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 15 Recap

As we can now likely expect down the stretch of the season, COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on lineups and game schedules. Our Star of the Week had to be scrapped as the Eagles game was postponed until Tuesday evening. Jalen Hurts would have been a nice play as he managed 3 total TDs, 300 yard passing and 38 yards rushing. Based on the players we listed that didn’t get sidelined, it wasn’t a good week at all, although there were a few bright spots. Our biggest wins came with our sleepers as Gabriel Davis and D’onta Foreman each put up some big numbers despite their low salaries. Some of the big misses came with banking on Arizona Cardinals heavy hitters Kyler Murray and James Conner, both of whom were less than mediocre. We also struck out with the previously couldn’t miss Cordarelle Patterson who was finally shut down by the physical 49ers defense.

Who Made Us Look Brilliant?

• Gabriel Davis – 85 Yards Receiving, 2 Total TDs
• Deebo Samuel – 29 Yards Rushing, 60 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• James Robinson – 75 Yards Rushing, 13 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
• D’onta Foreman – 108 Yards Rushing, 27 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
• Saquon Barkley – 64 Yards Rushing, 31 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
  

Who Made Us Look Foolish?

• Cordarelle Patterson – 18 Yards Rushing, 5 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
• Chase Claypool – 7 Yards Rushing, 12 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
• Amari Cooper – 8 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD

NFL Week 16 Preview

There is no greater advice that anyone can offer at this point in the season for fantasy football than check your lineups, and check them often. As always we’re going to get our baseline of players setup, however there are bound to be changes that will need to happen based on the everchanging COVID protocols. At the time of this article big stars such as Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are on the reserve list, as well as several medium tier and sleepers. As far as a game to watch, take a close look at the Rams and Vikings, which will be played in the comfortable indoors of the dome in Minnesota. We could see a lot of passing yards in that game from both quarterbacks and a bevy of wide receivers. Another team that could be in line for a lot of points is the Cincinnati Bengals. See our Star Below for more information.

STAR OF THE WEEK:

The Cincinnati Bengals have been a balanced team this season, relying on both the running and passing game to achieve their current 7-6 record. Sunday they’ll be at home looking for season sweep against the rival Baltimore Ravens, the team they beat handily in week seven. In that game quarterback Joe Burrow tossed for a season high 416 yards and three scores as he was efficient throwing both short and deep. You can never use the term “easy” in the National Football League, but on paper at least, Burrow has any even better matchup in this contest. The Ravens will be playing yet again boasting one of the league’s top run defenses, with a depleted secondary that will have trouble matching up with the Bengals talented wide receivers. This is an opportunity to really stack the receivers of the Bengals, and with Burrow there is potential to really put some points on the board. Being able to land a QB playing as well as Burrow for under $6,000 makes him an obvious Star of the Week.

PLAYERS WE’RE TARGETING:

Quarterbacks:

Justin Herbert – $7,200 vs. Texans
Matthew Stafford – $6,700 vs. Vikings

Running Backs:

Dalvin Cook – $8,300 vs. Rams
Cordarelle Patterson – $6,700 vs. Lions

Wide Receivers:

Cooper Kupp – $9,100 vs. Vikings
Justin Jefferson – $8,100 vs. Rams

Tight Ends:

Mark Andrews – $7,000 vs. Bengals
Kyle Pitts – $5,800 vs. Lions

Defense / Special Teams:

Philadelphia Eagles – $3,600 vs. Giants

Quarterbacks:

Jalen Hurts – $6,400 vs. Giants
Russell Wilson – $6,100 vs. Bears

Running Backs:

James Robinson – $5,900 vs. Jets
Clyde Edwards-Helaire – $5,800 vs. Steelers

Wide Receivers:

D.K. Metcalf – $6,400 vs. Bears
Tee Higgins – $6,200 vs. Ravens

Tight Ends:

Noah Fant – $4,400 vs. Raiders
Tyler Conklin – $3,900 vs. Rams

Defense / Special Teams:

New England Patriots – $2,900 vs. Bills

Quarterbacks:

Matt Ryan – $5,400 vs. Lions
Drew Lock – $5,100 vs. Raiders

Running Backs:

Ronald Jones II – $5,100 vs. Panthers
Justin Jackson – $4,200 vs. Texans

Wide Receivers:

Courtland Sutton – $4,200 vs. Raiders
Mecole Hardman – $3,500 vs. Steelers

Tight Ends:

Jared Cook – $3,500 vs. Texans
James O’Shaughnessy – $3,200 vs. Jets

Defense / Special Teams:

Carolina Panthers – $2,300 vs. Buccaneers

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!