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 16 Recap
Not a particularly great Sunday in DFS for the BetCrushers as we didn’t really have any of the “explosive” performances of the weekend. Our Star of the Week did just fine as David Montgomery eclipsed 100 total yards and scored, but missing out on a couple of potential goal line touchdowns due to some “cutesy” play-calling kept him from being a true difference-maker on the day. Jamison Crowder turned out to be the steal of the weekend as he greatly outperformed his $4,500 salary with a fun and dominant performance in the Jets upset over the COVID-depleted Browns. Looking further into some of our selections, we had a lot of guys who played fairly well, but didn’t carry the weight of a fantasy roster. See the stat lines of guys like Amari Cooper, Miles Sanders and Austin Hooper as examples. It’s disappointing to not have a winning day in week 16 as week 17 traditionally needs to be played lighter as there are so many unknowns with rosters.
Here’s a closer look at who performed and who didnt:
Who Made Us Look Brilliant?
- Deshaun Watson – 324 Yards Passing, 38 Yards Rushing, 3 Total TDs
- David Montgomery – 95 Yards, 26 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
- Jamison Crowder – 92 Yards Receiving, 14 Yards Rushing, 43 yards Passing, 2 Total TDs
- Travis Kelce – 98 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
- Matt Ryan – 300 Yards Passing, 2 Total TDs
- Mitchell Trubisky – 265 Yards Passing, 10 Yards Rushing, 3 Total TDs
- Tee Higgins – 99 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
Who Made Us Look Foolish?
- Jared Goff – 234 Yards, 0 Total TD
- Todd Gurley II – 16 Yards Rushing, 34 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
- Le’Veon Bell – 30 Yards Rushing, 9 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
- Dalton Schultz – 21 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
NFL Week 17
STAR OF THE WEEK:
Week number seventeen is possibly the trickiest to cap for DFS, at least since week number one. For starters, all teams with the exception of Washington and Philadelphia play in the 1:00pm and 4:00pm windows, which means there is an over-abundance of players to select. More challenging is trying to determine which players are going to play and who’s going to get partial or full rest. To take it a notch higher, which players are still fighting like J.J. Watt, and who’s planning their next golf outing?
Let’s start with our Star of the Week and begin by mentioning it initially seems laughable to have Kirk Cousins as a centerpiece on your roster. Yeah, we get it, so we’ll come back to Cousins in a minute. Realistically, this week is all about the running backs as the big three have matchups that almost seem unfair. If, and it’s a big if, they play a normal workload, they’re all in line for huge days. We’ll be fading Alvin Kamara though as a repeat of last week is unlikely, especially with the Saints likely not needing a win to make a big difference in their seedings. Giving you Derrick Henry as the Star of the Week is like us trying to convince you that the sky is blue or water is wet. Because we suggest spending your money on guys like Henry, and at the running back position, you’ll probably need to be more economical at the quarterback slot. Yes, Mason Rudolph seems like a sneaky value play, and while he could certainly toss four touchdowns, he could also completely flop. Cousins ceiling and floor are much higher.
Let’s examine Cousins a little closer and break down why we like him this week before we move on the rest of the player we’re trying to roster. If there’s one thing we’ve seen with Cousins throughout his career, it’s that he feasts on subpar teams, particularly ones that don’t generate a pass rush on him. The Detroit Lions certainly fall into this mold, as we watched their undermanned and less than talented defense get shredded on Saturday. With the Vikings eliminated from the playoffs, there really isn’t any pressure on Cousins to perform, so he should play free and loose slinging it around. Finally, with the game being indoors, it’s one that definitely doesn’t have the elements factoring in. With the Lions thinned out secondary, both Adam Thielen and rookie Justin Jefferson are also in line for big days, so you may want to stack one or both if you can budget accordingly. Remember, this weekend may have breaking player news up until some game times, so if you lock your rosters in early, be sure to check late updates to gain your edge.
PLAYERS WE’RE TARGETING:
Quarterbacks:
Lamar Jackson – $8,000 vs. Bengals
Deshaun Watson – $7,700 vs. Titans
Running Backs:
Derrick Henry – $9,400 vs. Texans
Nick Chubb – $7,600 vs. Steelers
Wide Receivers:
Calvin Ridley – $8,500 vs. Buccaneers
Justin Jefferson – $7,600 vs. Lions
Tight Ends:
Darren Waller – $7,100 vs. Broncos
Mark Andrews – $5,800 vs. Bengals
Defense / Special Teams:
Seattle Seahawks – $3,000 vs. 49ers
Quarterbacks:
Kirk Cousins – $6,300 vs. Lions
Philip Rivers – $6,000 vs. Jaguars
Running Backs:
Jonathan Taylor – $7,400 vs. Jaguars
D’Andre Swift – $6,300 vs. Vikings
Wide Receivers:
Corey Davis – $6,200 vs. Texans
Tyler Lockett – $5,800 vs. 49ers
Tight Ends:
Mike Gesicki – $4,200 vs. Bills
Hayden Hurst – $3,700 vs. Buccaneers
Defense / Special Teams:
Arizona Cardinals – $2,800 vs. Rams
Quarterbacks:
Andy Dalton – $5,600 vs. Giants
Mason Rudolph – $4,300 vs. Browns
Running Backs:
Gus Edwards – $4,900 vs. Bengals
Ty Johnson – $4,300 vs. Patriots
Wide Receivers:
D.J. Chark, Jr. – $4,900 vs. Colts
Tim Patrick – $4,000 vs. Raiders
Tight Ends:
Jack Doyle – $3,000 vs. Jaguars
Cameron Brate – $2,900 vs. Falcons
Defense / Special Teams:
Cleveland Browns – $2,500 vs. Steelers
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!
