DFS Building Blocks – Week 11

DFS Building Blocks – Week 11

What an explosive week 10 we were treated to. The Cowboys have seen some funky game scripts this year, and it was another pummeling in week 10. That offense might be the best in the league, and just about everyone got home against the Giants, other than Tony Pollard of course. Pollard’s poor run of form is a shock, and a matchup with Carolina will have everyone debating whether to include him in the Dallas stacks.

Another big NFC team, the 49ers, also rewarded DFS players last week. With Trent Williams back defending his blind side, Brock Purdy dished out an excellent performance. He fed Aiyuk, Deebo, Kittle and CMC to solid games, without any of them having a truly spectacular blow-up day, which is something we have to watch out for each week. The 49ers are back in the NFC powerhouse category it seems though.

Of course the Chargers and Lions game blew up and was the one you had to have. We’re typically less chalky than others here, so St. Brown and Allen blowing up hurt our lineups. But if you followed the Herbert, Ekeler and Allen build you probably had a good week.

Game Overviews

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

Location: Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland

Time: Sunday 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Steelers (+100); Browns (-120)
Spread: Cleveland Browns -1

Total: 32.5; Opened: 38.5

The Ravens felled the Bengals on Thursday Night this week, and Joe Burrow’s injury means there is a massive opportunity for the Steelers and Browns to make some big strides towards reaching the playoffs. The pressure is on in this crucial AFC North matchup and I expect the defenses to come out on top.

The Browns have quarterback problems of their own, with Deshaun Watson’s injury greatly damaging the ceilings of Amari Cooper, David Njoku and the running backs. It’s a shame because the Steelers’ secondary is giving up some big plays, but I wouldn’t want to be trusting any Browns receivers with a new QB.

I also won’t be recommending any Steeler wide receivers against Cleveland’s elite secondary. They are giving up the lowest completion percentage in the league and just 81 passing yards at home.

Therefore, the only players you can look to are the running backs and the Browns’ defense. Jerome Ford, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are all in play, but I won’t be looking at Kareem Hunt, who is pretty much only used in short-yardage situations.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

None

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Harris

Warren

Ford

Njoku

Browns D/ST

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

N/A

Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions

Location: Ford Field, Detroit

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Bears (+300) ; Lions (-380)
Spread: Detroit Lions -7.5

Total: 47.5 (Opened at 46.5)

Justin Fields’ return is great news for DJ Moore, who can now be considered again in DFS. He hasn’t been getting it done with Tyson Bagent, but Fields should bring some higher-value deep targets. The Detroit Lions are a bottom-10 defense against wide receivers in fantasy, so Moore looks like a great value at just $5,600 on DraftKings.

Cole Kmet is getting excellent usage in this offense, making him a good option as well. The best tight end in the game, however, is Sam LaPorta. The rookie has been on fire this year and is Jared Goff’s second favorite target when he drops back to pass. A matchup with the Bears means that Detroit will have a high points projection, which puts LaPorta and star receiver Amon-Ra St Brown in great spots.

The best plays in the game though might come from the Lions running back stable. The Lions DNA is to pound the rock and both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery should feature heavily. Gibbs gets the nod for me as the more explosive back, although Montgomery will get most of the goal-line carries.

Despite the run-heavy approach, I would still be very happy to recommend Jared Goff in the stack. He is incredibly efficient as a passer and has some talented targets in St Brown, LaPorta and Gibbs out of the backfield. The Lions should go big this weekend, although Chicago’s defense is a little underrated still. I’m a little scared off of Fields with his injury, but his return also boosts the odds this game turns into a shootout making an overstack the way to go.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Goff + Gibbs + St Brown + Moore

Goff + St Brown + LaPorta + Moore

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Gibbs

Montgomery

St Brown

Moore

LaPorta

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Jameson Williams

Darnell Mooney

Los Angeles Chargers @ Green Bay Packers

Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Chargers (-165) ; Packers (+140)

Spread: Chargers -3

Total: 43.5

The Chargers were unlucky to fall short in an incredible shootout last week but will take consolation in the fact that their offense went blow for blow with Detroit. Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler and Keenan Allen were a week-winning stack last week, and I wouldn’t put you off them again this week.

The matchup is challenging, facing a Green Bay defense that ranks 11th best in terms of yards conceded per game. However, the offense is funneled through Ekeler and Allen, meaning they both have incredibly high floors and weekly blow-up potential.

Quentin Johnston is also interesting as a cheap lottery pick. He is all the way down at $4,200 on DraftKings but is showing signs of getting more involved in the offense. He is still struggling to create separation, but his big frame and run-after-the-catch ability keep him relevant.

When the Packers are on offense, the focus could be on the running backs. Jordan Love has been making some better throws recently, but the Chargers were gashed for 200 yards by Detroit last week. Aaron Jones is by far the best bet in the Packers’ backfield. He has been loaded with touches in his two games since returning from injury, and at least 5 targets in the last four games is fantastic to see.

Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs stand out as the best options in the Packers’ passing game, and they are cheap as well. The Chargers are dead last when it comes to yards conceded per game, so firing one of them up could prove fruitful. I am less keen on Luke Musgrave, who isn’t getting enough targets to warrant our selection, although the matchup against the Chargers is great for TEs.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Herbert + Ekeler + Allen + Doubs

Herbert + Ekeler + Allen + Jones

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Ekeler

Jones

Allen

Doubs

Reed

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Quentin Johnston

Las Vegas Raiders @ Miami Dolphins

Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Raiders (+600) ; Dolphins (-900)

Spread: Dolphins -13.5

Total: 46.5 (Opened at 47.5)

The Dolphins had their feet up last weekend, giving them even more time to prepare for this excellent matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders aren’t giving up too many yards through the air, but that is mainly because they are yielding 135 yards per game on the ground.

There are a lot of mouths to feed in Miami, and De’Von Achane’s return adds more complexity to our decision-making process. I think that the best way to go this week is to stick to the key players, in Tua, Raheem Mostert and Tyreek Hill. Jaylen Waddle and Achane could have big games, but Mostert and Hill should get the first looks. I also think there is a chance Achane is eased back into it following his injury.

For the Raiders, Josh Jacobs is the focal point of the offense and should get enough touches each week to make him a good play. Davante Adams has been difficult to trust recently, but the game script should lean towards him receiving more targets this week as the Raiders try to keep up with Miami. He’s also projected to be much lower owned than his talent warrants, so I’ll be looking to add him.

I won’t be looking to use any other Raider players though. Jakobi Meyers is much less involved than he used to be and Michael Mayer needs a few more targets per game before we can consider him as anything more than a lottery pick.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Tua + Mostert + Hill + Adams

Tua + Hill + Adams

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Jacobs

Mostert

Achane

Hill

Waddle

Adams

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Michael Mayer

New York Giants @ Washington Commanders

Location: FedExField, Landover, Maryland

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Giants (+340) ; Commanders (-425)

Spread: Commanders -9.5

Total: 37.5

The two slightly less glamorous NFC East teams face off at FedEx Field this weekend. This will be the most that Washington is favored by all year, which means you can fire up Brian Robinson with confidence. Robinson is currently the 6th highest-scoring running back in fantasy, and this should be a rare opportunity for Washington to dominate and give him plenty of touches.

The Giants are the worst team in the NFL. It will honestly come as a shock if they win another game. Their defense is over-matched every week, so Terry McLaurin and Logan Thomas also stand out as excellent options. They have been supported well by Sam Howell this year, who is currently leading the NFL in passing yards. After not playing last year, it’s been an impressive year from Howell. He makes mistakes, but he is also fun to watch and can make big plays. The rare Commanders stack could be in play this week!

A quick note on Jahan Dotson. There were promising signs, but Curtis Samuel’s return to the lineup once again made Dotson irrelevant. If Samuel is healthy, Dotson isn’t an option.

The Giants don’t have many playable options. In fact, Tommy DeVito in at quarterback, combined with their horrendous offensive line, means that you simply can’t trust anyone on the New York side. Even Saquon Barkley is a no-go for me at $7,100, despite the likelihood that he will see 30+ touches. There is just not enough upside in the offense as a whole.

The Giants’ low-level offense does mean that Washington’s defense is a good play. They will be popular this week.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Howell + Robinson + McLaurin + Washington D/ST

Howell + Robinson + Thomas

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Robinson

Barkley

McLaurin

Thomas

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Curtis Samuel

Giants DEF

Dallas Cowboys @ Carolina Panthers

Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Cowboys (-550) ; Panthers (+425)

Spread: Cowboys -10.5

Total: 42.5

The Cowboys stack won people money last week, and there is no reason to think that they won’t do it again this week. This is a reminder that picking the right game, but tackling it in a different way can be very profitable. Pollard was the extreme chalk last week and those that imagined a (not hard to imagine) world where the Cowboys just keep scoring through the air were rewarded for it.

The Cowboys dismantled the Giants, and Carolina doesn’t offer much more on defense. Dak Prescott topped 40 fantasy points last week and surpassed 30 in the two games before that. He is on a heater at the moment and will be popular this week.

One of the reasons Prescott has been so good is because Tony Pollard has struggled to get anything going. He has not thrived in the work-horse role and it has been infuriating to figure out. Logic says to leave him out of the stack this week, but Carolina is giving up the second most points to running backs in fantasy. They have conceded a league-leading 13 rushing touchdowns. Surely, this is the week. I’m a sucker for the bounce-back. Or regression. Or just due.

CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson should all be popular this week. Game script didn’t get in the way last week, so I would feel confident they can do it again this week.

For Carolina…….no. Don’t play any of them. The Cowboys’ defense is the only asset you want when Carolina is on offense.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Pollard + Dallas D/ST

Pollard + Thielen

Prescott + Pollard + Lamb + Dallas D/ST

Prescott + Lamb + Ferguson + Dallas D/ST

Prescott + Pollard + Ferguson + Dallas D/ST

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Pollard

Lamb

Cooks

Ferguson

Dallas D/ST

Thielen

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Chuba Hubbard

Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Location: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Titans (+260) ; Jaguars (-320)

Spread: Jaguars -7

Total: 39.5 (Opened at 40.5)

The Jacksonville Jaguars desperately need a win after their humiliation against San Francisco. They will like their chances in this divisional clash vs Tennessee, who has suffered back-to-back losses against Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. The excitement of Will Levis’ first start has calmed down now, and Jacksonville should be able to keep him quiet.

They may find Derrick Henry a bit harder to stop. He has topped 100 yards in each of his last two games against Jacksonville and should see plenty of work as a rusher and a receiver this week. There is no one to stack him with in Tennessee, but he works as a good stand-alone option and as part of a Jags stack.

On the Jacksonville side, Travis Etienne is in a tough matchup but has the ability to take any play to the house. He is the third most expensive running back on DraftKings though, so I would look elsewhere.

Tennessee is easier to pass on, but no one has been standing out in the Jags aerial attack. Calvin Ridley has underwhelmed massively over the last month, with Christian Kirk and Evan Engram standing out as the most reliable options. I would opt for them if you wanted pieces of the pass attack. It’s still true that you should pass against the Titans.

Trevor Lawrence has also been underwhelming, but this is a big game for the Jags and I think most of the work will be done through the air. Having a little bit of exposure to him and his pass catchers could pay off this week. I also like the Jags’ defense to round out the stack.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Lawrence + Henry + Kirk + Engram

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Henry

Etienne

Kirk

Ridley

Engram

Jags D/ST

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Tyjae Spears

Arizona Cardinals @ Houston Texans

Location: NRG Stadium, Houston

Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

Money Line: Cardinals (+185) ; Texans (-225)

Spread: Texans -5.5

Total: 48.5

CJ Stroud is on fire, and this is a prime matchup to keep the good vibes going. Arizona is 28th when it comes to completion percentage allowed, with a rate of 69%. That bodes well for Stroud and his talented receiver group that is even more concentrated with Brown out this week. If Collins is actually over his calf injury, he’s in a great spot and is much lower owned than Dell. They’re both expensive on FD, so I’d probably only play them with Stroud, possibly as part of a Kyler stack though.

The Texans should rack up points here, which keeps Dalton Schultz in play as well. Surprisingly, the Cardinals are a top 10 defense against tight ends in fantasy. That is more as a result of being so weak everywhere else rather than actually being good at limiting tight ends. You can roll out Schultz with confidence.

In terms of the running backs, Devin Singletary is the one you want to go with. Singletary averaged 5 yards per carry on his 30 attempts against the Bengals last week, and now gets to go up against a Cardinals defense that have given up the third most points to the position. Dameon Pierce is out again making Singletary an even better start, although he’ll be super popular. You can find other places to get unique with your lineup though.

Kyler Murray’s return makes Arizona’s playmakers much more interesting. Trey McBride’s breakout is brilliant to see. His usage is amongst the best in the league for the tight end position, and he is a top option every week now. Marquise Brown was a popular target for Kyler last year, topping 20 points three games in a row before getting injured. Look for him to get much more involved and I like this as a blow-up spot for Brown. Michael Wilson is also a nice, cheaper addition.

You can also add James Connor to the Arizona stack. He looked healthy last week and should retain his bell-cow role. There should be lots of fantasy points in this game. Buckle up!

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Stroud + Dell + M Brown

Stroud + Singletary + Collins/Dell + M Brown

Kyler + Brown + Collins/Dell

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Singletary

Connor

Dell

Collins (q)

M Brown

McBride

Schultz

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Robert Woods

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ San Francisco 49ers

Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Time: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET

Money Line: Buccaneers (+430) ; 49ers (-575)

Spread: 49ers -11.5

Total: 41.5 (Opened at 42.5)

The 49ers found their mojo again last week vs the Jags. It was a complete battering of a Jacksonville team who was on a five-game winning streak. Ominous signs for the rest of the NFL indeed.

San Fran should have more fun this week. Only one team is conceding more passing yards per game than Tampa Bay, so it should be another good outing for Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel. I particularly like Aiyuk in this one. He wasn’t required much last week but made the most of his three targets, converting them into 55 yards and a touchdown. Aiyuk, Purdy and CMC will be a popular stack this week, but the options of Deebo and Kittle may make them slightly less chalky. With all the options available and the amount he spreads it out, Purday also gets the rare Brady and Mahomes designation as a QB you can play without stacking any of his receivers.

For Tampa Bay, it is not an appealing matchup. San Francisco looks like a completely different team coming out of the bye. They swarmed Jacksonville and I could see this being a messy game from Baker Mayfield. I wouldn’t be looking Rachaad White’s way, and I would have minimal exposure to the receivers. Mike Evans’ big play ability keeps him relevant, but it is riskier than usual this week.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Purdy + McCaffrey + Aiyuk + SF D/ST

Purdy + McCaffrey + Aiyuk/Deebo + Evans

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Purdy

McCaffrey

Aiyuk

Deebo

Kittle

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Juan Jennings

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills

Location: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

Money Line: Jets (+260) ; Bills (-320)

Spread: Bills -7

Total: 39.5 (Opened at 40.5)

This is a fascinating test for a Bills team that is rocking after their Monday night loss to Denver. A new offensive coordinator is in place, and it is a brutal first assignment. The Jets’ defense is one of the best in the league and have already got the better of Buffalo once this season.

The simplest strategy to have is to avoid playing fantasy stars against the Jets. Josh Allen and his receivers should be avoided. I also can’t recommend any of the running backs given there is such a clear split in usage. The one Buffalo Bill that I will happily recommend is Dalton Kincaid. The Jets are softer against the tight end position and Kincaid has been enjoying a mini-breakout. He should see plenty of volume with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis pre-occupied with New York’s elite cornerbacks.

There aren’t many players to talk about on the Jets side either. Zach Wilson’s presence renders most players completely unusable. He is, however, firing the ball in Garrett Wilson’s direction enough to make him an intriguing option. Wilson has received at least 12 targets in each of his last four games, topping 80 yards in them all.

Breece Hall also goes down as a start. Buffalo can be attacked on the ground and Hall is a true bell-cow running back. Look for him to get involved in the rushing and receiving game.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Hall + G Wilson + Kincaid

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Hall

G Wilson

Kincaid

Bills D/ST

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Khalil Shakir

Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams

Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

Time: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET

Money Line: Seahawks (-115) ; Rams (-105)

Spread: Seahawks -1

Total: 46.5 (Opened at 44.5)

The Rams coming into this as only 1-point underdogs may be a bit of a surprise to some, but Matthew Stafford is set to return, and he was playing like a top 5 quarterback at the beginning of the year. His connection with Puka Nacua took the league by storm, and Cooper Kupp now in the mix does make it one of the most intimidating passing attacks in the league.

Seattle’s passing defense has improved over recent weeks, but that should not scare you off using Nacua or Kupp. Nacua coming in $1,000 cheaper than Kupp makes me want to lean towards him more.

The receivers on the Seahawks side are very interesting as well. DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett remain clear favorites ahead of the rookie Jaxon Smith Njigba. Metcalf has put together some nice performances, without having a truly dominant game. That could be on its way this week against a poor Rams secondary.

I will be avoiding Walker this week. I am wary of his production dipping and Zach Charbonnet starting to get more involved. Just 3.3 and 1,8 yards per carry in his last two games are not what I want to see. For me, it is just the receivers I am interested in in this matchup.

Building Blocks (stacks to build around)

Stafford + Metcalf + Kupp

Geno + Metcalf + Kupp

Individual Plays (players that can be rostered alone to fill out your lineups that are built around other stacks)

Metcalf

Lockett

Kupp

Nacua

Lottery Picks (stacks and individual players that can surprise in a large-field

tournament)

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The Lineup Build

The game that looks most appealing to the public is the Texans and Cardinals clash in the early slate. Kyler Murray has brought the offense to life and his head-to-head clash with CJ Stroud has shootout written all over it.

I also love the 49ers’ passing attack this week, against a dismal Buccaneers secondary that have averaged 307 passing yards conceded per game over their last three. The 49ers are healthy, and points should be on their way.

The final stack that stands out to me is Miami. It is a higher-risk stack because there are lots of mouths to feed, but I am going to trust Tyreek Hill and Raheem Mostert to get the majority of the opportunities in a somewhat overlooked spot with the public’s attention on the Texans and Cardinals. It’s been literal weeks since we’ve talking about the Dolphins in DFS and I think they remind us what they can do this week.

FD

I am starting one FanDuel lineup based around the Cardinals and Texans game. Kyler Murray is the quarterback of choice. He is cheaper than Stroud and has a higher ceiling thanks to his rushing ability. The matchup against Houston’s secondary is also gorgeous.

Murray + Wilson or Murray + Brown as your starting point, with Singletary on the other side. I’ll be playing around with Singletary + Collins on the other side if I’m using Wilson, but I can also drop out of Collins and move up to Brown.

I’ll add Mostert here at lower ownership than he should be with the buzz around Achane returning. I like Adams on the other side. And I’ll fire up Pollard + Cowboys DEF again.

I’ll also be building a Tua + Hill + Adams stack. I’ll keep Singletary. And I’ll keep Pollard + Cowboys. Have to get creative with the rest but I’ll be playing around with cheaper ways to fill that lineup out. Someone like Musgrave may make the cut to help save some salary.

DK

Brock Purdy is cheap as chips on DraftKings, so we will go for the 49er stack here. He is joined by Aiyuk, who I think will be the main beneficiary. Paying up for Ekeler who should get all the usage he can handle and even more targets than usual.

Adding Singletary here as well. And trying to get Pollard and Cowboys DEF in as well, even though it’s typically optimal for a WR in the flex on DK (RB on FD). His price is cheap enough now that if he does have a breakout, we’ll be happen to have him instead of a WR in the flex.

I’ll be playing around with TE and WR to see how I can round this lineup out.

Yahoo

The Dolphins will be the core of our Yahoo lineup, with Tua, Mostert and Hill starting us off. Yahoo is generous with their budgets and pricing, so we can fit Brian Robinson in as our second running back, before filling the remaining wide receiver slots with Puca Nakua and DK Metcalf. Those two going against each other will be fun to watch.

Logan Thomas should have a good day against the Giants, so he comes in at tight end to complete a mini-stack with Brian Robinson. With minimal budget left, Quentin Johnston and the Tennessee Titans’ defense fill the flex and defense positions.