We’re hitting the stretch drive of the NFL season and late in the year, DFS players are hoping to lock in their profits or climb out of the hole. The market continues to grow more competitive as the year wears on, so consistent wins are no easy feat. Again, in Week 15, we’ll examine some of those DFS value plays under $5,000 on DraftKings that could make the difference between cashing or not.
Here are five picks at running back, wide receiver, and tight end.
Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers RB ($4,500)
If Ronald Jones II isn’t available, which appears more likely as the week goes on, Coach Bruce Arians said Fournette will start. While Fournette may have lost a step, a start should get him enough touches to provide nice value for his cheap salary. Of note, the Falcons rank just 23rd in the NFL against opposing running backs in DFS this season.
Keelan Cole Sr., Jaguars WR ($4,000)
Cole will be a gamble, but at this price, that bet could pay off and isn’t as big of a risk in cash games. Cole just enjoyed his best stat line of the season at 7-67-1 on 12 targets. That’s one week after catching just one pass for seven yards. Throw out that game in which he received just two targets, and Cole has averaged more than seven targets per game over the past month.
Russell Gage, Falcons WR ($4,700)
Julio Jones has missed some games with a bum hamstring, and seems likely to miss again this Sunday. Calvin Ridley has been in and out, too. Gage benefited the most, hitting double digits in DFS points three of the past four weeks on DraftKings. The week 15 opponent, the Buccaneers, rank 26th in the league against receivers in DFS.
Kendrick Bourne, 49ers WR ($4,100)
After Deebo Samuel missed all but two plays of the Week 14 tilt against Washington, Bourne picked up the slack, catching three passes on seven targets for 42 yards. He could see a heavy workload again in Week 15 against the woeful Cowboys defense – and going forward – with Samuel out the rest of the regular season, providing nice DFS value for the price.
Durham Smythe, Dolphins TE ($3,000)
How about a min-priced tight end for a salary saver? Mike Gesicki hurt his shoulder last week and will likely miss extended time. Smythe and fellow tight end Adam Shaheen will pick up the slack. In limited action last Sunday, Smythe caught two of three targets for 19 yards. He appears primed to be the primary pass-catching tight end for Miami, and Tua Tagovailoa has shown a propensity to target the big guys in the few starts of his rookie campaign.
