Wild-Card weekend turned out to be a disappointment, but the divisional playoffs should be much more exciting. It also looks like an exciting one for daily fantasy. With a short slate of games, prices have gone up across the board on DraftKings. So here’s a look at who we think is worth the uptick this week, and who is better off fading in tournaments in this week’s NFL DFS DraftKings GPP plays.
NFL DFS DraftKings GPP Plays for Divisional Round
DailyFantasyNerd DraftKings GPP Play of the Day
RB LeGarrette Blount (NE) vs. HOU $5,800
Le’Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott are gimmes this week in a position that is extremely thin in such a small slate of games. Both players will have a very high ownership because of their high production, despite the fact that neither matchup is very great. They’ll both likely match or exceed their respective averages, but I’m not sure they are worth their respective prices in GPP tournaments.
I’d rather spend a significant amount less for Blount. Blount, himself, is not in a great matchup on paper, but he ran all over the Texans in Week 3 when these teams met. The Patriots blew out the Texans then, and we can expect much of the same this week. Tom Brady is sure to get New England out to a big lead, and once he does, you can expect them to lean on the run game to wear down Houston. Blount rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns in New England’s 27-0 victory in Week 3.
Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers (GB) @ DAL $8,200Â
Captain Obvious could write this description. Plain and simple: Rodgers has been an absolute fantasy machine lately, throwing four touchdown passes in each of the last three games. You could go with Brady of course, but that game has blowout potential which may limit Brady’s ceiling. Green Bay and Dallas, on the other hand, should be a battle. Without a true running game, the Packers have relied heavily on Rodgers, which he doesn’t seem to mind. He may not have fared well in their first meeting, but this is not the same Packers team and Rodgers is simply on fire.
Matt Ryan (ATL) vs. SEA $7,000
I really like Matt Ryan this week as a possible contrarian play. Most DFS players are expected to go Rodgers or Brady and are likely to fade Ryan because of the matchup. However, I’m not convinced that Seattle will be able to hold off the offense of the Falcons. Ryan is one of the few quarterbacks that was able to go into Seattle and have success, evidenced by the 335 passing yards and three touchdowns he threw against them in Week 6. I still prefer Rodgers but Ryan is worth consideration.
Other Notables:Â Dak Prescott (DAL) vs. GB $6,000
Running Backs
Devonta Freeman (ATL) vs. SEA $5,900
Freeman is not in a good matchup this week on paper but like I said regarding Matt Ryan, I think the Falcons offense will find success. Freeman has been exceptional as of late for Atlanta, and he’ll look to continue that in the playoffs. His 12 carries for 40 yards in their Week 6 matchup was not impressive, but momentum is on his side. The matchup with Seattle makes Freeman one of the few players to have their price drop considerably this week. The $5,900 price tag is his lowest mark since Week 7, a very reasonable amount considering his high volume.
Spencer Ware (KC) vs. PIT $5,200
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Ware was held out of Week 17 with a rib injury, but he’s expected to receive his regular workload on Sunday. Ware has given fantasy owners some fits this season, but a divisional matchup at home against the Steelers might be the thing that breaks him out. He found some success against Pittsburgh in Week 4 when he rushed for 82 yards on 13 carries, but the Chiefs were blown out at Heinz Field and were forced to abandon the run. This game should be a lot closer with the Chiefs looking to exploit the run defense of the Steelers.
Other Notables:Â Thomas Rawls (SEA) @ ATL $6,900
Wide Receivers
Randall Cobb (GB) @ DAL $5,700
While I do like Davante Adams a lot this week, his price tag has taken a drastic jump in my opinion, even if it is the playoffs. Cobb’s price also took a leap of faith after his 3 TD day against the Giants, but is still fairly reasonable. It’s especially reasonable with Jordy Nelson possibly missing in action. The Packers are still holding out hope that Nelson does play, but he’s likely to miss practice all week, making it a long shot. If he does, however, then Cobb’s value takes a big hit.
Tyreek Hill (KC) vs. PIT $5,500
As a speedy dual-threat player, it’s a wonder sometimes how Hill is not priced higher on DraftKings. To our advantage I guess. Hill is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, players still in the playoffs, and is a major threat both rushing and receiving the ball. We all know how well of a punt returner he is too. Miami found some success in kickoff and punt returns last week against Pitt, which leads me to believe we could see Hill take one to the house again this weekend.
Paul Richardson (SEA) @ ATL $4,100
Seattle’s matchup against the Falcons may look ideal for Doug Baldwin. However, Baldwin has a pattern of following big games with duds. Throw in the fact that he’s now priced over $8,000, I simply can’t trust him even in a good matchup. I’ll take my chances on Paul Richardson instead for half the price.
Richardson took the place of Tyler Lockett last week, and he did not disappoint. In fact, he may have become the first player ever to record a one-handed touchdown reception all while committing a facemask with the other hand. Lucky for Richardson and the ‘Hawks, the refs were caught in awe at the reception that they totally whiffed on the would-be face-mask penalty. Richardson could see another productive day in Atlanta with the Falcons defense ranked in the bottom 10 against the receivers.
Other Notables:Â Dez Bryant (DAL) vs. GB $6,600, Jeremy Maclin (KC) vs. PIT $4,300
Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham (SEA) @ ATL $4,900
Graham has an excellent matchup this week against the Falcons, who rank 27th in the league against tight ends. Graham found some success in their Week 6 matchup when he recorded six receptions for 89 yards. On the road, Russell Wilson will want to get his #1 tight end involved early and often in order to quiet the crowd.
Other Notables:Â Jared Cook (GB) @ DAL $3,900
Defense
New England vs. HOU $4,000
This is a bit of a no-brainer. All of the other teams are going up against some pretty good offenses. Brock Osweiler did surprisingly find some success against the Raiders last week, but that won’t happen again. He was still benched in favor of Tom Savage just a few weeks ago, proving how big of a bust he has been in Houston. He and the Texans now take on the well-disciplined defense of New England, who lead a league-low 15.6 points per game this season. Just keep in my mind the high ownership New England will have.
Other Notables:Â Kansas City vs. PIT $3,400
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