Greetings, Gamers! We have an excellent opportunity on Yahoo! this Division Weekend as they are running a $150,000 contest with a $15 entry fee and 11,400 entries. This flagship tournament has not completely filled yet this season which has provided extra value for gamers. Let’s get into some NFL Yahoo Fantasy Football DFS Picks for Division Weekend including Lamar Jackson, Davante Adams and Damien Williams.
For Chris Spag’s Divisional Weekend Slant and Go article click here
If you haven’t signed up for Yahoo Fantasy DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit and you will be eligible for $30 of “free play” which Yahoo! will match through the first $30 of your deposit (this bonus will be received in Yahoo Sports Rewards Points, aka YSRP, which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately).
Yahoo NFL DFS General Strategy
As with most sites, there are many viable strategies that can be successful in large-field tournaments and of course, we need the same amount of favor from Lady Luck as we do elsewhere.
The key thing to remember is that this is a half-PPR site, meaning receptions are worth 0.5 points and the minimum salary is $10 with an average salary per player of $22. This week, Lamar Jackson is at the top of the pricing list at $40. The full scoring parameters can be found here.
If you are using an optimizer, it is important to remember that you will still need to input the lineups by hand (this lack of automation also helps keep away some of the mega-shark players). You will also want to closely look at the lineups because the automation will look to use the cheaper quarterbacks. It will also home in on players that may not be good plays on other sites and they will not be highlighted in the mainstream analysis that is available to the masses each week.
Awesemo NFL DFS Rankings
One of the most useful features of the Awesemo.com premium content is the personal player rankings from Alex Baker, aka Awesemo, for all of the main sports. The players grade out separately for each DFS site with ratings for both projected points and value receiving an A through E report card-style grade.
As a sneak preview, for this article I will be sharing the grades Full Rankings (Premium Content)
Quarterback
If you have played football this season on Yahoo, or if you played Yahoo fantasy baseball, you know that the strategy is to look for the cheapest quarterback or pitcher that is tolerable so you can look for more secure points and upside elsewhere. In the recommendations below, I will be highlighting several discount options at the other positions so you can build a framework that will allow lineup construction for a top-shelf quarterback along with his favorite target and still have enough salary cap to run it back with the top option on the opposing team.
Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans – $40 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value B
This is a great spot for Lamar Jackson who has had two weeks off now with Robert Griffin taking over the reins during Week 17 and a first-round bye. That should help his receivers heal up a little as well as give him a nice break. On the season, Tennessee has allowed the second-most points this season to opposing quarterbacks. From an advanced perspective they have the 21st-ranked passing DVOA and the 16th-ranked adjusted sack rate.
Jackson averaged 80.4 rushing yards per game which is eighth-best in the league. Even in 15 games, he set the all-time quarterback rushing record with 1,206 yards along with a dozen touchdowns. So we are getting an incredibly level of safety here. Then we need to realize that he also lead the league with 36 passing touchdowns.
We have some areas where we can save some salary cap and we do not have to spend a lot to get one of Jackson’s receivers paired with him for some additionally synergistic opportunities.
Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans – $37 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value B
Though he is only three dollars less than Lamar Jackson, that is still about a 10% savings for last year’s MVP. While he missed two games, Patrick Mahomes still had 26 touchdown passes against only five interceptions. He was also seventh in the league with 287.9 passing yards per outing and that was with Tyreek Hill missing four games and Sammy Watkins two. Additionally, Damien Williams, who is active in the passing game, missed five contests this season.
Everyone is a full go and coming out of the first-round bye, they should be raring to go. Toss in the tidbit that the Texans allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing signal-callers this season and we have a cherry matchup. They were sixth-worst against the pass and overall according to Football Outsiders DVOA rankings with the fifth-worst adjusted sack rate.
Running Back
We want to keep in mind that while running backs are very important, Yahoo fantasy uses half-PPR, which will not penalize running backs that are not as active in the passing game.
Damien Williams – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Houston Texans – $16 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value A
Houston has been solid against the run this season, but journeyman Damien Williams had 15 targets for 12 receptions, 89 yards and a score in his last three healthy games. This price is a steal and though we will see Williams on about half of all rosters this weekend, we can find plenty of other ways to differentiate our lineups.
Travis Homer – Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers – $14 Awesemo Grade: Points C, Value A
Once again, I am going to mention that though Marshawn Lynch – $16 Awesemo Grade: Points D, Value D is a nice story, it is not the most savvy NFL DFS play. Last week, Lynch was in on 18 of 64 (28%) snaps while sixth-round rookie Travis Homer was on the field for 44 of 64 (69%). Neither found success on the ground with Homer getting 11 carries for 12 yards and Lynch six for seven and a touchdown. Homer had one target for five yards and Lynch had three with a pair of catches for 25 yards.
It is both good and bad that Lynch is involved while on the field. At least he gets opportunities, but the defense knows there is a good chance that he will be touching the ball.
Dalvin Cook – Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – $30 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value C
Last week saw Dalvin Cook with a heavy load and there should be more of the same this week. San Francisco has the second-best overall DVOA, but they are 11th against the rush and second against the pass. We know the proclivity for the Vikings is to run the ball and we should see volume here. Cook’s upside will once again be directly tied to his touchdown production.
Aaron Jones – Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks – $27 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value C
In three of his last four games, Aaron Jones has topped 100 rushing yards. On the season, Seattle allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing ball carriers, but that is a mirage. They have the sixth-worst rushing DVOA and allowed 117.7 rushing yards per game which was in the bottom third of the league. As long as Green Bay doesn’t do anything foolish like give Jamaal Williams more than a third of the workload, Jones is a solid option.
Wide Receiver
More often than not, we should be able to find several nice options in the middle tier. The top-shelf Yahoo fantasy options are typically priced in the mid-$30 range. Often, they are best paired with their quarterbacks for tournament upside, rather than risking downside as solo plays. For the Divisional Weekend, that can cut both ways.
Davante Adams – Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks – $29 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value D
In six of the final eight weeks of the season, Davante Adams had more targets than the rest of the receivers combined. While Seattle was middle of the pack against the pass, that kind of volume is hard to overlook.
Allen Lazard – Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks – $13 Awesemo Grade: Points C, Value A
Over the final two weeks, Allen Lazard had 17 targets which pales in comparison to the 29 for Davante Adams. However, it looks pretty good considering the rest of the receivers combined for 19. This makes Lazard a coveted discount option.
Tyreek Hill – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans – $28 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value C
In his dozen appearances this season, Hill topped 100 yards only twice, though he did have 19 targets for 11 catches, 157 yards and a touchdown against this Tennessee squad in Week 10. Other than two touchdowns in Week 15 at Denver, he did not find the end zone in the final five games. Throw all that out the window as we know he is a game breaker. Along with his special connection with Patrick Mahomes, Hill could swing tournaments.
Tight Ends
It is shaping up to be a spend weekend for tight ends.
George Kittle – San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings – $25 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value C
The first-round bye was timely for George Kittle as he had been dealing with a number of nagging injuries. Despite missing two games, he led the team in targets, receptions, yards and touchdowns. We know he is the de facto WR1 and when considering that, this is a very favorable price.
Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans – $26 Awesemo Grade: Points A, Value C
The other top tight end option also lead his team in targets, receptions, yards and was second in touchdowns. Travis Kelce was 11th in targets, eighth in receptions and fourth in receiving yards this season. Just like with Kittle, there is not much else to say.
Defense/Special Teams
There are several options this week for Yahoo NFL DFS where we can get some bang for our buck.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Tennessee Titans – $19 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value E
Last week, Ryan Tannehill was sacked only once in New England. On the season, the vaunted Baltimore defense averaged just over two sacks per game. The silver lining is that the Titans allowed the third-most sacks in the regular season. While they will keep the ball in Derrick Henry’s hands as much as possible, they are likely to have to throw out of desperation at some point.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings – $20 Awesemo Grade: Points B, Value E
The Vikings won an emotionally charged game in New Orleans last weekend and now they are headed across the country to take on the 49ers. Kirk Cousins does a good job avoiding sacks and turnovers, but San Francisco had the fifth-most sacks this season. They also had the sixth-most takeaways, so we know why this pair of defenses is so darn spendy.
Hopefully these Yahoo NFL DFS Picks and recommendations get your lineup construction process jump started and on your way to a big showing in the Yahoo! $150k Dollar Baller NFL DFS contest!
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any questions.
Good Luck Gamers! ~ EMac
