Draftkings NFL Week 13 Picks, Sleepers and Strategy

Here at Roto Street Journal, we fancy ourselves as fantasy addicts. Fantasy football has evolved into something much more than your standard league draft. With the opportunity to enter new lineups every week through Daily Fantasy Sports, the RSJ will be giving you the best plays for your lineups, in order to win you some cash. From the high-priced superstars, to the penny stock sleepers, we have you covered to piece together the optimal lineup week by week.

Note:

• Standard DraftKings salaries are used when creating these lineups

Quarterbacks

• Top Shelf

  • Matthew Stafford ($7,000) – The flip side of the Saints matchup here where Stafford should be throwing a ton. This has all the makings of a shootout.

• Retail Price

  • Matt Ryan ($6,700) – Relatively cheap price for Ryan at home against a defense just shredded by Trevor Siemian. The MVP talks will be back after this big game.
  • Philip Rivers ($6,500) – Rivers faces the Bucs at home. Despite a game where they shut down the Seattle offense entirely, Rivers won’t likely see that same fate.
  • Colin Kaepernick ($6,100) – Kaepernick is starting to look like his old self that carried the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Facing the Bears allows for plenty of opportunity.

• Bang For Your Buck

  • Tyrod Taylor ($5,700) – Taylor has been so under the radar this season while consistently putting up points at such a cheap price.
  • Ryan Fitzpatrick ($5,200) – Fitzmagic looked solid against the Patriots, and a MNF matchup with the Colts should keep the bearded wonder rolling.

• My Pick

  • Drew Brees ($7,600) – Brees at home against a very bad Lions defense. There’s a very good chance for 40 points here. He’s in too good of a spot to pass up this week.

Running Backs

• Top Shelf

  • David Johnson ($9,500) – Despite a finger injury, DJ is a monster and cannot be stopped. His heavy usage in the passing game only helps.
  • LeSean McCoy ($7,800) – McCoy TURNED UP last week and gets to face a bad Raiders run defense while being the focal point of the Bills offense.

• Retail Price

  • Jordan Howard ($6,900) – This is purely matchup based taking on the worst 49ers run defense. Howard is still getting the bulk of the carries which is good to see in this offense.
  • Devonta Freeman ($6,100) – Freeman’s usage continues to be high, and this offense should hum against the Chiefs. Freeman has looked excellent thus far.
  • Mark Ingram ($6,000) – Ingram is running like a man possessed with the Saints right now. He’s ripping off monster runs while still sharing a backfield.
  • Latavius Murray ($5,400) – Murray is still the lead dog in Oakland’s backfield while getting a healthy number of carries at a low price.

• Bang For Your Buck

  • Tim Hightower ($4,800) – Hightower is doing work while still being the RB2 for the Saints. His low price offers flexibility to owners.
  • James Starks ($4,400) – Starks is the lone back in the Packers offense. He’s getting a healthy number of carries while being used in the receiving game. He just needs to produce more on the ground to break out.

• My Pick

  • Jeremy Hill ($4,300) – Another lone back here for the Bengals, Hill saw his snap count and usage spike with the departure of Gio Bernard. He’s a good bet for a touchdown despite being so low in price. Going cheap at running back allows for big spending at the receiver spot.

Wide Receivers

• Top Shelf

  • Antonio Brown ($9,100) – Brown had a huge turkey day with 3 TDs, and now goes back home where the Steelers offense really flourishes.
  • Julio Jones ($8,900) – Jones won’t draw coverage from elite corners this week in  return home against a struggling Chiefs secondary
  • Mike Evans ($8,600) – He just torched the Seahawks secondary. THE SEAHAWKS. He’s that good.
  • Odell Beckham Jr ($8,500) – ODB is on fire now and looking like he’s not slowing down anytime soon. In what could be a shootout in Steel City, Beckham is the likely Giant to go off.

• Retail Price

  • Julian Edelman ($6,800) – Gronk is still ailing, meaning Edelman should be the Patriots go-to-guy once again. Maybe he will finally find the end zone.
  • Stefon Diggs ($5,700) – Diggs has been so consistent with his targets and receptions, making him such a safe play at receiver. He’ll need a big game against Dallas for the Vikings to win the game.
  • Doug Baldwin ($6,700) – After a poor showing from the Seahawks, Baldwin should bounce back nicely against a bad Panthers secondary.
  • Donte Moncrief ($6,500) – The return of QB Andrew Luck is great for Moncrief who basically scores every game he has Luck. Revis isn’t slowing anyone down anymore.
  • Golden Tate ($6,200) – Tate will be the leading beneficiary in a shootout against the Saints as the Lions #1 receiver. He could be in for a big game.
  • Tyrell Williams ($6,100) – Williams continues to fly under the radar despite drawing tons of attention in the Chargers passing game. The Bucs shouldn’t be difficult to work with for the Gazelle.
  • Jamison Crowder ($5,800) – As I’ve said before, Crowder is the epitome of fantasy wide receiver consistency. Despite playing against the Cardinals, he will still produce with this red hot offense.

• Bang For Your Buck

  • Tyler Boyd ($4,800) – Boyd comes in as the lead receiver with AJ Green’s injury. His first game wasn’t as glamorous as we hoped, so a date with the Eagles could be just what’s needed.
  • Tyreek Hill ($4,600) – Tyreke the Freak went OFF against the Broncos with 3 TDs. He’s such a weapon on offense and should keep getting fed the ball.
  • Anquan Boldin ($4,100) – Boldin has been sneaky good and reliable for Detroit as of late. There will be plenty of chances against the Saints for Boldin to score again.
  • Taylor Gabriel ($4,000) – Gabriel has been the hottest player in the NFL the last few weeks with 5 touchdowns in his last 4 games. The Falcons offense will be cruising against the Chiefs, so another touchdown is certainly not out of the question.
  • Malcolm Mitchell ($3,600) – Mitchell seems to have slipped into that WR2 role for the Patriots and has earned the trust of Brady. He’s a great red zone weapon and could very well score again for the third straight week.

• My Pick

  • Michael Thomas ($6,900) – #Zone6 receiver Mike Thomas has officially become the #1 wideout in New Orleans. With a big Saints day on deck, Thomas will be #sshh’ing his critics, and is a fantastic stack with Brees.

Tight Ends

• Top Plays

  • Jimmy Graham ($5,500) – Graham in a prime time game where Seattle needs a big bounce back win is a recipe for a Graham takeover. Carolina doesn’t have the pieces needed to stop this beast.
  • Tyler Eifert ($5,300) – With the loss of AJ Green, Eifert is arguably the top receiving weapon, while certainly being the top option in the red zone. He’s a great bet to score this week.

• Bargain Plays

  • Travis Kelce ($4,700) – Kelce had a great game against the Broncos where the Chiefs just kept feeding him the ball. Plenty of offense in Atlanta will help him here.
  • Kyle Rudolph ($4,100) – Bradford is a big fan of throwing to his tight end, so Rudolph could have another nice performance for a second straight Thursday.
  • CJ Fiedorowicz ($3,800) – Brock Osweiler’s favorite target (ew) comes in pretty cheap. He’ll get his handful of catches over the middle while deciding to neglect Hopkins out wide. Whatever, I’m not bitter.
  • Vance McDonald ($2,900) – Kaepernick continues to feed McDonald, so I’m just gonna keep loving it.

Defenses

• Top Plays

  • Denver Broncos ($3,900) – The NFL’s best secondary against a VERY turnover prone Blake Bortles? Yes please.

• Bargain Plays

  • Baltimore Ravens ($3,000) – The Ravens have a good defense here despite a hot Miami team. I just don’t trust Ryan Tannehill, that’s what it comes down to.
  • Pittsburgh Steelers ($2,800) – The Steelers ate up Scott Tolzien last week and now come in relatively cheap against the Giants. The Giants barely scored against the Browns, so that leaves a sour taste in my mouth for that offense.