Daily Fantasy Football: Best daily fantasy picks on Fanduel, DraftStreet, and DraftKings for Week 7

Week 7 of the fantasy football season is upon us, which means another week with a fresh start for daily fantasy football players.

Daily fantasy football uses a salary cap system for picking teams for its most popular games, and that means looking for the best values will help you win every week. Saving in some areas while spending big in other areas will lead to the best team which scores the most points.

This week, we’ll be taking a look at players and citing their values on DraftKings (where you can get a bonus on your first deposit just for clicking that link!), DraftStreet, and FanDuel. If you’re curious about rules, scoring systems, and other available games, be sure to check them out.

So who are the best players to play this week? Which have the best prices for their potential scoring performances? Which players are overpriced, and worth avoiding completely? Check out my picks, and leave yours in the comment section below.

Best Values

Eli Manning, New York Giants ($6,600 on DraftKings)

The Vikings are one of only four teams to give up more than 300 yards per game though the air. That’s good news for Manning and the Giants, who may turn the ball over via the interception, but are also likely to drop 3 or more touchdowns and a 300+ yard performance on the Minnesota defense.

Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams ($4,100 on DraftKings)

This is one of those situations where you just need to take a chance. There aren’t many values at running back this week, so if you want to risk it and go for a bargain option, Stacy is your guy. He’s facing a very stingy Carolina defense, but if Sam Bradford can set the Rams up with goal-to-go situations, Stacy may net you a valuable touchdown or two for a very low price.

Levine Toilolo, Atlanta Falcons ($4,500 on FanDuel)

With Julio Jones and Roddy White out, Toilolo moves up the rankings in Atlanta as one of the top options to catch the football, especially in the red zone. With the possibility of Gonzalez being used out wide to fill in for Roddy or Julio, expect the massive Stanford product Toilolo to see some targets that should turn into a decent fantasy day for a cheap price.

Worth the Price

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers ($14,840 on DraftStreet)

For Zac Stacy, the matchup against Carolina is a tough one. On the other sideline of that game, the matchup for Cam Newton against the Rams’ defense is not quite as tough. St. Louis has struggled in the secondary all year long, allowing multiple touchdown passes from every quarterback they had faced until the trainwreck from Houston showed up and failed to find the end zone through the air. Newton is picking up steam and will carry plenty of positive momentum into this game, and should score at least three times, and chip in some valuable rushing yards as well.

LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles ($9,500 on FanDuel)

The Cowboys have allowed good production to running backs in three straight games against the Chargers, Broncos, and Redskins. None of the running backs on those teams are anywhere near the talent of LeSean McCoy. The Eagles proved against the Buccaneers that they can run a productive offense with Nick Foles under center, so pay for McCoy and expect solid production.

Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears ($8,600 on DraftKings)

There is no better wide receiver to play this week. Use Marshall everywhere you can. Going against a makeshift secondary for Washington, Marshall will find open space and earn you tons of points in what should be a high-scoring affair. According to ESPN Fantasy Football, the Packers and Lions racked up a combined 85 fantasy points from receivers in their games against the Redskins, so expect Marshall and his teammate Alshon Jeffery to both have big days against Washington.

Must Avoid

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons ($8,600 on DraftKings)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a solid defense as it is, but they’re given some assistance thanks to the lack of healthy options for Ryan to throw to. Ryan is too expensive to use this week, as he may find himself throwing a touchdown or two but he won’t live up to his salary figure. Daily fantasy is about finding the best performers, and there’s just no way the Falcons can foster a huge scoring day without Julio Jones and Roddy White.

Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions ($8,300 on FanDuel)

The Bengals are a bit banged up on defense, but are looking healthy enough to face the Lions and their likewise depleted receiving corps. With Calvin Johnson still recovering from injury, you’re better of spending big on any of the other available receivers, as Johnson (like Matt Ryan) is unlikely to deliver the level of performance you need from a player at his price tag.

Kansas City Chiefs Defense and Special Teams ($6,000 on FanDuel)

The Houston Texans seem like the perfect team to start a defense against. Undrafted free agent Case Keenum will start at quarterback for Houston, who have been a mess at quarterback all year long. But they still have their duo of talented runners, and they still have some excellent options for Keenum to throw to.

Very rarely is a defense worth spending so much salary on in the first place. And when it’s a defense which has allowed over 100 yards rushing per game this season going up against Arian Foster and Ben Tate, I would rather look for a cheaper option and save money for my skill positions.