Analysis
12/23/22
5 min read
Cheap Thrills: Week 16 DFS Value Players Under $5500
The 49ers, the Bills and the Browns: three teams that haven't won a Super Bowl in this millennium. Three teams that had high expectations going into this season. Fans in San Francisco, Buffalo and Cleveland anxiously await the day their team gets to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Unfortunately for these teams, there is a long and hard road to be fought before they can call themselves Super Bowl champions. However, there is hope for these three star-crossed franchises, as they have one more thing in common going into Week 16 of the NFL season: They all have players who will outperform their value on DraftKings this week.
Brock Purdy ($5500)
After Jimmy Garoppolo went down, many people believed the 49ers' Super Bowl hopes were gone for this season. That is until Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, stepped in and showed the Bay Area what he is capable of. Purdy has thrown two touchdowns in every game since he took over in Week 13. He is also a very smart player, not turning the ball over in either of his first two starts and only taking one total sack in those games. Purdy has proven to be the ideal third-string quarterback for San Francisco and will continue to exceed expectations against Washington.
The Niners have found their rhythm on offense lately, and that has been largely in part to Christian McCaffrey's involvement in the passing game. We haven't seen McCaffrey be this dominant in years; it looks like he is back to his old form. When CMC can put up the dominant numbers he has reached in the last few games, the whole team benefits, especially the quarterback. Purdy is about to start the third game of his career and is set to excel once again. He is already viewed as the best QB in his draft class as it stands, and he will prove that he deserves that title on Saturday. He is definitely worth his $5500 price tag.
Devin Singletary ($5400)
Devin Singletary has been nothing more than serviceable this season for the Bills. This would explain why he is valued at just $5400 despite being the starting running back on one of the best offenses in the NFL. However, this week Singletary sees one of his most favorable matchups of the season. The Chicago defense has been atrocious against the run recently. In fact, they have allowed 14 rushing touchdowns in their last seven games. Singletary has seen at least 13 rushing attempts in 7 of his last 9 games, along with 17 total receptions throughout those games. With Buffalo favored by 8 going into this game, Singletary should see a good share of volume throughout the game, especially in the second half if the Bills have a lead.
Additionally, the weather in Chicago will be cold and windy. Both offenses will have to rely on rushing and short pass plays to move the ball downfield. This should have a significant impact on Singletary's numbers throughout the game. It's a must-win game for the Bills as they look to maintain their top spot in the conference. It will also be one of the grittiest games as they play against a great rushing offense in one of the worst weather games of the season. The Bills will have to earn a victory against the Bears and Singletary should be a significant part of that effort.
Donovan Peoples-Jones ($5100)
Many people, including myself, believed that Amari Cooper would benefit the most from Deshaun Watson taking over as the Browns quarterback. This is not the case, and while Cooper's stats have actually regressed since Watson took over, Donovan Peoples-Jones is putting up career numbers. Peoples-Jones has either 100 yards or a touchdown in each of his last three games. Watson's connection with him seems to resemble the one Watson had with Will Fuller V a few years ago in Houston. Peoples-Jones has been a spark in a surprisingly underwhelming offense over the last couple of weeks.
This week the Browns go up against the Saints, and I expect more of the same success from Peoples-Jones. The Browns currently have an outside shot at the playoffs, and if they want to stay in the hunt, they must win this week. The offense is bound to find its rhythm at some point, and when they do, that means even more success for Peoples-Jones. At $5100, he certainly has the potential to be one of the biggest steals in DFS.
The 49ers, Bills and Browns all have a difficult path ahead of them as they close out the regular season. As 2022 comes to an end, we can reflect on what has been a pretty crazy year and a pretty crazy NFL season. I know many people have a long list of presents they may want for this weekend, but I just want one thing. All I want is for my favorite team to NOT lateral the ball 20 yards to the other team to lose a must-win game. Last week that was too much to ask for, but I'm optimistic for this week.
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