If you know anything about me, or at least have read more than a few articles, you’ll know that I have a few movies in my referential lexicon that I lean on heavily. Number one will probably always be Anchorman. I mean, seriously, within 17 weeks of fantasy football, San Diego gets referenced at least 17 times. How could you NOT go with the German definition when presented the opportunity? Rhetorical. Sixty percent of the time you do it…every time. So let that bring us to the present where I am yet again quoting a movie but this one might be before your time. I don’t know how young you are. Based on some of your texting-based understanding of the human language, I’m guessing at least 30% of you are of the ‘Y’ generation. Don’t worry, I can still understand what you’re saying even if you don’t use punctuation and end sentences with ‘LOL’ and don’t worry part two, I ain’t mad atcha nor am I picking on you. If there were ever a request for Samuel Johnson truncated, you’d have nailed it. Thankfully, my movie reference isn’t THAT old. Nah, I’m just looking back at The Neverending Story. I don’t know if it’s on Netflix. Damn, now that I say that I HOPE it’s on Netflix. FALCOR! But more to the point, Marshawn Lynch was one of the bigger disappointments for DK players last week but I’m here to tell you, dammit it wasn’t his fault! He had a TD called back and for what it’s worth, the Rams played a very good game, which limited his grind down yardage as he finished with a miserable 2.9 ypc and ended with a defeating 9.1 DK points on the day. Not quite what people signed up for when paying $7,100. Oddly, his price point hasn’t changed this week. Given he’s facing the Panthers – a team that is giving up 5,29 ypc to opposing runners – staying the course with Marshawn makes a lot of sense. Marshawn should be a good get for both cash and GPP given his price and him coming off a frustrating week 7. But that’s so last week, let’s talk about this week. Here are my hot takes for this week’s DK slate…
New to DraftKings? Scared of feeling like a small fish in a big pond? Well try out this 10 team league of Razzball writers and friends to wet your DK whistle. Just remember to sign up through us before you do. It lets us know that you care!
BTW, gonna do something a bit different this week. I’m gonna point out if I think worthy of just GPP consideration or both cash and GPP. BTW pt 2, most QBs are worthy of both if I’m suggesting them. BTW pt 3 which is more of an FYI for those in GPP: don’t overthink QB. On any given week, there are only 32 starting. The rest of your roster should provide the variance. Going with the chalk play (Peyton Manning in week 7) or the underpriced stud (Russell Wilson) is rarely gonna hurt you unless the rest of your roster is just too overowned. Moving along…
Andrew Luck, QB: $8,800 – If many look and see that red ‘3’ under the OPRK and think this is a bad matchup, you could be looking at the best QB play for tourney time since everyone will want the ‘better’ matchups of RW3 or Rodgers surrounding him. Guys get overlooked sometimes if they don’t get talked up (see Hillman, Ronnie). GPP or Cash
Drew Brees, QB: $8,100 – Drew dropped 342 and 2 on a legit Detroit defense last Sunday. Why would you look away from him against the Packers secondary at home? Is it because he’s so handsome? Understandable. Gpp or Cash
Cam Newton, QB: $6,600 – Well, it can’t get much worse, can it? Ok, yeah it probably can but man, banged up secondary that was already suspect and the Panthers rolled into Green Bay and dropped a dookie. It is proof, though, of just how fickle this game can be after Cam messed around and nearly got himself a double bonus of 300 passing/100 yards rushing the week prior. But I’m rambling. We know the potential for Cam to go off is there and neither Seattle nor Carolina have done well with controlling the clock this year. If you made the ‘mistake’ of starting him week 7, I suggest you go double or nothing week 8. GPP or Cash
Carson Palmer, QB: $6,500 – Since coming back from his injury, Palmer has had back to back 250 passing yard and 2 TD efforts. Not groundbreaking, I know, but he will be facing the Eagles who will get to face the Cardinals secondary: a unit that has given up the second most passing yards per game on the year. Why does that matter, you ask? Well, if the Eagles throw, chances are the Cards are gonna have to throw. We all know any Eagles game can turn into a shootout that scores you QB DK goodness (See Davis, Austin). Look for Palmer to hit his regular marks so far with a chance for 300 and 3. GPP or Cash
Nick Foles, QB: $6,300 – *Looks up at Palmer blurb. Wonders why you need a reason*. GPP or Cash
Geno Smith, QB: $5,700 – I know, I know. I wouldn’t say I’m a Geno apologist, per se, but I will point out the Bills secondary can be beaten and I think the Jets went and did something with their receiving group here recently. Can’t remember what it was, though…nevertheless, Vegas predicts a close game which – by the numbers I don’t have handy – typically means good things for the passing game. And before you scoff, you scoffer, I’ll say that Geno could have a 300 yard, 50 rushing yard game with 3 TDs. Consider this a mild endorsement of Kyle Orton but without legs and a banged up backfield, his upside is a bit more limited in my book. GPP Only
Teddy Bridgewater, QB: $5,100 – Someone had to go there. Tampa is at the bottom of nearly every passing metric. Second worst YPA at 8.4, tied for second to last in passing TDs yielded (and they’re the only team who’s had a bye of the bottom four), and dead last in YPG yielded at 295. The bad is he made that Bills secondary look like the second coming of the Seahawks secondary from 2013 and the Vikings still don’t know how to get Cordarelle involved. Yeah, this call is just fruity coco pebbles. GPP only
Lamar Miller, RB: $6,000 – Some may get scared off after Tate’s complete destruction of their DK lineups last weekend. Don’t be. Browns were without center Alex Mack and couldn’t get the run game going with anyone. The Dolphins aren’t the Browns. In fact, I don’t even know if there are brown dolphins. They’re that different from each other. GPP or Cash
LeSean McCoy, RB: $5,800 – The guy that rushed for 149 yards last time out coming off bye who was a top 3 pick this year is priced less than Lamar Miller? Ok, DK…he’s gonna be rostered nearly everywhere so if you go with him in a tourney, make sure you vary up the rest of your roster. The likelihood of him being the highest owned RB – heck PLAYER – on Sunday is about as high as Snoop Dogg is on any given day…or is he Snoop Lion? I need clarification over here! In reality, the matchup is bad but talent trumps situation many times over. GPP or Cash
Jerick McKinnon, QB: $4,900 – I’m telling you, I understand not wanting to go with Bridgewater but you will want some small chunk of the Vikings offense and for this price, Jerick – who had a 100 yard rushing game against the Bills last week – could easily cash. Keep in mind that if he scored a TD last week, it’s 21 points and not 15. Millymaker rosters are scoring around 230 to win. Divide that by 9 positions and you have about 25 a game. Yup. If ever there was a breakout week for Jerick, this could be the one. GPP only
Anthony Dixon, RB: $3,300 – Welp, it’s come to the 3rd string running back on an offense that’s middle of the road offensively and going against a stout run defense on the road in a low scoring game. Have I undersold it enough? Dixon could be in store for 25 touches. Let’s say 5 of those touches are receptions for 30 yards and he gains 60 on the ground to go with a TD. That’s 20 points. You don’t have to be a stud at this price, you just need to produce and Anthony has a fine chance of doing just that if he gets the higher volume of touches. Before you say ‘but, but…Bryce Brown!’ realize he’s very much CJ Spiller tendency wise. If the Bills give Bryce the bulk then clearly CJ did sleep with someone’s wife in the Bills organization. GPP only
Jordy Nelson, WR: $7,800 – The apple of my wide receiver eye this week. This game should stay close so you don’t have to worry about Nelson getting phased out early like you did in last weekend’s laugher. Jordy going 10/140/2 is a very real thing that could happen. He’s definitely worth paying up to find out for if so. GPP or cash
Mohamed Sanu, WR: $5,600 – How badly did Sanu hurt you last week? Did he make you cry? Make you break down? Shatter your illusions of love? Well, that’s your problem. This is DFS brochachos, get over it…but nice taste in music, FWIW. He’s got a better match up by the numbers and is still going to get the heavy volume in his respective offense. GPP or cash
Jeremy Maclin, WR: $5,500 – You’re probably noticing a theme here so far. Lots of players from a few teams. A look at the Vegas lines tells you what you need to know. The AZvsPHI game is at an o/u of 49. There are three games at 50 or above that most likely garner more attention. I plan on having exposure to them but let’s realize you don’t need me to tell you that GBvsNO is gonna be a high scoring affair. Pretty much every player involved is in play, that doesn’t give you much info to work from, though. For as good as the Cardinals are against the run this year, they’re on the complete other end of the spectrum against the pass. The game should stay close and there should be yardage to go around. GPP or cash
Michael Floyd, WR: $4,900 – By the numbers, Philly has one of the best – if not the best – slot corners in the game in Brandon Boykin so if you wanna get into the Cards passing attack, I’d avoid Larry and go with Floyd. If you wanna shoot down the AZ ladder just a bit more you can go after John Brown at $3,600 but unless you hear some coach speak to push you that way mid-week, I wouldn’t dip that far. GPP only
Percy Harvin, WR: $4,100 – I went to this well last week and…well…clearly no one was Harvin a good time. But hey, I’d say it’s fair that all signs point to Harvin being a little motivated to show off for his new team after all the anger management talk and getting shipped off for a conditional mid to late round draft pick. Keep your eyes peeled for any limitations to his usage for the week since he will be on a new team and learning a new offense…haha, that’s funny cuz the Jets don’t really have an offense. What’s that sizzling sound? Oh a burn! For serious, though, I’d consider Eric Decker as well at $4,600. The Jets offense actually looks exciting, I’m not gonna lie. GPP only
Davante Adams, WR: $3,500 – Don’t let the one target last week fool you. This game was over before halftime and the WR numbers stayed pretty neutral for that reason alone. He’s still the third option for the Pack behind Nelson and Cobb but in a game like this, he could still net you 6/75 and maybe a TD. You can build around that given the low price. GPP only
Justin Hunter, WR: $3,100 – If and only if Jake Locker is back, Hunter is on my radar. Check down Charlie isn’t gonna sling it where Justin goes on the field. Where does he go, you ask? Ten yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Sad days in Tennessee here. Gpp only
Greg Olsen, WR: $5,500 – Jared Cook was targeted 11 times last week vs the Seahawks for a 4/74 line and Lance Hendricks went 2/17 with a TD. Thankfully, Panthers really only deploy one TE for fantasy goodness purposes so squish those two lines together and you might get something close to what Olsen could do. GPP or cash
Owen Daniels, TE: $4,100 – Gary Kubiak loves Tight Ends. Like seriously, LOVES THEM. Pretty sure he has a calendar in his office and each month is a famous TE in the buff. And the Bengals love Tight Ends too. Or at least they love giving up points to them. Though they’ve only given up 4 TDs to them on the year, they’ve given up the most targets (74) and yardage (609) to date as well as the second most receptions (48). Though old man Daniels is just that – OLD – he is in a good spot to produce at his price point. If you’re not doing a Cam/Olsen pairing, I’d look to Owen. GPP or cash
Charles Clay, TE: $3,500 – Well, Miami remembered they had a decent TE on their roster last week and finally put him to use. Just in time to face a defense that has given up the most redzone targets to opposing TEs. Overall, going with a Tannehill/Clay or Tannehill/Wallace pairing isn’t ill-advised in my book and chuck in Miller while you’re at it. I might have a Miami vice over here… GPP only
Zach Ertz, TE: $3,200 – So what have we learned about DK salary? You go on bye, you come back on a discount. Cardinals should ask border patrol if they could station themselves around the red zone against opposing TEs at this point. It’s clear they don’t know how to stop them themselves. Gpp or cash
Eric Ebron, TE: ZERO DOLLARS – This is just me pointing out he’s probably scoring a TD against the Falcons and maybe catching 3 passes and about 40 yards but since London games are so ‘special’, you won’t get to use him. Seriously…a half hour more and this call counts. And he was probably $3K anyway. Not to mention firing up that Lions defense against a depleted offensive line of the Falcons…argh. I’m angry, y’all. In my mind only
Miami Dolphins, DST: $3,300 – If I’m paying up this week, I’ll take the team with one of the better secondaries in the league going against a QB averaging 2 interceptions per game. GPP or cash
Dallas Cowboys, DST: $3,000 – Let me say this: Colt McCoy is no Kirk Cousins so the turnover issues might not be there. But ‘inept offense with a bunch of three and outs early who are forced to throw near the end and getting slaughtered’ is on the menu. Yum! GPP or cash
Kansas City Chiefs, DST: $2,800 – Much like Dallas, the Chiefs control the ball, limit their own mistakes and rely on time of possession to help them win games. Meanwhile, Austin Davis and company are young and raw and I could see a game outside of the comforts of home turning KC’s way in a big way. Not sexy but I think they’re the safest play if you feel you have to pay down for the week. GPP only
