If you aren't familiar with this new game mode on DraftKings called ‘Tiers’, all you have to do is select one player from each basket of players. For the NFL, the first two tiers are filled with just quarterbacks, but the last six tiers are filled with running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends mixed together.
Typically, they are the highest scoring players, so it's not necessary to know the difference between a low-end TE2 and the Jets' WR3 for example. Instead, the key is to make close decisions on the studs like choosing between Michael Thomas and DeAndre Hopkins. Just like in the other DraftKings' game modes like 'Classic' and the single game slates, you can enter 'Tiers' tournaments, 50/50s, Head-to-Heads, and more. This column will help you build your own lineups for each type of contest.
Expect updates to the rankings until lock. Please reach out to me on Twitter (@HaydenWinks) if you have questions about the game mode or about this slate.
Strategy for Week 10
The first two steps in allocating tournament exposures in Tiers are figuring out what to do with Patrick Mahomes and Todd Gurley. There are some weeks where I am comfortable going #FullSend and rolling with 100% exposure to both. This is very close to one of those weeks. Patrick Mahomes playing at home against the Cardinals is a smash spot, so I’ll go with close to 100% tournament exposure and make one of the three other quarterbacks have top-20 percentile outcomes to beat him. Todd Gurley isn’t as easy of a decision with Melvin Gordon and Kareem Hunt also in great spots, but having 100% exposure to Gurley is certainly viable. I’ll be close to it.
Tier 4, Tier 5, and Tier 6 are where we typically stack up players with the quarterbacks we choose in Tier 1 and Tier 2, and this week is no different. Check out the game stack rankings at the bottom, but the Chiefs, Rams, Patriots, Falcons, Chargers, and Bengals are the teams we should be looking at.
My cash considerations are at the bottom, but I want to eat up all the high volume running backs. Tier 3 has a few options, but Todd Gurley is king. Tier 4 has Joe Mixon and James White, while Ezekiel Elliott is sitting down in Tier 5.
If you are trailing after the morning games and you need to pivot to lower owned players to have a chance at a comeback, here are some options: from Todd Gurley to Melvin Gordon in Tier 3, from Ezekiel Elliott to Brandin Cooks or Zach Ertz in Tier 5, from Robert Woods to Amari Cooper in Tier 6, from Cooper Kupp to Doug Baldwin or Kenyan Drake in Tier 7, and from Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Aaron Jones to Tyrell ‘The Gazelle’ Williams in Tier 8.
Tier-by-Tier Tournament Rankings
The "DraftKings' Salary" is pulled directly from the DraftKings’ Classic player salaries. The "Winks’ Rankings" are my own (@HaydenWinks), while "Daugherty’s Rankings" come from Patrick Daugherty's (@RotoPat) weekly Rankings column, and "Hribar's Worksheet' comes directly from Rich Hribar's (@LordReebs) weekly Worksheet column. Neither Daugherty's nor Hribar's rankings are directly built with DraftKings Tiers in mind, but they are great tools in finding value and eliminating some players from consideration.
| Tier 1 | DraftKings' Salary | Winks' Rankings | Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | 7200 | 1 | QB1 | Trust |
| Aaron Rodgers | 6400 | Stack Only | QB2 | On the Cusp |
| Jared Goff | 6100 | Stack Only | QB5 | On the Cusp |
| Philip Rivers | 6000 | Stack Only | QB7 |
Trust |
| Tier 2 | DraftKings' Salary | Winks' Rankings | Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Brees | 6300 | 2 | QB6 | Trust |
| Matt Ryan | 6200 | 1 | QB3 | Trust |
| Tom Brady | 6000 | 4 | QB10 | Trust |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | 5900 | 3 | QB8 | Trust |
| Andy Dalton | 5800 | Stack Only | QB15 | Bust |
| Mitchell Trubisky | 5600 | Fade | QB14 | Bust |
| Tier 3 | DraftKings' Salary | Winks' Rankings | Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Gurley | 9400 | 1 | RB1 | Trust |
| Melvin Gordon | 9000 | 2 | RB3 | Trust |
| Alvin Kamara | 8700 | 3 | RB6 | Trust |
| Kareem Hunt | 8500 | 4 | RB2 | Trust |
| Julio Jones | 8300 | Stack Only | WR2 | Trust |
| Michael Thomas | 8100 | Stack Only | WR1 | Trust |
| Tier 4 | DraftKings' Salary | Winks' Rankings | Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davante Adams | 7800 | 1 | WR4 | Trust |
| Joe Mixon | 7700 | 2 | RB8 | On the Cusp |
| Tyreek Hill | 7300 | 4 | WR5 | On the Cusp |
| James White | 7300 | 3 | RB10 | Trust |
| Keenan Allen | 7100 | Stack Only | WR7 | Trust |
| Travis Kelce | 7000 | Stack Only | TE1 | Trust |
| David Johnson | 6800 | Fade | RB13 | On the Cusp |
| Tier 5 | DraftKings' Salary | Winks' Rankings | Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Boyd | 7500 | 1 | WR10 | Trust |
| Mike Evans | 7000 | 2 | WR8 | Trust |
| Brandin Cooks | 6700 | 4 | WR11 | On the Cusp |
| Jarvis Landry | 6200 | 5 | WR14 | Trust |
| Josh Gordon | 6000 | 6 | WR16 | Trust |
| Ezekiel Elliott | NA | 3 | RB7 | Bust |
| Zach Ertz | NA | 7 | TE2 | Trust |
| Tier 6 | DraftKings' Salary | Winks' Rankings | Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Julian Edelman | 6800 | 1 | WR17 | Trust |
| Robert Woods | 6600 | 2 | WR9 | On the Cusp |
| Adrian Peterson | 5700 | Fade | RB15 | On the Cusp |
| Nick Chubb | 5500 | Fade | RB12 | On the Cusp |
| Tarik Cohen | 5500 | Fade | RB23 | Bust |
| Tevin Coleman | 5400 | 3 | RB16 | Trust |
| Alshon Jeffery | NA | 4 | WR18 | On the Cusp |
| Amari Cooper | NA | Fade | WR29 | On the Cusp |
| Tier 7 | DraftKings' Salary |
Winks' Rankings |
Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooper Kupp | 6400 | 1 | WR13 | Trust |
| Calvin Ridley | 5900 | 2 | WR20 | On the Cusp |
| T.Y. Hilton | 5700 | 3 | WR19 | Bust |
| Marvin Jones | 5500 | 4 | WR15 | On the Cusp |
| Doug Baldwin | 5200 | 6 | WR27 | On the Cusp |
| Kenyan Drake | 5100 | Fade | RB26 | On the Cusp |
| DeSean Jackson | 4900 | 5 | WR23 | On the Cusp |
| Duke Johnson | 4700 | Fade | RB29 | On the Cusp |
| Tier 8 | DraftKings' Salary | Winks' Rankings | Daugherty's Rankings | Hribar's Worksheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larry Fitzgerald | 5400 | 2 | WR26 | On the Cusp |
| O.J. Howard | 5300 | 1 | TE4 | Trust |
| Kenny Golladay | 5100 | 3 | WR21 | Bust |
| Aaron Jones | 5000 | 5 | RB14 | On the Cusp |
| Valdes-Scantling | 5000 | 4 | WR22 | On the Cusp |
| Jordan Howard | 4700 | 6 | RB17 | On the Cusp |
| Tyrell Williams | 4500 | Pivot Only | WR33 | On the Cusp |
| Isaiah Crowell | 4200 | Fade | RB25 | On the Cusp |
~
Winks’ Game Stacks Rankings
For full game-by-game breakdowns, read Evan Silva’s Matchups column and Rich Hribar’s Worksheet column. John Daigle also posts two columns per week dissecting targets and touches, which are obviously important in all decisions.
1. Chiefs (33.25 implied points)
Players: Patrick Mahomes (Tier 1), Kareem Hunt (3), Tyreek Hill (4), Travis Kelce (4)
Run It Back Options: David Johnson (4), Larry Fitzgerald (8)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Patrick Mahomes (1) + Travis Kelce (4) + Larry Fitzgerald (8)
2. Rams (30.75)
Players: Jared Goff (1), Todd Gurley (3), Brandin Cooks (5), Robert Woods (6), Cooper Kupp (7)
Run It Back Options: Doug Baldwin (7)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Todd Gurley (3) + Cooper Kupp (7)
3. Bengals (24.75)
Players: Andy Dalton (2), Joe Mixon (4), Tyler Boyd (5)
Run It Back Options: Drew Brees (2), Alvin Kamara (3), Michael Thomas (3)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Joe Mixon (4) + Tyler Boyd (5)
4. Buccaneers (27.25)
Players: Ryan Fitzpatrick (2), Mike Evans (5), DeSean Jackson (7), O.J. Howard (8)
Run It Back Options: Adrian Peterson (6)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Ryan Fitzpatrick (2) + Mike Evans (5) + O.J. Howard (8)
5. Falcons (27.25)
Players: Matt Ryan (2), Julio Jones (3), Tevin Coleman (6), Calvin Ridley (7)
Run It Back Options: Jarvis Landry (5), Nick Chubb (6), Duke Johnson (7)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Matt Ryan (2) + Calvin Ridley (7)
6. Patriots (26.5)
Players: Tom Brady (2), James White (4), Josh Gordon (5), Julian Edelman (6)
Run It Back Options: None
Favorite Tournament Stack: James White (4) + Josh Gordon (5)
7. Bears (25.75)
Players: Mitch Trubisky (2), Tarik Cohen (6), Jordan Howard (8)
Run It Back Options: Marvin Jones (7), Kenny Golladay (8)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Marvin Jones (7) + Jordan Howard (8)
8. Chargers (30.25)
Players: Phillip Rivers (1), Melvin Gordon (3), Keenan Allen (4), Tyrell Williams (8)
Run It Back Options: None because the Raiders are horrible.
Favorite Tournament Stack: Melvin Gordon (3) + Tyrell Williams (8)
9. Packers (28.75)
Players: Aaron Rodgers (1), Davante Adams (4), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (8), Aaron Jones (8)
Run It Back Options: Kenyan Drake (7)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Davante Adams (4) + Marquez Valdes-Scantling (8)
10. Saints (29.25)
Players: Drew Brees (2), Alvin Kamara (3), Michael Thomas (3)
Run It Back Options: Andy Dalton (2), Joe Mixon (4), Tyler Boyd (5)
Favorite Tournament Stack: Drew Brees (2) + Michael Thomas (3) + Tyler Boyd (5)
Winks’ Cash Game Considerations
There are 4,214,784 different ways to build a Tiers roster this week. These cash game considerations will help you narrow down your options for H2Hs, 50/50s, and Double Ups.
Tier 1
1. Patrick Mahomes (vs. ARI)
Tier 2
1. Drew Brees (@ CIN)
2. Matt Ryan (@ CLE)
3. Andy Dalton (vs. NO)
4. Ryan Fitzpatrick (vs. WAS)
Tier 3
1. Todd Gurley (vs. SEA)
2. Melvin Gordon (@ OAK)
Tier 4
1. Davante Adams (vs. MIA)
2. Joe Mixon (vs. NO)
3. James White (@ TEN)
Tier 5
1. Tyler Boyd (vs. NO)
Tier 6
1. Julian Edelman (@ TEN)
2. Robert Woods (vs. SEA)
Tier 7
1. Cooper Kupp (vs. SEA)
Tier 8
1. Larry Fitzgerald (@ KC)
2. Aaron Jones (vs. MIA)
3. O.J. Howard (vs. WAS)