For the uninitiated, playing daily games on DraftKings can be an enjoyable experience, but equally sobering is the fact that season-long knowledge does not always translate to success in the daily space. FootballGuys will bring you a series of value- and strategic-based selections from a number of seasoned daily veterans throughout the NFL season. Herein is another edition of “Tipandpick’s Tips and Picks,” where we will examine the salaries of players at each position on DraftKings and make value-based recommendations for both your cash games and tournaments.
Below you will find a list of recommended players for both formats. GPP players generally have high-upside, but are too risky for cash games; cash game players are consistent with high fantasy floors. In some instances, the value for a player is so strong, he may fall into both categories…let’s have a look.
CASH GAME PLAYS
QUARTERBACKS
Carson Palmer (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $7100). No team is projected to score more points than the Arizona Cardinals on the weekend slate and you will definitely want a piece of it. Carson Palmer leads this offense and has been a consistent option for cash games most of the year; the veteran quarterback has posted seven 300-yard performances this season, including three consecutive 300-yard games with 11 passing touchdowns over that span. Palmer should have no problems dicing up a Niner defense that is allowing 277.8 passing yards per game (27th in NFL) and is FootballOutsiders' 31st ranked passing defense. With Chris Johnson beginning to show signs of his age after almost 200 carries, this offense should continue to lean on Palmer to make plays to spell Johnson, while Andre Ellington and David Johnson wait in the wings. Look for another 300-yard game from Palmer with at least a pair of touchdowns, which should be enough for 22-25 DraftKings points.
Brian Hoyer (Primarily cash format, Salary: $5000). If you want save some salary to enable spending up at the wide receiver, Brian Hoyer appears to be a solid option against the Saints' worst-ranked passing defense (FootballOutsiders' DVOA metric). Entering their Week 11 bye, the Saints allowed six consecutive quarterbacks to throw for 295 yards or greater and gave up an average of 30 fantasy points per game to the QB position over that same span. New Orleans did, however, fire Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan during the bye week and will try to shore up the secondary prior to Sunday's game against the Texans; that said, fresh off a game where he embarrassed Darrelle Revis, DeAndre Hopkins has been unstoppable in his 2015 campaign and the Saints have nobody capable of shutting him down. Hoyer should easily amass 250 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns against this secondary and those numbers could soar if Drew Brees is able to do something similar against the Texans, thereby pushing the game into shootout mode (á la Giants-Saints of Week 8 or Titans-Saints of Week 9).
Also eligible: Russell Wilson ($6000)
RUNNING BACKS
T.J. Yeldon (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $4800). Against the Titans last week, T.J. Yeldon logged his lowest touch total (17) since Week 5...prior to that, Yeldon was averaging over 20 touches per game, including extensive usage inside the redzone. In the aforementioned Titans game, Yeldon was spelled by Denard Robinson, who saw seven carries in only 11 offensive snaps; that may scare some people away from Yeldon this week, but I suspect Robinson will find his way back to the bench this weekend now that Yeldon has had additional time to heal after a Thursday game and after Robinson failed to do anything special with the opportunities given to him against the Titans. All of this is relevant because the Jaguars will host a Chargers rush defense that is ranked last in the league by FootballOutsiders (DVOA); in ten games this season, the Chargers have allowed 19 or more fantasy points on eight different occasions (80%), which would be a 4x multiplier for Yeldon at his current salary. Allowing a league-worst 4.9 yards per carry, the Chargers will struggle against Yeldon, who has only a single rushing touchdown to show for nearly 150 carries; this appears to be a prime matchup for the young running back that should result in some positive regression in the scoring category, as well.
Spencer Ware (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $3800). After posting three consecutive 100+ all-purpose yard games with at least a score in each effort, Charcandrick West left his Week 11 matchup against the Chargers with a hamstring issue that has kept him out of practice all week; for that reason, we should expect to see another heavy dose of Spencer Ware this Sunday. Ware dominated the Chargers defensive front last week, posting 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries. What do we know about Ware? Fellow Footballguy and talent expert, Matt Waldman, compares him favorably to Marion Barber, a gutsy, quick-footed runner who does what it takes to move the ball in a positive direction. Ware should get all the opportunities out of the Chiefs backfield this weekend against the Bills, who have allowed opposing running backs to reach paydirt (nine touchdowns) in six of their past seven games; over that same period of time, no RB1 scored less than 14 fantasy points, which would be good enough for a 4x multiplier value on Ware's current salary. With the elite wide receivers having plus matchups this week, it would be prudent to save at the RB position with players like Ware, while you spend up to grab DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, and/or Odell Beckham Jr
Also eligible: Thomas Rawls ($4500), Shaun Draughn ($3800)
WIDE RECEIVERS
DeAndre Hopkins (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $9100). A week after toasting the league's best cornerback (Darrelle Revis), DeAndre Hopkins gets a prime matchup against the Saints' worst-ranked secondary in Week 12. No wide receiver has more targets per game than Hopkins, no wide receiver has more touchdowns than Hopkins, and no defense has allowed more passing touchdowns than the defense he is playing against this week. A change in the defensive coaching regime could have some positive effect on the Saints secondary, but the personnel is still the same and Delvin Breaux, who has allowed more receiving touchdowns than any other cornerback in the league, will get no reprieve against Hopkins on Sunday. On a week where the top end wide receivers are each in plus situations, Hopkins is my top choice for cash games (followed by Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr, respectively).
Michael Crabtree (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $6400). While Amari Cooper deals with a defense's best cornerback each week, Michael Crabtree continues to take advantage of the defense's lesser talented coverage; as a result, Crabtree is now averaging more targets and fantasy points per game than Cooper (16.6 versus 15.7, respectively)...yet, Crabtree is still offered at a $400 discount to Cooper. This weekend, Crabbie should run at least 40% of his routes at the Titans' Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who is perenially one of the league's worst-rated coverage cornerbacks; in limited action this season, Wreh-Wilson is allowing an opposing QB rating of 116.0, receiving negative marks in almost half of his games played. Both Cooper and Crabtree are in play in a matchup that is a prime bounce-back spot after last week's disappointing day against the Lions, but I prefer the salary break that DraftKings is providing when I roster Crabtree, so he gets the nod.
Tyler Lockett (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $3000). According to ProFootballFocus, no team in the NFL has a worse pass coverage unit than the Pittsburgh Steelers; however, the Steelers boast a top-5 rush defense (fantasy points per game allowed), which should mean that Russell Wilson and Company will be looking to move the ball through the air on Sunday afternoon. Over the past few weeks, we have seen Tyler Lockett begin to fulfill the promise he brought with him to Seattle when they drafted him in the third round out of Kansas State earlier this year. Lockett is now seeing ~ 75-80% of the team's offensive snaps and the Seahawks are working to get him into the playbook; just last week, Lockett saw five targets, pulling in four of them for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It would be foolish to expect another multiple touchdown game this weekend, but Lockett should finish the afternoon with 3-5 receptions for 30-50 yards and he will serve as the Seahawks punt and kick returner, which gives him added value in the event that he returns one for a touchdown. In a week where it would be advantageous to roster two of the top-end wide receivers for your cash games, a minimum salaried receiver like Lockett affords you the ability to do so...even if he does not achieve the full 9 points needed for cash game value, the opportunity cost is negligible.
Also eligible: Eric Decker ($5800), Michael Floyd ($3800)
TIGHT ENDS
Jordan Reed (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $5100). The DFS world was very cognizant of the fact that the Oakland Raiders were allowing the tight end position to score at will to start off the 2015 season; however, the Raiders have improved somewhat, while the New York Giants have supplanted themselves as one of the worst defenders of the position in the entire league (only the Saints allow more fantasy points to tight ends). This weekend, the Giants will breathe a sigh of relief when CB Prince Amukamara returns from a pectoral injury that cost him nearly two months; in the meantime, the Giants have been roasted via the pass, allowing more passing yards per game than any team in the NFL. The return of Amukamara, however, alongside Dominique Rogers-Cromartie will shore up the secondary in New York and should force Kirk Cousins to look underneath for his slot men and/or Jordan Reed. Reed has been a favorite target of Cousins for most of the year, averaging over eight targets and almost a touchdown per game when he has been on the field; he should continue to see heavy usage this week against the slow Giants linebackers, particularly in light of the fact that Cousins' other receiving options will be tightly-covered by Amukamara and DMC.
Gary Barnidge (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $4800). With Johnny Manziel being demoted due to more of the same, one of the few interesting DFS options in the Monday Night Football game this week will be Gary Barnidge, who has thrived when Josh McCown has been on the field. With McCown at the helm, Barnidge is averaging 5.6 targets for nearly 80 receiving yards and almost a full touchdown per game (18.5 fantasy points per game), but less than half those numbers with Johnny Manziel playing quarterback. Back in Week 5 versus this same Ravens defense in Baltimore, McCown and Barnidge hooked up eight times for 139 yards and a touchdown; with the entire Ravens team now in meltdown mode due to injuries, the only thing they can hang their hat on is their ability to defend the run (3.7 yards per carry), so it is logical to expect the Browns to navigate the path of least resistance...throwing the ball to Travis Benjamin and Gary Barnidge. At $4800, Barnidge needs only half of the stats he collected against this team back in early October to reach cash game value.
Also eligible: None (N/A)
TEAM DEFENSES
Bengals (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $3000). After starting on fire with an 8-0 record, the Cincinnati Bengals have now dropped two straight to Houston and Arizona. This Sunday, the Bengals will host a Rams squad that has only one tooth (Todd Gurley) and will go back to Nick Foles after Case Keenum suffered a concussion last week against the Ravens. Foles has been totally inept as the starting quarterback in St. Louis this season; in nine starts, he has surpassed 200 passing yards only once and has zero touchdowns in almost half (44%) of those efforts. The Rams receiving corps are equally non-productive--no single receiver is averaging more than 35 receiving yards per game this season. Playing at home in a great bounce-back situation, the Bengals are one of the safest team defense plays on the Week 12 slate.
Chiefs (Cash and GPP formats, Salary: $2800). The Kansas City Chiefs are another attractive defensive play in Week 12, as they will play host to a Buffalo Bills offense that has posted only 29 points over the previous two weeks. The Bills' passing game is largely to blame, as Tyrod Taylor has struggled to move the ball through the air, averaging only 170 passing yards and 0.8 touchdowns per game over his last four starts. Fortunately for the Bills, the ground game has picked up the slack during Taylor's downswing, amassing multiple 100+ all-purpose yard performances and more than a touchdown per game. This week, LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams will meet their match, however, against ProFootballFocus' 2nd-ranked Chiefs run defense that is yielding only 3.8 yards per carry and less than 100 rushing yards per game; with Tyrod Taylor suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder on Monday night, there is not much reason to expect a lot of volume from the Bills' passing game, either. For their part, the Chiefs defense has logged double-digit fantasy points in four straight games and five of their last six...this would appear to be another prime spot for this unit.
GPP PLAYS
QUARTERBACKS
Eli Manning (Salary: $6500). Eli Manning gets a plush spot against a Redskins defense that has given up two or more passing touchdowns in five consecutive weeks, including five touchdowns to Cam Newton a week ago. Washington's secondary got worse during the week when Chris Culliver suffered a season-ending ACL injury during practice on Thursday, which should thrust the aging DeAngelo Hall and/or the untested Kyshoen Jarrett into the starting role against Odell Beckham Jr, Rueben Randle, and Dwayne Harris. With the Eagles' and Cowboys' playoff hopes fading quickly, only the 4-6 Redskins stand in the Giants' path for the NFC East crown...look for the Giants to put their foot on the throttle against this suspect Redskins secondary while they try to secure the division. Both Beckham and Harris are intriguing GPP stack options at different price points for Manning.
Derek Carr (Salary: $6300). Derek Carr fell flat on his facemask last week in an attractive matchup against the Lions at home; the young QB faltered for the first time in over a month, posting a pathetic 13/25/169 stat line with no touchdowns in a game where he was one of the most heavily-owned DFS quarterbacks. Because he laid an egg in a prime spot, recency bias is likely to take effect in this spot against the Titans and Carr could go underowned, despite having 30-fantasy point upside. The Raiders will be forced to travel cross-country to play an early game, which traditionally has not fared well for west coast teams; if they fall behind against a rested Titans offense, this game could enter shootout mode that few people would otherwise expect. The Titans offense has not been capable of scoring many points for most of the season, but this is the healthiest we have seen them, as Kendall Wright is back, Dorial Green-Beckham is playing a full bevy of snaps, Delanie Walker is healthy, and the running back corps (Antonio Andrews and David Cobb) are all 100%, too...if there was a situation where the Titans could post four touchdowns, this could be it. That could be fantasy gold for Carr, as the Titans do not field a strong enough secondary to slow down either Amari Cooper or Michael Crabtree.
Josh McCown (Salary: $5000). In four broad team categories (pass offense, rush offense; pass defense, rush defense), the Ravens are down to a single strength--their rush defense that allows only 3.7 yards per carry (fourth in the NFL). In all other facets of the game, the Ravens are terrible, including a pass defense that has allowed two or more passing touchdowns in five of their last six games and an embarrassing 19:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. In other words, the Browns will not be moving the ball through Isaiah Crowell on Monday night; newly-crowned starter, Josh McCown will lead the passing game and likely lean heavily upon Travis Benjamin and/or Gary Barnidge to score the three touchdowns that Vegas has projected for the Browns offense. After losing Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett to season-ending injuries a week ago, I fully expect the 3-7 Ravens to give up on their season, which could result in some ugly defensive performances before the season ends. At a site-minimum $5000 salary, McCown is an intriguing GPP play with 4-5x upside.
RUNNING BACKS
Todd Gurley (Salary: $7500). After starting his rookie campaign with four consecutive 100-yard rushing performances, the enthusiasm surrounding Todd Gurley has subsided somewhat with three consecutive games under the 100-yard benchmark. Gurley and the Rams will travel to Cincinnati to face a Bengals team that has dropped two in a row (after starting 8-0), as eight-point underdogs; ordinarily, that kind of Vegas line would have severe negative connotations for a running back, but Jeff Fisher-led teams still rely heavily upon their running backs as touchdown underdogs. For his part, Gurley continues to get plenty of opportunity and has scored a touchdown in five consecutive games, so it is not illogical to think that he could finish this game with 100-rushing yards and a touchdown (or two), which would reach at least a 4x multiplier that is the goal of most GPP's on DraftKings. The matchup is attractive, as the Bengals allow 4.5 yards per carry (sixth worst in the league), so a big game for Gurley is entirely plausible on a weekend where most DFS players will be spending their excess salary at the WR position.
Adrian Peterson (Salary: $7300). Adrian Peterson is quietly leading the league in rushing yards, already surpassing the 1,000-yard benchmark and compiling six touchdowns along the way. He and Stefon Diggs are the only volume-based DFS options on an otherwise bland Vikings offense; this week, I expect Peterson to get 25-30 opportunities against the Falcons, who have not allowed a 100-yard rusher all season and rank amongst the top of the league in most rush defense categories. For those reasons, Peterson will be less than 10% owned on DraftKings this weekend, but we all know Peterson has multiple touchdown upside in any matchup because of his talent and volume...furthermore, the Falcons have exhibited total collapses against the running back position, allowing three different RB's to score multiple touchdowns this season. Peterson has regained form recently, rushing for 100+ yards in three of his past four games...if he does it again this week and picks up two touchdowns, he will make for a solid GPP play.
Alfred Blue (Salary: $4500). This selection is 80% game strategy and 20% matchup-based. First, the matchup: The Saints are dreadful in defending the rush--they have allowed the third most fantasy points to the RB position this season (29.9 per game) behind only San Diego and Atlanta. With Alfred Blue seeing almost 20 opportunities per game over the past three games, his upside is immense in this matchup. The better reason to roster Blue is because ~ 30% of the field will have DeAndre Hopkins in their GPP lineups--if Hopkins were to get vultured by Blue at the goalline or get injured, you would immediately jump ahead of 30% of all entries and would have the added bonus of having the player most likely to be uniquely owned on the Texans' side of the ball. Please note that I think Alfred Blue is a terrible NFL running back, but he is a sharp GPP play for all the reasons listed above.
Antonio Andrews (Salary: $3700). For the first two months of the season, the Oakland Raiders boasted one of the stronger rush defenses in the league; however, injuries to Justin Tuck and Neiron Ball, alongside the suspension of Aldon Smith have rendered this once fearsome defensive front very susceptable to the rush. Over the past three games, the Raiders have been gashed for 30+ fantasy point performances by both DeAngelo Williams and Adrian Peterson; while Antonio Andrews does not belong in the same sentence with those other running backs, he continues to touch the ball ~ 15 times each week despite David Cobb looming in the background. Andrews is an off-the-board GPP selection that will be less than 2% owned, but given the Raiders' recent defensive woes against the rush, he makes for a sneaky GPP play that will allow roster flexibility at other positions.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Julio Jones (Salary: $9400). In fairness, Julio Jones is a possible cash game play, but my preference is for DeAndre Hopkins because of the likelihood for a shootout and his cornerback matchup. That said, Julio Jones will see the Vikings' Xavier Rhodes, who has allowed a 6:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio this season, including an opposing QB rating of 121.8 when passes are thrown into his coverage; he ranks 55th out of 71 qualifying cornerbacks via ProFootballFocus' metrics. That bodes well for Jones and his 13.4 targets per game (second in NFL) in a game where Devonta Freeman will not be on the field to steal an excessive amount of opportunties. Furthermore, Leonard Hankerson has already been announced as inactive, which means that Jones should only compete for receptions with Jacob Tamme, as Roddy White is an oversight at this point in his career. The only downside of rostering Jones is his salary, which requires him to score > 40 points to achieve GPP value, a mark he has surpassed once this year (although he has come close to reaching 40 points on two other occasions).
Amari Cooper (Salary: $6800). If you have read to this point in the article, you know that I support the selection of the Raiders' passing game against a Titans secondary that is historically suspect. Amari Cooper was a complete DFS failure last week against the Lions' shutdown cornerback, Darius Slay (as I predicted in this same column); this week, however, Cooper will see no such talent in the Titans defensive backfield and he should be in a prime spot to rebound at ownership levels far below where he has been over the past month. It is not beyond reproach to suggest a Carr-Cooper-Crabtree ($19,500) double-stack against this Titans secondary that allowed nearly 400 yards passing to Drew Brees just a few weeks ago...if each of them were to score 30 fantasy points in a high-scoring effort, you would be well on your way to a GPP cash.
T.Y. Hilton (Salary: $5700). T.Y. Hilton's last three coverage assignments? Desmond Trufant, Aqib Talib, and Josh Norman...three of the very best coverage cornerbacks in the entire league. In those games, Hilton collected a grand total of 8 receptions for 118 yards and no touchdowns. In Week 12, Hilton will see no such talent versus Tampa Bay's 29th ranked pass coverage unit (ProFootballFocus). Matt Hasselbeck gets the nod again this week in Andrew Luck's absence; in two starts where Hilton was not being shadowed by Trufant, Hasselbeck targeted T.Y. Hilton 22 times, which bodes well for Hilton's fantasy prospects on Sunday. After his last three performances, however, Hilton will be underowned by the masses who were not paying attention to his daunting matchups; for that reason, he should be ~ 5% owned on Sunday, but possesses multiple touchdown upside on an offense with a heavy 20:4 passing-to-rushing touchdown ratio this season.
Martavis Bryant (Salary: $5600). I spoke about Martavis Bryant on Wednesday night on the Footballguys' Daily Fantasy Hour hosted by RotoGrinders (you should watch the episode--lots of solid fantasy discussion each week). Briefly, I think this could be a situation where Bryant becomes of the path of least resistance for a Steelers offense that could struggle to move the ball on the ground against a Seattle defensive front that is ranked in the top-5 of most anti-rush categories (i.e., yards per carry, rush touchdowns allowed, fantasy points allowed to opposing RB's, etc.); relatedly, it would appear that the Seahawks superstar cornerback, Richard Sherman, will shadow Antonio Brown, leaving Martavis Bryant to contend with the far lesser-talented, Cary Williams. Williams is ProFootballFocus' second-worst coverage corner over the past five weeks, allowing a 150.6 QB rating when passes are thrown into his direction; Bryant will be a handful for Williams and Ben Roethlisberger will not hesitate to look in his direction, as his target rate this season (8.4) is almost double what he averaged (4.8) in his rookie campaign last year.
Kendall Wright (Salary: $4400). After missing a month with a knee issue, Kendall Wright will return to the gridiron on Sunday and gets a tasty matchup against the Raiders' poor slot coverage man, D.J. Hayden. Hayden has allowed the fifth most receiving yards (299) out of the slot this season and an opposing QB rating of 107.2 while in coverage; meanwhile, Kendall Wright is the Titans' best wide receiver option and has been targeted as many as 12 times in a single game this season. As discussed earlier in this article, this game has the sneaky potential to transform into a back-and-forth scoring battle that favors both passing games, as neither secondary has exhibited a consistent ability to play shutdown defense. If both offenses do get rolling, Kendall Wright (and Delanie Walker) will be the primary target(s) of Marcus Mariota's affection and Wright will be underowned after missing the previous month of football.
TIGHT ENDS
Rob Gronkowski (Salary: $7900). I never say much where Rob Gronkowski is concerned because, frankly, no justification is necessary. A week after breaking many of our hearts against Buffalo with a 2/37/0 stat line, Gronk will get a chance to redeem himself against the Denver Broncos. With Danny Amendola not making the trip to Denver, the Patriots will likely be starting Keshawn Martin and Brandon LaFell opposite the best secondary in the game, which should mean that Tom Brady will actually be forced to look in Gronk's direction this week; as discussed on The Audible with Broncos' guru and fellow Footballguy, Cecil Lammey, earlier this week, the Broncos do not match up well against Gronkowski...as a result, the Pats will not try to stop him, they will try to contain him. That said, I have long been a believer that Rob Gronkowski is only limited by the number of times Tom Brady throws him the ball--in this matchup, he may not have many realistic alternatives.
Tyler Eifert (Salary: $5800). Since losing key outside linebacker, Alec Ogletree, to an ankle injury in Week 4, the St. Louis Rams have allowed a tight end to collect over 100 receiving yards in half of their games. Enter Tyler Eifert, the league's leading scorer, playing from the tight end position, who has eight receiving touchdowns over the Bengals' previous six games. At 6'6", Eifert is a total redzone mismatch for most defensive backs and his athleticism trumps the coverage of most NFL linebackers. Against the Rams, who boast one of the league's better rush defenses (3.8 yards per carry; 6 rushing touchdowns allowed), the Bengals will likely resort to throwing the ball to reach their implied Vegas team total of 26 points; with plus coverage cornerbacks, Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, locking down the perimeters of the passing game, Eifert could become a default target for Andy Dalton.
Crockett Gillmore (Salary: $3700). The Baltimore Ravens will field a skeleton crew from their opening day roster, one player of whom is Crockett Gillmore. Matt Schaub will get the start a week after Joe Flacco tore his ACL; while Schaub does not instill fear into the hearts of opposing defenses, the Ravens' implied team total for this game is in the neighborhood of 20 points, which means that the folks in Vegas believe the Ravens can score two to three touchdowns against the Browns defense. Logically, those scores should come on the ground against the league's worst rush defense (yards per game), but Gillmore's presence in the Ravens offense has been more pronounced since the loss of Steve Smith (Achilles tear) in Week 8; the big tight end is averaging 13 fantasy points over that span. Against a defense that has yielded multiple touchdown games to the tight end position in two of their past three games, Gillmore becomes a nice GPP option at the lower end of the salary scale.
DEFENSES
Cardinals (Salary: $3900). Blaine Gabbert has held his own, despite many 'experts' predicting his rapid demise as the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers a few weeks ago; that said, this so-called 'expert' is still waiting for the cards to fall...Gabbert will have a terrible day in the near future and you will want a piece of the defense that plays a role in that performance, as it will almost assuredly include a pick-six. This week, that defense is the Arizona Cardinals, who are DraftKings' most expensive option and, for that reason, could be lower-owned than they should be against Gabbert and Company. The drawback is that the Cardinals are the visiting team in this matchup, but any time the likes of Patrick Peterson is facing off against a quarterback with a lifetime 53% pass completion percentage and as many touchdowns as interceptions thrown, it is a matchup worth serious consideration.
Giants (Salary: $2400). The Giants are allowing the eighth most points per game in the NFL this season, but they return Prince Amukamara to the secondary this weekend, which alongside the return of Jason Pierre-Paul two weeks ago, should turn around this underrated defense. Prior to JPP's return, the Giants were ProFootbalFocus' 30th ranked pass rush unit, but have posted back-to-back plus scores since...expect more of the same this week, as JPP has a history of strong performances against the Redskins (8.5 sacks in 8 lifetime games). If JPP is able to mount a solid pass rush, Kirk Cousins is known to make poor decisions under pressure and the Giants secondary will be much improved with Amukamara in coverage; both he and/or Dominique Rogers-Cromartie could find themselves with interception opportunities under those circumstances. This Giants defense is going to display a lot of improvement over the remainder of the season...get them while they are still cheap.
Browns (Salary: $2000). A GPP-only type of play, rostering the Browns defense at the site minimum salary could afford you the ability to slot in more expensive options elsewhere and why not? ...after all, the Browns are playing at home in the lowest projected scoring game on the Week 12 slate; they will face a gutted Ravens offense that is devoid of their franchise quarterback (Joe Flacco) and lost their primary rushing and receiving options (Justin Forsett and Steve Smith) to season-ending injuries. Matt Schaub, who has not started a game in nearly two years, will get the start, but has the likes of Kamar Aiken and Chris Givens as wide receiver targets; only Crockett Gillmore appears to be a reasonable option on underneath routes. Likewise, the Ravens will start a rookie, Javorius Allen, at the running back position, all of which argues this could be a great spot to spend almost nothing at the team defense position.
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