Every week in DFS, there is a player who comes out of nowhere to be the slate-breaker. These seemingly incognito players can be game-changers if you manage to roster them during the right week.
Tournament-only fliers have plenty of appeal -- offering low ownership, below value pricing, cheap stacking options, roster flexibility and underrated ceilings. The purpose of this article is to identify dart throws to take your shots on during the main slate on FanDuel.
Kyle Allen, QB, Carolina Panthers
FanDuel Salary: $7,200
Kyle Allen might not jump off the screen as a strong play, but he can put up multiple touchdowns the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons' secondary has been more than hospitable in the last five games, as opposing passers rank in the top five in QBR, yards per attempt, pass attempts, and completion percentage against them, per Rotoviz.
The folks in the desert also seem to like Carolina as the Panthers are favored by 5.5 and slotted for the third highest implied team total (27.50) of the week. A shootout is a distinct possibility as the over/under of 49.5(Per the NumberFire Heat Map) is the second highest total of the main slate.
Allen checks so many boxes from a fantasy perspective. Besides the plus matchup, the Panthers' offense is insulated with talented skill position players, which adds ample yards after the catch opportunities. Allen's cheap price tag also allows for roster savings and the ability to game stack with relative ease. Sprinkle Allen into your tournament rosters with high confidence that he will provide a good floor and decent ceiling.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons
FanDuel Salary: $5,500
In his rookie season, Calvin Ridley was the king of spike weeks, producing three top-12 performances and six weeks outside the top 50 for the position. This season, the Falcons' play-maker has yet to produce a spike week comparable to last years 40.5-point haymaker in Week 3. Week 11 might just be the perfect storm for the wideout to break out of his big-game slump.
The Falcons are road underdogs (+5.5) in the game with second highest over/under of the week (49.5). Playing from behind and without the services of Devonta Freeman, the Dirty Birds should be pressed into passing situations. Thankfully for fantasy, the Falcons are no strangers to airing it out, ranking first in pass plays per game.
Atlanta will also be without the services of breakout tight end Austin Hooper, who accounted for a 18.5% target share and 7.4 targets per game. Ridley should see a significant boost with the exodus of Hooper, especially in the red zone, where the Falcons' tight end accumulated seven red zone looks.
Carolina cornerback James Bradberry has been a low-key lockdown corner but is questionable for the game. Bradberry, if he plays, will more than likely shadow Julio Jones, leaving Ridley with a favorable matchup against a Panthers secondary that ranks 31st versus number-two wideouts.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Redskins
FanDuel Salary: $5,500
The circus is in town when Washington hosts the New York Jets. The game will likely garner little ownership across the board, making it a nice contrarian spot to throw some darts. Fresh off a much needed bye week, Terry McLaurin enters the fray with the second highest dominator rating in the league. What that means is that almost no player absorbs more of his team's offensive output than the rookie phenom.
Reunited with his college signal caller, Turbo Terry will face off with a pass funnel New York secondary that ranks 2nd in rush defense but 31st against opposing number-one receivers. Gang Green has been torched by wide receivers over the last five games, giving up an average finish of the overall WR3. The Jets have bottomed out, ranking in the top 10 in targets allowed, receptions, and receiving yards.
At only $5,500, McLaurin is among the cheapest Alpha receivers on the main slate. Target the rookie for his high upside, plus matchup, cost savings, and likely low ownership.
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
FanDuel Salary: $6,500
What’s to not love about a date with the Miami Dolphins' defense? Miami welcomes fantasy points in droves. ranking 31st in overall defense, and the division rival Buffalo Bills will look to take advantage.
Favorited by 5.5 points, Buffalo is in a prime position to play with a lead. Devin Singletary looks to be the main beneficiary of the easy matchup (28th against number-one running backs) with positive game script galore. Singletary has seen a consistently strong 65% plus snap share since Week 7 while veteran Frank Gore's snap share has dwindled into the mid-30% range. Gore also got stuffed on the goal line last week.
Singletary has made the most of his chances, ranking in the top five in true yards per carry, breakaway run rate, juke rate, and yards created per carry. Look for the cheaply priced Bills' back to have another strong performance against a porous Fish Tank front in Week 11.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
FanDuel Salary: $5,300
With the status of Matthew Stafford up in the air, fantasy gamers may steer clear of an ambiguous medical situation. To take advantage of the crowd's over-cautious tendencies, I don't hate the idea of targeting the Detroit Lions' pass catchers if Stafford does play. The current over/under of 49.0 is the third highest of the slate, but the Lions' weak implied team total of 22.75 (11th) hints at the confidence that Vegas has in Stafford missing the game. If the veteran signal caller is able to suit up, obviously the total and fantasy outlook will strengthen.
T.J. Hockenson has had an up-and-down year, as most rookie tight ends tend to do, but his overall numbers are decent considering the landscape of the position. The rookie ranks in the top 15 among tight ends in air yards, targets, receptions, and receiving yards.
The Lions are up against a Dallas Cowboys pass defense that filters production to opposing tight ends. Dallas ranks 30th versus the position, having given up six touchdowns to tight ends in the past four games. Hockenson should see bottom-of-the-barrel ownership and will allow for roster flexibility given his cheap price tag.
Nathan Coleman is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nathan Coleman also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username nac89. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.