QB List is excited to be partnering with FantasyDraft, featuring advice articles every week through the entirety of the 2019 season. Signup and play for free at FantasyDraft.
Welcome to Week 13 of the football season. I’ll be providing you with some DFS content, covering Running Backs and Defenses. We’ll take a look at some potential cash-game plays as well as some pivots that could be used in tournaments. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out in the comments section below.
Running Backs
Cash Game Options:
Le’Veon Bell, NYJ ($14,500) at CIN
Le’Veon Bell and the Jets have hit a really favorable patch in their schedule. Starting in Week 9 they faced the Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Raiders, and now they take on the Bengals. For the year, the Bengals have been everyone’s favorite team to pick on as they’ve allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs. In addition to handling essentially all of the running back carries, Bell has seen an 18% target share in the passing game. That type of workload provides a great floor to start your cash game lineup with. \
Josh Jacobs, OAK ($13,000) at KC
As good of a matchup as the Bengals have been, the Chiefs have been even better, allowing the second-most fantasy points to ball carriers this year. The way to keep the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes at bay is to keep him off the field, and the way to do that is run the ball and control the clock. That’s where our man, Josh Jacobs, comes in. The Raiders faced the Chiefs in Week 2 and got routed 28-10, but Jacobs still managed 99 yards in the negative game script. Since that time, Jacobs has seen more work in the passing game too, seeing two or more targets in all but one game.
Miles Sanders, PHI ($10,100) at MIA
As of Wednesday, Jordan Howard was still not cleared for contact due to an injured shoulder, which means we’ll see a combination of Miles Sanders and Jay Ajayi against the Dolphins. In a less favorable matchup last week against the Seahawks, we saw Sanders out-snap Ajayi 64-9. This week the Eagles get a magical matchup against the Dolphins, who have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs this year. We should see the big-play running back, Sanders, again handle the majority of the carries Sunday and I expect a very big day for the Eagles rookie.
Tournament Options:
Christian McCaffrey, CAR ($19,700) vs. WAS
Okay, I’m moving Christian McCaffrey back down here, since he came in at sub-20% ownership last week. Even at his high price tag, he did not disappoint, as he found the end zone twice while going over 100 total yards and catching nine passes. Taking a look at our build, Matt Ryan disappointed, but CMC, Henry, Scarbrough, Gage, and the Steelers DST all had decent weeks. Even though he’s no longer up in the cash game options, I’ll still put together the start of a CMC build at the bottom. Oh, we forgot to talk about the elephant in the room – CMC’s price tag. While his price only rose $500 from last week, he’s the highest-priced running back by $5,100 due in part by Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara playing Thanksgiving day. Not that you’re worried about the matchup with him, but getting to face the defense that has allowed the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs is just an added bonus.
Saquon Barkley, NYG ($14,000) vs. GB
Over his last two games played, Saquon Barkley has put up a total of 16.1 PPR points. While all the people who rostered him over the past two weeks are getting treatments for their burns, we’re going to sneakily roster him at low ownership. For the year, the Packers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing backs this year. The Packers are coming off a game in which they allowed the 49ers running backs to find the end zone twice and hopefully, Barkley keeps the trend going,
Phillip Lindsay, DEN ($10,500) vs. LAC
This is all about how the Broncos backfield has changed with Brandon Allen under center. With Joe Flacco at the helm, Royce Freeman saw a 13% target share in the passing game. Since Allen took over in Week 9, that number has fallen to just 5% – he’s seen four targets over the last three games. Meanwhile, Phillip Lindsay‘s workload has remained consistent, seeing 18 and 16 touches over the last two weeks, respectively. This week the Broncos face the Chargers, who have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs on the year. This is a good matchup and Lindsay is priced as if he’s still splitting touches evenly with Freeman.
Darrell Williams, KC ($8,800) vs. OAK
With Damien Williams ruled out, the Chiefs will roll with a combination of LeSean McCoy and Darrell Williams. We have a previous two-week sample size from earlier this year when Damien was out and during that time, Darrell out-snapped McCoy 73 to 58. During that time, Williams averaged 82 total yards per game, found the end zone twice, and saw nine targets in the passing game. Williams gets a matchup against the Raiders, who have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this year.
Defenses
Cash Game Option:
Philadelphia Eagles ($6,900) at MIA
The Eagles get the magic matchup against the Dolphins, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing defenses on the year. Over the last couple of weeks, the Eagles pass rush has come alive, which has really helped (hide) the poor Eagles secondary. The Dolphins offensive line has allowed the most sacks per game, so we should see this Eagles offensive line feast early and often.
Tournament Option:
Jacksonville Jaguars ($6,400) vs. TB
If you’re a regular reader, you know I love to pick on the turnover machine, Jameis Winston. Over the Buccaneers’ last six games, Winston has been sacked 18 times and turned the ball over 19 times. For the year, the Jaguars are tied for sixth in sacks per game, so they should be able to pressure Winston into a couple of turnovers and that could always lead to a precious defensive touchdown.
As promised, here’s a mock build that allows for CMC. Locking in Andy Dalton, CMC, Sanders, Lindsay, Tyler Boyd, and the Eagles defense gives you $10,800 left per position for one WR, one TE, and one Flex. You could certainly do worse. Good luck this week!
Signup and play for free at FantasyDraft.
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)