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 6 Recap

If we learned anything last week, it’s that finding the right combination in daily fantasy football can be very humbling. During week five we had a huge list of high-performing players, but whiffed on our Star of the Week, which crushed our chances of profits. Week six became the complete opposite, as we nailed the Star of the Week, but couldn’t pair that with the right marquee talent. Rhamondre Stevenson scored a pair of touchdowns, but in reality should have scored at least one more. He had two carries from the one yard line, and was stuffed both times. Ultimately, even a third score wouldn’t have helped us as we simply didn’t get enough production at the other positions. Hopefully you at least tailed the Stevenson play and he helped your teams Sunday.

These Players Made Us Look Good:

Kenneth Walker II – 97 Yards Rushing, 42 Yards Rushing, 4 Total TDs
Rhamondre Stevenson – 76 Yards Rushing Receiving, 13 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD
Gabriel Davis – 74 Yards Receiving, 1 Total TD

These Players Made Us Look Foolish:

Geno Smith – 197 Yards Passing, 48 Yards Rushing, 0 Total TD
Aaron Jones – 19 Yards Rushing, 25 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD
Eno Benjamin – 37 Yards Rushing, 28 Receiving Yards, 0 Total TD
Tyler Higbee – 7 Yards Receiving, 0 Total TD

NFL Week 7 Preview

For the first week of the season there are some big names and producers sidelined with with bye weeks. While that limits some of the higher priced talent, it increases the importance of finding those players who will get you points in the middle tiers. It also means you may decide to get creative with your rosters, as even grabbing the correct quarterback or receiver could be a little less efficient with a higher percentage of people owning them. For this week we’re going to use our flex spot on the running back position as guys like Josh Jacobs and our Star of the week deserve a spot, along with a bigger name like a Derrick Henry, Nick Chubb or Saquon Barkley.

Before we highlight our three levels of talent, let’s look at our projected star of the week:

STAR OF THE WEEK:

With Rashaad Penny out for the season in Seattle, Kenneth Walker III instantly vaulted onto the fantasy football scene. The former Michigan State star is now not only a legitimate starting running back, but should get as many carries as any back in the league moving forward. The Seahawks fly south to Los Angeles to face a Chargers team in what should be one of the higher scoring games of the weekend. The Chargers are allowing a league worst 5.6 yards per carry and are playing on a short week with some question marks on the defensive side of the ball. Walker should be in for a productive day, and with his $5,800 price tag we’ll be building around him on Sunday.

Quarterbacks:

Lamar Jackson – $8,000 vs. Browns
Justin Herbert – $7,200 vs. Seahawks

Running Backs:

Derrick Henry – $8,200 vs. Colts
Saquon Barkley – $7,900 vs. Jaguars

Wide Receivers:

Davante Adams – $8,700 vs. Texans
Deebo Samuel – $7,600 vs. Chiefs

Tight Ends:

Mark Andrews – $7,400 vs. Browns
David Njoku- $4,200 vs. Ravens

Defense / Special Teams:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $3,900 vs. Panthers

Quarterbacks:

Derek Carr – $5,900 vs. Texans
Geno Smith – $5,600 vs. Chargers

Running Backs:

Josh Jacobs – $6,500 vs. Texans
Ezekiel Elliott – $6,000 vs. Lions

Wide Receivers:

Tee Higgins – $6,400 vs. Falcons
Tyler Lockett – $5,800 vs. Chargers

Tight Ends:

Gerald Everett – $4,000 vs. Seahawks
Hayden Hurst – $3,500 vs. Falcons

Defense / Special Teams:

Tennessee Titans – $3,000 vs. Colts

Quarterbacks:

Jimmy Garoppolo – $5,500 vs. Chiefs
Matt Ryan – $5,400 – vs. Titans

Running Backs:

Travis Etienne, Jr. – $5,400 vs. Giants
Kenyan Drake – $5,100 vs. Browns

Wide Receivers:

Michael Gallup – $5,100 vs. Lions
Alec Pierce – $4,600 vs. Titans

Tight Ends:

Evan Engram – $3,300 vs. Giants
Greg Dulcich – $2,500 vs. Jets

Defense / Special Teams:

New York Jets – $2,600 vs. Broncos

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!