Denver Broncos at Detroit Lions seems like bad news for Dan Campbell, but this would be a hell of a “get right” game for the Lions. The Broncos have won six of their last seven (no, I have no idea how either, it’s a mystery) and the Lions have only won four of their last seven. And that’s almost as big a mystery. Despite their recent upturn, the Broncos defense is still ranked 24th for the number of passing yards they’ve allowed and 32nd for their number of rushing yards! So, the Lions players should put up some DraftKings DFS points even if it’s unlikely they will win this one.
DraftKings DFS Bargains for Dever At Detroit On Saturday Night
The “Why Don’t They Use Him More?” DraftKings DFS Pick – Jameson Williams
Williams is an excitement machine, an excitement machine that the Lions just can’t fully unlock. He is averaging 14.5 yards per touch, but they’ve only given him 15 touches in 9 games. He’s only had two opportunities to run the ball this season, but he averages 11.5 yards per attempt, and he’s scored a rushing touchdown!
Williams will line up opposite Pat Surtain this week. Surtain is battling a knee injury and having an inconsistent season. In the last two games, he has allowed a passer rating of 90.2 and 82.1. But against the Browns the week before that it was just 52.1.
Overall, he’s conceding 12.43 yards per catch, so if Goff can find Williams in the passing game it could pay off big. But if the Lions can get Williams involved in the run game that will slow down the Broncos pass rush. Last week both their free safeties ended the game with a sack! If the Lions can establish some sort of ground game that will force the Broncos to load the box. Then Williams might be able to get behind the Denver defensive backs.
He’ll probably be the 5th most expensive receiver on this DraftKings DFS slate. And one of the few who can run straight past defenders, even if they give a decent cushion.
The Classic DraftKings DFS Pick – Kalif Raymond
Raymond is another Lions receiver who can kickstart their run game. He’s averaging 13 yards per touch this season. And he’s had 35 touches in 2023. But they’ve only used him to run the ball 6 times, even though he’s averaging 11.2 yards per attempt. Now, an important part of involving the receivers in running plays is obviously that the defense isn’t expecting it. But even if they expect it, stopping ballcarriers who move like Williams and Raymond is still difficult.
Raymond could line up opposite Ja’Quan McMillian or even a linebacker if the Lions spread the offense out. McMillian is allowing 11 yards per catch and has conceded 4 touchdowns in 2023. It might pay for the Lions to line up with four receivers more often than not. The Broncos allow 30.5 DraftKings DFS points to receivers per game and have conceded 10 touchdowns to wideouts.
The Steady Eddie (or Adam) Option Pick – Adam Trautman
Tight end Trautman is only averaging 7.9 yards per catch this season. But he has caught 19 passes and 3 of them have ended in touchdowns.
The Lions are allowing 12.4 DraftKings DFS points per game to tight ends and they have conceded 6 touchdowns to tight ends this season. That’s just one fewer than the Rams who have conceded the most.
The “Surely He’s Healthy By Now?” DraftKings DFS Pick – Brandon Johnson
Johnson has also caught three touchdowns for the Broncos this season. He’s only caught eight passes this year though! Johnson is averaging 15.25 yards per catch! He missed five games with a hamstring injury, but he has been active for the last two games. He’s yet to catch a pass since his return though, which is why he’s a bargain. He must have recovered from his injury now though, so this should be the game where he picks up where he left off.
Detroit has the 9th best run defense in the league, but their pass defense is ranked 19th. So, the Broncos should be throwing the ball more than they run it. The Lions have allowed 15 touchdowns to wide receivers this season, only the Commanders and Eagles have given up more. And they are conceding an average of 37.1 DraftKings DFS points per game to receivers, that’s 10th in the league.
He should be the 6th most expensive receiver on this DraftKings DFS slate, so he definitely fits the “bargain” tag. The Broncos just need to use him.
The “Remember That Guy?” Pick – Marvin Mims
Given how poor the Lions have been at defending against wideouts this season, this pick could be Mims or Lil’Jordan Humphrey. But Humphrey has only seen 5 targets in his last nine games. He’s really good at run blocking though.
Russell Wilson has looked for Mims on 15 occasions over his last 9 games. Mims is averaging 12.6 yards per touch this season, so the Broncos should involve him more.
Main Photo: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
