Fansided

NFL DFS bargain bin- Week 3 Sunday slates

By Juan Carlos Blanco

NFL DFS bargain bin: GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 30: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
NFL DFS bargain bin: GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 30: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 30, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
NFL DFS bargain bin
NFL DFS bargain bin /

NFL DFS bargain bin: Week 3 Running Backs

Devonta Freeman, ATL at IND (DraftKings-$4,900/FanDuel-$6,200/FantasyDraft-$9,300/Yahoo-$18)

Anyone clicking Freeman’s name this week will be getting the multi-talented running back at much less investment and ownership than we’ve become accustomed to. Granted, his bargain prices are justified by some abysmal production over the first pair of games, but coach Dan Quinn has confirmed there are no health issues with Freeman and he simply hasn’t gotten going yet.

Freeman is currently averaging a minuscule 2.2 yards per carry through two games, going a long way toward explaining why he’s at his lowest prices across the industry since he was a virtual unknown.

The Colts may not seem like a defense to target on the surface, but there are a couple of factors to consider this week in particular. The first is the confirmed absence of star linebacker Darius Leonard, who’ll miss Sunday’s game with a concussion.

That naturally weakens a defense that’s already allowing the third-most DraftKings/FantasyDraft  (33.2) and FanDuel/Yahoo points (30.7) per game to running backs through the first pair of contests and surrendering a whopping 5.7 yards per carry while doing so.

Then, it’s also worth noting the Colts’ defensive line currently ranks 30th out of 32 teams in second-level yards per carry (1.68) and 26th in open-field yards per carry (1.37) allowed, lending credence to the notion Freeman could finally break free on a couple of occasions for the first time in 2019.

Frank Gore, BUF vs. CIN (DraftKings-$4,400/FanDuel-$5,700/FantasyDraft-$9,200/Yahoo-$15)

Promising rookie Devin Singletary has already been ruled out with a hamstring injury in Week 3, leaving only journeyman T.J. Yeldon to realistically share carries with Gore.

It’s a bit mind-blowing that a team, and by extension, us as DFS players, can still count on a 36-year-old running back to serve as more or less a bell-cow option, but that’s exactly what we have with Gore in Week 3.

The venerable veteran logged 45 snaps versus the Giants in Week 2, demonstrating that he still has the ability to put in a hefty workload when asked.

Granted, Gore has been far from efficient thus far with just 2.9 yards per rush, but a good portion of that ugly number stems from his 11-carry,  20-yard showing in Week 1 against a stingy Jets front.

Gore was much better in Week 2 with a 19-68 line, and he’ll now face a Bengals defense that was just trampled by the 49ers running game in Week 2. Cincinnati checks in allowing the most DraftKings/FantasyDraft (41.8) and FanDuel/Yahoo (37.3) points per game to running backs through two weeks, and they’ve even allowed a pair of receiving TDs to RBs for good measure.

As those numbers would imply, the Bengals’ front seven is also ranked near the bottom of the league in various advanced metrics versus the running game. That includes 27th in adjusted line yards (5.09), 26th in yards per carry (5.4) and dead last in second-level yards (1.75) per carry, making them an even more attractive target.

Home/Fantasy