Each week, we’ll be recapping the decisions of the masses and discerning the takeaways that can be applied to future DraftKings NFL contests, focusing on topics like game theory and lineup-building strategies, with the hope of giving everyone the tools to become better DraftKings NFL DFS players. In addition to the recap, this article will also function as a “first look” at the next NFL main slate, giving some initial thoughts on the teams and prices.
The DraftKings Championship Series is the king of competitions, minting 100 millionaires in the 2021-22 season. For more info on the series and all of the events, visit our DraftKings Championship Series Information page.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry]
Tight End Position Decides Week 13
The Week 13 main slate had some interesting quirks, with the leverage point falling on the tight end position, an unusual place for major differentiation to be had. The highly-owned running backs were all at least serviceable, as Eli Mitchell, Antonio Gibson, and Sony Michel were all certainly at least good enough for their low price tags, and the popular receivers were mostly effective across the board too. There were a few duds like the nine points from Jamaal Williams and the 8.5 from Brandon Aiyuk, but for the most part, the running backs and wide receivers generally did what they were expected to do.
The key to the slate, however, was at tight end, where Foster Moreau was by far the most popular play and wound up with just 4.4 fantasy fantasy points. It wasn’t a complete disaster for his $2,700 price tag, but the bigger story was the advantage that was gained by looking elsewhere — specifically to George Kittle and Dallas Goedert. Kittle and Goedert were both drafted in less than 10 percent of lineups in both millionaire contests, and they were essentially the two best players on the entire slate. Kittle was the top overall scorer with 42.6 fantasy points despite just a $5,900 salary, and Goedert posted 31.5 points for just $4,500. The winning lineups in the two contests actually played BOTH tight ends, a generally rare strategy that paid off massively for the two winners.
Millionaire Contest Winners
$20 Millionaire
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$555 Millionaire
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Kland304 took down the $20 Millionaire with a lineup that used a decent amount of correlation, pairing Goedert with his quarterback Gardner Minshew. He also combined Justin Jefferson and Jamaal Williams from the Lions-Vikings game, and Sony Michel with the Rams’ defense. The key of course was getting both Goedert and Kittle, a combination that was nearly essential for winning GPPs in Week 13.
The $555 Millionaire went to one of the biggest names in DFS — theWhistlesGoWooo — who of course had the same tight end duo that all of the Week 13 winners seemed to have. His lineup beat second place in the higher-stakes millionaire contest by more than 11 points, using Minshew as his quarterback as well. Aside from Kittle and Goedert, the scores in the lineup were actually incredibly balanced, with every player (besides the defense and quarterback) scoring at least 21 fantasy points. For more on theWhistlesGoWoo, you can check him out on the latest episode of Chasing The G.O.A.T. — where three top-rated fantasy MVPs journey to take down the 2021 Fantasy Football World Championship, aka the crown jewel of DraftKings Championship Series.
First Look at Week 14
Patrick Mahomes ($8,000) is at the top of the QB price chart, but the next two names will likely get a lot more attention when they go head-to-head in what could be a big game for the NFL MVP award. The matchup between Josh Allen ($7,800) and Tom Brady ($7,600) also has the week’s highest total, so there are plenty of reasons for attention to be centered around it. Further down the salary list, Taysom Hill ($5,600) jumps out as a value option for his game against the Jets, after posting a score of 27.66 DKFP in Week 13.
The running back hierarchy is extremely ambiguous heading into Week 14, with injury question marks in seemingly every team’s backfield. Austin Ekeler ($8,300) looks like the clear top option against the Giants, especially if Keenan Allen doesn’t play, but he’s dealing with some injury concerns of his own. Even if Melvin Gordon ($5,400) does play in Week 14, Javonte Williams ($5,900) will likely be a strong choice for the Broncos’ home game against the Lions. Williams posted 32.8 DKFP on Sunday Night Football, and that figures to be a factor in his popularity for the upcoming game.
The big news this week at wide receiver is that Keenan Allen ($7,600) may not play due to COVID-19 protocols. If he does wind up sitting, Mike Williams ($6,000) should emerge as the most underpriced WR1 on the board, with cheaper guys like Jalen Guyton ($3,400) and Josh Palmer ($3,000) potentially stepping up to play larger roles as well. Elsewhere, Deebo Samuel ($8,000) is questionable once again, and Brandon Aiyuk ($5,800) would be somewhat underpriced if Samuel isn’t active.
The biggest question mark at tight end this week is Darren Waller ($6,400), with the bulk of the playing time going to Foster Moreau ($4,000) if he sits out again. Travis Kelce ($7,400) might be easier to afford than normal if a lot of cheaper value opens up, but Jared Cook ($3,200) would probably be the most sought after tight end if the aforementioned Allen doesn’t play.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here: NFL $3.25M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st + ToC Entry]
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups.
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