DraftKings Wildcard Weekend Strategy: Expert Lineup Analysis
Hi All,
First of all, both Dan and I want to wish everyone a great a very happy and healthy New Year!
Now onto business, it is time for me to brag, brag, brag and then brag some more. In order to avoid a tie in our yearlong H2H battle, Dan and I agreed to “play two” in week 17. Dan went into week 17 with a one game lead (8 to 7). Well, woof, woof, I was able to put a two bagger on Dan and win both H2H contests propelling me to a come from behind 9-8 victory!!! Let’s hear it for the puppy!!! Dan was a great opponent and with some uncanny picks was able to beat me like a drum several times and bottom line probably deserved the win. However I will take it. Great year Dan, I will send you my address so you can send me the trophy.
Dan responds: Pride is the only trophy you should need. You deserve the win; you were the better man this year. It was a hell of a ride though. Can’t wait for next year to dethrone you…..CHAMP. Bum bum bum bum bu bum…THE CHAMP IS HERE…bum bum bum bum bu bum….THE CHAMP IS HERE. Congrats bro.
Nick here again, before getting into the Wildcard Weekend players, Dan and I would like to invite our readers to enter a $2 contest to try and beat one or both of us. What we will do is set up a $2 private league on Draft Kings which you will be able to enter. We have set up an email account << BeatTheBoys2014@gmail.com >> and if you want to get in on the action in our little league, just email us your Draft Kings screen name and on Friday we will send you an invite to the league. If you have played on Draft Kings you know that player created leagues will not “go” if they do not fill up. So please don’t request an invite if you think you won’t be able to join the league when you get the invite. We would hate to set this up and then have the contest not go (if it doesn’t go all entries are refunded).
Right now I envision a 25 person league paying the top 2 spots. If we hit 30 it will pay top 3 spots and then 1 spot for every 10 more entries. Okay, so it is only a $2 league so the money will not be huge, but if you can beat Dan and/or the doggy himself, just think of the bragging rights you will have!
So again, it will be a $2 contest, send us your Draft Kings screen name to BeatTheBoys2014@gmail.com and then look for your invite starting Friday night. I am hoping to get to 25 entries, but will gladly take any and all comers!!!! Come on folks, you can’t let Dan and I lord it over you all summer that we kicked your butts!!!! Make us eat our words and show us your stuff….hey after all in the article below we are basically telling you who we like and will most likely be using, though we may have a surprise or two in store…..hey we are not just going to roll over and play dead, ok maybe I will, since I am a doggy after all…..hope to see you all in the contest!!!!!!!!
So, here we go……
As a reminder, FFCHAMPS.Com has a great tool you can use to help set up your Daily Fantasy Line Up: Just Click Here to take a quick look at the FFChamps Daily Fantasy Ranks tool. Just remember to come back and finish reading our article.
OK, back to the business at hand.
The regular season may be over but since there are eight teams playing this week in the WildCard Weekend and since Draft Kings is doing their regular slate of GPPs and Cash Games as well as a $1,000,000 guaranteed contest for only $27, that pays $100,000 for first, Dan and I both felt that we should continue our weekly articles and give you our thoughts for this week to help you hopefully take down some big bucks (no whammies, sorry for some reason I can’t say big bucks without saying “No Whammies”….sorry it just slipped out).
Since there are only eight teams going this week (Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers), instead of our normal group of players (2 QBs, 3 RB, 3 WR, 2 TE and 1 D/ST) we are going to trim it a bit to 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WR, 1 TE and 1 D/ST. Between both Dan’s and my picks and our comments you should have a good core group of players to start your lineup with. Of course, your own gut feelings, research and knowledge will ultimately help you set your final lineup and hopefully take down a big prize and perhaps more importantly: “Beat The Boys” in our special little tournament….look above if you skipped the intro for more information.
We are sure everyone who was looking to WildCard Weekend was looking forward to a nice match up for Le’Veon Bell and looking to “pay up” for him. Unfortunately his knee injury looks like it may keep him out of the game, or at the very best keep him on a very limited snap count. Now what? Who do we use?
Never fear that is what we are here for!
As with every week, remember to keep your eye on the injury report and active/inactive list to make sure a player you may have rostered is in fact good to go, the worst thing in daily fantasy is to have a great big zero in your lineup because a player was a late scratch.
So with this in mind, here we go!
Nick’s QBs:
Joe Flacco ($6,700): I am really torn about which QB I like best this week. Tony Romo is tempting as is Big Ben and Superman (Cam Newton). But, I think this week I am going to go Whacko for Flacco. I love his price at $6,700 and with Le’Veon Bell most likely either out or limited, the Steelers will be throwing the ball against the Ravens weak secondary and Flacco will have to heave it a ton to keep up and there is nothing scary about the Steelers’ secondary. In both games against Pittsburgh this year, Flacco threw for two touchdowns he should be good for at least that this week. While I am putting Flacco in here, I definitely see myself using Romo, Ben and Cam in some lineups as well.
DAN’S CHALKBOARD: Like Flacco a ton for his price tag and value. He is a playoff machine!!
Dan’s QBs:
Matt Stafford ($7,200): I don’t believe in the Dallas defense at all. Megatron is going to rip through them and someone has to throw him the ball.
Nick’s Chalkboard: Like my pick, I like Stafford’s price and playing in the Cowboys’ stadium is pretty much like playing indoors so Stafford and Megatron should have a nice fast track. I also agree with Dan, rostering Stafford is really a play on Calvin and the porous Cowboys secondary.
Nick’s RBs:
Jeremy Hill ($6,200): This rookie has definitely gotten it done to the point where he is the clear Number One RB for the Bengalis, surpassing one of the early season standouts, Giovani Bernard. While he was held out of the end zone, Hill did have 100 yards on 23 carries last week versus Pittsburgh and in the two weeks previous had 140+ yard games with 3 total TDs for fantasy point totals of 23 and 31. In the first week of the playoffs he gets to run through the Colts defense which is giving up an average of 113 YPG and is ranked 18th. I also see the Bengals trying to run the ball a ton to keep Andrew Luck off the field.
Dan’s Chalkboard: I like Hill, just hate watching Gio Bernard steal all the screen passes.
DeMarco Murray ($8,800): Yes, he is expensive, but if you go with the Bengals D/ST for only $1,900 you can squeeze Murray in without stripping yourself at WR. In the two games, since he broke his hand, Murray has shown that he can deal with the pain and get the job done. He delivered a 100 yards rushing on 20 carries (5.0 YPC) against a solid run defense and even caught 3 passes. There is risk here against the Detroit defense, but watching the Lions against Green Bay last week where they gave up 158 total yards to RBs (132 on the ground and 26 through the air) yards on the ground, I think Murray will play the full game and have a 25+ fantasy point performance.
Dan’s Chalkboard: Ndomukan Suh is going to lead this defense to victory and will get paid in the off season for it. I will not have Murray in any lineup. Good luck Nick.
Dan’s RBs:
Kerwynn Williams ($3,700): There are reasons to not like every running back this weekend and with the salary relief that Williams affords as a starting running back, he is definitely in play for my lineups.
Nick’s Chalkboard: I like the price, but I stayed away from this game because the boys in Vegas have it pegged around a 37 over/under. Not a ton of TDs to go around and it’s hard to predict who will get the scores.
Jonathan Stewart ($5,300): This is a week to save money on the running back position. Everyone has reasons to not like them from the top to the bottom. So I will be saving money on the positon. Stewart has a tuff matchup, but he is getting all the work.
Nick’s Chalkboard: See above comment about the Vegas over/under, but Stewart has been getting it done lately and like Dan says, gotta go with the player getting the touches. You just have to hope here that Cam doesn’t Vulture all the inside the 5 yard line runs.
Nick’s WRs:
Odell Beckham Jr. ($1,000,000,000): Okay, I am just kidding…..but, I will bet you that somehow, Beckham puts up 20 fantasy points this week
Dan’s Chalkboard: Hell yea I would spend that price tag for this MONSTER. Just wondering what his nickname is going to be. PPRMonster??
Torey Smith ($5,400): The Steelers are giving up the 11th most points to WRs and Torrey has been really coming on strong to end the season, with an average 20 fantasy points the past two weeks and a total of three touchdowns. Since I am looking to play Flacco at QB, I also love the inexpensive Flacco/Torrey Smith stack for only $12,100. This is a high risk stack I will admit, but for GPPs I will take this “Cheap Risk”.
Dan’s Chalkboard: Yes, yes, yes…I like the Flacco/Smith stack. Either Smith.
Antonio Brown ($8,900): Let me see???? Antonio Brown leads the league in receptions? Yup! He has 13 receiving TDs and 1 return TD? Yup! He is Big Ben’s favorite target? Yup! The Baltimore Ravens secondary is absolutely terrible, giving up the 2nd most points to WR? Yup! The man is a monster and in PPR is a SUPER-MONSTER? YUP!!!! You have to play him this week? Yup!
Dan’s Chalkboard: I am down with Brown. FYI…as of this minute the Wisconsin Badgers just won the Outback Bowl. HELL YEA!!!
Dan’s WRs:
Kelvin Benjamin ($5,900): He has been heavily involved in this offense all year. He put up an absolute dud last week, and I really hope this causes people to not pick him. The Cardinal defense has been suspect against wide receivers all year and will be again this week too.
Nick’s Chalkboard: I really like his price tag, and with recency bias, he could get overlooked. If Carolina is going to win this game and I think they have a great shot, they are going to have to depend on Cam’s legs and arm. When he throws it will be in Benjamin’s direction.
Calvin Johnson ($8,800): Hey guys. Do I really need to explain picking him? Ok. Here goes. IT’S MEGATRON. Practiced fully today, and the Stafford/Johnson stack is my favorite of the weekend.
Nick’s Chalkboard: Most important thing to remember here is that he IS NOT ON THE COVER madden. Lock him up. They Cowboys can’t match up with him.
Nick’s TEs:
Jermaine Gresham ($3,700): Gresham has had a TD reception in each of the last three games and the Colts have given up 10 TDs to TEs on their way to giving up the 4th most points to that position. With AJ Green (currently going through concussion protocol) looking to be at the best limited, Gresham should see more targets and should be able to put up some fantasy points this week.
Dan’s Chalkboard: The Colts have given up lots of big days to tight ends this year. Just be careful he is a non-participant at practice today. If he goes he is worth his price tag and should hit value easily.
Dan’s TEs:
Greg Olsen ($5,500): With the money you save in the running back position, you can pay up for tight end and Olsen is the high salary on the board for a reason. He will get a lot of work this weekend. Arizona has been terrible against the tight end position for two years now.
Nick’s Chalkboard: Olsen has been quiet the last two weeks, but is clearly the best TE available this week and is normally a major component of the Panthers’ attack. If you have the budget, lock him in. Good Pick, Dan.
Nick’s D/STs:
Cincinnati Bengals ($1,900): This is an absolute, complete, total value play. I can hear all of you. What???? They are playing Andrew Luck in Indianapolis. Well, just wait a second, aside from their incredible value at only $1,900, look at these facts: The Bengals have only allowed 16 total TDs to WR/TEs all season; They have 20 sacks and 20 interceptions; Andrew Luck has not been stellar down the stretch with only 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in the last four games of the season. Now the Bengals run defense is bad, but so is the Colts run offense. I see the Bengals matching up well with Luck and the Colts and for only $1,900 it lets me spend a ton of salary elsewhere.
Dan’s Chalkboard: Love the pick. Any defense can hit value at $1,900. If you need salary relieve see above…if you don’t see below.
Carolina Panthers ($3,500): They are the only defense I trust this weekend. They have been playing like the 2013 Panthers defense and are the highest priced for a reason. Oh yea, the Cardinals are easily the worst offense this weekend. Worst offense vs best defense = fantasy points. Happy New year everyone.
Nick’s Chalkboard: If you don’t go value with the Bengals you have to go with the Panthers, especially the way they have been playing lately.
That is what we have for this week. We both hope that some of our picks will help you out. Remember with a little research and creativity you can create that perfect lineup that takes down the big bucks in this big contests over at Draft Kings.
And don’t forget to email us at BeatTheBoys2014@gmail.com with your Draft Kings screen name so we can send you an invite to our WildCard Weekend Beat The Boys $2.00 contest to win some cash and try for BRAGGING RIGHTS over Dan and me.
Good Luck This Week!!
Perry04 & Beaudog (woof!)
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