Thomason: Sleepers & Daily Fantasy Value Plays For Week 10
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) We are winding down with only two more weeks left on byes. Unfortunately, the injuries never seem to end, but it's nice to have a full gambit of players back and no longer have bye weeks cramping your winning style.
With four more teams on bye this week and next, you'll be looking for some players who can fill in for your weekly lineup for both daily and season-long leagues. A lot of these players may even be on your waiver wire, depending on your league size.
Let's find some sneaky plays and make that final push for the playoffs or make some money in your daily tournaments with a look at this week's sleepers/value plays for both season-long and daily fantasy.
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins, Redskins (vs. Saints) – The Saints rank dead last in pass defense DVOA and have been carved up by Marcus Mariota and Eli Manning for 10 touchdowns the last two weeks. You read that right: 10 touchdowns. Washington's pass offense DVOA is 10th, and it added DeSean Jackson back into the mix last week. He will have knocked some rust off, and Cousins and Co. should be able to touch up this porous (to put it nicely) Saints secondary. With basement prices of $6500 on FanDuel and $5200 on DraftKings, Cousins makes a great punt play at quarterback.
Jameis Winston, Buccaneers (vs. Cowboys) – Winston now has four consecutive games without a turnover, although last week presented his first game not throwing a touchdown. That being said, he added a rushing touchdown to his 249 yards passing and his 24 yards on the ground. That marks his third rushing score of the year and his fourth game with 249 passing yards or more. Let's not forget that he's doing this with a decimated receiving core, which makes it all the more impressive. Dallas ranks 18th in pass defense DVOA, and there's a chance Winston gets Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins back this week. At $6800 on FanDuel and minimum QB pricing of $5000 on DraftKings, he's absolutely worth firing up.
Running back
Ryan Mathews, Eagles (vs. Dolphins) – Mathews only played 30 percent of the snaps last week, but he saw 11 carries and totaled 67 yards with a touchdown. He's consistently producing on limited touches and is out scoring Darren Sproles and DeMarco Murray in fantasy points per snap. The Eagles will take on a weak Dolphins run defense allowing the second-most rush yards per game at 142.1. There should be plenty of opportunity for the explosive Mathews to pile up yardage and score another touchdown. He's worth the price of $5600 on FanDuel and even more so at a measly $3500 on DraftKings.
Matt Jones, Saints (vs. Saints) – The week before the Redskins bye, Jones played 70 percent of the backfield snaps. Then this past week, he saw just 41 percent due to the Redskins trailing the entire game against the Patriots. While there's a good chance Washington will trail in this upcoming game against New Orleans, there's as much reason to believe the Redskins will attempt to keep Drew Brees on the sideline by pounding Jones and the run game down their throat. The Saints are fourth-worst in the NFL in allowing 4.7 yards per carry and are 18th in rush defense DVOA. This is a game for Jones to get back on track. He has reasonable price tags of $5600 on FanDuel and $3300 DraftKings.
Receiver
Kamar Aiken, Ravens (vs Jaguars) – Who else is Joe Flacco going to throw to? He lost Steve Smith for the year, so Aiken gets the first shot at being Flacco's go-to receiver. The Jaguars rank a lowly 29th in pass defense DVOA and second against the run. Aiken led the team in targets, reception and yards in Week 5 when Smith sat out with an injury, and I expect more of the same coming out of the bye week. Aiken also saw a season-high six targets the week before the bye as well, so as Flacco's top target against a bad pass defense, Aiken's every bit worth $5400 on FanDuel and $4500 on DraftKings. The volume will be there, and the matchup is right.
Davante Adams, Packers (vs. Lions) – Another weak pass defense is on the horizon for the Packers as they take on the Lions. who rank 30th in pass DVOA. Adams will cost you a mere $5800 FanDuel or $4200 on DraftKings and should give you ample production for the price. He seems to be fully recovered from the early season high ankle sprain, as he played 97 percent of snaps and saw 11 targets last week. He was second only to Randall Cobb in the target department but led Green Bay in snaps and receptions, tallying seven for 93 yards. Fire him up in this juicy matchup and take advantage of the price point.
Tight end
Richard Rodgers, Packers (vs. Lions) – Rodgers saw nine targets this past week, catching five for only 19 yards, but he scored twice. While you can't count on that type of efficiency weekly, you can feel confident that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is looking Richard Rodgers' way in the red zone. Couple that with the Lions' paltry rank of 22nd in DVOA against tight ends, and you have yourself another nice punt play at the tight end position. While Rodgers costs $5400 on FanDuel, his $3000 tag on DraftKings is a viable option for a cheap play.
Crockett Gillmore, Ravens (vs. Jaguars) – The theme stays the same here with Flacco and the Ravens facing the Jaguars. Flacco has few options to throw to, and his big, athletic tight end will be a nice red-zone option. The Jaguars not only stink against the pass but are equally as bad defending the tight end position. They rank 29th in DVOA against opposing tight ends, and Gillmore can hardly get any cheaper at $5000 on FanDuel and $2800 on DraftKings. He's a good bet to get into the end zone, as he did the week before their bye.
Others considered: Shaun Hill (if Teddy Bridgewater is out), Josh McCown, Shane Vereen, Antonio Andrews, Desean Jackson, Tavon Austin, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Kyle Rudolph.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and co-host of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter@jthomason77and feel free to ask fantasy questions.