By The Hudsonian, Joshua Hudson
Now that Week One is in the books, we now have an idea of who some of our fantasy players really are. Or maybe we don’t. Truthfully, it’s all a guessing game.
The Rams play the horrible 49ers? The Rams defense should have a field day! Then they give up 28 points.
Derek Carr plays a horrible Saints secondary. He should go for 50! He gets half that. His counter part, Drew Brees, is facing a revamped Raiders defense. He won’t crack 20! Bress throws for 4 TDs.
Russell Wilson is the next great QB in the NFL and he should torch the Dolphins! One touchdown pass. And it took 58 minutes to get that.
Nothing makes sense. Ever.
The same rules apply to Daily Fantasy. A lot of numbers and statistics go into it. Maybe you can find a pay site to get the in depth knowledge needed to beat the system. One thing those stats will never give you? Game plans during games sometime change in a split second. Crazy how that works.
So how did The Hudsonian do with his DFS lineups last week? I won $5, and I spend $1. How’s that McDonald’s value meal tasting?! Kidding. Sort of.
This week, I’m going to structure this column a little differently. It’s new and we’re experimenting. Bare with me.
Below are a list of great values I like on both FanDuel and DraftKings. This time, FD means FanDuel and DK means DraftKings. Less guessing with that. I’ll break it down by position.
QB
Eli Manning (FD $8100/DK $7600) – He’s my number 1 QB this week, and he’s 9th highest on FD and 5th on DK. I touted him as one of my big confidence plays, and if you can pony up for him, do it. The downside? You won’t be the only one with him in your lineup. Likely to be highly owned.
Derek Carr (FD $8300/DK $7200) – He’s my number 9 QB this week, but we saw what Jameis Winston did to the Falcons last week, yes? I think he has good value and likely won’t be as highly owned as some of the bigger names.
Blake Bortles (FD $8100/DK $6700) – He’s a better value on DraftKings, but he’s also my number 4 QB this week. If Alex Smith can torch the Chargers defense, Bortles can demolish them with better weapons on the outside. He and Allen Robinson are definite targets of mine this week.
If you’re looking for cheap options – Trevor Siemian (FD $6400/DK $5200) is facing a Colts defense without it’s top corners. Their secondary is bad and Emmanuel Sanders should be busy against them. Could be a sneaky cheap play… Josh McCown (FD $6000/DK $5000) replaces RGIII as the Browns QB, and he lit up the Ravens last year. Over 400 yards passing in their first meeting. He’s cheap, and he plays the Ravens this week.
RB
Ezekiel Elliott (FD $7900/DK $7300) – The price is high, but as evidenced by their week 1 loss to the Giants, they’re going to feed him. He had 20 rushes, and if they don’t abandon the run, he likely gets more. The Redskins just gave up almost 200 yards to DeAngelo Williams, and the Cowboys offensive line is better than the Steelers line. I think Elliott gives us his “welcome to the NFL” moment in this game.
DeAngelo Williams (FD $7600/DK $7100) – I don’t care who he’s facing. I want him in my lineup. Problem is, so do most people. High ownership, but he’s worth it.
Spencer Ware (FD $6800/DK $6100) – Still a great price, and they’re going to feed him. The Texans have a good defense, but he can hurt them in the air too. Another with likely high ownership, use him in 50/50s more so than tournaments.
Danny Woodhead (FD $6400/DK $5200) – This is just criminal. He’s more valuable in DraftKings as they provide a full point per reception, but he’s great value in both. He exploded after Keenan Allen went down last year, and the Chargers have limited passing options. He’s first man up. Use him while the price is low.
If you’re looking for cheap options – Ameer Abdullah (FD $6700/DK $4900) goes against a Titans defense that snuffed out Adrian Peterson. Not a strong selling point until you realize that everyone stuffs Peterson the first weeks of the season. Abdullah’s good for yards on the ground and through the air. Better value in DraftKings… Chris Thompson (FD $5200/DK $3700) is the pass catching back. And Washington can’t run the ball which means he’ll be on the field a lot. Worth of flier is you want cheap.
WR
Odell Beckham Jr. (FD $9400/DK $9500) – He’s worth it. Trust me. Again, likely high ownership though.
Allen Robinson (FD $8200/DK $7800) – I like Bortles, so give me his top target. Robinson had 15 targets last game, double anyone else on that team. They’ll look for him early and often this week too.
Amari Cooper (FD $7900/DK $7600) – He asserted himself last week. And Mike Evans torched the Falcons secondary last week. He’ll get a touchdown this week.
Jarvis Landry (FD $6500/DK $6400) – Target monster, great value to go get the expensive boys, and he’s the best option on the Dolphins. He’ll get his.
Emmanuel Sanders (FD $6700/DK $6000) – Siemian looks underneath, which is where Sanders lives. Bad Colts secondary. Obvious is key.
If you’re looking for cheap options – Marvin Jones Jr. (FD $6500/DK $5500) is the number one in Detroit. He’s not priced as that. Take advantage of it as Stafford will continue to throw and look his way… Will Fuller (FD $6200/DK 4200) will continue to get looks. You can definitely do worse when looking for a big touchdown… Tajae Sharpe (FD $6000/DK $4100) is a legitimate option for Marcus Mariota. He was serviceable last week and will continue to be for the remainder of the season. He’ll get a touchdown eventually to go with his 5+ catches and 40+ yards… Tyrell Williams (FD $5400/DK $3700) is replacing Keenan Allen. He’s cheap so you can afford a flier on whether he actually replaces him.
TE
Delanie Walker (FD $6600/DK $4500) – Sharpe is legit, which means Walker should face less double teams. The Lions just gave up 3 TDs to Colts tight ends. Love his price this week.
Jason Witten (FD $5900/DK $4300) – He’s Prescott’s safety value. With safety comes catches.
If you’re looking for cheap options – Call it a gut call, but Brent Celek (FD $4800/DK $2600) is filling in for injured Zach Ertz. Wentz likes his TEs. I’ll take the flier… Dennis Pitta (FD $4800/DK $2800) reemerged last week. He’s a Flacco favorite. They play the Browns this week. Just saying.
D/ST
Seahawks (FD $5200/DK $3800) is the expensive option. But they play the Rams and we’ve seen that offense this season… The Ravens (FD $4500/DK $3000) get the Browns. Duh… The Dolphins (FD $4300/DK $2500) are riding a wave of confidence after holding the Seahawks to 13 points. They get Jimmy G this week and I think this is a big upset. I think they’ll do well against the Pats this week.
Sorry folks, but I don’t bother with kickers. Throw some darts and see who fits within your cap.
Now, for some fun, we’ll play a little The Commish vs. The Hudsonian. These are FanDuel prices and settings. If The Commish wins, maybe I’ll make him write this column next week.
|
The Commish |
Position |
The Hudsonian |
| Eli Manning ($8100) |
QB |
Blake Bortles ($8100) |
| Duke Johnson Jr. ($5400) |
RB |
Ezekiel Elliott ($7900) |
| C.J. Anderson ($7800) |
RB |
DeAngelo Williams ($7600) |
| Odell Beckham Jr. ($9400) |
WR |
Allen Robinson ($8200) |
| Antonio Brown ($9200) |
WR |
Marvin Jones Jr. ($6500) |
| Marvin Jones Jr. ($6500) |
WR |
Amari Cooper ($7900) |
| Dennis Pitta ($4800) |
TE |
Brent Celek ($4800) |
| Wil Lutz ($4500) |
Kicker |
Roberto Aguayo ($4500) |
| Jaguars ($4300) |
D/ST |
Dolphins ($4300) |
Let the games begin!