5 DraftKings Bargains for Week 6
Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns
DraftKings Price: $5,500
Projected Points: 18.7
Projected Value (points per $1,000): 3.41
After five games in 2016 and 2017, the Cleveland Browns had not won a game. At a collective 1-31-- which included four overtime losses -- it is fair to say that the team went through what was perhaps the worst two-year stretch by any professional sports team ever.
That kind of statement might seem like hyperbole, but it's just true. The Browns needed someone to jumpstart their rundown team, and Baker Mayfield has been that spark.
The rookie out of Oklahoma didn't start right away, but he has quickly become a beloved name in the Dawg Pound. In the three games he's played, the Browns have gone 2-1 and really should have won a third that they ended up losing to the Oakland Raiders in overtime.
Mayfield has scored at least 16.8 DraftKings points in each of his two starts and went for 21.98 in a tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens last week. His matchup this week is certainly better on paper.
The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a season in which they gave up the fourth-fewest passing yards and intercepted 18 passes, tied for sixth in the league. Without Joey Bosa on the field to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks, however, they've not been an opponent to fear.
Opposing quarterbacks have completed 65.7% of their passes against them and have thrown for at least 245 yards per game. Their 21.39 DraftKings points per game allowed to opposing signal callers ranks them as the 21st-best fantasy defense against the position.
For only $300 more, Jameis Winston will almost certainly provide you more upside. Of course, he'll also have a ton of ownership this week, so if you're looking for differential in some lineups, Mayfield is worth a look. Our models project him for 18.7 DraftKings points with upside for 32.7, just 1.8 points lower than our modeled upside for Winston. That upside would translate to a value of nearly 6.0 points per $1,000 and give you a solid chance of putting your lineups in the black.
