This NFL season, our new SimLabs tool went live to the public. It’s a powerful new feature that allows casual players to build competitive lineups effortlessly — or serious players to leverage their convictions more effectively. This week, we’ve also added the feature of being able to export lineups from SimLabs directly to our models for easy tweaking of lineups.
I broke down some general uses of the tool from an evergreen perspective last week. Moving forward, we’ll be checking out some suggested starting points for building lineups.
The process is simple: from the SimLabs home screen, first, select the field size and desired range of outcomes for your lineups. The field size depends on the contest type, while the “results range” allows you to customize how unique you want your lineups to be.
Then, find the box titled “include players” and type your preferred options — then sit back and let the sims do their thing. You can generate as many or as few lineups as you want, then upload directly to DraftKings to be entered into contests.
For more on what SimLabs is and how it works, check out our user guide.
Let’s check out some potential starting points in Week 11.
Texans Passing Attack
This piece is somewhat contingent on both Nico Collins and Noah Brown missing the contest. If those two are both out, Houston’s passing attack becomes extremely concentrated around Tank Dell ($5,900) and Robert Woods ($3,700), who would both be underpriced for their role.
Editor’s note: Brown isn’t expected to play.
Plugging in those two with CJ Stroud ($7,000) then makes a ton of sense for all contest types. For smaller field GPPs, we could even mix in Devin Singletary ($5,300) for a full Texans onslaught. They’re implied for 27 points — third best on the slate — this week.
With the price tags of all the non-quarterbacks fairly reasonable, SimLabs then has the flexibility to build lineups around other highly projecting players. You could certainly force those lineups. Adding players like Tyreek Hill ($9,300) or Christian McCaffrey ($9,300) to the group. Or, just trust the sims.
Brock Purdy
I’m going back to the well this one, thanks to the embarrassment of riches Brock Purdy ($5,800) has at his disposal. He’s topped 21 DraftKings points in the last five contests in which he’s had a full complement of receivers healthy, with San Francisco scoring 30 or more in all of those games.
The problem with 49ers builds is it’s extremely hard to guess which — if any — pass catchers he brings along for the ride. They could distribute the ball in such a way that only Purdy pays off his price tag. Or, one or two of their expensive weapons see the bulk of the work.
This is what makes SimLabs such an excellent tool. It will automatically generate the most plus-EV lineups around Purdy without the stress of trying to figure out which players to pair him with.
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Justin Fields
It’s a small sample size, but Detroit’s defense has been gashed by mobile quarterbacks this season. Their two losses have been against Lamar Jackson and Geno Smith ($5,900), with the latter hitting his season-high in rushing yards.
Justin Fields ($6,900) is priced down in his return from injury. However, he topped 30 DraftKings points in his last two healthy contests. The matchup is a good one for that streak to continue against Detroit.
Rushing quarterbacks are always tricky to build around for GPPs. The production could come primarily on the ground — making stacks unnecessary. Of course, they could still throw enough to take one or two pass catchers along for the ride as well.
Additionally, Detroit has enough weapons on offense that landing on the correct bring-back, if there even is one, is a challenge. I prefer to let SimLabs figure that out for me.
Keenan Allen + Austin Ekeler
Last week, the Chargers ran 72 offensive plays. Forty of them ended in a carry or target for Keenan Allen ($9,000) or Austin Ekeler ($8,600). That was with Allen exiting with an injury for a stretch.
This week, they’re set to get…nobody back on offense. They have next to nothing behind these two players, who should dominate the offensive usage yet again. While they’re expensive, that’s an absurdly concentrated offense around just two players.
The natural stack is to pair those two with Justin Herbert ($7,600). However, Herbert could have just a solid day with those two getting their own volume — and that “stack” without the quarterback will be somewhat contrarian. I’m interested to see if SimLabs thinks adding Herbert is a necessity or if there are some other builds that stand out.
