NFL DFS Lineup Optimizer Rules and My Favorite Angle for Week 15’s Main Slate

Our Lineup Optimizer is an incredibly powerful tool inside our Player Models, particularly when creating a large number of lineups. However, it’s just that — a tool. We still have to make decisions. Otherwise, everyone would have the same 150 lineups in each contest.

This is intended more as a teaching piece than a step-by-step guide. These rules are suggestions that can show you how to translate your read on these games into lineups.

Each week I’ll go over my favorite DFS angle for the given week and go over some of our Lineup Optimizer settings that are worth considering.

Now, let’s get to it!

My Favorite Week 15 NFL DFS Angles

It’s an interesting week on Draftkings with only 10 games on this slate and a very limited number of true smash spots. After looking for a lower-owned stack that is going under the radar, I am really liking Dak Prescott, who is currently projected for about 8% ownership. The Cowboys have a road matchup against the Jags, who have been a bit of a pass funnel this season.

Dak comes with some excellent stacking mates in CeeDee Lamb, Dalton Schultz, and Michael Gallup, who are all capable of posting big numbers against this defense that has given up the 9th most fantasy points to opposing wideouts this season.

Zay Jones looks like he might get a little popular, but Christian Kirk and Travis Etienne both have decent upside as run-backs with very little ownership. You could even get cute and chase Evan Engram’s breakout performance from last week, though I wouldn’t recommend it against a Cowboys defense that has been excellent against opposing tight ends.

Lineup Optimizer Rules to Consider

Below are the rules to consider for Sunday. For more context on optimizer rules or the Showdown format in general, check out my NFL Showdown Primer.

General

Minimum salary cap: 99.6%. Leaving more than this causes you to lose significant win equity.

Flex positions: WR, RB

Player Correlations

Optimal tournament construction includes stacking your quarterback with at least one, but usually two, pass-catcher(s) from the same team and at least one pass-catcher from the opposing team.

A mobile quarterback with a big rushing game is more likely to only need one teammate paired. These settings can be accomplished through rules in the “Position” tab or through the Player Correlations tab for more control.

You want to avoid pairings like Austin Ekeler with Keenan Allen in GPPs to ensure your ceiling isn’t capped. The Player Groups tab gives you more control over the process, but the Position tab can be used to completely group out running back paired with a wide receiver from the same team.

A note on Patrick Mahomes: with Kadarius Toney likely to return, this WR situation looks like a nasty rotation could break out with no one besides JuJu separating in terms of snaps. In smaller field stuff especially, I would actually be okay with Mahomes paired with just Kelce, who feels like he is due for a blow-up spot. Mahomes could easily complete a pass to 10 different pass catchers on Sunday, which limits my interest in the ancillary pieces.

Custom

Winning GPP lineups typically use 2-3 players that are less than 10% owned. The Lineup Optimizer allows you to accomplish this quickly.