DraftKings NFL picks, Week 15: Best DFS fantasy football values
By Drew DeLuca
Week 15 NFL DraftKings Values: Wide Receivers
Premium Tier ($7,000 and up): There are ten…count ’em, ten…wide receivers fetching an asking price of $7,000 or more on the DraftKings main slate this week. We’ll recommend only seven, starting with DK Metcalf (SEA at WAS, $8,600), who has shown this season that he simply can’t be covered by anyone who isn’t a superhero or a Jedi.
Our favorite from this tier, especially with Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay listed as “out” this week, is DeAndre Hopkins (ARI vs. PHI, $7,900). Hopkins already had a favorable matchup to begin with, and we’re nearly as high on A.J. Brown (TEN vs. DET, $7,600)…I mean, c’mon…it’s the Lions.
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We also love Allen Robinson II (CHI at MIN, $7,400), and we’re also keen on Justin Jefferson (MIN vs. CHI, $7,300), Adam Thielen (MIN vs. CHI, $7,100), and Cooper Kupp (LAR vs. NYJ, $7,000). Jefferson and Thielen face a Chicago Bears defense that has been one of the league’s three worst at shutting down opposing wide receivers over the last five weeks, and Kupp faces the walking punchline known as the New York Jets.
Mid-Tier Values ($6,000 to $6,900): Robert Woods (LAR vs. NYJ, $6,800) leads the pack in this tier, and we prefer him to our weekly darling Terry McLaurin (WAS vs. SEA, $6,600) on this Sunday. We think Mike Evans (TB at ATL, $6,500) should rebound from his first sub-15 point DraftKings performance since Week 9, and we expect the unusual consistency shown by Amari Cooper (DAL vs. SF, $6,400) to continue.
Once again, we’re hyping Brandon Aiyuk (SF at DAL, $6,300), who should continue his productive ways. Meanwhile, Chris Godwin (TB at ATL, $6,200) is long overdue for the kind of game that defined his 2019 season, and should have his opportunities against a weak Atlanta Falcons secondary.
Value Tier ($5,000 to $5,900): Only a handful capture our attention in this tier. Perennial disappointment Corey Davis (TEN vs. DET, $5,800) has been consistent all season, of course, since it’s 2020. He draws a very weak Lions pass defense that has allowed more fantasy points to wide receivers than any other team in the league over the last five weeks.
Others we’re watching from this tier include T.Y. Hilton (IND. vs. HOU, $5,500), Antonio Brown (TB at ATL, $5,400), and Keke Coutee (HOU at IND, $5,300). Hilton has posted three straight games with at least 18 points in DraftKings, Brown should see his role continue to increase as he learns the playbook, and Coutee has a 100 yard game or a touchdown in three of his last four contests.
Bargain Bin: We love Calvin Ridley, but not his super-expensive price tag, so we’ll go the budget route and recommend Russell Gage (ATL vs. TB, $4,700) against a Buccaneers pass defense that ranks in the bottom three in fantasy points allowed to the wide receiver position (31.2 FPPG) over the last three weeks. Gage, who has seen seven or more targets in three of his last four games, and should once again be peppered with targets with Julio Jones on the sidelines.
Hollywood Brown is the shinier object in the fantasy football community, but the comparatively homely (Willie Snead BAL vs. JAX, $4,300) has seen five or more targets in four of his last five games, and draws a favorable matchup against a joke of a Jaguars pass defense.
Other cheap wide receivers worth watching in Week 15 include Michael Pittman (IND vs. HOU, $4,800), CeeDee Lamb (DAL vs. SF, $4,500), Jalen Reagor (PHI at ARI, $4,400), and practice squad player-turned-starting wide receiver Chad Hansen (HOU at IND, $4,200), who should once again play a significant role in the offense. Those who choose to dig even deeper can find Keelan Cole (JAX at BAL, $4,000), who offers a floor as high as a player priced this low can offer, and Lynn Bowden, Jr. (MIA vs. NE, $3,600), who saw nine targets last week after DeVante Parker left with an injury.
Best Buy: DeAndre Hopkins. Until the Eagles show they can shut down a marquee wide receiver, we have every reason to plug Hopkins into nearly every single DraftKings lineup we create this weekend, especially with Slay on the shelf.