The DraftKings Lineups of the Week
The last time Justin Herbert faced a bottom ranked defense he popped off for 38.48 fantasy points in a week 7 win against the 30th fantasy ranked Jacksonville Jaguars. This week Herbert will see the 29th ranked New York Jets. Herbert has certainly has a disappointing last three weeks but the Chargers Quarterback hasn’t dipped 20.4 fantasy points since week 3. Herbert should end this week as a top 10 fantasy Quarterback.
Fading Dalvin might end up being the smarter play. The cowboys have the 16th ranked fantasy run defense and Dalvin has only been able to crack 20 points against bottom 10 ranked fantasy run defenses. This line up is betting on the idea that the Cowboys rank has been inflated by the recent Steelers game, their poor division, and their tendency to get into shoot outs back when Dak was on the field. The Vikings have shown a commitment to being run first. Dalvin is going to be in the game script, and he’s going to be used early. If the Cowboys break like the Lions and Packers before them, Dalvin Cook could Halfback Power his way into the record books.
Ballage seems to be the most recent name in a long list of players who performed better as soon as they were not being coached by Adam Gase and this week he’s going against Adam Gase. The Jet’s run defense has been middling all season giving up an average of 120 yards on the ground per game. Anthony Lynn has shown a reluctance to trust rookie Joshua Kelley. Troymaine Pope also saw zero touches after being activated for last weeks game against Miami. Kalen should be the one to soak up those 120 yards, and will have another impressive day if manages to make it into the end zone for the first time in a Charger uniform.
J.D Mckissic has seen 14 and 15 targets since Alex Smith took over at Quarterback in week 9. Smith is very reasonably terrified of defensive pressure after his gruesome 2018 leg injury. The former number 1 pick is going to dump it off to his RB as soon as he sees an ounce of pressure. This only benefits Mckissic since DraftKings is point per reception Mckissic has a floor of 10 points and the ability to score much more.
Keenan Allen has been Herbert’s main target and is a good target to spend up for, if you can afford him in your line up. He should work well stacked with Herbert, but this lineup leaves you vulnerable if Ballage gets all of the valuable work and targets.
The Dolphins defense has come alive this year with the acquisition of Byron Jones. Miami’s lockdown corners have stifled NFL offenses the past couple weeks while Brian Flores makes his case on the field for coach of the year. Broncos Quarterback Drew Lock threw 4 interceptions last game against the Raiders. Most likely because he has a strained muscle in his ribcage that could leave him sidelined this week. This would be a tough start for back up Quarterback Brett Rypien who had a 242 yard, 2 touchdown and 3 interception day against the Jets in week 4.
Big Ben has thrown for a combined 7 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 639 yards over the past two games. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are 3rd easiest defense in the league to play against for opposing Quarterbacks and trading away their players for draft picks. Conner has a chance to remerge against this Jags defense to take away some of Roethlisberger’s upside, but the Steelers defense is set to create plenty of turnovers; putting the ball back in Big Ben’s hands.
It can be difficult to predict which one of the Browns All Star Running backs while go off each week. This week, Chubb should struggle to move the ball against Philadelphia’s big men in the middle. Eagle’s defensive lineman Fletcher Cox has been causing trouble for offensive coordinators all year. Kareem Hunt would then see the majority of the work as they begin to phase out Chubb and the rushing attack.
Rashard Higgins has first chance to set himself apart in the NFL world this weekend. After Odell’s heartbreaking ACL tear week 7 against the Bengals. Higgins has found himself in a secondary role in the Browns passing attack behind Jarvis Landry. During the last two weeks the Browns have had a bye and game that was rendered almost unplayable by weather. If Higgins is the future of this Brown’s franchise he should look to have an eye catching performance this Sunday.
While Logan Thomas’ overall targets have gone down from week to week his fantasy points have gone up. Not including a week 8 bye, Thomas has scored over 10 fantasy points over the last 3 weeks. Logan has been averaging 4-5 targets a game even with the decrease in his looks, and is seeing more valuable touches near the goal line. For $3,300 he is only 800 dollars above the lowest you can pay for Tight End.
Both the Marvin’s for the Lions should play well this weekend against the Panthers, but for this lineup I’m betting on Hall. In week 8 against a tough Colts defense Hall caught 4 of 7 targets for 113 yards and no touchdown, and just last week caught 2 of 3 targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. His uptick in usage should continue as long as Kenny Golladay remains sidelined.
Kamara is playing against a top 5 rushing defense this week. Alvin’s ability to catch balls out of the backfield will allow him to sustain fantasy value, but he could certainly disappoint if his injury leaves him limited in the game or if a lot of the touchdowns go through Taysom Hill.
And that’s all for this week!
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