Fantasy
11/12/22
5 min read
Cheap Thrills: Week 10 DFS Value Players Under $5500
Where are they? The bargains? The steals? The criminally undervalued? Where are the DFS players at the bottom of the salary scale who will allow you to roster the Allens, McCaffreys and Kupps of the world? Each week, I’ll find the guys who will defy their fantasy rankings and give you the bottom-end scoring that will put your DFS roster over the top. Here are this week’s most likely candidates to produce more bang for your fantasy buck:
*Note: All of these prices are from DraftKings*
George Pickens ($5000)
One of the biggest surprises of the trade deadline was Chase Claypool getting shipped off to Chicago. This move made two things clear. First, the Chicago Bears are not willing to tank this year. Second, the Pittsburgh Steelers are committed to George Pickens as one of their primary receivers. So far this season, Pickens has shown flashes of what he is capable of. But there have always been too many targets in Pittsburgh for him to really reach his full potential. The Steelers are coming off a bye week, and they must win this game if they want to keep any kind of playoff hopes alive.
Additionally, we have seen this New Orleans Saints defense allow big plays to receivers in past weeks. Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Lockett were able to break out for multiple long touchdowns against the Saints secondary. Pickens’ average depth of target is currently 15.02 yards, ranking 12th in the NFL among receivers. His teammate Diontae Johnson is 70th in the NFL, meaning Pickens is the most likely big-play candidate.
The Steelers made a statement by trading Claypool. They are fully set on Pickens as their next star receiver, and they will be looking to showcase him this Sunday. Given the circumstances, he could be poised to have the best game of his young career.
Tyler Higbee ($3600)
At first glance, Tyler Higbee may seem like an unattractive pick. He has just 3 receptions in his last 3 games, and Matthew Stafford is questionable to play with a concussion. However, at $3600, Higbee’s upside is too significant to ignore. The Los Angeles Rams are playing at home against the Arizona Cardinals, who have allowed the most fantasy points to tight ends this season. They have given up 8 or more receptions to opposing tight ends in 5 out of the 9 games. When the Rams played in Arizona Week 3, Higbee got a healthy 5 receptions for 89 yards.
Coming off back-to-back losses in which they failed to surpass 14 points, the Rams desperately need to get their offense going. Right now, they are too reliant on Cooper Kupp, so Stafford will need to get players like Higbee more involved in order to move the ball downfield. Arizona has allowed 31+ points in each of their last three games, giving the Rams the perfect opportunity to spark their offense.
Getting Higbee at $3600 opens up all kinds of opportunities for your lineup. There are few players available at this price that have the scoring potential of Higbee. If McVay wants to get the offense rolling, Higbee will have to play a significant role.
Davis Mills ($5100)
I’m not going to lie and say that the Texans vs. Giants game looks like it will be the game of the year. But Davis Mills does have some serious upside. The advantage to picking Mills at $5100 rather than a star QB at around $8000 is that you allow yourself one more star receiver or running back later in your lineup. Also, Mills is destined to have a good game.
Last week, the New York Giants defense looked as bad as they have all season, especially in the fourth quarter. They also just lost one of the best members of their defense, Xavier McKinney, who suffered an injury during the Giants' bye week. McKinney will be replaced by rookie Dane Belton who only has two career starts. On the other side, the Houston Texans look like they will have Brandin Cooks, who is easily their best receiver, back this week. Cooks and the rest of the Texans receiving corps should look to take advantage of the Giants weakened secondary and get some big plays through the air.
Picking Mills as your quarterback this week is a good strategy. At $5100, he is tied for the cheapest starting quarterback available. However, with all the above factors at play, he is definitely capable of playing one of his best games of the season. Don’t be surprised to see Mills finish Top 10 in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks this week.
Conclusion
By drafting these low-salary players, you leave yourself room to draft multiple stars into your lineup. In fact, if you were to include all three of these players in your DraftKings lineup, you would be able to spend an average of $6050 on every other player in your lineup. That includes drafting a defense, which is typically no more than $4000. Pairing cheap, high-value players with fantasy studs will make you a DFS force.
WATCH MORE: DFS Expert Jordan Vanek and former Pro Bowl WR Greg Jennings discuss how Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are unstoppable. But which one should be in your DFS lineup?
[bc_video video_id="6315175981112" account_id="6312875271001" player_id="default" embed="in-page" padding_top="56%" autoplay="" min_width="0px" playsinline="playsinline" picture_in_picture="" language_detection="" max_width="640px" mute="" width="100%" height="100%" aspect_ratio="16:9" sizing="responsive" ]
