NFL

4 DraftKings Studs to Target in Week 5

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Vance McDonald, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

DraftKings Price: $3,700
Projected Points: 8.83

Now bare with me on this one. I understand that this article is supposed to be used to showcase which studs you should choose between at the high end of the salary scale. Not all studs are created equal though, and while Vance McDonald may not be priced as a stud, you can count on him to produce like one.

The former 2nd-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers has had back to back great game for the Steelers, hauling in 9-of-10 targets for 174 receiving yards and 1 touchdown over the last two weeks. He's so cheap that it doesn't take much for him to pay off his price tag in all formats as well.

An infrequent topic of conversation is using "leverage" against the field. Simply stated, you want to find ways to benefit in the event that a highly-owned player ends up disappointing. This is where we can leverage the ownership with a little game theory. With the Steelers' high implied total this week, if a popular play like Antonio Brown has a pedestrian game, then it's likely that somebody else in the offense will have picked up the slack with big numbers.

The upside that McDonald can provide while also offering leverage against the likely high ownership that Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster will see makes Vance McDonald a stud, even at the low price-point.


Mitch Carl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mitch Carl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username fcurev. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.