NFL DraftKings December 23 Late Afternoon Bargain Picks

There are a few players worth adding to your DraftKings lineup that won’t cost you a lot of your budget for the late afternoon games.

The second-to-last week of the NFL regular season features nine early afternoon games and three late afternoon games. The late games don’t feature the best matchups but could be entertaining games nonetheless. If you plan on making a DraftKings lineup for the late games, there are a few players to use without breaking the bank.

The three games in this slate are CHI/SF, LAR/AZ and PIT/NO. The Chicago Bears defense will create pressure at the line and shut down the offense. I would avoid anyone on the San Francisco 49ers offense. Todd Gurley is questionable for the Los Angeles Rams but is expected to play. JuJu Smith-Schuster is also questionable but likely to play.

With all of the injuries heading into the week, teams already clinching a playoff berth and other teams eliminated from contention, coaches may be more inclined to bench a player to keep them healthy for the long-term.

Four of the six quarterbacks are priced over $6,000. The other two, Nick Mullens and Josh Rosen are under $5,000. Even with the price discount, I would not use either of those quarterbacks. They are at a big disadvantage and will struggle to get their offenses going.

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Against the 49ers, Jordan Howard is a good play. Tarik Cohen has taken over the starting role with his pass-catching abilities. Though, Howard is still getting his fair share of carries. He has at least 16 rush attempts in four of his last five games.

Howard has just one touchdown in his last six games, hindering his value but that could change this week. The 49ers defense that is 22nd against the run. Howard is priced at $4,300.

C.J. Anderson and John Kelly are expected to split carries if Gurley were to be ruled out for this game. Those in season-long leagues better have a good backup if that were to happen. In DFS, however, you can swap out one player for another as long as you have the budget available.

Of the two, I’d go with Kelly. He’s been on the Rams longer and, I assume, has a better grasp of the playbook and offense. Anderson joined the team last week. Neither one has put up big games nor have they had the opportunity to.

Playing against the 25th-ranked Arizona Cardinals rush defense, Kelly, if Gurley is inactive, should be able to show their coaches and DFS players what they can do. He is a bit more expensive than Anderson, $4,600 to $3,600.

Outside of the top wide receivers, I don’t feel like any of them are worth a play. The Bears wide receivers are all inconsistent and you never know who is going to score a touchdown. The Cardinals pass catchers will be struggling to catch a ball of Rosen is under a lot of pressure. Larry Fitzgerald is likely the only one who can finish with more than three receptions. He’ll cost just $5,000.

The same could be said for the 49ers, except for tight end George Kittle, the most expensive tight end at $6,000.

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Because of the cheaper options at running back, tight end and defense, you can spend on the top quarterbacks and wide receivers. It is possible for you to have both Antonio Brown and Michael Thomas in your lineup, especially when that game could be a shootout.