I heard back from a few of you regarding my Week 5 DFS 50/50 lineup (from two weeks ago). If anyone else can weigh in, I'd appreciate it. The day after I called it a loss because it lost on mine, even though it was one of my highest scoring lineups of the past year. I've since heard that a narrow majority of you won with that lineup. More feedback will help me accurately assess whether I can call it at least a tie.
In the meantime, coming off last week's big win, I'm feeling as unsure as ever about Week 7. We all know this isn't easy stuff. Last night I went back and forth, as usual, on several positions. As with everything, there's skill and luck involved. My goal is to make these lineups as bad-luck-proof as possible. If guys generally perform as expected, it should work out fine. And if one or two don't, hopefully some of my other players have enough upside to make up for it.
As always, these are based on FanDuel pricing. If you're a bit over-budget on DraftKings or some other DFS site, you could downgrade at TE or maybe even QB to make it work.
QB Matt Ryan ($7.900) -- The Rams added Jalen Ramsey, so this pick might seem odd. I seriously considered Josh Allen ($7,700), Aaron Rodgers ($7,600) and even Daniel Jones ($7,200). But Ryan is a reasonably priced option who happens to be the #4 fantasy QB (based on points per game). His floor this season has been fantastic, and all his receivers are healthy. A promising combination.
RB Saquon Barkley ($8,600) -- If he were facing a better run defense, I'd hesitate to spend big on Barkley in his first game back. But he's a good bet for top-10 production against the Cardinals, and is a decent bet to finish in the top 3.
RB Leonard Fournette ($7,900) -- I generally shy away from Fournette because of injury history. But can't argue with his usage and production this year. 84 touches in his past three contests, and going against a very beatable Cincy D.
WR Adam Thielen ($7,100) -- Downgraded last-minute from Cooper Kupp ($7,800) to free up funds for Fournette. Thielen has similar upside and a slightly lower floor. I think this will mark the third straight week starting at least one Minnesota receiver.
WR D.J. Chark ($6,600) -- Chark's pricing took a hit after last week's letdown against Marcus Lattimore and the Saints. He's somewhat of a Fournette hedge if the Jags play more through the air. But let's face it: Chark is a proven fantasy monster and should once again be one of the two most targeted receivers on the field.
WR Tyler Boyd ($5,600) -- And Boyd will be the other most targeted receiver. Jalen Ramsey's departure should open up space for Andy Dalton's #1 wideout, who's caught an impressive 67% of passes thrown his way despite frequently being Andy Dalton's only truly capable option.
TE Josh Hill ($4,600) -- The price was right. Really, it's not more complicated than that. Among all cheap tight ends, Hill offers the most upside with Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook sidelined.
FLEX Joe Mixon ($6,500) -- My views on Mixon have been consistent since the summer. He was an RB to avoid in drafts based on unrealistic expectations. And through six weeks he's the 31st best fantasy RB--and 38th in points per game. And to be fair, nobody expected him to be this bad. Still, I like him as a top-25 option against a Jags D yielding 5.2 YPC.
DST Bills ($5,500) -- There's no other realistic option, particularly with New England playing Monday night. The opposing Dolphins' offense has endured 11 turnovers and 22 sacks and are objectively worse than when the season started.
On that happy note, good luck today.
In the meantime, coming off last week's big win, I'm feeling as unsure as ever about Week 7. We all know this isn't easy stuff. Last night I went back and forth, as usual, on several positions. As with everything, there's skill and luck involved. My goal is to make these lineups as bad-luck-proof as possible. If guys generally perform as expected, it should work out fine. And if one or two don't, hopefully some of my other players have enough upside to make up for it.
As always, these are based on FanDuel pricing. If you're a bit over-budget on DraftKings or some other DFS site, you could downgrade at TE or maybe even QB to make it work.
QB Matt Ryan ($7.900) -- The Rams added Jalen Ramsey, so this pick might seem odd. I seriously considered Josh Allen ($7,700), Aaron Rodgers ($7,600) and even Daniel Jones ($7,200). But Ryan is a reasonably priced option who happens to be the #4 fantasy QB (based on points per game). His floor this season has been fantastic, and all his receivers are healthy. A promising combination.
RB Saquon Barkley ($8,600) -- If he were facing a better run defense, I'd hesitate to spend big on Barkley in his first game back. But he's a good bet for top-10 production against the Cardinals, and is a decent bet to finish in the top 3.
RB Leonard Fournette ($7,900) -- I generally shy away from Fournette because of injury history. But can't argue with his usage and production this year. 84 touches in his past three contests, and going against a very beatable Cincy D.
WR Adam Thielen ($7,100) -- Downgraded last-minute from Cooper Kupp ($7,800) to free up funds for Fournette. Thielen has similar upside and a slightly lower floor. I think this will mark the third straight week starting at least one Minnesota receiver.
WR D.J. Chark ($6,600) -- Chark's pricing took a hit after last week's letdown against Marcus Lattimore and the Saints. He's somewhat of a Fournette hedge if the Jags play more through the air. But let's face it: Chark is a proven fantasy monster and should once again be one of the two most targeted receivers on the field.
WR Tyler Boyd ($5,600) -- And Boyd will be the other most targeted receiver. Jalen Ramsey's departure should open up space for Andy Dalton's #1 wideout, who's caught an impressive 67% of passes thrown his way despite frequently being Andy Dalton's only truly capable option.
TE Josh Hill ($4,600) -- The price was right. Really, it's not more complicated than that. Among all cheap tight ends, Hill offers the most upside with Alvin Kamara and Jared Cook sidelined.
FLEX Joe Mixon ($6,500) -- My views on Mixon have been consistent since the summer. He was an RB to avoid in drafts based on unrealistic expectations. And through six weeks he's the 31st best fantasy RB--and 38th in points per game. And to be fair, nobody expected him to be this bad. Still, I like him as a top-25 option against a Jags D yielding 5.2 YPC.
DST Bills ($5,500) -- There's no other realistic option, particularly with New England playing Monday night. The opposing Dolphins' offense has endured 11 turnovers and 22 sacks and are objectively worse than when the season started.
On that happy note, good luck today.