We’ve reached the penultimate week of the 2020 NFL regular season, no small feat in the age of COVID-19. With teams jockeying for the playoffs or seeding position, others are making more use of rookies (hello, DFS superstar Jalen Hurts) as others find themselves starting backups to replace their regulars who are suffering injuries from the wear-and-tear of the season.
Here are five players under $5,000 to watch on DraftKings this week.
Giovani Bernard, Bengals RB ($4,800)
With Joe Mixon on injured reserve, Bernard took over the rushing duties in a big way against the Steelers, carrying the ball 25 times for 83 yards and a touchdown while also catching a TD pass. He may not shoulder quite that big of a workload against the Texans on short rest, but Houston ranks last in the league against opposing running backs in DFS. So even with fewer touches, Bernard should prove well worth his cheap salary.
Darrell Henderson, Jr., Rams RB ($4,500)
Cam Akers will miss this week’s game against the Seahawks after injuring his ankle in Week 15. Henderson and Malcolm Brown are expected to split time at running back, but Brown is used more as a blocking back. Henderson will likely receive more carries and receptions. Note that early in the year, before the rookie Akers got more reps, Henderson scored more than 20 DFS points on DraftKings three times.
Rashard Higgins, Browns WR ($4,800)
Higgins has shone since Odell Beckham Jr. was lost for the season with a knee injury. He’s averaging about four receptions and 60 yards per game over the past six weeks, with two touchdowns. In Week 16, Higgins and the Browns will face a Jets team with one of the poorest pass defenses in the league.
Jamison Crowder, Jets WR ($4,500)
Speaking of the Jets, Crowder has put up decent numbers for a terrible team with a mediocre quarterback. On the year, he’s caught 48 passes for 576 yards and five TDs, averaging 14.5 DFS points per game on DraftKings. Those are nice numbers for this salary level, especially in cash games. The Browns’ pass defense is only moderately better than the Jets’ secondary.
Logan Thomas, Washington TE ($4,900)
Thomas caught an incredible 13 of 15 targets for 101 yards last week. He won’t likely duplicate that performance in Week 16, but consider that Thomas has averaged about 10 targets per game over the Football Team’s last three contests, and has put up double-digit DFS scores in four of the past five games. This week’s opponent, the Panthers, rank 25th in the NFL against opposing tight ends in DFS.