Pick 3-4 players, situations to highlight as particularly attractive or avoid DFS situations for Week 15:
- Amari Cooper still affordable after his huge game against Philadelphia
- Larry Fitzgerald as the clear main target in Arizona
- Corey Davis against an exploitable Giants defense
- Buying Kenny Stills after two quality games in a row?
- Dede Westbrook after his best game of the season
- Jordy Nelson with 18 targets over last two games at a low salary
- George Kittle at premium salary but six or more receptions each of last four games
- Vernon Davis stepping into starting role but significant quarterback questions in Washington
- Are you buying into Blake Jarwin or Dalton Schultz as options in Dallas?
- Evan Engram back on the map with 3-77-0 last week but has not scored a touchdown since October
James Brimacombe:
- Amari Cooper still affordable after his huge game against Philadelphia
It is hard to not like Cooper right now but that is the problem, everyone will be on him and hoping his big game ability continues in Dallas.
- Larry Fitzgerald as the clear main target in Arizona
I haven’t bought into Fitzgerald all season and I see no reason to now. He will be a fade for me the rest of the season.
- Corey Davis against an exploitable Giants defense
Yes, I already was going to have Davis locked into my lineup after the Thursday Night Derrick Henry game. The Giants showed that they haven’t quit on the season last week against Washington so they will put up a fight for the Titans this week and the big chunk plays will be gone in the running game so I see Davis as a threat to do some damage in the passing game.
- Buying Kenny Stills after two quality games in a row?
Stills has always been a big spike player and one that can go on streaks having back to back big games. You have to have some exposure to Stills as he has the potential for a long touchdown every single game.
- Dede Westbrook after his best game of the season
Westbrook looks like the Jaguars best player right now on offense so I think you have to consider him against a Washington team that continues to fall apart to end the season.
- Jordy Nelson with 18 targets over last two games at a low salary
I am going to take a hard pass on the Raiders the rest of the season. This Raiders vs Bengals game is one of the strangest games to predict on the week and Nelson would not be one of my main targets if I happened to play a player in this game.
- George Kittle at premium salary but six or more receptions each of last four games
Kittle is the tight end that continues to put up huge numbers but also continues to be low owned as others flock to the big name/big production guys in Kelce and Ertz.
- Vernon Davis stepping into starting role but significant quarterback questions in Washington
Davis is getting the opportunity but he also looks like he has lost a step and who knows what we can get out of the Washington offense the rest of the way.
- Are you buying into Blake Jarwin or Dalton Schultz as options in Dallas?
Not for me this week as I wouldn’t know whom to pick over the other for starters and I would just rather look in another direction altogether.
- Evan Engram back on the map with 3-77-0 last week but has not scored a touchdown since October
I like Engram more now as the Giants look like they still want to compete and with him getting a game under his belt post injury you have to think there is more of a chance to get into the end zone moving forward.
Phil Alexander:
- Amari Cooper still affordable after his huge game against Philadelphia - This one feels like point chasing. He's on the road against Indianapolis, who hasn't allowed a 100-yard receiver since Week 4.
- Larry Fitzgerald as the clear main target in Arizona - You can do better than the clear main target in the league's worst offense.
- Corey Davis against an exploitable Giants defense - Sure. Would have scored a touchdown in his third-straight game last week if Marcus Mariota didn't overthrow him in the end zone.
- Buying Kenny Stills after two quality games in a row? - Worth a few GPP shares. Stills should avoid Xavier Rhodes and his targets have increased in two games since going public over his lack of involvement.
- Dede Westbrook after his best game of the season - Would rather pretend Washington at Jacksonville isn't on the slate.
- Jordy Nelson with 18 targets over last two games at low salary - With the exceptions of Joe Mixon and Jared Cook, Oakland at Cincinnati is another game that shouldn't be on your radar.
- George Kittle at premium salary but six or more receptions each of last four games - Doubtful we see another ceiling game, but the state of tight end is dismal to the point you shouldn't come up empty on Kittle in tournaments.
- Vernon Davis stepping into starting role but significant quarterback questions in Washington - See Westbrook, Dede.
- Are you buying into Blake Jarwin or Dalton Schultz as options in Dallas? - No. One decent game against the most depleted defense in the league doesn't make them project any better moving forward.
- Evan Engram back on the map with 3-77-0 last week, has not scored a touchdown since October - Only if Odell Beckham is ruled out again.
Justin Howe: I can’t believe Cooper didn’t surpass $7,500 on DraftKings. Since coming over, he’s gobbled up 25% of Dallas targets, the mark of an unquestioned No. 1 wideout. Amazingly, 32 of his 40 receptions as a Cowboy have gone for first downs or touchdowns. Dallas would love to win solely on the ground, but Sunday’s matchup is essentially a toss-up (Colts -3 at home), so game flow suggests Cooper will again dominate Dak Prescott’s attention. Another 10 targets should give him every opportunity to excel again.
Davis is intriguing in his matchup. The Giants pass defense has been ravaged by injury (Landon Collins), trade (Eli Apple), and crappy play (Janoris Jenkins). No. 1 wideouts are finding plenty of room to maneuver - Julio Jones, Mike Evans, and Allen Robinson have each just about maxed out this matchup over the past couple of months. Davis’ volume stinks, but he’s establishing himself as a playmaker who can maximize 5-8 targets. I wouldn’t even sniff Davis in cash, but he could work his way into a contrarian lineup or two.
I fell for Nelson as a contrarian trap last week. The eight targets were nice, but I had slotted him into my favorite DraftKings lineup (as well as a late-game dice roll) hoping for another 10-12. When you’re as low-impact as Nelson has been this year, those 2-4 looks make a real difference.
Devin Knotts: Amari Cooper has to be one of the top options this week as he is the clear number one receiver in this offense that looks capable enough to throw the ball to him. We've all seen Cooper's upside when he was in Oakland, but the problem has always been the floor. This is a scenario where Cooper has a much higher floor as the Cowboys are going out of their way to get him the ball.
Larry Fitzgerald is a clear fade for me this week. Last week was the week for him to explode going up against one of the worst defenses against slot corners and while he was fine, was not a situation in which he excelled. Simply put, this is an offense that can not be trusted against any matchup.
Evan Engram is a clear fade for me as well as it looks like Odell Beckham will likely return which means that Engram falls back into the fourth receiving option for the Giants. While he has big-play upside, the Giants are going up against a Titans defense that outside of a game against Zach Ertz has shut down opposing tight ends not allowing more than 43 yards allowed.
Will Grant:
Amari Cooper still affordable after his huge game against Philadelphia
Cooper has the hot hand in Dallas right now and while he probably won't have the same explosive game he did like last week against Philadelphia, Cooper is the best receiver that the Cowboys have by a long shot. Five touchdowns in the last three weeks makes Cooper really attractive at his price.
Buying Kenny Stills after two quality games in a row?
No. I was on Kenny Stills at the beginning of the season and he's been a complete disappointment. He scored a touchdown two weeks ago, but only had a couple catches for 40 yards. Last week he had a big game against the Patriots, but it feels like an outlier, especially this week against the Vikings. Minnesota hasn't given up more than 70 yards to any wide receiver since back in week eight. They've also given up just three receiving touchdowns to receivers in the last nine games (and never more than one in any specific game.
Jordy Nelson with 18 targets over last two games at a low salary
18 targets in the last two games, but nine targets in the previous four games. This week the Raiders play the league-worst defense in the Bengals so he's worth a GPP play or two - but I wouldn't push 'all in' just yet until we see a little more out of Nelson.
Are you buying into Blake Jarwin or Dalton Schultz as options in Dallas?
Schultz has just eight receptions for the season, so I don't see getting all excited about three receptions for 37 yards last week. Jarwin is a little more interesting since he catches almost everything thrown his way. Jarwin might be a good GPP play this week.
