The Conclusion: DraftKings DFS Core, GPP Plays

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Welcome to The Conclusion, where each week I will go over my final player pool for DraftKings main slate. This is not a list of all the good players. This is a list of players that will make my final player pool. We can’t play everyone.

This week’s article will be more of a cheat sheet than full writeups of each play.

The Quarterback ownership is likely to be flat (spread out) this week. There is a ton of value and as of this writing, there is a lot that can still change. Tony Pollard hasn’t practiced all week and if he is ruled out, we will get Julius Chestnut at a minimum salary ($4,000) against a defense allowing the third-most fantasy points (27.1) per game to running backs. Ownership percentages will certainly change if Pollard is ruled out.

This week is still fluid. I really don’t know how much ownership Chestnut will project for if Pollard is out. I imagine it’ll be a decent amount.

My contest selection for the main slate will generally be single or three max entry tournaments with less than 1,000 entries. I’ll usually do three lineups each week. This week I’ll be in single-entry small field entries.

Stack No. 1: Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams will travel to Seattle to take on the Seattle Seahawks at 4:25 p.m. EST. This game is tied for the third-highest game total on the slate at 48.

I’m going to try and make sure I have at least one Rams player in at least 2 of my 3 lineups. It’s hard to see all the Rams players failing.

Matt Stafford (5.7k) will anchor one of my stacks. I’ll pair him with either Cooper Kupp (7.7k) or Puka Nacua (7.2k). Nacua popped up on the injury report, keep an eye on that.

Kyren Williams (8.0k) can be used in stacks, but I’m more likely to use him in a lineup or two that doesn’t have Stafford. Great spot for Williams.

On the Seattle side, you can use Kenneth Walker or one of the wide receivers, but I’m most interested in saving some money in this spot and looking at tight end A.J. Barner (2.6k). Barner has a good matchup and starting tight end Noah Fant is out along with top wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.

Stack No. 2: Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles will host the Jacksonville Jaguars at 4:05 p.m. EST. We have a modest game total of 46 for this game.

It starts and ends with the Eagles for me. Jalen Hurts (7.8k) will anchor my Eagles stack. I’ll pair A.J. Brown (8.1k) with Hurts. Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith are good players, but I won’t be getting there this week.

I don’t have a lot of interest in any Jaguars bring backs, but if I was, It would be Evan Engram (5.3k) or Parker Washington (3.6k). Brian Thomas Jr. is a game-time decision.

Stack No. 3: Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys hit the road to take on the Atlanta Falcons at 1:00 p.m. EST. This game supports the highest total on the slate at 52 points.

My stacks will start with Dak Prescott (6.3k) and CeeDee Lamb (8.8k). I haven’t decided if I’ll add a second stacking partner, but if I do, it’ll either be Jason Ferguson (5.1k) or Jalen Tolbert (5.1k). Play around with a few variations of the stack and see what looks best.

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On the Atlanta side, it’ll be Bijan Robinson (7.4k) for me. Drake London (6.7k) and Darnell Mooney (6.0k) are fine options and will make the player pool, but I prefer Robinson.

Game and Team Targets:

New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers: Like the Rams, I’m going to try and get a Saints player in at least two of my three lineups. Alvin Kamara (7.8k) and Chris Olave (6.1k) are the top two options and Taysom Hill (3.8k) is an interesting play at tight end. Hill plays everywhere and both backup running backs for the Saints are out. We’ve attacked the Panthers' defense all year, so no reason to stop here. Derek Carr returns this week.

On Carolina’s side, my main interest is in saving money with Jalen Coker (3.6k). He has the best matchup for any pass catcher on the Panthers. Chuba Hubbard (6.5k) is also in play. Either one of these guys makes for a good mini-stack with a Saints player.

Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland Browns: A decent game to potentially save some money and have a correlated mini-stack. For the Browns, Cedric Tillman (4.3k) and Elijah Moore (4.2k) are my top options, followed by David Njoku (5.5k). Nick Chubb and Jerry Jeudy could be options, but they won’t make my player pool this week. You can use a Browns player as a one-off with no Charger attached.

For the Chargers, it’s Ladd McConkey (5.6k) or Will Dissly (3.1k).

Best of the Rest

The following list of players will be the players I fill out the rest of my lineups with, whether it be as a mini-stack or a one-off. I won’t be able to use everyone but I will consider all when building lineups.

RB’s:

James Cook (7.2k) is a great leverage play in a solid matchup.

Devan Achane (6.7k) is an all-around back in a good matchup

D’Andre Swift (6.4k) has been good as of late and has a good matchup this week.

Chase Brown (5.9k) is currently projected as the highest-owned player and for good reason. He has a great matchup and Zack Moss has been ruled out.

Tyrone Tracy (5.5k) cleared the concussion protocol and will play this week. Good leverage off a chalky Chase Brown. The matchup is good for Tracy.

Julius Chestnut (4.0k) could see a significant role this weekend if Pollard is ruled out. I don’t know how I’ll treat this situation yet. He isn’t in play if Pollard is active. New England allows the third most fantasy points per game to running backs. This situation needs to be monitored.

WR’s:

Malik Nabers (7.5k) is a target machine in a decent matchup.

Terry McLaurin (7.1k) makes for a solid mini stack with Nabers or Tracy and the matchup is above average.

Jakobi Meyers (5.3k) is a good mini stack with either Chase Brown or Mike Gesicki. Meyers has a good target share with Adams now in New York.

Romeo Doubs (5.7k) and Christian Watson (5.0k) have the best matchups for Green Bay. In a game environment that could pop, keep an eye on the weather. You can use Reed, Wicks or Kraft if you’d like.

Courtland Sutton (5.4k) has a good matchup in a game they should be trailing in. He should see plenty of volume.

TE’s:

Brock Bowers (6.0k) has a place in my player pool every week. The matchup is once again solid and makes a great stacking partner with Chase Brown.

Sam LaPorta (4.8k) has a solid matchup against Green Bay. The game environment could pop, and he makes a good stacking partner with either Doubs or Watson from Green Bay.

Mike Gesicki (3.1k) has played well when Tee Higgins has missed games. Higgins is currently doubtful.

That will be it for this week’s player pool. Should anything change and I add anyone to the player pool, I’ll be sure to update that on X.

You can follow me on Twitter/X here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. Good luck this weekend and we’ll see you at the top of the leaderboard.