Need A Defense? Take A Look At The Philadelphia Eagles!

One of the harder choices to make when setting a daily fantasy roster is picking which defense/special teams unit to go with. Next to kickers, they typically don’t score much. But if you choose the right one your final score can get a pretty nice boost from an unexpected source. The trick is picking one that has a good chance to score a good number of points.

This week, one of the best options available may be the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fly, Eagles, Fly!

With Sean Lee out for the foreseeable future, there is a very good chance the Eagles will have as much success running the ball as the Atlanta Falcons did last week (34 attempts for 132 yards). That will make for longer drives that will tire the Dallas defense out making it even easier for one of the best offenses in the NFL to score.

But what does this mean for the Eagles defense?

This means the Cowboys are going to get behind early and need to throw to stay in the game. That means the Eagles defensive front can go nuts rushing Dak Prescott without having to worry about the run game.

Prior to last week’s disastrous game, the Cowboys had been doing a great job of protecting Prescott. But with Tyron Smith out of the lineup, they allowed eight sacks. Prescott also ended up fumbling twice.

If the Cowboys can’t protect Prescott, they can’t pass. That much was evident against the Falcons and the Eagles have a much better defensive front. If they can’t pass, they can’t score.

Whether the Eagles win or lose doesn’t matter to daily fantasy players. But no one is going to be sad they started a defense that held their opponent to seven points, forced two fumbles, and sacked the quarterback six times.

There’s just one problem.

There is a chance that Tyron Smith will return to the lineup. If he does, rushing the passer will become a whole lot tougher. Where Chaz Green struggled, Smith will not—as long as he remains healthy enough to stay in the game.

Keep an eye on Smith’s status this week. If he plays, chances are the Eagles defense will not be a bad option. But there will probably be better ones. However, if he doesn’t play, make the Eagles your defense this week.

The Must Start Player Of The Week: Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce

Every week, certain players are used in daily fantasy lineups more than others—and with good reason. They are the guys whose production makes them worth owning no matter how high the price tag is. They are the indispensable keys to victory. They are must-start players.

Who will that be this week?

Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce.

Kelce currently ranks 12th in receiving yards amongst all receivers and is first among tight ends (he’s 46 yards ahead of Rob Gronkowski). He’s averaging over five catches a week, has had seven in each of his last two and recorded a touchdown in his previous three.

Not bad, right? But what makes him a must start?

Alex Smith is targeting him on average at least seven times a game. Three times he’s been targeted more than ten times, and he’s been targeted less than seven times only twice. According to ESPN’s fantasy scoring, he’s averaging 16.1 points per week.

That’s nice, but it doesn’t scream ‘must-start.’

But there’s more!

This week the Kansas City Chiefs will be playing the New York Giants. According to data compiled by FantasyData.com, the Giants are allowing tight ends to score more fantasy points than any other team in the NFL.

What makes this stat even better is that this has happened even though they’ve only played a couple, maybe three, quality tight ends (Zach Ertz, Jason Witten, and Jimmy Graham). The San Francisco 49ers gave Garrett Celek the start last week, and he had four catches for 67 yards and a touchdown!

If this can happen when the Giants have faced mostly subpar tight ends, what’s going to happen when they face a beast like Kelce?

Kelce is coming off a couple of strong games which might lead some daily fantasy players to think he’s due for a downfall. But the Chiefs are trying to break out of a slump having lost three of their last four. The last thing they want is to lose to one of the worst teams in the NFL.

So, expect them to make use of one of their best players early and often. Will the DKL Pros recommend Travis Kelce?

Do The New Orleans Saints Have Must-Start Running Backs?

When it comes to the New Orleans Saints and daily fantasy lineups, you typically think of Drew Brees and maybe one of his wide receivers (Michael Thomas appears to be his favorite this season). You rarely, if ever, think about starting one of their running backs.

But it’s a different day in New Orleans.

The Saints have been a pass-first and pass-often team for years. Having a guy like Drew Brees encourages that, but so does having an abysmal defense.

This season that does not appear to be the case. After a poor start, the Saints defense has played well. This has allowed them to lean a little less on Brees and the passing game and a little more on the run game.

As a result, the Saints have the No. 9 run game in the NFL heading into Week Ten.

Mark Ingram or Alvin Kamara?

Mark Ingram has been the primary option for the Saints the last few seasons and has carried the ball for more than half of the Saints rushing attempts this season (123 of 228). Rookie running back Alvin Kamara has only carried the ball 52 times, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should start Ingram.

Much like he was in college for Tennessee, Kamara’s best value to the Saints has been as a receiving option. Of the plays he is in for, he has been split out like a wide receiver on 34.8 percent of them this season.

Consequently, he has been targeted on pass plays 48 times this season. Since he has managed to haul in 37 for 341 yards, he is the Saints third most productive receiver.

So—who do you start?

Over the last five weeks, between his touches in the run game and the passing game, Kamara has accounted or at least 76 yards of offense. In two of the last three, he’s had 100+ total yards of offense.

Ingram does little in the passing game but has at least 75 rushing yards in each of the last four games and 100+ in two of them.

Buffalo has been good at defending against the run, but the Bills were shredded last week by the Jets. It is not hard to imagine Ingram and Kamara doing the same. However, only two running backs have gained 60+ receiving yards against the Bills.

Neither would be a bad option, but Ingram is the better one this week. See who the pros like at DK Legends.

Don’t Be Seduced By T.Y. Hilton’s Numbers

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is one of the best young receivers in the game today. Even though he does not have Andrew Luck throwing him the ball, he is second in the NFL in receiving yards with 702.

Last week, he torched the Houston Texans with five receptions for 175 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

When you see that a guy had production like that, it is easy to think you should insert him into your daily fantasy lineup for the following week. Even if he doesn’t do that well (which he probably wouldn’t), chances are good he’ll have a good game.

Right?

Not necessarily.

To the casual fan, it probably looks like he torched a great defense last week. But with the injuries the Texans have suffered on both sides of the ball, they are not the formidable opponent they normally are. Yes, the Texans still have some good players on defense, but there is a reason their unit is the 19th ranked pass defense in the NFL.

Does this mean the gaudy numbers Hilton put up against them are not as impressive?

Absolutely not! He has a great day and deserves all the credit in the world. However, to assume he’ll have a good day this week because he did so last week would be foolish.

Look at all the numbers.

When you do, Hilton’s true daily fantasy value becomes a little clearer. His only other touchdown came against the Cleveland Browns in Week Three. While he may be averaging almost 80 yards a game, most of it (505 yards) came in just three (Cleveland—153; San Francisco- 177; Houston—175).

In four of his other six games, he gained 30 yards or less.

So—start or sit this week?

Sit him.

At best, Hilton is a boom or bust player this season, and he only appears to boom when the Colts play a struggling team. Pittsburgh has had some issues this season, but they have the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL this season.

There is no reason to believe Hilton will blow up against the Steelers as he did against Houston. If anything, he is more likely to have a day as he did against the Bengals (two receptions for 15 yards), Jaguars (two receptions for 27 yards), or Titans (one reception for 19 yards).

Start him if you hate money but otherwise look for a better option.

Ezekiel Elliot’s Suspension Is On (again) But Dallas Still Has Options

Daily fantasy players were surprised when Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was an option last week. He didn’t surpass the 100-yard mark like he had the previous three weeks, but a 93-yard, one touchdown day is nothing to be angry about. If he could remain eligible for this week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, he’d make whoever starts him happy.

As it turns out, he’s not going to be playing this week or the five games following it.

Zeke’s gone but is the Dallas run game forgotten?

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Thursday afternoon to deny Elliot’s request for an injunction meaning the six-game suspension handed down by the league before the season began. He has another court day coming up on December 1, so he will miss at least four games for sure (Atlanta, Eagles, Chargers, and Redskins).

But without him, will they still be able to run the ball?

Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, or Rod Smith?

With the trio of running backs the Cowboys have on the roster and their offensive line, chances are good the Dallas run game will be just fine. But will they have a running back worth starting in daily fantasy leagues?

The expectation last week was that Alfred Morris would get the start, and he probably will this week against the Falcons. Exactly how many carries he’ll get remains to be seen and will likely depend on how much success he has.

Atlanta’s run defense is ranked 15th in the NFL, but they have only played two teams that are any good at running the ball. Those teams ran the ball with ease (Buffalo ran for 117 yards, and Carolina ran for 201 yards).

Morris is a good running back, and the Dallas offensive line will open some holes for him. Will he gain enough yards to be worth starting? Or will he split the workload too much with Darren McFadden and Rod Smith?

So, what’s the call?

Morris will get the chance to earn more carries, but the team will have no problem looking to McFadden or Smith to get the job done if he fails. So, it is a good thing Atlanta has been struggling on offense lately. There will be plenty of opportunities for whoever runs the ball.

However, until we see how Dallas plans to distribute carries between the three backs, it is hard to judge who is worth starting—if anyone. For now, the only option that is even remotely advisable is Alfred Morris and only if he comes at the right price.

Cheap.

Jameis Winston And Mike Evans Are Out But What About DeSean Jackson?

The season has not gone how fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thought it would. They were supposed to be contenders this year. Jameis Winston was supposed to turn the corner and take the offense to new heights. With the help of a solid defense, they were going to make the playoffs this season.

But now it’s looking like they are going to be hard-pressed to finish 8-8 this season.

What about daily fantasy?

Daily fantasy players were looking forward to banking off the likes of Winston and Mike Evans. While they have had good days, they’ve been far from reliable. This coming week, they will not even be on the field.

Winston is being sat for the next few weeks to rest his soldier and Evans has been suspended for one game for his role in a fight last week. But does that mean the whole roster is without daily fantasy value?

Not necessarily.

What about D-Jax?

Tampa Bay’s running game has been non-existent all season, so unless you hate winning money, you are already leaving Doug Martin out of your lineup. However, this could be a good week to get Desean Jackson into it.

D-Jax has not been a great start this season. He only has one 100+ yard day to his name and just two touchdowns. He’s only caught 48 percent of the passes thrown his way this season (27 receptions; 56 targets).

So, why start him now?

With Evans out, he is going to become the team’s No. 1 option this week. Yes, with Ryan Fitzpatrick getting the start, there is no guarantee the offense is going to get on track—especially against a tough defense like the Jets.

But with the running game not working, the Buccaneers are going to have no choice but to throw. While Fitzpatrick was not good in relief of Winston last week, he did throw for 290 yards and three touchdowns in his one start (against Arizona; Jackson had three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown).

Starting Jackson does involve an element of risk since it is hard to tell if the good version of Fitzpatrick is going to show up or the bad one. But he could be an inexpensive addition to your roster with tremendous upside.

Go Ahead And Pick Up Adrian Peterson This Week (really, it’s a good idea)

At one point in time, Adrian Peterson was the best in the business. But time and injuries appear to have taken their toll on the future Hall of Famer. That’s why the Minnesota Vikings were willing to let him walk and why the Saints didn’t feel the need to keep him.

However, the Arizona Cardinals were willing to give him another shot. He repaid their confidence with a two touchdown, 134-yard day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first start.

He made daily fantasy players believe in him once again as well. But then he repaid their confidence with an absolute stinker against the Los Angeles Rams (11 carries for 21 yards). So, who in their right mind would even consider inserting him into their lineup now?

Winners, that’s who.

A set of circumstances have developed that have created a perfect storm of sorts for Peterson. With Carson Palmer out and Drew Stanton in, the Cardinals plan on leaning on their new running back.

“Feed the beast,” offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said (azcardinals). “It’s like an old stove. The more wood you put in it, the hotter it gets. We’ve just got to make sure we feed him the ball so he can get comfortable.”

It’s exactly what Peterson said he needed in New Orleans but never got. But then he proved the theory right in his first game with the Cardinals. However, he stunk it up in his second game.

Why trust him now?

It isn’t so much that you should trust him, but that you should trust he is going to get the chance to run a lot against a poor run defense.

To be fair, San Francisco is not terrible against the run depending on the metric you look at. They give up 3.9 yards a carry this season (15th in the NFL), but they give up 131.8 yards a game (29th).

Against a defense like that and with the expectation of a heavy workload, Peterson could be in line for a big day. With Stanton under center, the Cardinals tend to run the ball 44.2 times a game.

If Peterson were to get 30 of those carries and averages just what the 49ers have allowed, that equates to a 117-yard day. If he averages 5.2 yards/carry like he did against Tampa Bay, we’re talking about 156-yard day.

So, chances are he’ll have a good day, but he could very well have a great one. Either way, he’s worth having in your daily fantasy lineup.