DraftKings NFL Picks, Week 13: Best bargains in DFS play

Quarterbacks

Given the tough matchups that Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson face, Patrick Mahomes (KC vs. OAK, $7,400) is understandably the safest and most expensive quarterback on the Sunday-Monday slate. However, there are a number of other options that won’t break the bank.

In a season that has seen Deshaun Watson, Mahomes, Wilson, and Jackson dominate the headlines, Aaron Rodgers (GB at NYG, $6,500) is almost a forgotten man, despite 18 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions to date. Boasting a quarterback rating north of 100, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer is still in his prime and draws a favorable matchup against an exploitable New York Giants secondary.

Kirk Cousins (MIN at SEA, $6,400) faces a vulnerable Seattle Seahawks secondary that Carson Wentz was unable to exploit with his collection of CFL-caliber wide receivers last week. Over the past seven weeks, only Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have scored more fantasy points per game than Cousins.

I made no secret of my affinity for the 2019 prospects of Cousins during fantasy draft season.  Despite hard times in the opening weeks, and a nagging injury to top target Adam Thielen, this take stands the test of time:

Sam Darnold (NYJ at CIN, $6,100) is apparently back on the market since he’s no longer “seeing ghosts”: the sergeant of the New York Jets huddle has thrown seven touchdowns and just one interception in his last three games, and averaged over 300 yards over his last two contests. Enter the Cincinnati Bengals, who field one of the NFL’s most toothless pass defenses.

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Contrary to the opinions of some boo-birds, expect Carson Wentz (PHI at MIA, $5,800) to begin a Cousins-like mid-season renaissance this week. The Miami Dolphins are a panacea for any struggling offense, and the expected return of starting linemen Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson, along with top wideout Alshon Jeffery, should buoy Wentz to fantasy football relevance once again.

Wentz’s stat line will be the star of the show, and an NFC Offensive Player of the Week nomination shouldn’t take more astute analysts by surprise. Meanwhile, Miles Sanders, Zach Ertz, and Dallas Goedert should draw accolades for their performances as best supporting actors.

Not to be outdone, Nick Foles (JAX vs. TB, $5,700) should silence his contrarians from the Gardner Minshew fan club this week against a porous Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass defense that ranks dead last in the league in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Foles has accounted for over 290 yards in his first two starts after a major shoulder injury, so DFS players in tournaments would do well to stack Foles with either D.J. Chark, Chris Conley or Dede Westbrook, depending on risk tolerances and salary cap situations.

Andy Dalton (CIN vs. NYJ, $4,700) is a cheaper option for those in GPPs, as he gets a chance to prove that the Ryan Finley experiment was a mistake. Tyler Boyd owners are rejoicing, as it’s finally clear to all that Dalton was an inconvenient scapegoat: the Bengals offense suffered from injuries and poor play in the offensive line, which has been a contributing factor to Zac Taylor’s unimaginative use of a solid group of skill position players.