Daily fantasy football continues to climb in popularity as jackpots have risen consistently and more fans are joining sites every week. Our weekly article showcases players to target at three general levels of value: The big dollar talent (Heavy Hitters), the average-priced contributors (Average Athletes), and the guys very questionable players at the bottom of the cost charts (Sneaky Sleepers). Our selected players are based on DraftKings values as that is our daily fantasy site of choice, but the values should translate fairly well to any other sites you may use. We don’t share specific lineups or optimized computer rankings, but we will give you some great candidates for you to consider. We set this breakdown up that way because while winning is great, a big part of the fun draw of daily fantasy is mixing and matching your lineups to see how you can maximize your team. That and the fact that we are trying to win the same way that you are, and quite frankly, we don’t want our readers to all have the same exact lineups.

NFL Week 7 Recap

Things were looking really nice for the BetCrushers early in the day, before evening out in the late window. We ended up basically splitting on our lineups and netting out around even when things all shook out. The good news was our Star of the Week came through exactly as expected. Damien Harris punched in a pair of scores and topped the 100 yard mark making for a huge day and carrying our rosters that did cash over the mark. We had some other strong plays, mainly Mike Evans, and several tight ends that performed well on the much talked about “National Tight Ends Day”. The players that really hurt us were primarily Kansas City Chiefs, as Patrick Mahomes and his receivers failed to put up a touchdown against a poor Tennessee defense. We also were high for a second week in a row on running back Darrell Henderson in his matchup with the Lions, but the back couldn’t duplicate his success from the previous weekend. Had the Chiefs and Henderson not had their struggles it would have been a really great Sunday. As it stands, we’ll take our “push” and keep looking ahead.

Who Made Us Look Brilliant?

• Aaron Rodgers – 274 Yards Passing, 17 Yards Rushing, 3 Total TDs
• Davante Adams – 76 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Damien Harris – 106 Yards Rushing, 17 Yards Receiving, 2 Total TDs
• Mike Evans – 76 Yards Receiving, 3 Total TDs
• Derrick Henry – 86 Yards Rushing, 16 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Cordarelle Patterson – 60 Yards Rushing, 2 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Mike Gesicki – 85 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Myles Gaskin – 67 Yards Rushing, 10 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Robert Tonyan – 63 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Jalen Hurts – 236 Yards Passing, 61 Yards Rushing, 2 Total TDs
  

Who Made Us Look Foolish?

• Patrick Mahomes – 206 Yards Passing, 35 Yards Rushing, 0 Total TD
• Tyreek Hill – 49 Yards Receiving, 11 Yards Rushing, 0 Total TD
• Darrell Henderson – 45 Yards Rushing, 19 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
• Brandin Cooks – 21 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
• Robby Anderson – 14 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD

NFL Week 8 Preview

You can probably always consider playing Derrick Henry as your focal point each weekend, but he’s got a somewhat tough matchup on Sunday. With Henry being a questionable play, this looks like the first week of the season where you’ll want to consider passing on a high priced running back. There’s also some value play quarterbacks that are live, which means we’ll be spending our money at the wide receiver position. Approaching the halfway mark of the season, you can start really analyzing which defenses are susceptible, and who to avoid in matchups. The BetCrushers are staying away from teams that have trouble scoring such as the Jets and Lions. Consistency is key, and you’ll notice some familiar names that we’re targeting that have been repeat producers. Let’s start with taking a look at our Star of the Week.

STAR OF THE WEEK:

A nice comeback story for the Star of the Week as we’re looking at the Denver Broncos and wide receiver Courtland Sutton. The talented young wideout is coming back from missing most of last season, and is actually still rounding into form. The losses to Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler has thinned out the wide receiver corp in Denver, and Sutton has really had to step up. He’s developed a nice chemistry with new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and has led or shared the team lead in targets the last four weeks. Speaking of Bridgewater, don’t be afraid to stack him and Sutton so you can put your money towards some other high priced talent in your lineups. The reason you shouldn’t hesitate in doing that is the matchup they have against the Washington Football Team. Despite their talented front four, this team has gotten absolutely lit up in their back seven, specifically against the pass. It’s hard to believe that a team with that defensive line would be 31st against the pass, but that’s the reality. Play Sutton confidently as your WR2 on your roster this Sunday.

PLAYERS WE’RE TARGETING:

Quarterbacks:

Josh Allen – $8,100 vs. Dolphins
Matthew Stafford – $7,600 vs. Texans

Running Backs:

Austin Ekeler – $7,900 vs. Patriots
D’Andre Swift – $7,100 vs. Eagles

Wide Receivers:

Stefon Diggs – $8,100 vs. Dolphins
Deebo Samuel – $7,400 vs. Bears

Tight Ends:

Kyle Pitts – $6,300 vs. Panthers
T.J. Hockenson – $5,400 vs. Eagles

Defense / Special Teams:

Cincinnati Bengals – $3,600 vs. Jets

Quarterbacks:

Jameis Winston – $6,000 vs. Buccaneers
Carson Wentz – $5,700 vs. Titans

Running Backs:

James Robinson – $6,600 vs. Seahawks
Damien Harris – $6,100 vs. Chargers

Wide Receivers:

Diontae Johnson – $6,700 vs. Browns
Chris Godwin – $6,400 vs. Saints

Tight Ends:

Dallas Goedert – $4,700 vs. Lions
Tyler Higbee – $4,500 vs. Texans

Defense / Special Teams:

Cleveland Browns – $3,000 vs. Steelers

Quarterbacks:

Teddy Bridgewater – $5,400 vs. Washington Football Team
Taylor Heinicke – $5,300 vs. Broncos

Running Backs:

Khalil Herbert – $5,400 vs. 49ers
Elijah Mitchell – $5,400 vs. Bears

Wide Receivers:

Tim Patrick – $4,700 vs. Washington Football Team
Zach Pascal – $4,400 vs. Titans

Tight Ends:

Gerald Everett – $3,300 vs. Jaguars
David Njoku – $3,000 vs. Steelers

Defense / Special Teams:

Indianapolis Colts – $2,600 vs. Titans

If you play Daily Fantasy Football we love talking sports and we’d love to hear your take and who you like each week, find us on Twitter @TheBetCrushers and let us know. Good luck and enjoy the weekend!