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This is a weird slate for D/ST, since there aren’t many standout options. A lot of the most talented defenses are off the 10-game main slate on DraftKings, which left some less than stellar options to pay up for.
I think that makes for a great week to pay down at defense, meaning the top priced options are fades. Here are my three least favorite D/ST plays on the 10-game main slate.
Cowboys (@NYJ) — $4,300
While the Cowboys are worth playing against the Jets in your season-long league, there’s no I’m paying up at $4,300 for them on this slate. This defense is extremely overrated, averaging just 6.2 DKFP so far this season.
The Jets will get Sam Darnold back for this game, and while they’re still touchdown underdogs, things have to improve from where the offense was with Luke Falk. The other reasons the Cowboys are so expensive is because the Eagles D/ST dropped a whopping 35 DKFP in this matchup last week, although it was in Philly. That was due to a fluky two touchdowns and 10 sacks, though, which we just can’t count on from a week-to-week basis.
Ravens (CIN) — $4,100
I also can’t justify paying up for an overrated Ravens D/ST, even against the winless Bengals. Baltimore scored 13 DKFP in its Week 1 blowout over the Dolphins, but has just 8.0 total DKFP since! This defense is allowing the second most yards per play this season, and we just can’t back it for this high of a salary, regardless of matchup.
The Cardinals make for a comparable matchup to the Bengals, and Ravens D/ST scored 4.0 DKFP in that matchup. Getting one point per thousand dollars in salary on DK isn’t close to what we’re looking for.
Eagles (@MIN) — $3,000
Speaking of overpriced, we’ve got the Eagles up at $3,000, which is thanks to those unique 35 DKFP scored against the Jets. Prior to that, Eagles D/ST had scored 15 total DKFP in four games, and playing at Minnesota isn’t an easy matchup.
Kirk Cousins has had his struggles, but the passing game did find something last week against the Giants. The Eagles weakness is in the secondary, which leaves them open to giving up some big plays.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.