The ownership rates below are from the $1 buy-in Mini Dive GPP at FanDuel.
Quarterback
QB | Opp | Ownership % | DK Salary | FD Salary |
Carson Palmer | vs Ravens | 17.9 | $6,700 | $8,200 |
Philip Rivers | vs Raiders | 14.9 | $6,500 | $8,000 |
Cam Newton | vs Eagles | 5.6 | $6,600 | $8,100 |
Tom Brady | vs Jets | 5.5 | $8,500 | $9,000 |
Andrew Luck | vs Saints | 4.4 | $7,600 | $8,900 |
Brian Hoyer | @ Dolphins | 4.1 | $5,300 | $6,900 |
Landry Jones | @ Chiefs | 3.5 | $5,100 | $6,000 |
Drew Brees | @ Colts | 2.8 | $7,000 | $8,400 |
Eli Manning | vs Cowboys | 2.1 | $6,800 | $7,800 |
Ryan Tannehill | vs Texans | 1.6 | $5,700 | $7,700 |
No shocker to see Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers soaking up such a large percentage of ownership. If anything, I would have guessed they'd be a bit higher owned. Both quarterbacks make for great plays this week. The duo of Andrew Luck and Brian Hoyer stand out as two of my favorite GPP picks. I already loved Luck as a swerve off of Palmer and Rivers, and this further fuels that love. A Hoyer/Hopkins stack remains incredibly enticing, too. Down at the bottom of the list, Ryan Tannehill makes for an intriguing option, namely on DraftKings, where he provides greater salary relief from the top plays.
Running Back
RB | Opp | Ownership% | DK Salary | FD Salary |
Devonta Freeman | @ Titans | 44.6 | $7,900 | $8,700 |
Todd Gurley | vs Browns | 36.4 | $5,000 | $7,400 |
Doug Martin | @ Redskins | 12.6 | $4,900 | $7,200 |
Chris Ivory | @ Patriots | 11.3 | $5,800 | $7,800 |
Le'Veon Bell | @ Chiefs | 8.3 | $8,400 | $8,900 |
Latavius Murray | @ Chargers | 7.6 | $6,100 | $7,000 |
Lamar Miller | Texans | 6.5 | $4,600 | $6,700 |
LeGarrett Blount | vs Jets | 5.3 | $4,800 | $6,800 |
Frank Gore | vs Saints | 4.9 | $4,900 | $7,100 |
Mark Ingram | @ Colts | 4.6 | $6,300 | $7,600 |
Adrian Peterson | @ Lions | 3.5 | $7,600 | $8,900 |
Chris Johnson | vs Ravens | 2.8 | $4,300 | $6,900 |
Christine Michael | @ Giants | 2.5 | $3,000 | $5,600 |
Arian Foster | @ Dolphins | 2 | $7,500 | $8,600 |
DeMarco Murray | @ Panthers | 2 | $6,400 | $7,600 |
Jonathan Stewart | vs Eagles | 1.7 | $4,000 | $6,700 |
Dion Lewis | vs Jets | 1.6 | $6,500 | $7,000 |
Rashad Jennings | vs Cowboys | 1 | $4,000 | $6,300 |
Justin Forsett | @ Cardinals | 0.8 | $6,100 | $7,100 |
Shane Vereen | vs Cowboys | 0.3 | $4,300 | $5,600 |
The top two backs, Devonta Freeman and Todd Gurley, are exactly who most of us would have guessed would be leading the way in ownership. On DraftKings, I believe it's entirely possible that Gurley could surpass Freeman in ownership rate. I mean, my god, look at that price tag for him! Each will be staples in my lineups. Any lingering thoughts I had about potentially using Chris Ivory in GPPs dissipated after seeing his ownership rate. The spread presents a very real possibility that game flow will result in Ryan Fitzpatrick airing the ball out and the Jets playing catch up. Toss out the potential for a low ownership edge, and the juice doesn't seem to be worth the squeeze. Latavius Murray looks to be grossly under owned to me in a plus matchup against the Chargers. Ditto for Arian Foster, namely at DraftKings, where a full point is awarded per reception. Even if you triple his ownership accounting for the full point per reception, I still like Foster at DraftKings in GPPs. Christine Michael is over owned at FanDuel, and his ownership will be even higher at just $3,000 on DraftKings. I don't have a problem with firing a bullet or two on Michael as a flex at $3,000 on DraftKings, but don't go overboard. If you're looking for a contrarian pick with some upside, I'm inclined to roll the dice on either Rashad Jennings or Shane Vereen, namely at DraftKings, not so much at FanDuel. Both backs possess pass-catching skills, and the Cowboys have been giving to opposing backs on the ground and through the air.
Wide Receivers
WR | Opp | Ownership% | DK | FD |
Larry Fitzgerald | vs Ravens | 29.8 | $7,400 | $7,800 |
DeAndre Hopkins | @ Dolphins | 24.9 | $8,600 | $9,200 |
Martavis Bryant | @ Chiefs | 23.7 | $4,700 | $6,900 |
John Brown | vs Ravens | 15 | $5,500 | $6,700 |
Donte Moncrief | vs Saints | 14.7 | $5,200 | $6,500 |
Stefon Diggs | @ Lions | 13.6 | $4,200 | $5,800 |
Julio Jones | @ Titans | 11.7 | $9,100 | $9,100 |
Travis Benjamin | @ Rams | 10.7 | $5,400 | $6,600 |
Julian Edelman | vs Jets | 10.2 | $8,200 | $8,000 |
Eric Decker | @ Patriots | 9.3 | $5,300 | $6,200 |
Jarvis Landry | vs Texans | 8.7 | $6,200 | $7,100 |
Brandon Marshall | @ Patriots | 8 | $7,800 | $8,200 |
Steve Smith | @ Cardinals | 7.8 | $6,200 | $6,900 |
Calvin Johnson | vs Vikings | 7.5 | $7,700 | $8,400 |
Amari Cooper | @ Chargers | 7 | $6,500 | $7,300 |
Willie Snead | @ Colts | 6.2 | $4,300 | $6,500 |
Antonio Brown | @ Chiefs | 5.3 | $7,900 | $8,300 |
Pierre Garcon | vs Buccaneers | 5 | $5,000 | $6,100 |
Mike Evans | @ Redskins | 3.9 | $6,400 | $7,500 |
Keenan Allen | vs Raiders | 3.7 | $7,700 | $8,100 |
Michael Crabtree | @ Chargers | 3.4 | $4,300 | $5,900 |
Odell Beckham Jr. | vs Cowboys | 3.1 | $8,700 | $9,000 |
Ted Ginn Jr. | vs Eagles | 2.8 | $3,300 | $5,300 |
Michael Floyd | vs Ravens | 2.7 | $3,200 | $4,900 |
Rishard Matthews | vs Texans | 2.7 | $4,300 | $6,400 |
Brandin Cooks | @ Colts | 2.6 | $5,500 | $6,700 |
Vincent Jackson | @ Redskins | 2.5 | $5,300 | $6,800 |
Golden Tate | vs Vikings | 1.8 | $5,200 | $6,700 |
Dorial Green-Beckham | vs Dolphins | 0.3 | $3,200 | $5,100 |
First, I'll address the elephant in the room. I made an error entering lineups and double entered Amari Cooper and missed entering T.Y. Hilton. I intend on reporting back with a Hilton ownership rate if (more like when), I locate one. Moving on, I'm shocked to see Martavis Bryant's ownership rate, and with a flex and a sizable salary discount on DraftKings, he could be even higher owned there. Gamers appear to be willing to take the discount to spin down from DeAndre Hopkins to Larry Fitzgerald. On rosters I only use one, I'll pay up for Hopkins. I do intend on entering rosters with both, namely Hoyer/Hopkins stacks since I'll be saving substantial cash with Hoyer as my signal caller. Fitz's teammate John Brown is also one of the higher owned receivers, and gamers clearly are well aware of how dreadful the Ravens pass defense has been. Seeing Michael Floyd check in with just a 2.7% ownership rate boosts his GPP appeal for me. With strong armed Zach Mettenberger likely winging the ball around this week, and Dorial Green-Beckham's playing time and usage trending upwards, I am tempted to fire a bullet or two on this talented matchup nightmare of a wide out. Travis Benjamin looks over owned to me. Also, the ownership rates of Eric Decker and teammate Brandon Marshall are fascinating. Decker is a tremendous bargain, but if you're looking for an edge, ponying up for Marshall could be just what you seek. A Keenan Allen stack with Rivers is the obvious pivot off of an Antonio Gates (spoiler, he's the highest owned tight end ... by a lot) and Rivers stack.
Tight End
TE | Opp | Ownership % | DK Salary | FD Salary |
Antonio Gates | vs Raiders | 23 | $5,000 | $5,800 |
Greg Olsen | vs Eagles | 10.9 | $6,100 | $6,400 |
Rob Gronkowski | vs Jets | 5.8 | $8,100 | $8,100 |
Gary Barnidge | @ Rams | 5.4 | $4,900 | $5,900 |
Benjamin Watson | @ Colts | 4.9 | $3,300 | $5,300 |
Jason Witten | @ Giants | 4.9 | $4,800 | $5,600 |
Travis Kelce | vs Steelers | 4.6 | $4,900 | $6,000 |
Ladarius Green | vs Raiders | 3.4 | $2,900 | $5,100 |
Delanie Walker | vs Falcons | 3.2 | $3,900 | $5,500 |
Eric Ebron | vs Vikings | 0.2 | $3,000 | $5,100 |
The end of the receiver's write-up segues nicely to another pivot off of the incredibly popular Rivers/Antonio Gates stack, and that's Rivers/Ladarius Green. Green caught a touchdown pass last week, and he continues to see the field even with Gates back. In cash games, Gates is pretty close to a must use when factoring in upside, cost, floor and ownership rate. I was hopeful to see a lower ownership rate for Greg Olsen, because as Jason pointed out, he's an elite pivot. I'll go ahead an pass on Benjamin Watson. Last week's showing should prove to be an aberration, but that didn't prevent a number of gamers from chasing last week's points. Hopefully the good ol' "lemming boost" pays off for the faders. Any time you can get Rob Gronkowski at under 10% ownership, you have the potential for a HUGE edge. Add Brady/Gronk to the list of high ceiling, contrarian (feels crazy to say) stacks.
Defense
DEF | Opp | Ownership % | DK Salary | FD Salary |
St. Louis Rams | vs Browns | 15.6 | $2,400 | $4,500 |
Carolina Panthers | vs Eagles | 8.9 | $3,100 | $4,800 |
Atlanta Falcons | @ Titans | 8.8 | $3,300 | $4,700 |
Arizona Cardinals | vs Ravens | 8.4 | $3,600 | $5,100 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | @ Chiefs | 5.2 | $2,600 | $4,600 |
Washington Redskins | vs Buccaneers | 4.9 | $2,500 | $4,400 |
Miami Dolphins | vs Texans | 3.3 | $2,700 | $4,500 |
New England Patriots | vs Jets | 2.1 | $3,200 | $4,700 |
New York Giants | vs Cowboys | 1.7 | $2,800 | $4,500 |
Minnesota Vikings | @ Lions | 1.6 | $3,000 | $4,600 |
The Rams lead the way in ownership, and that rate should jump above 20% at DraftKings. They're my favorite defense this week. The Panthers are a strong alternative, and predictably, gamers are flocking to them as well. The Vikings are an eye-opener at the bottom of the heap. No team has turned it over more than the Lions, but gamers seem to be scared off by their big showing against the craptastic Bears defense.