Every week, I’ll be presenting some of the best value plays of the week, for both Fanduel and DraftKings. If you’re going to enter a successful lineup, you’re going to need some good, lower priced players to offset the salaries of some of the high-priced studs, who get you the big numbers. I wouldn’t go completely overboard with these players, but one or two, sprinkled through your lineups, will make your salary money stretch a lot further.
As the season moves along, value gets a little harder to find and most is based on injuries to starters. If the starter is questionable (or even doubtful) to play, make sure to confirm they’re out prior to kickoff.
QB Alex Smith (FD $6,800 /DK $5,700) Look, you’re never going to feel good about playing Smith, but he makes a fine cash game option against a Raiders defense that is ranked 29th against the pass by Football Outsiders. The Raiders are giving up 23.48 FD points per game and a league-worst 330 yards per game through the air. Oakland is a 1 point favorite in a game featuring a 47 point O/U.
QB Trevor Siemian (FD $7,300 /DK $5,200) Considering the risk of reinjuring his shoulder in this game, I think Siemian is overpriced on FanDuel but an enticing tournament target on DraftKings. The Chargers are allowing over 21 DK points per game to opposing QBs and the contest has a surprisingly high O/U of 46. As I mentioned, there’s a considerable risk, so don’t go too wild here.
RB Giovani Bernard (FD $5,700 /DK $4,600) Fellow RB Jeremy Hill is battling a chest/rib injury, was limited against Dallas and may not play this week. I actually want Hill to play this week to keep Bernard’s ownership plow, as the game sets up better for Bernard. The Bengals are 9 point underdogs and Bernard is the passing game RB, already having received 30 targets this year. The Patriots are much better against the run (8th) than they are against the pass (27th), so Hill shouldn’t have much of a role, even if he plays.
RB Frank Gore (FD $6,300 /DK $5,200) Gore may not be very exciting and might not have a lot of tread left on the tires, but he’s still averaging over 15 carries and 4 targets per game. The Houston Texans are stout against the run but struggle against the pass, rated 26th by Football Outsiders and 20th specifically against RBs in the passing game. Furthermore, the Colts want to take some pressure off of QB Andrew Luck and leaning on the run is a great way to do it.
WR Emmanuel Sanders (FD $6,800 /DK $7,000) When you think of the Broncos #1 WR, most people point to Demaryius Thomas, but Sanders has more targets and receptions than Thomas. In his last 2 games with QB Trevor Siemian, Sanders was targeted an amazing 26 times. He’ll get Siemian back for a game against the Chargers, who are allowing over 32 FD points per game to opposing WRs. Due to pricing, Sanders is a much better value on FanDuel but makes an interesting GPP stack with Siemian on DraftKings.
WR Will Fuller (FD $6,900 /DK $5,900) The Houston Texans have two outstanding WRs, rookie Fuller and DeAndre Hopkins, while the Colts have one good CB, who should cover the veteran, Hopkins. After a dud against a tough Vikings defense, this is a perfect bounce back game against a Colts defense ranked 30th against the pass in a game featuring a 46.5 point O/U.
WR Cameron Meredith (FD $5,400 /DK $4,100) This is more about price and opportunity than it is about the matchup against a tough Jaguars defense. After Kevin White landed on the IR, Meredith got the start last week and responded with a 9/130/1 slash line. While I certainly don’t expect a repeat performance, he should see plenty of targets with both Alshon Jeffrey and Zach Miller both hobbled.
TE Dennis Pitta (FD $5,400 /DK $4,300) I believe TE is a position to pay up for, however, if you need to save some salary, Pitta is in a decent position against the Giants, who struggle to cover opposing TEs. Furthermore, beat writers don’t expect WR Steve Smith Sr to play, so there should be some extra targets to go around and the remaining WRs on the roster aren’t inspiring, to say the least.
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