Ivan Herrera 
Welcome to the first Saturday slate of the NFL season. Both games on the slate have playoff implications so expect the three teams fighting for a playoff spot to treat this game as a do-or-die situation.
The purpose of this article is to break down the best plays both on the DFS and betting sides. The article will include my favorite plays and honorable mentions for every DFS position. You can also find my favorite bets under Drago’s Best Bets section at the end of the article.
The QBs:
Josh Allen ($8100DK, $7800FD)
Starting with the best QB on the slate, Allen is very much in play on Saturday. This is a do-or-die game for the Bills, as a win can get them into a wildcard spot going into the final two games of the year. Stix’s model has Allen as the highest scorer on the slate, and after what rookie Aidan O’Connell did to the Chargers defense, I wouldn’t put it past Allen to have his best DFS performance of the season. LAC ranks as the 27th-ranked team against fantasy QBs and has given up an average of 17.7 points to opposing QBs over the last five weeks. Being projected at over 50% ownership, Allen is better in SE and 3max entries, along with the next QB on the list.
Who to pair him with: Stefon Diggs, Dalton Kincaid
Jake Browning ($6100DK, $7000FD)
Browning is the second-highest-owned and priced QB on the slate. He has been nothing but productive since taking over the starting role from the injured Burrow. He has put up three straight games of over 20 points on DraftKings (just missed on FanDuel last week by.04 points) and has a chance to make up for his worse start this season, where he struggled in his first game against the Steelers. The Bengals currently hold the 6th seed in the conference but are in a four-way tie and have Pittsburgh and Denver just one game behind them.
Who to pair him with: Tee Higgins, Tanner Hudson
Honorable Mentions: None
The RBs:
James Cook ($6900DK, $7500FD)
Cook is the highest projected scoring RB on the slate after having his best two games of the season over the last two weeks. Cook has been one of the better RBs over the past five weeks, seeing 5.4 more touches per game in that span than he did in the first nine weeks of the season. And just like his QB, Cook gets the best matchup on the slate, as the Chargers are also 27th against fantasy RBs.
Austin Ekeler ($7200DK,
Ekeler is the highest priced RB on DraftKings, which isn’t great, so I would rather play him more on FanDuel, where he is $1500 and $1700 less than Mixon and Cook. Over the past five weeks, Ekeler has been bad, as he has only hit double-digit fantasy points in one game. The matchup against the Bills strong rush defense isn’t ideal, but Ekeler has been getting work in the passing game, averaging five targets over the last five. With Stick once again being the QB for the Chargers, expect Ekeler to have more than just the nine touches he had last week.
Honorable Mentions: Joe Mixon, Najee Harris.
The WRs:
Tee Higgins ($6500DK, 8100FD)
No Chase, no problem. Higgins two touchdowns last Saturday helped lead the Bengals over the Vikings. Higgins is second in targets per game for the Bengals, with 6.6 per game. That number should increase with Chase missing the game. His price on both sites not increasing too much makes him a great partner for the next WR on the list, who is $1100 and $2200 more on FD and DK.
Stefon Diggs ($8700DK, $7900FD)
Being priced 2.2K more than the second highest WR on the slate on DK makes him less desirable, but he is still a great play as the Chargers can’t stop anyone at this point. Stix’s model has Diggs as the best WR and the second-best player overall on the slate. Diggs is currently projected at over 65% ownership, so I am fine with fading him if you want to go against the field in SE.
Joshua Palmer ($5000DK,
Palmer was one of the only bright spots in what was a terrible Chargers game on Thursday night. He finished with 24.3 points on DraftKings and 19.3 on FD. With Allen once again being ruled out, Palmer will be the main target for Stick, who didn’t look great. The Bills should be up all game, so the script should call for a lot of passing from the Chargers, and Palmer will greatly benefit from it.
Honorable Mentions: Tyler Boyd. Diontae Johnson. George Pickens.
The TEs
Gerald Everett ($3,500 DK, $6800 FD)
My favorite value play on the slate. Just like Palmer, Everett should benefit from the lack of Allen once again. Over the past four games, he has had at least four catches and 39 yards per game. He is very cheap and should be one of the most targeted TEs on the small slate.
Honorable Mentions: Pat Freiermuth. Dalton Kincaid. Tanner Hudson
Drago’s Best Bets:
- Bengals -3.5
- Joe Mixon Any Time Touchdown
- James Cook Any Time Touchdown
- Stefon Diggs Over 69.5 Receiving Yards
Make sure to hop in our Expert Discord Chat for FREE! Ivan (idrago15) will be there answering questions all day and all night! Follow Ivan on Twitter @idragol15 and be sure to be on the lookout for future articles at https://windailysports.com/nfl/
