Daily Fantasy Football Week 15: Lineup picks and strategy for Sunday Dual Baller contests
The Week 15 NFL main daily fantasy slate begins Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EST and features 10 games. Bye weeks have concluded, but the Thursday Night Football (49ers-Seahawks), Sunday Night Football (Giants-Commanders) and Monday Night Football (Rams-Packers) participants are excluded from the main slate, as are the six teams comprising Saturday's three-game slate (Colts-Vikings, Ravens-Browns and Dolphins-Bills). Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 15, including a Dual Baller Special on Sunday.
One Dual Baller contest has a $12 entry fee and pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000 to the top 1,470 finishers, including $25,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 9,800 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay. The other has a $25 entry fee and pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $100,000 to the top 1,060 finishers, including $10,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 140 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 4,705 entries.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared towards head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
[Play in Yahoo’s Dual Baller Week 15 DFS contest]
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers.Your NFL $100K Dual Baller Special lineup(s) will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit.
Suggested Week 15 options include a star quarterback facing a generous secondary, along with surging rookies at the running back, wide receiver and tight end positions.
QUARTERBACK
Justin Herbert, LAC vs. TEN ($36)
Herbert had been getting along just fine even before having both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams at his disposal. Unsurprisingly, the star quarterback threw for a season-high 367 yards last week with his full assortment of weapons back in the passing game, marking the fourth time Herbert has eclipsed 330. Whether you use him on his own or stack him with one or more of his favorite targets, Herbert's salary should be worth paying up for against the Titans, who have allowed the second-most passing yards (3,906) and second-most passing touchdowns (25) to quarterbacks. With the Vikings in action Saturday, no other team on the main slate has given up over 3,600 yards through the air.
Honorable Mentions
Jalen Hurts, PHI at CHI ($40); Dak Prescott, DAL at JAX ($31); Tom Brady, TB vs. CIN ($24)
Against the Grainers
Patrick Mahomes, KC at HOU ($35); Derek Carr, LV vs. NE ($27); Desmond Ridder, ATL at NO ($21)
RUNNING BACK
Tony Pollard, DAL at JAX ($28)
Pollard doesn't see as much volume as running backs typically found in this salary range, but he has consistently made the most of his opportunities as both a rusher and pass catcher. The dynamic playmaker has topped 20 fantasy points in five of his last six games while eclipsing 33 twice over that span. Pollard will look to keep rolling against a Jacksonville defense that has been burned both on the ground and through the air by running backs. The Jaguars are tied for the seventh-most rushing touchdowns surrendered to the position (11) in addition to allowing the third-most catches (82) and fourth-most receiving yards (636) to running backs.
Isiah Pacheco, KC at HOU ($21)
Starting whichever running back and defense faces the Texans has been a reliable strategy more often than not, so it's surprising that Pacheco's valuation experienced only a modest bump for this juicy matchup. Jerick McKinnon stole the show with a pair of receiving scores last week, but this is the perfect time for Kansas City to keep the veteran McKinnon well-rested while giving the rookie Pacheco more valuable experience. Pacheco has averaged 16 carries over the past five games while notching at least 66 yards on the ground in each, and he could be in line for an even larger workload with Kansas City heavily favored against a Texans team that has allowed 1,834 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns to running backs through 13 games.
Honorable Mentions
Miles Sanders, PHI at CHI ($26); Zonovan Knight, NYJ vs. DET ($21); Najee Harris, PIT at CAR ($20)
Against the Grainers
Travis Etienne, JAX vs. DAL ($20); James Conner, ARI at DEN ($19); Pierre Strong, NE at LV ($10)
WIDE RECEIVER
Ja'Marr Chase, CIN at TB ($31)
Chase is a bargain at this salary, as he deserves to be valued in the mid to upper $30s on a weekly basis along with the rest of the league's elite receivers, most of whom are playing outside this week's main slate. He's picked up where he left off since recovering from a hip injury, and in his last four games — two pre-injury and two post-injury — Chase has totaled 32 catches for 478 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 44 targets. He has proven time and again to be matchup-proof, and Tampa Bay's defense just allowed 35 points through three quarters to the 49ers last week.
A.J. Brown, PHI at CHI ($29)
Brown has nine touchdowns in his last eight games, as well as 189 yards and three touchdowns in the last two alone. His scoring binge should continue against a Bears defense that's allowed 33.5 points per game over its last six while giving up two scrimmage touchdowns apiece to rookie wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Christian Watson in the last two games.
Garrett Wilson, NYJ vs. DET ($24)
Speaking of Wilson ... as long as quarterback Mike White suits up, the rookie first-round pick should have no trouble torching a Lions defense that just allowed 223 yards to Justin Jefferson. Wilson outplayed Jefferson head-to-head the previous week with 162 yards to Jefferson's 45, and in three games since White took over under center, he has caught 19 of 30 targets for 335 yards and two touchdowns. After Jefferson's huge game last week, Detroit has now allowed 2,582 yards to wide receivers — second-most in the NFL.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Despite reports from the Jets' coaching staff and Mike White himself stating he would play, he has been ruled out for Week 15 since this story went live.
Honorable Mentions
Chris Olave, NO vs. ATL ($22); Jerry Jeudy, DEN vs. ARI ($17); DJ Moore, CAR vs. PIT ($16)
Against the Grainers
DeAndre Hopkins, ARI at DEN ($21); Chris Godwin, TB vs. CIN ($18); JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC at HOU ($16)
TIGHT END
Chigoziem Okonkwo, TEN at LAC ($12)
Okonkwo has steadily earned a larger role as his first NFL season has unfolded, and the talented tight end is arguably the most dangerous pass catcher the Titans have in Treylon Burks' absence. He has topped 30 yards in each of the past six games, and Okonkwo's strong play has earned him more attention from Ryan Tannehill, who has targeted the rookie at least five times in each of the past three games. Last week, Okonkwo caught all six of his targets for 45 yards and a touchdown, and his big-play ability should be on full display against a Chargers defense that's allowing a league-high 14.7 yards per catch to tight ends.
Honorable Mentions
Dalton Schultz, DAL at JAX ($18); Dallas Goedert, PHI at CHI ($18); Greg Dulcich, DEN vs. ARI ($16)
Against the Grainers
Travis Kelce, KC at HOU ($36); Cole Kmet, CHI vs. PHI ($14); Evan Engram, JAX vs. DAL ($13)
DEFENSE
Arizona Cardinals at DEN ($16)
Arizona's defense is the opposite of bend-don't-break. The Cardinals break quite often, as they're allowing a league-high 26.8 points per game. On the other hand, they also make a lot of big plays, as they have scored five touchdowns and had at least two others called back in dubious fashion. Facing a banged-up Broncos offense that struggled even when healthy and is averaging a league-low 14.9 points per game should help raise this unit's floor, and the Cardinals' playmaking ability gives them a robust ceiling in what could be a battle of backup quarterbacks.
Honorable Mentions:
Dallas Cowboys at JAX ($19); Kansas City at HOU ($17); Pittsburgh Steelers at CAR ($14)
Against the Grainers:
New York Jets vs. DET ($17); Las Vegas Raiders vs. NE ($11); New Orleans Saints vs. ATL ($11)
