Because cash is king, the Dolphins and Jets are playing on Black Friday (and if you’re as jaded as me then you’re probably sighing as you read this). But before you spend all your money on Amazon, you’ll need to win that money on the DraftKings DFS slate. If that wasn’t gratuitous enough Amazon will also be advertising their latest bargains during the broadcast. So, Al Michaels sort of works for QVC now, I’m sure he’s delighted.
To make matters even worse the Jets are playing. Or at least the Jets defense will be playing, the Jets offense will likely just be there. Last week, Breece Hall had 73 yards and the Jets offense only had 155 yards in total! That makes it very difficult to pick any bargains on the Jets side.
Robert Saleh has molded a very strong Jets defense over the last few seasons. But, after Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles tendon gave up in the first game of the season, that defense has been doing all the heavy lifting. And this is about the time of the season when fatigue can really affect defenses. On the plus side for the Jets, the Dolphins’ offense has been dropping like flies in recent weeks. At the start of the season, everyone was concerned about Tua Tagovailoa’s durability. Now he looks like the only player who is reasonably healthy.
DraftKings Black Friday Bargains
The “How Injured Can He Really Be?” DraftKings DFS Pick – Braxton Berrios
With that in mind, there are two impressive things about Miami receivers, one is how often Mike McDaniels gets them into space. The other is how often they get injured. There are currently four dealing with different injuries, although it does say that Jaylen Waddle has recovered from his knee issue.
Berrios is actually one of those, he is currently dealing with an injury. He’s recovering from a hamstring problem and was inactive last week. But at the start of the week, he’s only listed as “questionable”. In this particular case “questionable” seems to be measured on a sliding scale. Chase Claypool is also “questionable”, but he had knee surgery about two weeks ago. So, he ain’t playing this week.
Berrios is averaging 9.8 yards per touch in 2023, though. And he’s catching 80% of his targets. So, even if the Dolphins only use him sparingly, he’s still got a shot at scoring decent points. Especially against that tired Jets defense.
The Beneficiary Of The Chucking And Ducking DraftKings DFS Pick – Tyler Conklin
Quarterbacks who have only just arrived in an offense usually like to throw to guys who are on short or intermediate routes. And anyone playing behind that Jets offensive line will want to “chuck and duck” before they get crushed. So, Conklin is a great option for Jets newbie Tim Boyle.
Boyle has thrown 14 passes so far this season and with a short week to adapt to the surroundings and playbook it would make sense for him to stick to the quick throws.
Conklin is catching 77.8% of his targets this season, so he’s a reliable release valve for whoever is at quarterback. Just eight teams have allowed tight ends to catch more passes than the Dolphins in 2023. And the Dolphins are allowing 13 DraftKings DFS points per game to tight ends.
The Incredibly Large Receiving Option Pick – C.J Uzomah
Bearing that in mind another Jets tight end who will be even cheaper than Conklin is definitely an Amazon Prime bargain. If you were a quarterback looking to get the ball out of your hands quickly then a 6”5’ 271lbs tight end would look very inviting.
Uzomah has only played 47% of the Jets offense’s snaps this season, if they want Boyle to stay upright longer than Zach Wilson and Aaron Rodgers did, they should probably get him on the field more often.
The Quiet Storm DraftKings DFS Pick – Cedric Wilson Jr.
He’s the under-the-radar Dolphins receiver. Everyone knows Hill and Waddle are lightning-fast, but Wilson is no slouch. He ran a 4.55 40 at his combine, which might not be Tyreek Hill fast, but for a third-string receiver, it’s fast enough. Even more impressive than his speed is his bench press, he was in the top 5% of receivers with his 9 reps.
Wilson figures to line up opposite Brandin Echols who has only played 18% of the Jets’ snaps on defense this season. He’s allowing 11.3 yards per target and a passer rating of 113.9. So, Wilson should have plenty of joy when he gets on the field. And he’s actually not injured, so he’s got a head start on most of the other Dolphin receivers.
The Cheap And Cheerful DraftKings DFS Pick – Tim Boyle
Boyle is a quarterback, who might be terrible (he also might not be), but he’s definitely cheap. So that covers the bargain part of this deal.
In the 33% of the Jets’ snaps that he’s played so far, he threw 14 passes, and just 7 of them were completed. He also got sacked, which is worrying given he only dropped back 14 times. But if the Jets can actually protect him (like, a bit) and establish the run with Breece Hall, Boyle could have a modicum of success. The Dolphins’ pass defense is ranked 22nd for the number of touchdowns they have allowed this season. And they’re allowing 18.4 DraftKings DFS points per game to quarterbacks. That’s more than the Giants! And just 4.5 points better than the worst team in the league, the Commanders.
Main Image: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
