Exploiting Defenses in DFS - Week 9

Nov 06, 2015
Exploiting Defenses in DFS - Week 9

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When it comes to DFS lineups, looking at matchups and opportunities will be key in constructing a winning lineup. Everyone knows that Dez Bryant is a top receiver, but that doesn’t necessarily make him a slam dunk starter every week in DFS (see last week against the Seahawks). Bryant is typically one of the top wide receivers, but there will always be one with a cheaper price tag in a similar spot for production with a better matchup. Although, it’s worth noting that Bryant's price tag is suppressed thanks to his current QB situation.

We’re hitting Week 9 and sample sizes are starting to become trends. If a particular cornerback is getting burned, he’s someone to target each week. The same goes for run defense. At this point of the season, if a defense is bad, they aren’t going to magically improve, so start to use the numbers to your advantage.

Each week, I’ll help you exploit specific defensive players and also touch on non-skill offensive players (read: the offensive line) to help you make the right choices on which players to roster and which players to fade in DFS lineups.

Last week we had our hits with Eli Manning, Brandin Cooks, fading Amari Cooper, Malcolm Floyd, Charcandrick West and Alshon Jeffery. We also had our misses with Justin Forsett, Mike Wallace, Andre Johnson and Kendall Wright. Let’s enjoy the wins and try to increase our hit rate even more in Week 9.

Situations to Exploit in the Passing Game

The Atlanta Falcons have been a Jekyll-and-Hyde offense this season. but they’ll face a San Francisco defense that gives up the fifth-most 20-yard passing plays in the league. Julio Jones is one of my favorite receivers this week and is worth top-dollar. He will line up across from cornerback Kenneth Acker, who is a below-average cornerback in coverage. Acker has given up three or more catches in five of eight games and has given up over 300 yards in coverage on the year. As DFS owners, we love targets, and Jones is a target monster, with 10 or more targets in four straight games. He should be able to take advantage of Acker all day.

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