DraftKings NFL Week 11 Positional Breakdown

 

The last few weeks of football have been the best of the year, and this week looks to be no different. There are a lot of players and teams in good positions, and I think this article will help to give some idea of exactly where we should go in both cash games and tournaments with both high and low ownership.

 

QUARTERBACKS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP: Tom Brady ($7800) against the 49ers could very well end up being one of the most popular routes players go in tournaments. I love this, because I think the passing game is what will succeed this week. Aaron Rodgers ($7600) is another high ownership play, as the running game hasn’t been effective for the Packers in a few weeks. Ben Roethlisberger ($7500) against the Browns should also be another high-owned play, because quarterbacks against the Browns typically have at least some success. Marcus Mariota ($6700) has been on fire lately, so I imagine he’ll see a high level of ownership this week as well. At his price, considering the matchup, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Blake Bortles (5400) carry high ownership into this weekend.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP: Andrew Luck ($7200) may end up higher owned that I think, but seeing the names around him I don’t know if that will be true. Matthew Stafford ($6600) has been really efficient, which has kept him from putting up monster fantasy days, but this could be a good time to use him in tournaments. Eli Manning ($6300) has been very good at home this year, and the price is pretty fair. I don’t think the Bears defense is bad, but I do think that the Giants will have to win this game through the air. Kirk Cousins ($5800) has been pretty consistent this year, and a matchup against what has become a pretty bad Packers defense could see him put up a nice score. Finally, Tyrod Taylor ($5600) is always underowned, and while he isn’t likely to put up a monster game,  he stands a great chance at putting together a 18-20 point game this weekend.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Brady/Rodgers/Mariota

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Borltes/Taylor/Luck

 

RUNNING BACKS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – Le’Veon Bell ($8800) will carry extremely high ownership, even at this price, due to a matchup against the Browns. He should be able to put up a huge number here. DeMarco Murray ($8200) is likely to see high ownership against a poor Colts rush defense. LeSean McCoy ($6900) is way underpriced this week, and it is possible that he could end up with another monster game against the Bengals. LeGarrette Blount ($6400) will see a ton of ownership as well, as the Niners run defense has been something that we have, and will continue to, pick on all year. C.J. Prosise ($4200), even in an on paper bad matchup, will likely be highly owned at this price. You can say the same thing about James Starks ($4200), who should see the bulk of the work out of the backfield. Finally, if we are led to believe he’ll see some work this week, Dion Lewis ($3300) will be one of the top FLEX plays this week.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – With Murray and Bell in good spots this week, will we see low ownership on Ezekiel Elliott ($8000)? I think it is entirely possible that will happen, so he makes for a good tournament play this week. David Johnson ($7900) could also see lower than normal ownership against a Vikings defense that has been really good this year. Spencer Ware ($6000) makes for a great tournament target, who will see low ownership as well as having a great matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Todd Gurley ($5000) and his price have finally basically hit rock bottom, so if you think this will be the week, here is your chance to get him in your lineup. Rob Kelley ($4400) should be underowned this week, but is in a great matchup against the Packers. I actually really like Isaiah Crowell ($3900) this week against the Steelers, and I think he’s pretty close to a lock to be underowned.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Bell/Starks/McCoy/Blount/Ware

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Crowell/Elliott/McCoy/Kelley/Gurley

 

WIDE RECEIVERS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – I think it is possible that we could see monster ownership this week on both Antonio Brown ($9500) and Odell Beckham Jr. ($8500). Beckham feels like we are getting a pretty big discount because I can certainly see his upside being relatively close to Brown’s. With how well he has been playing as of late, I cannot imagine how Jordy Nelson ($7800) will not be highly owned. This sets up to be another good spot for him. Allen Robinson ($7400) is another candidate for high ownership because of his recent play, coupled with a good matchup. Davante Adams ($6700) has been very good as of late too, and provides a good discount to Nelson, which I think a lot of players will gladly take. Donte Moncrief ($6100) seems to be the favorite of the targets for the Colts this week, so his ownership could be through the roof. Tyreek Hill ($4500) seems to be trending in the right direction, and with Jeremy Maclin potentially out, should find a lot of success here.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – Lost in the pricing shuffle at the top, and due to a bad matchup, A.J. Green ($8300) is likely to be very lowly owned. Two out of the three games Dez Bryant ($7200) has played in since coming off injury have been very good, and it is possible that Dak will need to lean on him a little more this week. Steve Smith Sr. ($6000) could have a field day against this Cowboys pass defense, and will almost certainly see low ownership. In the same breathe, Mike Wallace ($5500) is always a good option in tournaments due to his ability to separate in coverage and score touchdowns. Golden Tate ($5300) could be another low owned candidate in a fairly good matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Those looking to buy in on a guy in a good matchup that has two back-to-back double-digit games, Eli Rogers ($4300) offers some upside I think he is a bit of a stretch, but for the price he makes a decent punt.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Brown/Tate/Baldwin/Beckham/Robinson

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Robinson/Tate/Baldwin/Hill/Beckham

 

TIGHT ENDS

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – Jordan Reed ($5900) is in an ideal position, and as a result, will see a ton of ownership, as his price really isn’t that bad at all. Delanie Walker ($5700) is also both in a good position and coming off a really big game last week. This game should see a ton of scoring, so it is entirely possible that he has another nice outing here. With Rob Gronkowski likely out, Martellus Bennett ($3700) will be a popular option, in fact, perhaps the most popular option. Tight end is a position that players really like to pay down at, so don’t be shocked to see Dwayne Allen ($2900) in a number of lineups as a result of this. The price is low, the matchup is fair and he could definitely end up being a big time value play this weekend.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – Jimmy Graham ($5600) could go overlooked with both Reed and Walker in pretty good situations. I think Seattle is going to score this weekend, so Graham is a good exposure to that. Tyler Eifert ($5400) is another name that could go overlooked, but we do know what he is capable of.  Eric Ebron ($4100) is a good option this week too, and because of where Bennett is priced, Ebron could definitely go overlooked. Zach Miller ($3800) definitely has some potential with Alshon Jeffery out, but I’m down on the whole Bears offense.  Lastly, Julius Thomas ($3500) has some upside against a Lion defense that has given up touchdowns to practically every tight end they have faced.

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES:  Bennett/Reed/Walker

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS:  Thomas/Ebron/Allen

 

DEFENSES

 

HIGH OWNERSHIP – It’s tough to look the other way when the Seattle Seahawks ($3800) are at home, and the Eagles aren’t exactly the best offense in football. I think they’ll be highly owned and successful this weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs ($3400) seemingly just always manage to put up nice outings, and against a turnover prone Tampa Bay team puts me in a happy place. Also, people will continue to run with the teams against Cleveland mentality, so expect the Pittsburgh Steelers ($3700) in a lot of lineups this weekend.

 

LOW OWNERSHIP – I’m not expecting to see a lot of ownership with the New York Giants ($3500) going against Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears. I like the spot for them. Although I think their offense could end up being pretty good, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Detroit Lions ($3200) ended up having a decent score when it was all said and done. Lastly, the Rams will be starting a rookie quarterback this week, so I wouldn’t rule out using the Miami Dolphins ($2900).

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN CASH GAMES: Chiefs/Seahawks/Dolphins

 

HOW I’M USING THEM IN TOURNAMENTS: Chiefs/Giants/Lions

 

I hope you enjoyed this article, and I will be back next week. I hope to see you on the leaderboards!

 

Nicholas Volinchak is a correspondent at FF Nation. To read more from Nicholas, follow him @researchandwin. You can find more of Nicholas’ football work at Research Fantasy.