The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.
Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position on Draft Kings that will let you splurge elsewhere.
Quarterback
1. Ben Roethlisberger, PIT, $7,300: If you’re too eager to wait for Sunday to start playing fantasy, grab Big Ben at QB. He’s reasonably priced for a guy going up against a Patriots secondary that lost both starting cornerbacks, Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner, from last season. Malcolm Butler may have been a Super Bowl hero, but who knows how he will fare as a regular CB? Also, don’t fret about Roethlisberger missing Martavis Bryant; Antonio Brown will do the heavy lifting, and the Steelers will need to rely on that duo without RB Le’Veon Bell in the mix.
2. Sam Bradford, PHI, $6,900: Let the genius of Chip Kelly wash over you. Kelly has excised some offensive talent from the team, yes, but don’t automatically assume he’s crazy. Kelly gave up a starting QB (Nick Foles) and a high draft pick to get Bradford, so he obviously sees potential in him. The receiving corps isn’t big on stars, but Jordan Matthews and rookie Nelson Agholor don’t look like scrubs. Also, Atlanta’s pass defense ranked 31st in the NFL last year, and there weren’t any meaningful additions aside from drafting Vic Beasley as a pass rusher.
3. Tyrod Taylor, BUF, $5,000: The matchup vs. Indianapolis is sound, and who can argue with that price tag on an actual, starting QB? Taylor’s passing ability is an unknown, but the preseason has shown his potential as a running quarterback. With passing TDs at four points, any QB who can run for TDs gains value. Taylor can certainly do that, and even if he is disappointing, you can load up on talent elsewhere.
Running Back
1. Alfred Blue, HOU, $3,600: Whoa, a starting running back against the 26th-ranked run defense in 2014? I am not much of a believer in Blue’s talent, but Arian Foster is not playing, and the Texans passing game will not be anything to write home about. As long as DT Dontari Poe isn’t suiting up for the Chiefs, any RB will be a solid play. In this case, dialing up Blue will allow for another top WR, or potentially Rob Gronkowski at TE if you’re entering a Thursday tournament.
2. Chris Ivory, NYJ, $4,100: Ivory is in line for a ton of work against Cleveland, which finished second-to-last in run defense a year ago, and with the No. 2 pass defense in the NFL. Obviously that success against the pass is probably unrepeatable, and they did draft DT Danny Shelton to shore up the run D, but are we expecting Shelton to transform the defense from Week 1? Unlikely. Count on Ivory for a big game.
3. Andre Ellington, ARZ, $6,400: Ellington is the 11th-most expensive RB this week, but he should return top-10 without difficulty. Ellington struggled between the tackles last season, but excelled in the passing game. The Saints ranked dead last in the NFL in defending against RBs through the air, so Ellington could kick off the year with a bang. His big-play ability might get you near the top of the leaderboards.
Wide Receiver
1. Davante Adams, GB, $4,400: Listen, everyone’s going to have Adams in their lineup, so you should too. This pricing came out before Jordy Nelson lost his season to a torn ACL. Now Adams is in line for a ton of targets from Aaron Rodgers, arguably the best QB in football, and he’s going up against a truly awful Bears secondary. Plug in Adams, who might return WR1 value this week.
2. John Brown, ARZ, $4,500: Brown is like a younger, cheaper version of DeSean Jackson. This week he goes up against an Oakland secondary that will star Charles Woodson, who is almost 39 years old, and debuted in 1998. It can reasonably be expected that Brown will set fire to this mediocre secondary, and make you a happy boy or girl on Sunday.
3. Rueben Randle, NYG, $5,100: Randle is pretty hit or miss sometimes, but it looks like Victor Cruz isn’t playing Sunday night vs. Dallas, who ranked 29th in 2014 against No. 2 receivers. The Cowboys will have their hands full attempting to bottle up Odell Beckham Jr., so Randle can expect to see glorious one-on-one coverage in a newly pass-happy offense.
Tight End
1. Jimmy Graham, SEA, $5,600: Graham is the second-most expensive TE, but the No. 1 guy, Rob Gronkowski, costs $1,400 more. Graham is a steal at this price; he’s going to be Russell Wilson’s No. 1 target in the passing game, and even if he sees fewer targets than he did in New Orleans, Graham will always be option No. 1 in the red zone. Against St. Louis’ powerful D-line, Wilson will be finding his safety valves often, so look for a big game.
2. Jason Witten, DAL, $4,000: It’s true that Witten is not the 100-catch force he once was, but look around Dallas’ passing game—do you see anyone to consistently target besides Dez Bryant? The Cowboys’ running game is going to take a step back without DeMarco Murray, so if Tony Romo’s winging it more often, Witten is most likely the No. 2 option in this offense. Combine that with the Giants’ weak LB corps, and this could be an 80-yard, one-score affair for Witten.
3. Ben Watson, NO, $2,600: The Cardinals were notably bad vs. TEs in 2014, and Watson, not sleeper darling Josh Hill, is getting the nod at TE in Week 1. He’s obviously not Jimmy Graham, but Brees’ receiving cupboard is barren aside from Brandin Cooks. He’ll find Watson a few times, and if one of those looks is in the end zone, he’s a huge steal.
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