NBA-Daily Fantasy Advisor: Shooting Guard Ranks

James Harden, Houston Rockets
In stark contrast to the point guard position, where there was very little separation at the top, there's miles of separation at the 2 guard spot, where Harden is the undisputed fantasy king.  His combination of rebounding (over 5 per game), assists (nearly 6 per game), steals (2 per game), and scoring (27 points and 3 three pointers) has him easily leading this category at nearly 50 fantasy points per contest.  While the assists may go down a bit with the acquisition of Ty Lawson by the Rockets, his points will only go up, and he'll get better shots from three, probably making more of them.  This Houston team will be a fast team, scoring a lot of points, and Harden will lead that charge with probably 30 per game at least.

Monta Ellis, Indiana Pacers
Monta Ellis has long been one of the more underrated guards in the league.  He averages about 20 ppg throughout his career, and has a shot.  He's also almost never seen a shot he didn't like, a definite scoring mentality.  Scoring has been one of the things the Pacers have lacked over the years, and they'll look to ease the load from Paul George, as he returns to form from injury.  Look for coach Frank Vogel to give Ellis a pretty constant green light, and Ellis to cash in for both the Pacers and his owners, night to night and throughout the season.

Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls
Last year Jimmy Butler made this Bulls team "his" team in the minds of many, and this year he looks to continue making that imprint on the Bulls and the rest of the league as he continues his development.  I'm looking for Butler to average about 20 ppg, and fill up the stat sheet elsewhere, leading to about 35 fantasy points per game.  He'll be a great addition to your lineups most nights.

Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers

As long as he's healthy, Kobe has to remain near the top of this list.  He's still a ball dominant scoring guard who has a light that never changes off green in his mind, and nobody willing to reel him in when he goes volume shooting mode.  This might be his last year in the league-or at least in LA-and I don't think Byron Russell will rock the ship too much.  As long as he's healthy, Kobe's gonna do what Kobe's gonna do, and that usually involves around 20-25 ppg with several threes thrown in.  Works for fantasy owners.  And us daily fantasy owners don't have to worry about season ending injuries until the night they happen, so while he's healthy, cash in if you can.

Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
Klay lives his NBA career in the shadow of reigning MVP Steph Curry, and it works for him to the tune of about 20 ppg, 3 three pointers per game, and significant contributions all over the stat sheet, crossing almost all categories.  He has a few too many turnovers for a 2 guard, and his assist/turnover ratio needs to be worked on from both ends overall, but he still makes fourth on this list, as a 2 guard on a night to night basis.

Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
I'm looking for Oladipo to take a big jump forward this year.  20-22 ppg, a few threes, and an increased leadership role in the offense and on the team should result in a top 5 fantasy guard this season.  Look for Oladipo's price to start low, and his production to out do it for a good long time on Draft Kings.

DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors
DeRozan had a good year last year, save missing some games due to injury, regularly putting up 35, 40, even a few 50 fantasy point nights.  If he stays in good health this year, alongside a rejuvenated Kyle Lowry, I think his growth can continue, and he can perhaps move into the top 5 shooting guards in the league.  Right now, count on him for about 35 fantasy points per night, but don't be surprised if that total moves up some nights.

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Wade is an aging player who knows when he needs to take a step back in the interest of his long term career, and his team's overall success.  Basically, he's the player all Laker fans wish Kobe could be.  He's still going to produce when he's on the court though, and despite limited minutes I'm still expecting fantasy point totals in the low 30's most night.

Kyle Korver, Atlanta Hawks
Korver's value is high, despite a scoring average in the low teens, due to his three point shooting, which brings value not only in real life, but to fantasy owners.  Line him up if you're looking for a mid range cost guy to guy you something like 20-25 fantasy points in a night.

JJ Reddick, LA Clippers
Reddick is pretty much the same thing as Korver; a three point threat on both the court in real life and lineups in Draft Kings.  He doesn't bring a lot but his range, but that range can be deadly.  Add him into lineups you're looking to add about 20 points a night to.  He's a plug and play guy around building blocks, and perhaps a bit of a match up play also.

NFL DFS: Daily Fantasy Advisor Week 7 Top Performers

So each Monday I'll go through some of the weekend's top performers at each position so far, and later on in the day preview the week's Mon/Thur lineups, who looks good for them, who doesn't, and so forth.  Here are this week's top performers:

Lamar Miller, RB Miami Dolphins
New head coach Dan Campbell has, as I thought he would, changed the offensive philosophy in Miami and really emphasized running the ball, and toughness on the offensive line.  As a result, in the two games since he's taken over Lamar Miller has averaged 144 yards per game, whereas in the 4 games to start the season he'd totaled just 131 total rushing yards.  Yesterday he added a receiving element to his game, and finished with 175 rushing yards on 14 attempts (12.5 average), and 61 receiving yards on 3 catches, with a touchdown receiving and rushing, that left him with a total around 40 fantasy points (depending on ppr vs. standard) for the top fantasy performance of the weekend.

Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams
As I (and pretty much every other fantasy analyst in the country) predicted, Gurley had a big game.  Going up against the porous run defense of the Cleveland Browns, it was bound to happen.  The Browns just can't defend the run, and Gurley is good, and these two things combined to give Gurley 128 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, to go with 4 catches on 5 targets for 35 yards through the air, for a grand total of 35.3 points in Draft Kings leagues.  If you stacked Gurley and the Rams' defense like I told you to, you picked up an additional 25 points, for a grand total of 60 points on a 2 position stack you spent just $7,400 on.  What a value!  That's over 8 points per thousand spent!

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Hilton played in what most previewed to be the all-offense bowl, but what ended up being a rather tame game as far as passing offense goes, with only one QB going over 300 yards, and that one throwing multiple picks in the process.  However, Hilton was on the receiving end of the right 4 of Luck's passes, catching 2 big touchdowns including an 87 yard bomb that began the Colts' comeback attempt.  Ultimately, his two third quarter touchdowns weren't enough, as the Colts didn't quite pull

out the win.  Hilton probably lead (or will lead) a lot of owners to a win yesterday however, with the 34 points his performance earned for them.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
I'm a Mike Evans owner in a few of my long term leagues, and I've been shopping him (and Carlos Hyde) HARD this past week.  I bet I'll get some bites over the coming days after this performance.  After 12 targets resulted in 8 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown, Evans reminded owners why he is considered one of the better up and coming receivers in the game.  He was owned in about (or under) 5% of daily fantasy teams this weekend, I'm guessing that number ticks up a bit next weekend after this game.

Nate Washington, WR, Houston
Going into the weekend I told you Hoyer from the Texans and DeAndre Hopkins would have a big day against a lousy Miami pass defense.  Only thing was, it wasn't Hopkins that had the big day.  This time out, it was Nate Washington's turn as he caught 9 of 16 targets for 127 yards and two touchdowns while Hopkins acted as more of a diversion, being targeted 12 times for just 6 catches, 50 yards, and no touchdowns.  A bit of a disappointment for Hopkins owners (about 40% of leagues) but great for Nate Washington owners (pretty much nobody).

Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins
How long has it been since two Dolphins have appeared on a list like this?  A while to my memory.  Tannehill beat out the likes of Andrew Luck, Phillip Rivers, and Tom Brady for the top QB to play so far this week, in completing 18 out of 19 passes for 282 yards, 4 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a QB rating of a perfect 158.3!  This guy was just on point, and made no mistakes.  I think the new offense in Miami helps take the pressure off Tannehill, allowing him to play more relaxed.  Wildly long catches where Jarvis Landry makes almost the entire opposing team miss don't hurt, but Tannehill also didn't make any mistakes, and that's really what he needs to keep doing to continue playing effectively in this offense.


Jacksonville Jaguars Defense
The Jaguars defense was on display in the early parts of the Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars game that was aired exclusively on Yahoo sports, online.  The Jags scored not one, but two defensive touchdowns on consecutive plays at one point, before giving up a 27-3 lead.  The offense ultimately won this game for them, but for a long time throughout this one it was hard to imagine the Bills moving the ball at all, let alone scoring the 31 points they did.  This defense wasn't quite as "stackable" as the Rams' defense, mentioned earlier in Todd Gurley's portion of this, but they outscored those Rams by 6 points in fantasy, so owners will take it.

Daily Fantasy Advisor: Strategy Guide GPP vs Head to Head

A lot of daily fantasy owners jump into daily fantasy, picking up players they like, or players that play for "their team" and don't put a lot of strategy behind it, basically throwing their money out there for guys like me to grab up.  Once you understand the strategy behind selecting your players, playing your lineups, and maximizing your dollars, you're in a great position to catch some of the money those folks are throwing away.  I'll continue to help you do just that with this strategy sessions series.
GPP vs Head to Head Roster Building
Playing GPP and playing H2H are two different animals in daily fantasy, and the lineups you build for them should be as well.  If they're not, you're basically playing to lose.  You shouldn't be out there building up lineups, and just throwing them in various GPP's AND H2H's, expecting to win.  Here's what you want to do:

GPP:
For GPP tournaments, you're playing against massive fields.  The two factors you want to weigh when selecting players are ceiling and ownership percentage.  So you want a "this guy could go off" combined with a "nobody wants to buy him" for whatever reason.  Maybe people don't know about him, maybe he's too cheap or expensive, maybe he's being outshined by a player or two at his position and he flies under the radar.  Whatever the reason, he's YOUR "sleeper" essentially, and that's the guy you want to ride in GPP.  GPP tournaments are lineups you want to run like a Brian Hoyer/Nate Washington stack in, or a Landry Jones/Martavis Bryant stack in.  Sure you're not likely to win, but IF those guys go off, you're raking in cash, because nobody else built around that stack.  You're hoping to put together a lineup that will explode, and put out 250ish points.  That's more than 25 points per player.

H2H:
For H2H matchups, what you're looking for is high floor players.  You're looking for guys that get a ton of regular use, and nobody will be surprised by their production.  You want safe picks, you also want to plan for about 150-175 points to take the win, more often than not.  That's about 17 points per player, much more reasonable to achieve than the GPP win, and much more common.  H2H's and Double Ups, this is what you want think.

I hope some of this helps people.  Good luck winning money out there!

NFL DFS: Week 7 Last Minute Injury Notes

As with every Sunday, today brings us some impactful last minute injury notes.  Here are a few, I'll update as news rolls in.

Dion Lewis
Dion Lewis won't be playing today.  This bumps up the value of LaGarrette Blount a bit, but I still don't expect a big day out of the running game today in New England.  Well, from the Patriots anyway.

Adrian Peterson
It was announced yesterday that AP's status had been downgraded to questionable due to illness.  I'm a little worried about that, and keeping an eye on him.  I may be pulling him from several lineups I've already got him set into.  I'll keep you all updated as I find out more.

Brandon LaFell
LaFell was reactivated this week from the PUP list, and is eligible to play.  I'm not sure if he will, but it would be very Belichickian of the Patriots to pull out a deep threat card just before the game, and to use him heavily when people might not see him coming.  If you're looking for someone to sprinkle into your lineups in GPP plays a bit, I might think about using LaFell.

Antonio Gates
Gates is a game time decision after not practicing all week with a strained MCL.  I'm looking for him to play however.  Both he and teammate Keenan Allen have injury issues to stay on top of, I'll keep an eye out and let you all know as soon as I do.

John Brown
This morning it's being reported that John Brown is limited today, and will be a game time decision.  This could help the value of both Larry Fitzgerald and Malcom Floyd, as Brown's targets will have to go to someone if he's not playing.  With the Cardinals game being Monday night however, that can be a frustrating thing for owners.  I'd just stay away from Brown this weekend.  No use playing anyone that's not a sure thing in DFS.

NFL DFS: Week 7 Game Previews: One Player to Sit

As part of my new weekly schedule, I'll be releasing a Saturday feature called "One Player to Play" and "One Player to Sit" in which I'll go through each game in the upcoming weekend and give you a player from each to play, and a player from each to sit.  Here are your players to sit this weekend:

Buffalo at Jacksonville 9:30 a.m. 

Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville
The Bills have been very tough on opposing number one wideouts, holding the likes of Julian Edelman, AJ Green, and Odell Beckham Jr to less than 100 yards.  I expect shutdown corner Stephon Gilmore to do the same this weekend to Robinson.  That probably makes his opposite wideout Allen Hurns a great play, but it makes Robinson a "sit him" for this weekend.

Tampa Bay at Washington 1:00 p.m. 
Jameis Winston, QB, Tampa Bay
I'd actually rule out the whole Bucs' passing game, maybe their whole offense in this game.  The Redskins are stout against the run, and not bad against the pass either, only allowing about 17 fantasy points per game to the QB's of opposing teams.  Winston himself has struggled a bit this season also, averaging about 235 yards passing and with a 1-1 td-int ratio, he's just not a good play against any defense for me, let alone one as good as the Redskins.  Sit Winston, sit Evans, and sit Jackson as well.

Atlanta at Tennessee 1:00 p.m. 
Any player from Tennessee
There just isn't a good play from the Titans this week.  Looking at it at first, you think the Falcons defense is one of the worst in the league against the running back, but with Mariota out you have to think they'll load up the box against the run and try to make Metternberger bet them through the air.  I have no idea if Mettenberger can do that, and I'm not willing to bet on it, which is essentially what you're doing by putting him in your lineup.  Don't do it.


New Orleans at Indianapolis 1:00 p.m. 
Either team's defense.
This game is going to be a shoot out between two talented quarterbacks facing two porous pass defenses.  Don't play either defense in this game, as they'll be giving up points in bunches.  I've got both quarterbacks, and receivers from both teams as good plays for the week, making the defenses bad ones.

Minnesota at Detroit 1:00 p.m. 
Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, Detroit
Two weeks ago these two lost a lot of people's confidence against Arizona, including that of their coach, who benched his starting QB in favor of Dan Orlovsky (not a phrase uttered very often by those covering this league) after a 188 yard, 3 interception performance.  Then the next game (last week) they won a lot of those same people back over, with Stafford putting up 405 yards and 166 of that going to Megatron.  I worry too many people will be wooed by that, and want to play these two as a stack, against what some might perceive as a weak Vikings' defense.  But the truth of the Vikings' pass defense is that they're currently 10th and 4th in the league in giving up the least fantasy points to the other team's receiver and quarterback respectively.  I just don't think they have a good day this weekend.  Keep em benched.

Calvin Johnson may be on the downside of his career.

Pittsburgh at Kansas City 1:00 p.m. 
Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City
Last week a lot of people (myself included to a limited extent I'll admit) talked about playing West as a value play, given the amount of snaps he'd likely see compared to the price Draft Kings was charging.  This week, I'm just not certain he'll get any production at all really.  The Steelers are allowing the 4th least fantasy points per game to running backs, and have faced truly talented starters like Todd Gurley, and Carlos Hyde.  I don't see West putting up any real numbers, in a game I think the Chiefs will be chasing the Steelers futilely, all afternoon.

Cleveland at St. Louis 1:00 p.m. 
Josh McCown, QB, Cleveland
For three games, everyone was really excited about Josh McCown as a starting QB in this league.  Then he played a decent defense, and everyone remembered why he's a backup, as he threw for just 213 yards and 2 picks while getting sacked 4 times by the top defense in the league.  He's coming into this week facing perhaps the toughest defensive line in the game, averaging more than 4 sacks per game this season.  With his own offensive line questionable at best, I just don't see McCown having a good game.  Sit his lead receiver Travis Benjamin as well.

Houston at Miami 1:00 p.m. 
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami
In his first game as head coach, Dan Campbell had the Dolphins run the ball 32 times and throw it just 29.  And Tannehill still managed to throw 2 picks against a middle of the pack pass defense in the Titans, and get sacked twice.  The Texans have a lot more talent on the defensive line, and should pressure Tannehill a bit more, perhaps into worse decisions and more picks.  He, and his lead receiver Jarvis Landry just aren't reliable plays this weekend.

NY Jets at New England 1:00 p.m. 
Tom Brady and Julian Edelman, QB/WR, New England
My fellow Patriot fans will hate me this week, but I just can't get behind playing the Patriots' offense this weekend.  The Jets' defense has been strong, and their strength-the defensive line-matches up against the Patriots' biggest weakness-the offensive line-this week.  I just don't know how it works out for the Pats.  Last weekend, Brady was able to compensate for the poor health of his offensive line by getting rid of the ball incredibly fast, but he wasn't playing against the likes of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie that game, so you have to imagine that game plan will change.  Brady will likely rely on Gronkowski, if anyone, but the Jets rank third in the league in giving up the least fantasy points per game to the tight end, so again, I just can't count on the Patriots in DFS this week.  Sit em.

Oakland at San Diego 4:05 p.m. 
Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland
Fantasy owners and DFS owners this year have begun what is likely to be a long love affair with Amari Cooper this year, but this weekend will be an early tiff in that affair, as Cooper goes up against Jason Varrett, lead cornerback for the Chargers who is playing as well as anyone in the league, shutting down the likes of AJ Green, Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown, and Randall Cobb so far this season.  I doubt Amari Cooper in the 6th game of his career will be the receiver to figure that shutdown corner out.

Dallas at NY Giants 4:25 p.m. 
Joseph Randle, RB, Cowboys
The talk all week-really for the last two weeks-has been whether or not Randle will lose his job entirely to backup Christine Michael.  It doesn't appear he'll lose all his touches, but Michael WILL start eating into them, taking away from Randle's value.  McFadden will likely get the catches on receiving downs, so there's just not much fantasy value left for Randle there.  Even though the Giants are 8th worst in the league in giving up fantasy points to running backs, when you split those 27 points three ways that's just 9 points per back.  No real point in rostering that guy.

Philadelphia at Carolina 8:30 p.m. 
Everyone.
Like I said in my "one player to play" column earlier today, there's just nobody from this game that's a solid, reliable play.  Put both teams in the "sit em" category this weekend.

The Arizona secondary is poised to eat Joe Flacco's lunch Monday night

Baltimore at Arizona 8:30 p.m. (Monday)
Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore
Flacco has been a solid disappointment as one of the league's few hundred million dollar players.  He'll be relied upon to carry his team this week, and he'll likely be playing from behind a lot, throwing the ball a lot...into one of the toughest pass defenses in the league, currently 9th in the league in fantasy points allowed to the opposing team's QB.  They also lead the league in interceptions, with 11.  Considering that Flacco has the Ravens tied for 5th in the league with 7 picks thrown, that's a pretty good recipe for the Cardinals' pass defense to have a great day, and a pretty lousy recipe for Flacco.  Keep him and his receivers benched this week.

NFL DFS: Week 7 Game Previews: One Player to Play

As part of my new weekly schedule, I'll be releasing a Saturday feature called "One Player to Play" and "One Player to Sit" in which I'll go through each game in the upcoming weekend and give you a player from each to play, and a player from each to sit.  Here are your players to play this weekend:

Buffalo at Jacksonville 9:30 a.m. 
LeSean McCoy, RB, Bills
The Jaguars are the 5th worst team in the league when it comes to giving up points to opposing running backs, and McCoy ran hard and fast last week, coming off an injury that had held him out a few weeks early this season.  I think he builds off that 90 yard, 1 touchdown performance, runs it about 20 times for 100 yards and a score.


Tampa Bay at Washington 1:00 p.m. 
Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington
Crowder isn't a guy you're going to get a lot of points from, but at $3,700 you're really only looking to get about 12 points.  That translates to 5 catches for 70 yards.  I think that's a completely reasonable expectation for Crowder, and if he throws in a touchdown you're extra happy.  With DeSean Jackson continuing to be sidelined by a nagging hamstring injury, Crowder should get the targets to more than justify his cost.

Atlanta at Tennessee 1:00 p.m. 
Devonta Freeman, RB, Falcons
It seems to me that Freeman is flying just a bit under the radar this weekend.  I've heard a few people warn about picking him up vs. a stingy Tennessee run defense, but I think that's misleading.  While the Titans have allowed the third fewest fantasy points per game to running backs thus far, they've faced very few good running teams as well.  When they have, they gave up 86 yards and two touchdowns to an aging Frank Gore, 76 yards on the ground to Tyrod Taylor, and finally 113 yards and a touchdown to Lamar Miller, giving him his first real breakout performance of the year.  If Miller can do it, Freeman definitely can do it.  People who think the Titans defense might stop Freeman, forget his 153 yards against the Redskins, who at the time were the top defense vs. the running back and with that game were knocked out of the top 5.  Ride Freeman to another fantasy win this weekend.

New Orleans at Indianapolis 1:00 p.m. 
Anyone involved in either team's passing game.
The Saints are giving up the second most points to opposing team's QB's while the Colts are giving up the third most points to opposing team's WR's.  This tells us all one thing: it's gonna be a high scoring, lots of passing game.  While the Colts' d-backs are a bit better, as evidenced by their middle of the pack rank in fantasy points vs. the QB (usually a signifier of interceptions, correct signifier here, given that the Colts have 6 of vs. the Saints' 2) both QB's and all three "big name" receivers (Moncrief, Hilton, and Snead) going into this game are solid plays.

Minnesota at Detroit 1:00 p.m. 
Adrian Peterson, RB, Vikings
The Vikings' defense is a bit underrated.  I expect them to keep the Lions' offense off the field, and the coaching staff to capitalize on that by pounding the ball with Peterson as often as possible.  Peterson already got the Lions for 134 yards earlier in the season.  Look for him to duplicate that performance, and perhaps add a touchdown in this week for more of a 20-25 point fantasy game.

Pittsburgh at Kansas City 1:00 p.m. 
Martavis Bryant, WR, Pittsburgh
Bryant is a popular name this week among NFL analysts and fantasy gurus, and with good reason.  After Landry Jones took over the Steelers' offense last week, Bryant appeared to hit a real groove, finishing his first game back with 6 catches on 8 targets for 137 yards and two touchdowns.  Whether it's Jones or Roethlisberger makes an unexpected comeback, look for Bryant to build off that performance against a weak Kansas City pass defense currently giving up the most points per game to opposing wideouts.

Cleveland at St. Louis 1:00 p.m. 
Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis
Gurley, like Bryant before this is a popular name this week, and again it's with good reason.  The Browns have made pretty much every running back they've faced this year look like Jim Brown, giving up yards in bunches and resulting in them being the 4th worst team in the league when it comes to giving up fantasy points in DK leagues to the opposing running back.  Gurley's been averaging about 130 yards per game, while the Browns have been giving up about 130 yards per game.  Those two numbers could very well end in Gurley rushing for 200 yards this game.

Houston at Miami 1:00 p.m. 
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston
Hopkins has been the best receiver in the league this season, and the Dolphins give up the 12th most fantasy points per game to the opposing team's wide receivers this season.  I think Hoyer and Hopkins are a great sneaky stack play this week, and could very well lead the right teams to wins in GPP, so I'm suggesting taking Hopkins.

NY Jets at New England 1:00 p.m. 
Chris Ivory, RB, New York Jets
The Patriots come into this game 22nd in the league against the running back, giving up 113 yards per game on the ground despite having faced no real talent at the running back spot, and no real "running teams" this season.  The Jets are a big, strong running team who are going to come into this game looking to physically punish and pound a physically weaker, more stylish/finesse type team in the Patriots.  Ivory should get a ton of touches this week, especially with backup Bilal Powell reportedly out.  Look for him to produce against their division rival, and perhaps lead the Jets to handing the Patriots their first loss of the year.

Oakland at San Diego 4:05 p.m. 
Phillip Rivers, QB, Chargers
The Raiders are the worst team in the league against the opposing team's tight end, and the Chargers might have the best pair of tight ends in the league in terms of physical talent, when it comes to Ladarius Green and Antonio Gates.  There have been a lot of rumors about Gates' MCL, but I just don't buy it.  I think Gates comes into this game raging, putting up big numbers against an old in division foe playing particularly poorly against his position.  I'm not sure he has the two touchdowns he had last week, but I don't think a 90-110 yard performance with 1 touchdown is out of the question.  I don't think a 200 yard, 3 touchdown performance is out of the question either.  High floor, high ceiling here.  Play Gates.

Dallas at NY Giants 4:25 p.m. 
Jason Witten, TE, Dallas
The Giants are 2nd worst in the league in surrendering points to opposing team's tight ends, at 18.9 per game, including a game earlier in the season against the Cowboys themselves in which they gave up 60 yards and 2 touchdowns to Witten himself, good for 26 points.  Witten continues to remain the Cowboys' only real offensive weapon, so look for him to be heavily involved in the passing game this weekend.

Philadelphia at Carolina 8:30 p.m. 
Don't play anyone from this game!
I seriously just can't settle on one single player to play from this game.  A lot of people are saying Cam Newton is a great play here, but I just don't see it.  If you look back to last season, you'll see Chip Kelly had Cam pretty well figured out, with his defense picking Newton off 3 times, and holding him to just 6 yards on the ground.  They throw a spy or two on him, cover the heck out of Olsen, and Cam has very few reasonable options.  I think the same happens here, and this is an ugly game full of turnovers from both teams, with someone grinding out an ugly win.  Don't get involved in this for fantasy purposes though, there's just no solid picks.

Baltimore at Arizona 8:30 p.m. (Monday)
Carson Palmer and his receivers, Arizona
This is such an obvious play, I also picked them as my "trap play of the week" earlier this week.  Still, this is one of those rare instances where the "trap play" is such a good play I can't not suggest playing them as well.  Run em in cash games where you're looking for a high floor, but not in GPP's as everyone will own them and I don't see explosive point totals out of them.

NFL DFS: 5 Players to Avoid in Week 7

Today being Friday, I'll bring you 5 guys from my contrarian lineups, that I absolutely won't count on this week.

Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots

There's a lot of Patriots on this list this weekend, and it hurts me to do it, as a Pats fan by birth, but I have to.  The Jets' defense is just too good, the Patriots' offensive line has been crumbling due to injury, piece by piece and they matchup vs. the Jets' strength in the d-line.  It's not going to be good.  Last week Brady was able to make up for his line's deficiencies by getting rid of the ball with lightning quickness, but against the cornerbacks of the Jets, and a defense ranked number one vs. the tight end this season, it'll be interesting to see how Tom responds.  While as a fan I hope he figures it out, as an owner I'm just not counting on it.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

The Vikings' pass defense is a bit underrated by fans this season, and I'm not sure people realize how much Stafford was feasting on a poor pass defense vs. the Bears last week.  I think there will be a lot of people buying on Stafford based on last week's performance, and not looking at the match up in front of him where they should be.  Don't be one of them.  He's going to put up less than 15 points this weekend.

Dion Lewis, RB, New England Patriots

Dion Lewis is another Patriot that I love, and I've ridden to many victories this season, but this weekend I just can't count on him.  The Jets' defense is too tough, and while he's the guy I'd expect Brady to be dumping the ball to, and I'd play him in a season long ppr league, I just can't justify spending the cash on him as a DFS play this weekend, where I NEED guys to produce each week.  Lewis won't be in any of my regular lineups this weekend.

Amari Cooper, WR, Oakland Raiders

Cooper and the Raiders face the league's number one fantasy defense against WR, primarily due to the play of their number one cornerback, who has been shutting down opposing team's number one wideouts.  If anyone in the Raiders' receiving corps is going to have a decent game this weekend, it'll likely be Crabtree.  Keep Cooper out of your lineups this weekend.

Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots

Edelman would have appeared on this list no matter who the Pats were playing, as I owned him last week and watched him fade immediately after breaking his finger.  I've watched Brady for years, and he loses trust QUICK.  I'm not saying he'll lose trust in Edelman overall, but I don't think he's going to rely on the broken finger catching real well, after his drops last week.  I think Brady cools off Edelman's targets for a few weeks while that finger heals up.  Look for his targets to dip down to maybe 8, just not enough to justify rostering him this weekend.

NBA-Daily Fantasy Advisor Ranks: Point Guard

Every week this NBA season, I'll bring you daily positional ranks.  On Monday it'll be point guards, Tuesday shooting guards, and so forth, until Friday I go over my center rankings.  On Saturday I'll go over team rankings, and Sunday I'll give some team previews for the week and go over some specific team rankings vs. positions, highlight some players you should look at going into that week.  I'm gonna start off the season with a breakdown of my positional rankings.  I'll go through the top 5 in detail, give a sentence on the next five, and then maybe a few deeper guys.  Mostly in DFS you should stick to playing top ten guys as much as you can.  If you're reaching deep on the bench, you're doing it wrong.  You want production from everyone.

So without further ado, the point guard rankings to open the season...

1) Russell Westbrook
 Westbrook produces in so many categories, I'm projecting him 2nd in points per game, 5th in assists per game, 1st in rebounds per game, and 3rd in steals per game among point guards.  This all combines to make him the most valuable fantasy player at the point guard position.  He's a problem for the opposition every night, there simply isn't a point guard in the league you can name that can shut him down.  The only thing that's stopped him so far is injuries, and since you can't and I don't project injuries, you've gotta assume health and project him as the top point guard, and one of the top players overall in the game.  He'll definitely be in the MVP conversation at the end of the season if he stays healthy.

2) Chris Paul
     
Chris Paul is another point guard who produces in every facet of the fantasy game.  From assists (1st) to points (7th) to steals (3rd) he's among the league leaders in production at the point guard position.  There will be a lot of nights you'll play Blake, CP3, and DeAndre all together and benefit from all of their production.  They're one of the few trios in the league whose skill sets truly naturally compliment one another, and as a result all of their production is off the charts.  With a much deeper bench this year, that might dip just a bit in the season, but I think you'll probably be playing them a lot later in June this year.

3) Steph Curry
   

 Some might object to the reigning MVP only making third on the list at his position, let alone overall, but this is a fantasy list not a "value" list, which can be taken many different ways.  In fantasy value, we're just talking about straight up points.  Curry produces in so many categories, but the one he really shines in is three point attempts per game, where he sets himself apart from the field, after setting a record for threes taken in a season last year.  He's a scoring point guard with unlimited range who projects to average about 7 assists per game and 2.1 steals.  What more could you ask for?  If not for the Spurs-like philosophy that has Kerr limiting his minutes at times, or the way the Warriors cruise to wins in such a fashion that he often doesn't need to play fourth quarters he very well might be first on this list.  But as things stand he's a very close third.  There's not a lot of separation at the top here.

4) Damian Lillard

 While the Blazers' playoff chances took a very real hit with the exit of LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard's personal value took off just a bit.  With the Portland's roster in a total rebuild, Lillard should be given free reign to pretty much do what he wants with the basketball.  I'd expect him to decide he wants to do a lot of shooting, and thus, a lot of scoring.  I wouldn't be shocked to see him contend for the league lead in scoring this year as a matter of fact.  Look for him to headline your team many times, and hopefully lead you to more wins than he's likely to lead the Blazers to.

5) John Wall
 Wall had a pretty great fantasy season last year, and I expect his growth to continue.  With the exception of Pierce switching coasts, there's been very little player movement with the Wizards, and given their young nucleus I think that's a good thing, giving them a chance to grow together.  Teammate in the back court Bradley Beal is looking to blossom this year, and Wall should be able to play off that a great deal.  He'll be priced a bit lower than the top tier of point guards, but his production should be similar.  Look to use him a lot this year.

6) Kyle Lowry
Lowry started the season off strong last year, but faded down the stretch as carrying the Raptors took a clear toll on him.  He took the off-season as an opportunity to not only mentally refresh, but physically shape up, shedding weight and looking great in camp.  Look for him to take the next step this year.

7) Eric Bledsoe
The Suns' point guard's value took a hit last year as there were simply too many point guards and not enough minutes for them all.  Look for him to settle in next to Brandon Knight and keep growing alongside his young teammates.

8) Ty Lawson
For Lawson, change may be the best thing to happen to him for a while.  He loves playing fast, and should be a refreshing change at point for the Rockets.  Getting someone capable of handling the ball not named James Harden will be great for this team.  Acquiring Lawson also pushes Beverly back to the bench, relegating him to the defensive stopper off the bench role he's been good at in the past.

9) Reggie Jackson
Jackson comes into the season needing to justify the 5 year, $80 million investment the Pistons made in him, and needing to solidify his hold on the starting point spot with Jennings coming back from injury, but he's certainly got the skill set to do so.  It'll be interesting to see the Pistons this year, and how they work with the subtraction of Greg Monroe.  Will that work a bit like the Jazz did, when they sent Kanter off the OKC and improve the play of their big men, or the opposite?  The answer will have an impact on Reggie Jackson's ceiling this year.

10) Jrue Holiday
Holiday's returning from injury issues, and currently on a 15 minute per game restriction-something that isn't likely to end until January, which hurts his overall fantasy value for full season owners, and limits his value to DFS owners until then.  However, when he's no longer restricted, look for him to put up numbers, as a very talented player at the point position.

5 Players to Play This Weekend

Alright, so starting today I'll be putting out two pieces per day throughout football season, on the NFL.  I'll put out at least the same two pieces each day of the week (except Sunday when I'll put out just one, last minute injury report), so you can come back here every Wednesday for instance, and know you'll find your high value targets, or effective touch leaders, etc.    I'm also going to start writing up weekly rankings, and releasing those position by position throughout the week (on top of the two pieces a day).  I'll write up a similar schedule for NBA as well.

Today being Friday, will bring you my first Friday split: 5 players to play and 5 players to avoid.  In this portion, I'll bring you 5 of the guys I'm featuring in most of my lineups this week, and in the later portion I'll bring you 5 guys from my contrarian lineups, that I absolutely won't count on this week.

Todd Gurley $5,000

Todd Gurley might be the best play of the week, facing a porous Cleveland defense that has been lit up this year, all year long, by nearly everyone that's played them.  Cleveland's been giving up 32.1 points per game to opposing running backs, while simultaneously getting lit up through the air by almost everyone they've played as well.  This is a team that let the Raiders throw for 300+ and run for 150+ in the same game just a few weeks ago.  With no real QB play to fall back on, expect the Rams to pound the rock, punishing the Browns' defense to the tune of more than 150 yards and 1-2 touchdowns with Gurley.  He's a guy who's averaged 152.5 yards on the ground per game since taking over the starting job-and that was against Arizona and Green Bay.  Can you even imagine what he's going to do against Cleveland?  If there was ever a player you were banking on a 200 yard performance from, this just might be it...

Antonio Gates $5,000
If not for Gurley, Gates would be the best and easiest play of the week. Not only is he a player who's seen the Raiders more than almost any other team in his career (24 total games played against them) so he's comfortable maybe more than against any other team, but the Raiders have also changed to a defensive philosophy this year where they apparently don't guard the opposing team's tight end at all, giving up 22.6 points per game on average to the tight end position, and making guys like Gary Barnidge look like all-pros.  Even Crockett Gilmore of the Ravens put up more than 25 points against them!  Start Gates now, as he continues his version of the Tom Brady revenge tour against a familiar old rival.

Charles Clay $4,300

The Bills have to throw the ball to someone, and it won't be Percy Harvin (contemplating retirement back in the states) or Sammy Watkins (hopping on the sidelines in London), so why not Charles Clay?  He's been targeted 13 times twice over the past three games (but just 3 times the game in between those) with 9 receptions both games for 111 and 62 yards, respectively.  The Jags are middle of the pack defensively against the tight end position, and the receiving options have dwindled since his 3 target game.  Look for Clay to get double digit targets this weekend, and put up some fantasy points.

DeAndre Hopkins $8,600
Hopkins has quite simply been the best receiver in fantasy football, hands down.  He's matchup proof, lousy QB proof, and going to bring returns every time you line him up.  Even with his price at $8,600, I almost feel like he's a bargain every time I roster him.  He's just a guy you feel GREAT about adding.  I feel A LOT better adding him at $8,600 than I do adding Beckham Jr. at $8,700 OR Antonio Brown at $7,900.  Hopkins has been targeted 89 times so far this year, and is averaging better than 100 yards receiving per game, with 5 total touchdowns (including 2 multi-touchdown games).  Miami is really an average pass defense, giving up the 12th most points per game to opposing team's wide receivers.  Hopkins is a strong play this weekend (and a strong GPP stack play with Hoyer as well, for that matter).

Devonta Freeman $7,900
I really feel like I'm taking the easy way out with these two last picks, but they're not the most expensive at their positions, yet they're the most productive players at their positions this year and they're both facing good match ups, so how do you not choose Freeman and Hopkins this week?  At these prices, you can play Freeman, Hopkins, Gurley, and Gates all in the same lineup EASILY.  Stack Hoyer at QB and the Rams defense, you've spent $34,200 and have a running back, 2 wide receiver, and a flex spot to fill ($3,950 average).  Find some decent value plays, and you should be able to fill out a winning lineup card this weekend.  Even if you don't go that full lineup route, pick up Freeman, he'll put up points for you this weekend, as he has every weekend this year.

As always everyone, good luck this weekend!

Potential NFL DFS Value Picks for Week 7

Each week we fill out our rosters with the big names everyone knows and expects to "go off" that week.  We start grabbing these guys, filling out our rosters, and watching our "average per remaining slot" value tumble down, lower and lower.  Eventually you get to a point where you're realizing you need to scrape the bottom of the bucket to fill in a few spots for just a few thousand DK dollars each.  Every week I also try to give you a few targets to look at, that you might be able to do that with.  Here are those picks for this week:

Stefon Diggs, WR Minnesota Vikings $4,200

Diggs has made a bit of a splash in his first two career games, stepping in and playing his first week against the best pass defense in the league in Denver, and following it up with a 7 catch, 129 yard game (good for 22.9 points in DK leagues) against the Chiefs the following game.  While the Vikings' pass offense hasn't exactly been lethal, averaging a paltry 179 yards per game through the air, but they've been on an uptick since the return of Diggs, putting up 212 yards against Denver, and then 237 against the Chiefs.  This week, they play in Detroit against the 22nd ranked pass defense in the league, currently giving up the 8th most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.  Last time these two teams faced, it wasn't good for the Vikings as they threw for just 151 yards, but Diggs wasn't playing with the team then.  This time he is, and there's no reason to think he won't continue the trend he's quickly set with a game something in the range of 7 catches, 100 yards, and maybe even his first touchdown of the year for a game scoring something in the range of 18-25 points in Draft King leagues.

Christine Michael, RB Dallas Cowboys $3,000
Christine Michael is a guy so far off everyone's radar prior to this week, yet he appears poised to begin handling the bulk of the workload in the Cowboys' back field, according to all reports.  While Darren McFadden is expected to see third down work, limiting Michael's value in ppr leagues (like Draft King leagues), and you have to imagine Randle will still see some work, at $3,000 Michaels doesn't really have to produce a whole lot to justify his selection, even in GPP leagues.  The potential for him to break out with a feature back type of workload game is there also, so he's a must buy for some of your lineups if you're looking for a real lottery type pick up.

Lamar Miller, RB Miami Dolphins $4,400
Lamar Miller isn't exactly the no-name type of player that Michael or Diggs is, but he's been poorly used thus far this season, and his fantasy output has reflected that.  However, in Dan Campbell's first game as head coach of the team, Miller got 22 opportunities, and made the most of them, putting up 5.36 yards per, for a total of 118 yards and one touchdown, good for 22.8 points in Draft Kings leagues.  I expect that trend to continue, making him a strong value buy, putting up about 5 points for every thousand spent.