Houston battled past the Colts with a little help from some dodgy play calling by Indy and a pass that was dropped by Tyler Goodson. And, when the Jaguars failed to beat the Titans, the Texans found themselves playing a home playoff game. But it’s against the suffocating Browns defense. So, CJ Stroud and company have an uphill battle on their hands, but they’ve been outperforming expectations all season. The DraftKings DFS bargains could come from anywhere.
Super Wildcard Weekend DraftKings DFS Bargains For Browns At Texans
The Rookie Who’s Full Of Potential DraftKings DFS Pick – Xavier Hutchinson
He’s $400 in this DraftKings DFS slate and last week he saw a season-high four targets last week. None of them were easy catches though. Hutchinson caught just one of his targets, but he absolutely leveled linebacker E.J. Speed when Speed tried to tackle him. On that occasion, CJ Stroud had led Hutchinson into triple coverage for a contested catch. If Bobby Slowik and Stroud can scheme Hutchinson into something that isn’t triple coverage Hutchinson could cause even the Browns’ defense problems.
This week Hutchinson figures to be lined up opposite Martin Emerson Jr. (although four Browns DBs are dealing with injuries so the backfield might be a bit of a lucky dip). Emerson is an inch shorter than Hutchinson and allowed 13.5 yards per completion in the regular season. Only Kahlef Hailassie and Rodney McLeod ended the season with higher averages. But they have only started six games between them.
The Browns’ defense has been the best in the league this season under Jim Schwartz, but they are allowing 28.2 DraftKings DFS points to the wide receiver position per game. They did allow three more passing touchdowns than the Texans during the regular season though, so Stroud might be given license to fling the ball around.
The Sneaky Good Backup DraftKings DFS PIck – David Bell
Elijah Moore suffered a brutal concussion back in Week 17 but was apparently cleared to play in Week 18. But he only played six snaps. That was probably cautionary as Cleveland knew their playoff place was secured. Bell filled Moore’s role in Week 118, and he had a day out. He caught all four of his targets for 68 yards. He hauled in both of the Browns’ touchdowns. And he only costs $3,600 in the DraftKings DFS Captains Showdown this week making it the seventh most expensive receiver.
This week Bell would line up against Desmond King. King only started seven games in the regular season, but he allowed 18 of 21 passes to be completed when he was in coverage. He only allowed 8.3 yards per completion though and didn’t concede a touchdown during the regular season.
The Completely Bonkers Pick – Andrew Beck
Picking a fullback in DraftKings DFS games is madness, right? Probably, but Beck is no ordinary fullback. He’s caught 11 of his 13 targets this season and he’s caught two touchdowns. They have come in the last two games he has played in. And last week he scored more DraftKings DFS points than Gardner Minshew and Michael Pittman Jr.
The four touchdown receptions the Browns have allowed to running backs in 2023 is the fifth-highest number in the league. They conceded an average of 21.1 DraftKings DFS points to the running back position during the regular season too.
The “Great When They Use Him” DraftKings DFS Pick – Brevin Jordan
Jordan will cost just $1,800 in the DraftKings DFS Captains Showdown this week. And the Browns allowed six touchdown receptions to tight ends during the regular season. That’s the fourth-highest number in the league.
Jordan’s usage has been pretty sporadic, he didn’t see a target last week. But he caught passes in the previous six games and he caught 12 of his 16 targets in those games. He’s averaging 12.5 yards per touch when the Texans involve him.
The Real Bargain Pick – Jordan Akins
Like Jordan, Akins hasn’t been featured regularly this season. Unlike Jordan, he saw six targets last week. He only caught three of them though, Jordan will cost just $600 this week on the DraftKings DFS Captains Showdown slate. And even though he’s below Harrison Bryant on the depth chart he caught more passes than the 25-year-old did.
Only three teams allowed more DraftKings DFS points to the tight end position than the Texans did during the regular season so all three of the Browns’ options may feature in their gameplan.
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