DraftKings NFL picks, Week 11: Best DFS fantasy football values
By Drew DeLuca
The best DraftKings NFL picks for Week 11 highlighting the best values in every tier.
Once again, we break down the Sunday main slate (Sunday 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET contests only) at every position in order to help NFL DFS fantasy football enthusiasts craft winning lineups on DraftKings. We work hard to identify values in all pricing tiers to facilitate every possible lineup strategy.
Our “Best Buy” is the player at each position who we feel offers the best combination of dependable production and stratospheric potential for the price. We strive to jam as many high-floor, high-ceiling plays into our lineups as possible.
Our “Bargain Bin” is a collection of low-priced dart throws at every position; these invaluable assets allow more studs at other positions to fit into DraftKings lineups. Given the myriad of tight end injuries, a prime time slate that takes Travis Kelce out of the pool, and the fact that the dregs of the position are priced at a mere $2,500 each, we’ll be dipping into the Bargain Bin at that position wherever possible this week.
As always, we start with the quarterback position and we start with who’s not in the player pool. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are absent from the main slate, but DraftKings enthusiasts are thankful that the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers are enjoying their bye weeks.
Meanwhile, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson’s weeks are already in the books, which is probably a good thing, given their performances landed a bit shy of sky-high expectations. Also gone from the main slate are Tom Brady and Jared Goff, who square off on Monday night with their full compliments of weapons.
DraftKings NFL Week 11 Values: Quarterbacks
Premium Tier ($7,000 and up): Only two quarterbacks from the main slate fall into this category: Lamar Jackson (BAL vs. TEN, $7,300) and Aaron Rodgers (GB at IND, $7,000). While the future Hall of Fame signal caller from the Green Bay Packers has outperformed the reigning NFL MVP so far this season, we don’t love his matchup; we prefer Jackson’s juicy matchup and the considerably higher rushing-driven floor.
Mid-Tier Values ($6,000 to $6,900): Many will understandably plug Justin Herbert (LAC vs. NYJ, $6,800) into their lineups, but we’re slightly concerned about game script. We look forward to a big day from Deshaun Watson (HOU vs. NE, $6,500), who should bounce back from a weather-driven Week 10 disappointment against a New England Patriots defense that’s a shell of what it was a year ago.
Value Tier ($5,000 to $5,900): Despite an attractive matchup on paper, it’s hard to get excited about Carson Wentz (PHI at CLE, $5,700), especially given the abysmal performance to date by the former first-round pick. Joe Burrow (CIN at WAS, $5,500) similarly feels like a trap against a fearsome Washington Football Team front seven that should have the rookie under siege for 60 minutes.
Our favorite option in this tier is Alex Smith (WAS vs. CIN, $5,300), who threw 55 passes last week in his first start since 2018. The Comeback Player of the Year candidate should find plenty of opportunities to light up a Cincinnati Bengals defense that ranks 27th in points allowed per game to opposing fantasy quarterbacks since the start of Week 7.
Bargain Bin (Under $5,000): There’s only one answer here, and it’s Taysom Hill (NO vs. ATL, $4,800), who’ll be starting against a feeble Atlanta Falcons defense in place of Drew Brees this week. His floor may not be quite as high as some think, but at this price, with a healthy Micheal Thomas at his disposal? Yeah, we’re plugging him into several DraftKings lineups.
Best Buy: We like Ben Roethlisberger (PIT at JAX, $6,700) against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that has allowed more points per game to opposing fantasy football quarterbacks than any other team in the league over the last four weeks. A positive game script might yield underwhelming second-half numbers but we’re confident that a plethora of first-half passing points would be the cause, more than justifying the investment.