To Play or Not to Play Devontae Booker?
Playing Devontae Booker this week is a no brainer!
Or is it?
The news broke yesterday that C.J. Anderson is headed to I.R. Suddenly Devontae Booker will now be the featured back in Denver. Booker is cheap on all DFS sites. Very cheap. But does that mean you must put him in your lineup? Let’s examine.
He’s got talent.
Booker was highly regarded coming out of Utah. Denver took him in the fourth round (7th RB taken) and the front office has indicated that Booker is the Bronco’s running back of the future. Booker’s usage has steadily increased as the season has progressed and last week he was in a 50/50 split with Anderson. Moving forward there is no question Booker will be the featured back and the franchise is comfortable with him in that role.
He’s cheap.
DraftKings has Booker at $3,700- 7.2% of your salary cap. FanDuel has him at $5,600- 9.3% of your cap. For some perspective, Forte is about 12.5% of your cap, depending on what site you’re playing on. Booker is cheap and if you use him you will free up capital to upgrade other positions.
Does his value give you an edge over your competition?
Maybe. If Booker has a great day then you’re happy with his production and you’re happy that he helped you upgrade other positions on your roster. But what if he doesn’t have a great statistical performance against San Diego on Sunday? The Broncos and Chargers met in week 6 and the Broncos running game did not impress. Anderson and Booker combined for 15 attempts for 84 yards with 0TD. How likely is it that in last 2 weeks the Denver running game has improved to the point that Booker is now going to put up RB1 numbers?
Does not playing Booker give you an edge?
Maybe. Booker’s ownership will be through the roof this week – possibly the highest of any player for the entire season. What if he bombs? What if he has the production the Broncos had against the Chargers just two weeks ago? What if all of your opponents have Booker and you were smart enough to build an excellent lineup without the shinny new toy? All that glitters is not gold.
If you want to take a chance on Booker then go for it. Just don’t be too quick to fall into the “Booker as a must play” mentality. He’s not a must play and you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Sometimes contrarian plays are good and necessary to win tournaments.
Instead of blindly rushing to get Booker in your lineup, take a moment to consider the cap space you would save, look at what upgrades you would make, and consider the possibility that Booker might have a pedestrian outing this weekend. If you play on multiple sights, it’s important to notice that he will be a better value for you on DraftKings than FanDuel. The choice is yours and yours alone, avoid the mob mentality on Booker.
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