Welcome to the FF_Astronauts weekly DFS column.
The column will cover values picks, must have players, bust players and key positional players each week from Nathan McGuire, Alex Edwards and @FF_Spotlight.
Let's take a look at week 15 of the Sunday main slate.
Value Pick
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams, $6,600
Akers has been on the slow ascent this year. Grabbing lots of attention in the preseason and sputtering out early on has brought his salary price down significantly. His monster week in last Thursday night‘s football game with 171 rushing yards may have been overlooked by main slate players. Coming into this week as the 10th overall running back in price, at almost 1/3 the price of Derrick Henry, Akers will give your lineup some flexibility with his top five upside against the Jets.
@FF_Spotlight
Don't Believe the Hype (Bust Player)
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia, $6,900
Sanders had a breakout game last week against New Orleans with 32.6 points on DraftKings. But the performance was heavily reliant on his 82-yard touchdown run. Outside of that one run, he only had 33 yards on 13 attempts. I don't expect the same performance this week, as he is going up against Arizona, who ranks 7th against RBs according to DraftKings. Sanders comes in as the 6th highest priced RB, so unless he's able to break off another big play, I don't see him living up to his hefty price.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
Must Have Players
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis, $7,200
Houston just allowed a 80-yard TD to David Montgomery, who is better than the public perception, but is not know for his breakaway speed or towering size. Do you know who has both of those things? Jonathan Taylor. Houston has been terrible against the run all year with no fix to be found. Indianapolis has established the run lately, the big OL is moving people and creating huge running lanes. With the way Jonathan Taylor has been running, I think Taylor will be the leading rushing for week 15.
Nathan McGuire, @n_mcguire95
QB
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia, $5,900
Hurts is on the other side of the coin since being benched for Tua in the 2018 College Football National Football Championship game. Now he is replacing Carson Wentz for the second week. He rushed for 103 yards in week 14 (over 13 DraftKings points on the ground) and invigorated Miles Sanders in the running game. His ceiling is much higher than his price, at $5,900, and it was not the 23 points he scored that week. I expect that as a floor going into an easier defensive matchup against the Cardinals. He’ll need a minimum of 18 points to meet his salary.
@FF_Spotlight
RB
D'Andre Swift, Detroit, $6,400
Swift is back in his second straight game after missing three weeks with a concussion. Last week in his first game back, he had an efficient week with 15 points on only 11 touches. This week, I expect both his volume and points to increase, going against Tennessee who ranks 25th against RBs on DraftKings. Tennessee also struggles in defending the passing game giving up 282.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 29th. With Swift being priced as the 10th highest RB this week, I expect him to be well worth his value and beat that price.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
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WR
Terry McLaurin, Wasington, $6,600
Terry McLaurin is coming off back to back bad week, which. is. AWESOME. Recency bias and the "what have you done for me lately" mindset is a very real thing in fantasy football. One bad week? Ehh so what. Two bad weeks? He stinks. Fear not, I am here to remind you just in time, he is still elite. Facing a juicy matchup this week, McLaurin has the potential for a big game this weekend. The Seattle defense has improved, but still ranked last in the league in passing yards allowed. Expect a hefty amount of man defense and 1-on-1 matchups.
Nathan McGuire, @n_mcguire95
TE
Cole Kmet, Chicago, $3,000
Kmet has been taking away snaps from Jimmy Graham and has moved into the starting role. If you are looking for a value play at tight end this week, consider Kmet. He has four or more targets in each of the last two weeks and scored a touchdown against Detroit. His numbers, along with the rest of the offense, have gone up after Trubisky was elevated from the bench. Minnesota has not been effective guarding tight ends and they have a middle of the pack rating against TE (14th). He will be a lower percent owned player with just as good odds of scoring as many higher priced TEs.
@FF_Spotlight
DEF
Miami, $3,700
This week Miami has the chance of putting the nail in the coffin on New England making the playoffs. New England has struggled on offense as of late, ranking 20th against Defenses and 30th in passing yards per game. With that, Miami can continue their hot streak on defense with 3 games in a row of scoring 10 plus points.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
FAVORITE STACKS FOR WEEK 15
Trubisky ($5,500) - Montgmery ($7,000) - Robinson II ($7,400) - Kmet ($3000): It seems very possible that this game goes over on the expected points. Trubisky's big chip on his shoulder from getting benched will propel this offense
@FF_Spotlight
Tannehill ($6,700) - Henry ($9,500) - Davis ($5,800): A stack a bit hefty in price but could pay off big, especially with Henry and Davis having proven ability to break off the big game. Also, Detroit struggles against each position on DraftKings, ranking 30th against QBs, 31st against RBs, and 29th against WRs.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
Alex Smith ($5,000)- Terry McLaurin ($6,600)- Logan Thomas ($4,000): A very cheap stack relatively speaking that will allow you to pay up on some other names available. Facing the worst passing defense in the league, it could be a fun one. I do not hate Haskins if he gets the start either.
Nathan McGuire
DATA POINT - WEEK 15
Despite missing two games, Davante Adams still has 286.4 points in PPR, which makes him WR2.
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
Last week, James Robinson became the fastest undrafted player to ever reach 1000 rushing yards.
Nathan McGuire, @n_mcguire95
Mike Gesicki’s numbers in the last few weeks have been very good. His questionable tag may be deceiving as he severely dislocated his shoulder last week. It’s a trap.
@FF_Spotlight
BEST LINE UP - WEEK 14
Alex Edwards, @ItsDraftSzn
QB: Herbert, $6,800, 16.72 points
RB: Ekeler, $7,000, 23.60 points
RB: Montgomery, $6,500, 27.50 points
WR: Allen, $7,700, 20.20 points
WR: Godwin, $6,300, 4.50 points
WR: Davis, $5,700, 5.40 points
TE: Kmet, $2,900, 8.10 points
FLEX: McKissic, $4,900, 10.60 points
DEF: Eagles, $2,200, 9.00 points
Total: $50,000, 125.62 points
Nathan McGuire
QB: Rodgers, $7,500, 30.90 points
RB: Ekeler, $7,000, 23.60 points
RB: Taylor, $5,800, 33.50 points
WR: Perriman, $3,900, 5.60 points
WR: Adams, $9,300, 27.50 points
WR: Lazard, $5,000, 3.90 points
TE: Kmet, $2,900, 8.10 points
FLEX Davis, $5,700, 5.40 points
DEF: Washington, $2,800, 23.00 points
Total: $49,900, 161.50 points
@FF_Spotlight
QB: Brady, $6,900, 15.64 points
RB: Carson, $6,900, 18.80 points
RB: Edwards-Helaire, $5,900, 14.10 points
WR: Robinson II, $6,800, 30.30 points
WR: Aiyuk, $5,400, 24.90 points
WR: Coutee, $5,000, 10.40 points
TE: Gesicki, $4,500, 23.50 points
FLEX: Talory, $5,800, 33.50 points
DEF: Chargers, $2,600, 9.00 points
Total: $49,800, 180.14 points
HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS - WEEK 14
Nathan McGuire: 155.42
Alex Edwards: 104.28
@FF_Spotlight: 163.08
HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS - SEASON LONG
Nathan McGuire (9-4-1): 22 pts
Alex Edwards (3-5-6): 11 pts
@FF_Spotlight (2-5-7): 9 pts
