S DFS Daily Optimal Lineup Strategy 2015 week 15 | Fantasy Football
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Picking on the Saints in Daily Fantasy
By Jen Ryan

(Lineup Tool: https://www.footballdiehards.com/fantasyfootball/dailygames/Lineup-Generator.cfm)

Picking on the Saints in Daily Fantasy
The Saints have been on my mind a lot lately. I talked about their terrible defense at length when I was a guest on the Fantasy Goodfellas podcast, hosted by Football Diehards. We spoke about just how bad the Saints’ defense is which in turn creates great matchups for their opponents and raises their ceilings. Tampa Bay offensive skill players were the chalk in Week 14 but this week there has not been much hype surrounding the Lions in regard to the matchup.
In Week 13 half of the Steelers’ offense won someone a million dollars. In a tough matchup against the Seahawks Ben Roethlisberger, DeAngelo Williams, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and the Steelers’ DST made someone rich. I am interested to see what kind of, if any, money the Lions offense can win me against the worst defense in football.



QB – Matthew Stafford - $6,100
Stafford has thrown the ball at least 35 times in each game since Week 8. Last week he capped off his slingling-streak with 46 attempts, the most in that time frame. The lack of a stable running game and consistent from-behind play forces Stafford to throw the ball all game long. This very well could be the highest-scoring game of Week 15. I am giving a slight edge to Stafford over Drew Brees who would cost me an additional $500 to play.

RB – Adrian Peterson - $7,100
Peterson is the second-highest priced running back behind Devonta Freeman this week. While it is not typically my strategy to pay up at running back Peterson is a must-play for me this week. He has scored 14 touchdowns in 13 career games against the Chicago Bears, more than another other opponent. Peterson should see his usual volume and his touchdown-floor is a tick higher than usual this week.

RB – Denard Robinson - $4,600
T.J. Yeldon will miss this weekend’s game with a sprained MCL. The keys to the Jaguars backfield will be handed to Robinson, who had a solid day when Yeldon went down with 14 carries for 75 yards and a score. In a game against the 30th-ranked Falcons’ run defense I’m expecting a big workload from Robinson and for him to exceed value.

WR – Doug Baldwin - $5,800
I am admittedly late to the Baldwin DFS party mainly because I did not think there was a chance he could maintain his recent production. Each week he proves me wrong and this week he has found himself in my lineup. The Cleveland Browns are not a threat through the air and Russell Wilson has been doing his best Drew Brees impression lately in just slinging the ball. Eight touchdowns in his past three games? Yes, I am now 100% bought in on Baldwin.

WR – Calvin Johnson - $6,900
After recording just one reception for 16 yards last week I have a feeling people will be off Johnson this week. Recency bias could force the masses in Golden Tate’s direction so I do like Johnson’s appeal in tournaments. As I mentioned I expect this to be the highest-scoring game of the week and I see no reason why Johnson will not be peppered with targets and be looked at in the red zone.

WR – Golden Tate - $5,500
Johnson’s teammate has been out-producing him and has 32 receptions over his past four games. The target share he is experiencing is not going to slow down against the New Orleans Saints. If I want to refer to them as a pie than there will be plenty of pieces to go around. Both Lions’ receivers have the upside and opportunity to do damage which is why both of them are in my lineup this week.

TE – Jordan Reed - $5,900
The Washington Redskins’ WR1 comes with a tight end price tag against a Bills defense that has proven to be vulnerable to tight ends. It does not even matter to me that they may be deemed a difficult matchup. Reed has proven himself to be matchup-proof and Kirk Cousins force feeds him the ball. He is a threat anywhere on the field, especially in the red zone.

Flex – Theo Riddick - $4,000
Riddick is one of the more underrated running backs in football. He has more receptions this season than Eric Decker, Allen Robinson, Greg Olsen, Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks and Rob Gronkowski with 67 to his name. He remains dirt cheap on DraftKings and is a touchdown away from blowing up. I like his odds of doing so this week.

DST – Chiefs - $3,700
Whether it is Matt Schaub or Jimmy Clausen under center for the Ravens this weekend it really does not matter. They are a sinking ship and the dominant Chiefs’ defense could have a sack-happy turnover party against them this week. They are averaging 14 points over their past four games, well beyond the value of their price tag. I am playing them with a ton of confidence this week.
While I do not expect the average Lions’ offense to win me a million dollars in the same fashion the high-octane Steelers’ offense did for one lucky individual in Week 13, I do like the idea that each player in my lineup will be contributing a ton in this game. If I get double-digit points from each Lion and eat up all of their touchdowns I do like my chances at the Lions’ offense taking me to the top in the tournament I am playing them in.