Last week we had some very major cases of getting there, and this week they ... are still available to help us get there. Very weird, but I’ll take it. Blake Corum scored two touchdowns, Harold Fannin notched 100 receiving yards and a touchdown, Jerry Jeudy went off. And yet, you can find them all under the dollar amounts I arbitrarily decided were FLEX-eligible for this column again this week.
Truly, it is a week of so many column standbys. I think everyone who made my consider list but one player has been posted about in the column at least once this year. DraftKings has stratified hard, I guess is one way of thinking about it.
As always, the column rules:
1) I will not recommend quarterbacks — you’re on your own there.
2) I will not recommend any running back who costs more than $5,000, wideout who costs more than $4,500, or tight end that costs more than $4,000 in DraftKings’ DFS Slate — I just figured this was an easy cutoff for what a FLEX really is.
3) I consider any player who garners over 50 yards or scores a victory for the column — anything more you get out of that, well, great for you. Let’s set expectations low because we are combing for outliers.
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▶ Running Backs
Chris Rodriguez Jr., WAS — $4,900
One caveat to this recommendation: Rodriguez was a DNP in practice on Wednesday with a groin issue. If he doesn’t go, pretend I just wrote Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WAS — $4,400 above.
But this is a smash spot. The Giants have been a defensive disaster from the jump this year, they’ve already fired their defensive coordinator, and nobody has allowed more fantasy points to running backs than New York. I suspect this will be enough of a shootout that we won’t exactly get in to a huge grind-the-game out workload for Rodriguez, but his touchdown equity is very, very good for a player this cheap.
Blake Corum, LAR — $4,800
After two touchdowns last week, Corum is facing the best defense in the NFL for holding down running back fantasy points. That is mildly concerning. But from a workload in a good offense perspective, you’re going to find it hard to do better than this. And the Rams/Lions game is projected to be a barnburner, with a 55.5-point over/under.
I don’t think we’re quite getting Corum versus what (to these eyes) looked like a checked out Cardinals defense in Week 15, but 50 yards and a 40 percent chance at a touchdown is a reasonable expectation here.
Chuba Hubbard, CAR — $4,600
That’s cute that the Panthers said that Rico Dowdle would remain the lead back this week, but we all know this is a committee. And in committees, the hotter hand tends to play. Dowdle hasn’t cracked 60 rushing yards since November 2, and has just one touchdown to show for it. Hubbard was the one who got there in the big upset of the Rams and hogged a 17/83 line.
My read is a little annoying but: Players play hurt sometimes. And I think the Panthers underemphasized the degree to which Hubbard was playing through a calf injury. He was the better back before the season. It seems like the Panthers believe he’s a better back now. Against the Saints? That’s good enough for me. And if the Saints are feisty? Sure would love to have the back that actually plays on third downs.
Samaje Perine, CIN — $4,200
It didn’t end well from a touches standpoint last week, but Perine managed 38 yards on his seven touches and played his normal allotment of snaps. Chase Brown, notably, struggled with a 12/23 rushing line and 3/12 receiving, but scored two touchdowns. Going up against a Ravens team that Perine managed 54 combined yards against in his return from a high-ankle sprain on Thanksgiving, I like his chances better than any other punt on the slate for the third week in a row.
▶ Wide receivers
Darius Slayton, NYG — $4,400
He has five targets over his last two games, but Slayton cashed a touchdown and 41 yards on three targets against the Patriots before the bye. He’s not being listed with a hamstring anymore after the bye, which is great news. I still think he’s the second-best game in town for the Giants after Wan’Dale Robinson and the Giants/Commanders game reads like a sneaky shootout with a 47.5-point over/under and two defenses that have been atrocious for months. I am bucking recent history with this recommendation, but I think Slayton will do well this week.
Xavier Worthy, KC — $4,500
I don’t think the Chargers have a stellar pass defense so much as one that beats up on bad units, and the Eagles certainly qualify of late. But here’s the weird thing: We all are down on Worthy for not living up to the preseason hype — but he’s escaped his early-season slump and has now gone over 55 yards in each of his last three games. He certainly did more against the Texans than Rashee Rice or Travis Kelce did.
The real reason he’s down this low on the DraftKings board is ... he has no touchdown equity. One score all season. Six targets in the red zone — that’s fewer than Hollywood Brown and one above Brashard Smith and JuJu Smith-Schuster. So you can’t rely on him to get there, but these things can regress to the mean. And he does have a good chance of finding 50 yards in what projects to be a well-quarterbacked game despite a lack of good available offensive linemen.
Mack Hollins, NE — $4,000
What, you think I was going to miss out on a chance to talk about the Mack Hollins #RevengeGame? Strongly involved since Week 8, with an average of 5.7 targets and 53.5 yards per game, Hollins is playing in a game with a 50.5-point over/under and against a defense that let Joe Burrow shred them for four passing touchdowns last week.
Hollins, notably, did not get targeted against the Bills in Week 5 as he was trying to find his footing on the offense. Bet that changes this week.
Devaughn Vele, NO — $4,200
Am I disappointed that a rain-soaked Tampa Bay afternoon left Vele with just three catches for 40 yards last week? I am. But consider the underlying numbers: He tied Chris Olave for the team high in targets, and his receiving yardage was (lol) the highest on the team.
Project that to a more normal (domed) environment, against a Panthers defense that has been a pass funnel for most of the season, and I bet we could find a more exciting fantasy outing in Week 15. It’s actually a bit of a favor that the rain kept his price as low as it is this week.
Jerry Jeudy, CLE — $4,400
I don’t think I planned to recommend Jerry Jeudy in back-to-back weeks, but here we are. The pool of offensive players who play as often as Jeudy does and is held under $4,500 is low. Shedeur Sanders has been fine — certainly has performed better than Dillon Gabriel — and the Bears are a good matchup for opposing passing games on paper even if they finally have their best corners back. I certainly didn’t see Jordan Love seem very bothered by them.
It is a volume play. But it is a volume play I think makes plenty of sense. Also the only two times I’ve recommended Jeudy this year he has popped off for touchdowns, so clearly I have my Jeudy Radar adjusted well.
▶ Tight ends
Mike Gesicki, CIN — $3,300
Who tends to perform better with Tee Higgins (concussion) off the field? Why that’s Mr. Gesicki. Higgins was in-and-out of the lineup for most of Week 14 and Gesicki delivered 6/86/1. Now he plays a Ravens defense that is not actually terrifying in any way, and the Bengals struggled in the red zone against them while barely getting Gesicki involved. I think that gets corrected this week.
Harold Fannin Jr., CLE — $4,000
Barely in column range after his blowup Week 15, I think the Bears defense is safe to start Browns against. David Njoku re-aggravated his knee in Week 14 and stands more of a chance of missing this week’s game as well, further pumping Fannin’s potential volume. Fannin’s underlying volume has always been good — marrying it to some actual downfield touches is really showing how good he could be once the Browns actually fix their offensive line this offseason.
May the FLEX be forever in your favor.
