Player
Matchup
$DK
$FA
$FD
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers
KC
$8,000
$7,350
$9,100
Kansas City's pass defense has allowed an average of 295 yards passing per game and 2.5 passing touchdowns. They're sporting a nice 56.5% completion rate (4th best) and 6.4 yards per attempt (10th best), but you can't just look over the fact that Mallett/Hoyer and old man Manning could put up the numbers they did. Plus Rodgers at home is about as locked in a fantasy pick there is. Tom Brady
JAC
$7,700
$7,500
$8,700
The Jaguars have stopped the run well this season, but just allowed Ryan Tannehill to pass for 359 yards and two touchdowns. The Patriots play a similar style of offense as the Dolphins and shouldn't have any trouble moving the ball through the air. Russell Wilson
CHI
$7,000
$6,650
$8,400
Wilson should take his frustrations out on the hapless Bears, who haven't given up many actual passing yards, but that's because teams have been so efficient in scoring against them. They "lead" the league in passing touchdowns allowed and it's not going to get much better for them in Seattle. Carson Palmer
SF
$6,600
$6,500
$8,100
Ben Roethlisberger just decimated the 49ers through the air and Palmer did similar unspeakable things to the Bears at the same time. Palmer should keep his great play going against San Francisco in the desert. Cam Newton
NO
$6,800
$6,250
$7,900
Newton gets a great matchup and as long as he keeps running, and he should, his outlook remains good. Tyrod Taylor
@MIA
$5,800
$6,250
$7,000
Taylor is going to put up a dud at some point, but he's looked good enough to keep backing until he does. He's strictly a GPP play for me this week. Nick Foles
PIT
$5,200
$5,900
$6,500
Foles faces the worst secondary in the league statistically. He should be able to put up good numbers just like every other quarterback who's faced the Steelers.
Player
Matchup
$DK
$FA
$FD
Running Back
Adrian Peterson
SD
$7,500
$6,100
$8,900
The Chargers are giving up 5.2 yards per carry and 183 total yards per game to running backs. Peterson fumbled away his chances of a huge game last week, but I think this is the game we see the old Peterson. LeVeon Bell
@STL
$7,500
$6,350
The Rams are giving up the second most rushing yards per game after Washington punched them in $8,800 the face over and over again. They are a better defense than they’ve shown, but Le'Veon Bell is back and the Steelers offense is rolling. Jamaal Charles
@GB
$7,400
$6,200
$8,700
Charles gets a Packers team giving up 4.5 yards per carry and 100 yards rushing per game. Charles ran well against the stout Denver defense last week and should be able to do the same against the Packers. Status
VS
VS
VS
Status
Every narrative leads to Lynch running for 200 yards and three touchdowns. That of course is hyperbole, but after an 0-­‐2 start in two road games the Seahawks return home to face a weak Bears defense that will have immense trouble scoring with Jimmy Clausen at the helm. Marshawn Lynch
CHI
$7,400
$5,750
$8,700
Latavius Murray
@CLE
$5,800
$4,750
$7,000
Melvin Gordon
@MIN
$5,000
$4,450
$6,700
Gordon has looked great this season, but Danny Woodhead has hindered him in the red zone. That may happen again, but the Vikings can be run on, as Carlos Hyde showed us Week 1 and if the Chargers can keep it close, Gordon should get plenty of work. Dion Lewis
JAC
$4,200
$4,700
$6,700
The Jaguars are allowing just 2.7 yards per carry to opposing running backs this season. Lewis can get plenty of receiving work to help him out though. Devonta Freeman
@DAL
$4,600
$4,500
$6,500
Freeman has not been very good as a runner, but he's best as a receiver and without Tevin Coleman he gets the bulk of the work.
Danny Woodhead
@MIN
$4,400
$4,600
$6,400
I like Gordon to take over some work from Woodhead, but you can still count on his receptions, which is a really good thing at DraftKings. James Starks
KC
$3,000
$4,650
$6,500
If Lacy looks like he's out Starks is a nice cost-­‐saving play. The problem is the Monday night game. Hopefully we get some definitive news. Ryan Matthews
@NYJ
$3,300
$4,000
$5,500
This pick is predicated on Murray missing the game with a hamstring injury he suffered in practice. More news will need to come out before we know, but if he's out Mathews will get plenty of receptions and at his price is worth an upside GPP play. Player
Matchup
$DK
$FA
$FD
Wide Receiver
Antonio Brown
@STL
$8,900
$6,300
$9,300
Brown is the safest play there is and you of course have to pay for it.
Julio Jones
@DAL
$9,000
$6,200
$9,000
The Cowboys will have trouble scoring with Weeden under center, but the Falcons are without Tevin Coleman (probably) and will be throwing to Jones like it's a handoff. Randall Cobb
KC
$7,300
$5,700
$8,200
Cobb is healthy and will be a target monster and with those targets coming from Aaron Rodgers you know the fantasy results. DeAndre Hopkins
TB
$7,400
$4,900
$7,800
Great matchup, target hog, red zone maven and just plain good. He's a cash gamer this week. (Watch his status due to a concussion last week)
The Browns have given up the most rushing yards in the league this season. I like Murray to put up good all-­‐around numbers since he's also the passing down back with Roy Helu not getting playing time. VS
VS
Status
VS
Julian Edelman
JAC
$7,000
$5,650
$7,700
Edelman leads the league in targets and is tied in receptions. His floor is higher than most receivers' ceilings. Brandon Marshall
PHI
$6,200
$4,850
$7,400
With Decker hurting, Marshall is my favorite receiver this week. Against two good pass defenses he's put up 13 receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns. And now he gets the Eagles who have a suspect pass defense. Larry Fitzgerald
SF
$5,800
$4,850
$6,700
Fitz went off last week and thankfully we had him to offset some of Drew Brees and Ameer Abdullah's suckage. This week I like John Browns ceiling, but I still rather have Fitz in my cash games.
Donte Moncrief
@TEN
$4,800
$4,450
$6,000
I think Luck goes off in Tennessee (I don't have him listed here because I like so many QBs this week, but I'll have him on some teams. Yes, I make a lot of teams) and Moncrief is the second best receiver on the team right now. Andre Johnson has unfortunately lost it. John Brown
SF
$5,100
$4,300
$6,000
The 49ers gave up big pass play after big pass play to the Steelers and this week the deep play specialist gets a great matchup. He's always a GPP play, but I like him in cash as well this week. Doug Baldwin
CHI
$4,000
$4,400
$6,000
The Seahawks probably don't need to throw the ball at all to beat the Bears at home, but they'll be looking to get every aspect of their offense going and Baldwin has been Wilson's favorite target. Pierre Garcon
@NYG
$5,200
$4,750
$5,900
I usually don't play many Thursday night guys, but Garcon's price is nice and with no DJax he should see plenty of targets. Allen Hurns
@NE
$3,700
$4,200
$5,100
I am just not in love with any cheap receivers this week. I do like Hurns against a week secondary, especially because the Jags will need to throw a lot. Player
Matchup
$DK
$FA
$FD
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski
JAC
$7,400
$5,900
$8,400
If you can fit him in you know what you're going to get. His price is getting to be a little difficult to work around though. Travis Kelce
@GB
$5,000
$5,100
$6,400
Green Bay has been decent against tight ends this season, but Kelce is a beast who can Gronk with the best of them. His upside every week is extremely high and KC will need to throw against Green Bay as they'll most likely have a lead. Greg Olsen
NO
$4,800
$4,700
$5,900
Olsen is my favorite non-­‐Gronk play in cash games this week. He got his targets back last week after a weird Week 1 and has a great matchup against the Saints who rank 28th and 30th against TEs per Football Outsiders and PFF. Jared Cook
PIT
$2,800
$4,250
$5,400
The Steelers got Gronked and then even Vernon Davis had a decent game against them. Cook has five receptions in each game this year and those were against Seattle and an improved Washington defense.
Jordan Reed
@NYG
$3,800
$4,600
$5,300
I wish Reed wasn't playing Thursday, because I like him a bunch and don't love playing Thursday games, but he has 13 receptions on this short season and he has been Cousins favorite target this season. VS
VS
Status
VS
VS
Coby Fleener
@TEN
$3,000
$3,900
$4,900
Dwayne Allen's ankle is hurting and if he can’t go Fleener makes for a nice cheap TE play. Last season he put up huge numbers while Allen was out and Football Outsiders has Tennessee as their worst defense against tight ends. Gary Barnidge
OAK
$2,500
$3,200
$4,500
The Raiders have been getting destroyed by tight ends so far this year, giving up two TDs to Tyler Eifert and two to Crockett Gillmore. Can Barnidge keep the streak alive? He's worth a GPP shot. Player
Matchup
$FD
Kicker
Brandon McManus
@DET
$4,900
I don't love any cheap kickers this week, but also don't mind grabbing one if it makes the lineup I want. McManus in the dome is one of my favorites though. Matt Bryant
@DAL
$4,800
Dallas won’t put up a bunch of points with Weeden at the helm, so the Falcons should be kicking field goals instead of going for it. Player
Matchup
$DK
$FA
$FD
Defense
Seattle Seahawks
CHI
$3,400
$3,200
$5,300
Jimmy Clausen, an injured Alshon Jeffery, an 0-­‐2 Seahawks team playing at home for the first time this year. Scary.
VS
Carolina Panthers
NO
$3,100
$2,850
$4,600
Even if Drew Brees plays in this one I'll be on Carolina. Outside the dome Brees has not been very good of late and if Luke McCown starts I'll even be more willing to go with them. VS
New York Jets
PHI
$3,000
$2,850
$4,500
Until this Eagles team gets going they look like a great team to target, especially with the way the Jets defense has been playing. VS
Atlanta Falcons
@DAL
$2,900
$2,650
$4,300
No Dez, No Romo, no points. The Falcons have looked better under Seahawks defensive guru Dan Quinn as well. They're a cheap option that should be safe. VS
Status
Status