurley this week.
Antonio Brown: $8,100
Guess who my favorite play of the week was? I’ll give you a hint; it rhymes with Rantonio Trown. With Ben Roethlisberger back under center, I had Brown ranked right up there with Julio Jones and Odell Beckham, Jr., yet he was considerably cheaper than both. He has both a high floor and a high ceiling with Roethlisberger at quarterback, as he is heavily targeted on both short and deep routes. I certainly wasn’t expecting 17 catches and over 300 yards from scrimmage, but I certainly didn’t complain when it happened.
Michael Crabtree: $4,900
As I mentioned in my FanDuel article this week, Crabtree had been one of the best values at receiver when you look strictly at targets per salary dollar. For whatever reason, the pricing algorithms on both FanDuel and DraftKings kept him cheap this week and I didn’t hesitate to use him on both sites. Crabtree had a nice matchup against the Steelers’ secondary, he had been heavily targeted in recent weeks, and game flow was expected to work in his favor.
Stevie Johnson: $3,200
Alshon Jeffery, Jeremy Langford, Philip Rivers, Antonio Gates, and Stevie Johnson were all on my radar in the Monday night game, but Johnson was the only player that found his way into my lineup. With Keenan Allen and Ladarius Green out, Johnson was expected to have a much bigger role in the offense. At $3,200, he was hard to pass up on DraftKings this week. We will see how it shakes out on Monday night, but he doesn’t need a big game to pay off his salary.
Heath Miller: $2,700
I really wanted to use Delanie Walker this week. The Titans were expected to be playing from behind and the Saints have been awful against tight ends this season. He was the one player that I just couldn’t get to fit in a lineup that I loved. I settled on Heath Miller, as he was just too cheap. He was coming off of a big performance in Week 8 and the Raiders have been awful against tight ends this season. He was the one letdown in my lineup, but he didn’t hurt too much at a $2,700 price tag.
Mark Ingram: $6,500
This game set up beautifully for a monster game from Ingram. The Saints were large favorites, they were facing a bad run defense in the Titans, and Khiry Robinson was ruled out. Ingram is workhorse back in New Orleans and he catches the ball out of the backfield. While he didn’t have a bad game, fantasy owners can still be heard screaming after he failed to convert from the one-yard line twice. Each time, the Saints followed it up with a touchdown – one by a quarterback sneak and one to the tight end Josh Hill.
Jets D/ST: $3,100
I’m a Jaguars fan and I love the direction that the franchise is heading. While they have a talented young offense, they are still very turnover prone. The Jets are one of the best defenses in the NFL and after a poor showing in Week 8, I expected them to bounce back at home. They were also large favorites, which I always like when selecting a defense.