Week 7 is upon us. While the future of the daily fantasy gaming industry seemingly hangs in the balance, DFS popularity continues to grows and tournament payouts further escalate. With players playing more contests for bigger payouts, PlayerProfiler and XN Sports will continue to provide a handful of top value plays on DraftKings each week.
DraftKings $7M Millionaire Maker:
– $7 million prize pool
– $1.2 million first place prize
– Only $20 to enter
– Top 83,000 finishing positions are paid out
– Starts Sunday, October 4th at 1:00pm EST
The following players are noteworthy value plays who could either serve as the cornerstones of an optimal cash lineup or add upside variance to a GPP/tournament roster, or both.
The Fantasy Carnivore
Philip Rivers, $6,500
Projected PPR Fantasy Points: 21.30
Philip Rivers’ week 6 stat line looks fake: 43 of 65 for 503 yards and two touchdowns. This came against a Green Bay secondary allowing 2.0-plus fantasy points below the mean to opposing quarterbacks — an extraordinary performance. With Antonio Gates, Keenan Allen, and Danny Woodhead on the field together, the Chargers are now playmakers in all quadrants of the football field, and Philip Rivers is feasting like a prehistoric carnivore.
Phil Rivers is a sexual tyrannosaur.
— Stephen Amell (@amellywood) October 18, 2015
The Chargers running game could only muster 60 yards on 2.9 yards per carry last week. Without a drive-sustaining running game, Philip Rivers has thrown 40-plus passes in 3 of 6 games this season. In week 7, he faces an Oakland secondary that features that 99-year old Charles Woodson and is allowing 21.9 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2015, nothing can stop this P-Rex. The 9th highest-priced QB on DraftKings this week is a value play in cash games with tournament-winning upside, particularly if the Raiders offense continues its resurgence and turns the game into a shootout.
The Athleticism Snob
Christine Michael, $3,000.00
Projected PPR Fantasy Points: 10.88
Every aspect of Christine Michael‘s athletic profile inspires excitement. From his 135.5 (97th-percentile) Burst Score to his 10.71 (98th-percentile) Agility Score, fantasy gamers have been anxiously anticipating the day that Christine Michael finally translates his extraordinary athletic ability into fantasy RB1 production. However, Christine Michael is priced at the bare minimum on DraftKings, because going back to Texas A&M, Michael has never produced for a sustained period on the football field. That may not matter in week 7. Behind a quality run blocking offensive line, even the underwhelming Thomas Rawls can eclipse 150 rushing yards.
Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown stated that he wants to let Christine Michael “rock” and Bryan Broaddus of DallasCowboys.com then reported that Christine Michael is dominating first-team running back reps at Cowboy’s practice. If Michael receives ten or more touches against a New York Giants defense that allows 27.1 fantasy points per game to running backs, he represents the best value on the DraftKings board and could be a staple in tournament-winning lineups this week.
The Convenience Store
Chris Hogan, $3,300.00
Projected PPR Points: 12.31
Nicknamed 7-11, because he is always open, Chris Hogan was quietly the Bills leading receiver in the absence of Sammy Watkins averaging 10-plus fantasy points per game over the last four weeks. Hogan is also not small, and he is not unathletic. Standing 6-1 and weighing 220-pounds, Hogan posted a 113.5 SPARQ-x Score at NFL Scouting Combine demonstrating an entice mix of vertical burst and lateral quickness.
chris hogan is a better wr than percy harvin at this point anyway. pic.twitter.com/YVBby2annb
— Matt Kelley (@Fantasy_Mansion) October 18, 2015
Operated as Tyrod Taylor’s defacto No. 1 receiver in week 7, Hogan faces a Jacksonville secondary allowing 34.6 fantasy points per game to opposing wide receivers. Most Jaguars games are high scoring, and this week should be no different with Taylor and LeSean McCoy helping to sustain drives. Chris Hogan is not merely a high variance tournament play in this week. He is also a DraftKings cash game consideration at the Flex position given his $3,300 price tag — a high floor bargain.
The Sexy Gronk Alternative
Travis Kelce, $4,900.00
Projected PPR Points: 14.26
Travis Kelce is sexy. Perpetually compared to Gronk, Kelce was the sexy pick in redraft leagues this summer. And like Gronk, Kelce has not been able to sustain his week 1 25-plus point outburst as the season has progressed. Expectations aside, Kelce has eclipsed 80-receiving yards in 3 of 6 games in 2015. Having established a 10-points per game floor, he has become a cash game staple for DFS grinders unwilling to pay the Gronk tax or risk their bankroll on another Gary Barnidge outburst.
Jeremy Maclin sustained a severe-looking concussion in week 6 and his playing status is very much in doubt for week 7. If Maclin is inactive, Travis Kelce will operate as Alex Smith’s No. 1 option in the passing game. Facing a Pittsburgh defense that was shredded by Rob Gronkowski in week 1 and is allowing 18.8 fantasy points per game to tight ends (third most in the NFL), Kelce is both the sexy and the rational play in all DraftKings contests in week 7.
May the game flow be ever in your favor.
Featured Image Credit: By Jeffrey Beall (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
