DraftKings NFL Week 7 Plays

Each week there are millions who play Daily Fantasy Sports, and since we at Section215 care about our readers, we have decided to provide you with some detailed insight on the best plays on DraftKings.

Not everyone plays on DraftKings, and there is definetely pricing differences on each site. If you have any questions on whether or not I would recommend the players listed below on a site other than DraftKings, feel free to reach me @JFerrie23 on Twitter.

REMINDER: There is a London game this weekend!

Quarterback

Carson Palmer ($6,700)- This week, Palmer comes in as my top-rated play at Quarterback. Palmer will be playing on Monday night at home against Baltimore. If you watched last week against the 49ers, you could see how poor that secondary actually is. This season, the average Quarterback has thrown for 305 yards and 1.83 passing touchdowns against Baltimore. In terms of points, Baltimore has surrendered an average of 23.15 points to Quarterbacks this season.

Philip Rivers ($6,500)- Rivers is coming off of a 500+ yard game against Green Bay. For the season, Rivers has been extremely impressive. Some may avoid teams coming off of a bye week, but I’m not afraid of the Raiders on the road. This season, the Raiders have allowed 308.2 yards a game through the air. Oakland has also surrendered an average of 18.39 points to Quarterbacks, which ranks 20th, but that should not scare you off. At an affordable price, Rivers gives you some extra salary to fit in more talent. Below you’ll see Rivers mentioned again.

Andrew Luck ($7,600)- Last week Luck returned to action in a hyped up matchup against New England. While the end result wasn’t what Luck was looking for, his fantasy owners were satisfied. Luck managed 31 DraftKings points against New England and runs into a favorable matchup against the Saints. If you’re into the narrative that the Saints can’t play on the road, sure, that makes Luck attractive. But, if you dive into the numbers and see that the Saints have allowed 283.83 yards per game through the air and 1.83 passing touchdowns. With those numbers, it is no surprise that New Orleans allows 21.99 Quarterback fantasy points per game. Don’t forget that this game has the highest Vegas total of the weekend at 52. Luck may be more expensive than the other two, but he is an elite option.

Quarterbacks to consider: Drew Brees ($7,000)

Running Back

Devonta Freeman ($7,900)- At this point, I am not sure how you don’t play Freeman in all games. He has simply been an animal all season. In his last four fantasy games, Freeman has scored 45.3, 37.9, 35.7 and 38.6 DraftKings points, respectively. Recently, the price has gone up, but he still isn’t the most expensive back on the slate. Freeman will go against Tennessee, who has allowed 18.62 fantasy points per game to Running Backs this season. While the total is lower in comparison to the rest of the league, Tennessee allowed 22.8 DraftKings points to Lamar Miller last week. Over the last two weeks, Freeman is averaging 27.5 touches per game. It will be really tough to fade Freeman with that volume.

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Lamar Miller ($4,600)- In listening and reading a lot of content this week, I’ve seen quite a bit of Miller hate. Well, the fact that I am writing about him now says that I disagree. The Texans have allowed 25.38 fantasy points per game to opposing Running Backs this season. Yes, I know Houston has J.J. Watt, but that doesn’t matter to me. Houston hasn’t been an elite defense. For the season, Houston ranks 29th in Defensive-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)–which adds some more intrigue to the matchup. Last week, Miller had his first 20+ touch game of the season with a new head coach at the helm. I believe the Miller trend will continue this week at an affordable price.

Todd Gurley ($5,000)- The Rams are coming off a bye week and will meet the Browns at home. If you’ve watched the Rams this season, you’ve watched a ton of mediocre Quarterback play. This has led to the Rams running their offense through their Running Backs. That benefits Gurley, who has rushed for 305 yards on 49 carries in his last two games. While he hasn’t been much of a factor through the passing game, Gurley is still getting volume. Cleveland has allowed 129.8 rushing yards per game, which helps Gurley’s value. For the season, opposing Running Backs have scored 28.85 fantasy points per game. If we refer to DVOA, Cleveland ranks 18th against Running Backs. Again, the price and volume make Gurley a play in all formats.

LeSean McCoy ($5,500)- As stated in the opening, there is a London game this week. McCoy will be featured in that game, and going against a poor defense in Jacksonville. Opposing Running Backs have had success on the ground and receiving against the Jaguars, which has allowed opposing Running Backs to put up a crazy 31.72 fantasy points per game. Along with a high fantasy points against total, Jacksonville ranks 27th in DVOA against Running Backs. While the travel and recent injuries may push some away, McCoy is a solid tournament play.

Running-Backs to consider: Christine Michael ($3,000); Theo Riddick ($3, 400); Latavius Murray ($6,100)

Wide Receivers

DeAndre Hopkins ($8,600)- This week, Hopkins is a top receiving option yet again. While he isn’t the highest priced receiver on the board, Hopkins is the volume king. The lack of talent at the Quarterback position may be benefiting Hopkins because they default to the highly-talented receiver. Each week this season, Hopkins has seen at least ten targets–averaging 14.83 per week. The next closest receiver is Demaryius Thomas at 12.5 per week. This week Hopkins goes on the road against the Miami Dolphins and their 30th ranked DVOA against opposing Wide Receiver ones. Based on the low DVOA, the talent and the targets, Hopkins has a safe floor and is a must-play in all-formats.

Larry Fitzgerald/John Brown ($7,400 & $5,500)- As stated above with Palmer, the matchup against the Ravens is a great one. If Palmer is my top-option at Quarterback, pairing him and either one of these receivers is a good play. Fitzgerald is the more expensive of the two, but both should see high volume. In the last two weeks, Fitz has 17 targets to Brown’s 18. Baltimore has the 20th ranked DVOA against number one receivers and rank 18th against number two receivers. The matchup is good, and it you want to get super risky, you could play them together. The ownership level of that will be very low and will differentiate your lineup.

Antonio Brown/Martavis Bryant ($7,900 & 4,700)- So there is an obvious price difference between these two, but they both head into a matchup against a mediocre-to-poor secondary in Kansas City. The Chiefs are giving up 51.03 fantasy points per game to Wide Receivers this season–which is the most in football. That is probably a product of the 1.83 touchdowns they’re surrendering to Wide Receivers, too. According to DVOA, the Chiefs rank ninth against number one receivers and 29th against number two receivers. For that reason, I would probably lean Bryant, but the talent of Brown can’t be denied. Remember, Landry Jones will be the Quarterback for the Steelers, so maybe going with Bryant as the cheaper option is the better play. I don’t think either one of these are cash game safe, but solid GPP options–mostly because of Landry Jones.

T.Y Hilton ($6,700)- As stated with Luck in the Quarterback section, the Saints secondary just isn’t that great. According to DVOA, the Saints rank 23rd in defending number one receivers. Hilton has also been targeted nine times in each of the last two weeks, which isn’t bad either. The overall production is slightly down from where season-long teams would hope, but Luck is back and things should start coming together. If you don’t like Hilton, Donte Moncrief is $5,200.

High Risk WR options (Only GPP recommended): Dorial Green-Beckham ($3,200); Willie Snead ($4,300); Ted Ginn Jr. ($3,300); Mike Evans ($6,400)

Tight-Ends

Antonio Gates ($5,00) – Coming into this week, Gates is my highest rated tight-end for a variety of reasons. Before I dive into those reasons, please make sure that Gates plays as he was on the injury report this week. If Gates plays, he will go against an Oakland defense that has allowed eight receptions, 95 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per week to opposing Tight-Ends. That is the worst in football. Since his return against the Steelers, Gates has seen 27 targets. Gates is getting targeted like a Wide Receiver and going against a bad defense against Tight-Ends. The matchup is great, and Gates seems like a lock to make my lineups this weekend.

Sep 13, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) reacts while scoring a touchdown during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Kelce ($4,900)- The Chiefs are basically dead because of the injury to Jamaal Charles. However, that doesn’t kill all of their fantasy value. Jeremy Maclin was going through concussion protocol this week, which leaves me with concerns coming into this week. That means that Alex Smith has one reliable target if Maclin doesn’t play. Kelce has seen 13 targets over the past two weeks–so the volume isn’t terrible. On the season, the Steelers have allowed 19.33 fantasy points per game to Tight-Ends. If I use a two Tight-End lineup, Gates and Kelce may be my options.

Zach Ertz ($3,200)- The Eagles head into Carolina this weekend looking to go over .500 for the first time this season. If they do so, Ertz could be a big part of that. This season, the Panthers have allowed nearly 5 receptions for 62 yards to Tight-Ends. The issue for Ertz is that Carolina doesn’t allow touchdowns to Tight-Ends. After Bradford’s struggles last weekend, it wouldn’t surprise me to see some easier underneath looks to Ertz. For the price, I don’t mind Ertz. He isn’t a cash play, but a decent GPP play.

Gary Barnidge ($4,900)- Gary Barnidge has taken the Tight-End scene by storm. In his last four games, Barnidge has at least five targets, including two games with ten targets. In those games, Barnidge has put up 25.5, 19.5, 30.9 and 18.9 DraftKings points. It appears that McCown has found his go to guy. The Rams defense is good, and we will see them later on in this article, but I will always like Barnidge because of the volume he will see. It isn’t always about the numbers he puts up, but the opportunities that are presented.

Tight-Ends to consider: Jared Cook ($2,800)

Defense/Special Teams

St. Louis Rams ($2,400)- I imagine the Rams will be one of the highest owned Defenses this weekend because of the matchup against the Browns, but it doesn’t mean they don’t present value. The Rams will look to control the ball with Gurley, which could limit the number of plays by Cleveland. Of their five games this season, three have been double-digit performances by the Rams, and one of those was a nine-point performance. The defense is good, and Tavon Austin has the capability of breaking one for a touchdown. That makes St. Louis an elite play.

Carolina Panthers- I know the Eagles are up-tempo and can go off for 30 or more points on any given week, but do you trust Sam Bradford? I’m not sure Chip Kelly trusts Sam Bradford. In the past two weeks, Bradford has five interceptions. He is simply making too many mistakes for me to believe this isn’t a trend. The Panthers defense hasn’t been elite in terms of fantasy this season, but I am betting against Bradford here as he could make one big mistake and throw a pick-six.

Arizona Cardinals ($3,600) – The Cardinals are in a good spot this week. The Baltimore Ravens just aren’t a good football team and have limited options. Last week the Cardinals got burned by Landry Jones, which makes me believe they may not be as popular as usual. Joe Flacco has made some atrocious throws this season and is likely to be playing from behind this week. They are the most expensive defense on the board, and for good reason–the Ravens aren’t that good.

Defenses to Consider: Philadelphia Eagles ($2,700); New York Jets ($2,900)

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This week is certainly interesting with the number of good teams on a bye week. Please follow the injury reports prior to game time so that you do not play an injured player! Best of luck!

Stat Sources: RotoGrinders, Football Outsiders, Pro Football Reference

Next: Semi-Coherent Philadelphia Eagles vs. Carolina Panthers Preview

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