Hello everyone! Welcome to Week 15! Some of you may have been eliminated from your season long leagues (my condolences), but that doesn’t mean you can’t still play fantasy football! Daily fantasy sports is all about being able to set the best lineup while staying under a salary cap. Everyone knows you can play Derrick Henry vs the Lions, but you’ll have to pay. How do we afford these high priced studs? Dumpster diving, that’s how! Let’s find some cheaper players that are in good spots this week! Note: FanDuel salaries will be listed first, followed by DraftKings.

Quarterback

1. Kirk Cousins ($7,200/$6,100): Yeah, yeah, Kirk Cousins sucks, he’s terrible ya-de-ya-de-ya. No he doesn’t! He’s quietly been putting up really solid numbers. Chicago doesn’t seem like the best matchup on paper but Cousins put up 292 yards and 2 touchdowns against them just a few weeks ago.
2. Mitchell Trubisky ($7,000/$5,500): On the other side of the coin we have Mitchell Trubisky! Gross. But he’s super cheap on DraftKings and he has actually been playing reasonably well since being reinstated as the Bears starting QB. The Vikings defense is not very intimidating.
3. Jalen Hurts ($6,900/$5,900): Hurts had a very solid debut against a tough Saints defense last week. Let’s see what he can do for an encore against the Cardinals! Running quarterbacks are a fantasy cheat code and Hurts ran the ball 18 times for 106 yards in his debut. Maybe we’ve got Lamar Jackson-lite here?

Running Backs

1. Nyheim Hines ($6,200/$5,400): Did Jonathan Taylor break out with a big game last week? Yep, sure did. Has Frank Reich already pulled the proverbial rug out from under fantasy owners this year and played Hines over Taylor just when it seems like he’s taking control of the backfield? Yep, sure has. What’s to stop him from doing it again? Taylor will probably be very popular given his recent performance, matchup, and reasonable price tag. Hines provides leverage off Taylor in large tournaments if that’s your thing.
2. J.K. Dobbins ($5,900/$5,900): This one doesn’t require a ton of explaining. The Ravens play the Jaguars, the Jaguars get ravaged on the ground week in and week out, and Dobbins (and Gus Edwards, who I also like this week) have finally relegated Mark Ingram to the bench. Dobbins is a better value on FanDuel.
3. Jeff Wilson Jr. ($5,800/$5,100): Would we really be dumpster diving if we didn’t talk about an undrafted running back in a Shanahan offense?! It’s no secret that the 49ers have a good run game. Their opponent, the Cowboys, have a crappy defense. Hard hitting analysis, I know. Even if Raheem Mostert suits up this week Wilson Jr. is a nice play, if Mostert sits Wilson should be a home run at this price tag.

Wide Receiver

1. Emmanuel Sanders ($5,500/$4,200): Drew Brees is back, Michael Thomas is out. This upgrades all remaining Saints pass catchers in a game with major shootout potential against the Chiefs. I like him better on DraftKings due to the full PPR scoring. I would imagine the Saints stick with a quick passing game this week to hopefully preserve Brees.
2. Russell Gage ($5,700/$4,700): Quick, who has the highest passer rating in the NFL this season? Russell Gage, obviously. Really though Gage is a fine target for dumpster diving this week. He’s averaged eight targets per game going back to week 11 and will once again be the secondary receiver with Julio Jones being ruled out.
3. Darnell Mooney ($5,300/$3,900): Mooney is a good player in an unfortunate situation. But if you want to get wild and pair up the previously mentioned Mitchell Trubisky with another low owned option, Mooney is a good way to go. Trubisky just needs to actually hit him when he gets behind the Vikings defense.

Tight End

1. Jared Cook ($5,600/$3,400): Remember that part about all the remaining Saints pass catchers get an upgrade this week? That still applies here. Alvin Kamara will more than likely lead the team in targets but Cook doesn’t need many targets to pay off this price tag.
2. Irv Smith Jr. ($5,400/$3,600): Smith Jr. has flashed signs of greatness this season. Chicago is a friendly matchup to opposing tight ends so he makes a nice sneaky stack with Cousins. Oh yeah and Kyle Rudolph is out this week, that should help a little.
3. Cole Kmet ($5,100/$3,000): The amount of players from the Vikings/Bears game that made their way into this weeks dumpster diving is slightly disturbing. But Kmet has replaced the corpse of Jimmy Graham as the top tight end on the Bears since their bye week and he is REALLY cheap, especially on DraftKings.

Well, there you have it, this weeks edition of Dumpster Diving! Hit me up on Twitter if you want to talk fantasy football or want some more advice for lineups this week! While you’re here check out the other great articles we have here at BellyUp as we prepare to finish the fantasy season strong!