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 .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 10 Recap

All season long we’ve been scorching hot in DFS and in particular with our “Star of the Week” selections. After a one week hiatus (James Conner laid an egg in week 9), we got right back on track as our selection of Tom Brady worked out wonderfully as TB12 threw for nearly 350 yards and accounted for 4 touchdowns avenging his terrible performance against the Saints a week earlier. At just the eighth priciest QB of the week he outperformed his placing and helped carry us to yet another profitable weekend. While we’re on the topic of the Buccaneers we have to give a shoutout to Ronald Jones II, who we had listed as a sneaky sleeper and active on our rosters. His monster touchdown run and overall 200 yard performance was a key to getting into the money when paired with Brady.

We had some other nice options listed for you as the game of the year between the Cardinals and Bills saw plenty of points from Kyler Murray and Josh Allen, as well as Stefon Diggs. When we look at who didn’t perform, the tight end position jumps out initially, but upon further evaluation, it’s simply because right now tight ends are not getting it done in fantasy land. That could be partially in part to George Kittle and Zach Ertz being on IR, and Travis Kelce on a bye. A further look at what worked out is below:

Who Made Us Look Brilliant?

• Tom Brady – 341 Yards Passing, 2 Yards Rushing, 4 Total TDs
• Ronald Jones II – 192 Yards Rushing, 8 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Kyler Murray – 245 Yards Passing, 61 Yards Rushing, 3 Total TDs
• Josh Allen – 284 Yards Passing, 38 Yards Rushing, 2 Total TDs
• Stefon Diggs – 93 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• Juju Smith-Schuster – 77 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• James Robinson – 106 Yards Rushing, 9 Yards Receiving

Who Made Us Look Foolish?

• Robby Anderson – 21 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
• Derek Carr – 154 Yards Passing, 4 Yards Rushing, 0 Total TD
• T.J. Hockenson – 13 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD

NFL Week 10

STAR OF THE WEEK:

We’re going to get to some players you’ll want to build your roster around that could lead the weekend in points in just a bit. Our Star of the Week this Sunday is a bit of a reach, but as always, we don’t need to tell you that Alvin Kamara is a good play. If we do, you probably shouldn’t be playing Daily Fantasy to begin with. As we digress, let’s get a snapshot of this week’s Star of the Week, the Washington Football Team’s wide receiver Terry McLaurin. To start with, his salary is very appealing coming in at just $6,900 which should leave you some room to add some marquee talent to your rosters. As always, matchup is critically important in DFS, and McLaurin has a really juicy contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jessie Bates has played well for the Cincinnati secondary at safety, but outside of him, the rest of the unit has really had their issues. That would explain the Bengals coming in at 26th versus opposing wideouts according to DraftKings rankings heading into the weekend. That number can sometimes be deceiving if a team has a clear lockdown corner that can slow down a number one receiver, however that is definitely not the case in Cincinnati. If we haven’t sold you on McLaurin just yet, would it surprise you to know that McLaurin is a top ten PPR receiver this season, ahead of guys like Adam Thielen, Tyler Boyd, Calvin Ridley, Allen Robinson II, and Robby Anderson? When you peel the onion back even further this Sunday based on the guys available (players like Stefon Diggs are on a bye and D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Tyreek Hill and DeAndre Hopkins are not able to be rostered due to being on primetime games, McLaurin would come in as the third ranked receiver behind only Davante Adams and Keenan Allen. Finally, keep in mind the fact that McLaurin has done all of this with a revolving door of QBs from Dwayne Haskins to Kyle Allen and now comeback man Alex Smith. Rolling with McLaurin may not be as risky as it first sounds once you’ve taken everything into consideration. We’re expecting 100 yards and a score at minimum in this game from him and suggest you consider getting him on your rosters.

Although the rest of the positions are a little muddier as a whole, the best advice we have on where to spend your money this week is at the running back position. That can include loading up on the big three (Kamara, Cook, Henry) or finding some lesser priced alternatives (ex: Mike Davis) that have friendly matchups. With some of the point machine QBs not available, you may want to opt for a bargain player there and hope for some success and take the more sure points at the running back position.

PLAYERS WE’RE TARGETING:

Quarterbacks:

Justin Herbert – $6,800 vs. Jets
Ben Roethlisberger – $6,700 vs. Jaguars

Running Backs:

Alvin Kamara – $9,200 vs. Falcons
Dalvin Cook – $9,000 vs. Cowboys

Wide Receivers:

Keenan Allen – $7,400 vs. Jets
Terry McLaurin – $6,900 vs. Bengals

Tight Ends:

Mark Andrews – $4,900 vs. Titans
Hayden Hurst – $4,400 vs. Saints

Defense / Special Teams:

Miami Dolphins – $3,400 vs. Denver Broncos

Quarterbacks:

Cam Newton – $6,200 vs. Texans
Carson Wentz – $5,700 vs. Browns

Running Backs:

Mike Davis – $6,800 vs. Lions
Damien Harris – $5,700 vs. Texans

Wide Receivers:

Justin Jefferson – $6,000 vs. Cowboys
D.J. Chark – $5,700 vs. Steelers

Tight Ends:

Jared Cook – $4,100 vs. Falcons
Dallas Goedert – $3,800 vs. Browns

Defense / Special Teams:

Green Bay Packers – $2,800 vs. Colts

Quarterbacks:

Taysom Hill – $4,800 vs. Falcons
Alex Smith – $5,300 vs. Bengals

Running Backs:

Nyheim Hines – $5,200 vs. Packers
Adrian Peterson – $4,000 vs. Panthers

Wide Receivers:

CeeDee Lamb – $5,000 vs. Vikings
Emmanuel Sanders – $4,900 vs. Falcons

Tight Ends:

Dalton Schultz – $3,600 vs. Vikings
Drew Sample – $2,700 vs. Washington Football Team

Defense / Special Teams:

Denver Broncos – $2,400 vs. Dolphins

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!