This article is part of our King for a Day series.
It's about the time of year when season-long dreams start to fade, but over at DraftKings, the daily games are going stronger than ever. Get ready to do some stacking, as Week 11 offers affordable QB-WR combos that will leave plenty of room to roster the big stars.
Here are my favorite players for Week 11 on DraftKings…
Quarterbacks
Philip Rivers, SD (vs. OAK), $6800 – Rivers draws a favorable home matchup against a team he has already roasted once this season. and while it's hard to find much optimism regarding the Chargers, the team's passing game should at least be fine. Rivers is currently on pace for 4,180 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns, which doesn't sound all that impressive until you look at the schedule he's faced. Also, the Raiders actually do a respectable job against the run, while the Chargers have had no luck on the ground in recent weeks. Rivers should get plenty of pass attempts, even in a game with significant blowout potential.
Robert Griffin, WAS (vs. TB), $6300 – Griffin was mediocre in his Week 9 return, which I actually found somewhat encouraging on the heels of a six-week absence. With another two weeks of rest following the Week 10 bye, Griffin shouldn't have any concerns from a health perspective, and may even do quite a bit of running. Between the matchup and potential for rushing stats, he's an excellent bargain at $6300, though not quite as safe of a play as Rivers.
Other options:Drew Brees, NO (vs. CIN), $8300; Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (at TEN), $7200; Mark Sanchez, PHI (at GB), $5800
Notes: Brees at $8300 in a home game against that Cincinnati defense would be too good to pass up many weeks. Roethlisberger's Week 10 dud obviously wasn't encouraging, but it also doesn't erase his fantastic work from the previous two games. Sanchez looked good in his first start with the Eagles. His price and expected volume make him a solid option, even against a strong pass defense.
Running Backs
Le'Veon Bell, PIT (at TEN), $7200 – Most of the top running backs are facing strong defenses, while Bell draws a Tennessee team that ranks 24th in preventing DK production at the position. I'm no fan of the running back options this week, and Bell seems to offer an oasis in a sea of overpriced options. His excellent receiving skills give him a floor matched by only Matt Forte ($10,100), but Bell should have plenty of success on the ground against Tennessee, making his work through the air a fruitful bonus.
Jeremy Hill, CIN (at NO), $4500 – Assuming Giovani Bernard (hip/clavicle) doesn't play, Hill should be the most attractive option among the cheaper running backs. His lack of receiving production becomes somewhat worrisome in a game that could easily find the Bengals trailing by double digits, but there simply aren't a lot of options, and Hill is a talented runner facing a poor defense.
Other options:Eddie Lacy, GB (vs. PHI), $6800; Ahmad Bradshaw, IND (vs. NE), $5700; Shane Vereen, NE (at IND), $5500; C.J. Anderson, DEN (at STL) $4800; Terrance West, CLE (vs. HOU), $4400; Alfred Blue, HOU (at CLE), $3000
Notes: Lacy draws a tough Philadelphia run defense, but he's been catching more passes in a high-powered offense that's been entirely dominant at Lambeau Field. Bradshaw saw twice as many snaps as Trent Richardson in the Colts' last game, even though the team was sitting on a lead for most of the night. Vereen also dominated the snaps in a blowout win last time out, despite being viewed as more of a passing-down back. Anderson is not in any of my lineups at this point, but I'll be looking all week for hints about the Denver running backs situation. West seems to be emerging as the leader in Cleveland's backfield, though it's still subject to change on a weekly basis. Blue is a strong option if Arian Foster (groin) can't play, but the rookie should otherwise be avoided.
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown, PIT (at TEN), $7800 – With Brown and Jordy Nelson, I'm going to be on board pretty much anytime they're cheaper than $8000, and sometimes even when they aren't. Brown and his team may be coming off a highly disappointing performance, but the Titans make for a favorable matchup, and Brown's price is at its lowest point since Week 3. With the exception of guys who just burst onto the scene, Brown is one of the very few players averaging better than three DK points for every $1000 of salary. And, he's far above the mark, with his 25.3 DK ppg working out to 3.24 points per $1000.
Julio Jones, ATL (at CAR), $7000 – Jones comes at a surprisingly favorable price for a third straight game, despite bouncing back for an 8-119-0 receiving line against the Bucs last week. His prior three-game drought of 10-point outings was somewhat understandable due to a pair of tough matchups, though I'll acknowledge that Jones hasn't quite played up to his talent level this year. He's still on pace for a 108-1,516-5 receiving line, and it would be shocking if he stays healthy but doesn't actually finish with more than five touchdowns. It's pretty typical in daily games to find good value in red-zone-friendly receivers who haven't spent much time in the end zone for whatever reason. Jones fits the bill perfectly, as he's scored on just 4.9 percent of his receptions this year, compared to 9.8 percent for his career. Not that this is a wise way to look at it, but 11.5 percent of his catches went for touchdowns before this season.
A.J. Green, CIN (at NO), $6000 – I have to admit that this one scares me a little, which really shouldn't be the case when we're talking about A.J. Green as the 18th-most expensive receiver against a team ranked 27th at defending wideouts on DraftKings. While Andy Dalton obviously isn't the FCS-level quarterback we saw last week, this Bengals team just seems to be on the verge of destruction, with the excellent offensive line and defense of years' past nowhere to be seen. I'm thus a bit worried that Green and/or his teammates will fall behind big and essentially throw in the towel. However, Green does appear to be fully recovered from the foot injury, and he's still one of the top offensive players in the league, heading into an excellent matchup. Even with all my concerns, I'd rank him as a top-10 option, prices being equal.
Keenan Allen, SD (vs. OAK), $4500 – Though he hasn't played all that poorly this season, Allen has been one of the more frustrating wideouts, with his 74 targets (8.2 per game) leading to just 474 receiving yards (6.4 YPT) and one touchdown. I've been burnt multiple times on this one, but Allen is still easily the targets leader in what has mostly been a very productive passing game. The numbers will eventually come, as Rivers hasn't stopped looking in Allen's direction. Much the opposite of last year, it seems part of the problem is that Rivers has flukishly been less accurate when looking in Allen's direction.
Other options:Jordy Nelson, GB (vs. PHI), $7700; Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (vs. ATL), $4900; Andrew Hawkins, CLE (vs. HOU), $4100; Pierre Garcon, WAS (vs. TB), $4000
Notes: Nelson is an excellent option anytime he comes cheaper than $8000, and while the Philadelphia defense isn't to be taken lightly, the matchup and tempo favors Nelson and Randall Cobb over Lacy. Benjamin has been insanely inconsistent from both a fantasy and real-life perspective, but he's 6-5 and will see plenty of targets against a porous defense. Unrelated to this article, but any talk about Benjamin winning OROY should be cut off. Other guys haven't seen the steady targets from day one, but I think at least five rookie wide receivers have outplayed the former Seminole, and Cowboys G Zack Martin is also a far more worthy candidate. Anyway, Hawkins (thigh/knee) will likely return from what appear to be fairly minor injuries, just in time to get in one last outing as the de facto No. 1 in Josh Gordon's absence. Richard Sherman was right about Garcon, even before the speedy veteran proved to be having a dud of a fantasy season. Still, the matchup couldn't get any better, and I'd much rather pair Garcon-Griffin for $10,300 than (DeSean) Jackson-Griffin for $13,600, despite my belief that Jackson's the far superior player.
Tight End
Jimmy Graham, NO (vs. CIN), $7000 – Here we go again. Prices being equal, I'd slightly favor Rob Gronkowski, but I'll take the extra $900 and the superior matchup. The Cincinnati defense has been surprisingly bad this season, and while I still expect some degree of improvement, I've now been saying that for about seven weeks. The Bengals are 29th in allowing DK points to tight ends, which puts them three spots ahead of the Indianapolis defense that Gronkowski will be facing. The difference is that the Colts actually have a pretty good defense, and a huge chunk of that damage came in two games against Julius Thomas and Heath Miller, who combined for a 14-216-4 line in Indy's two worst defensive performances of the season.
Mychal Rivera, OAK (at SD), $3100 – Rivera isn't in the same league as any of the other guys I've listed when it comes to real-life value, but these are his receiving lines over the last three weeks (reverse chronological order): 6-64-1, 8-38-2, 7-83-0. And when you look at the Oakland roster, or actually have the displeasure of watching a game, it kind of makes sense that Rivera has 28 targets over that three-game span. I still don't view him as a safe option in any way, but the upside is excellent at such a friendly price. Perhaps he can challenge Benjamin for the title of 2014's garbage-time MVP?
Other options:Rob Gronkowski, NE (at IND), $7900; Greg Olsen, CAR (vs. ATL), $5100; Antonio Gates, SD (vs. OAK), $5000
Notes: Gronkowski is headed for another huge game, but the Indy defense should at least put up a fight. Olsen seems to be the best choice among mid-price tight ends nearly every week, but I also like Gates as part of Chargers stack.
Team D/ST
Denver Broncos at STL, $3000 – The Lions, Cardinals, Dolphins and Bills all have a case for the title thus far, but when all is said and done, I expect the Denver defense to be viewed as the best in the league. The unit has no real weaknesses, and the only thing holding it back from a fantasy perspective is the surprising lack of takeaways. That's bound to change over the final seven weeks of the season, as the Broncos' excellent pass rush will surely be unleashed on some teams trailing by double-digit points. It could get especially ugly this weekend, against a Rams squad that's given up the most DK points per game to opposing D/ST. I've always been a fan of Shaun Hill, but he's a 34-year-old career backup who hasn't seen significant regular-season playing time since 2010. I'm guessing the Hill we're about to see isn't the same underrated player that I remember from 2007-2010.
Other options:Detroit Lions (at ARI), $3400; Miami Dolphins (vs. BUF), $3400; Arizona Cardinals (vs. DET), $2800; New York Giants (vs. SF), $2600
Notes: The Lions' dominant front seven will provide a nightmare matchup for an Arizona team that has a weak offensive line and Drew Stanton, who is a much bigger downgrade from Carson Palmer than most are letting on. I don't really like anything from the Thursday game, but it's the Dolphins defense, if I must. While the matchup is worse than the statistics indicate, this is still a nice price for the excellent Cardinals defense. The Giants defense has faded over the last few weeks, but there's still quite a bit of talent up front, and the San Francisco offense just isn't any good.
