Here are three points to consider as your craft lineups for Tuesday’s game:

1. New rules affect playing reserves

In the past, you could slot some benchwarmers onto your team to save salary and hope the All-Star Game goes extra innings, potentially giving your players an extra at-bat or two. But not with the new rules, which will see a home run derby of three players from each team if the game is tied after nine innings. Also of note: the DFS sites have made it clear that stats from the home run derby won’t count toward lineup scores. That could have resulted in some really skewed points totals otherwise.

2. J-Rod’s too expensive

Not to pick on Julio Rodriguez, as he’s one of several reserves who’s priced too high on DraftKings, but since his superb performance in Monday’s Home Run Derby, he’s on many DFS players’ radars. While guys like Rodriguez, Juan Soto, and Kyle Schwarber may very well put up solid point totals, the unpredictability of when they enter the All-Star Game and how many at-bats they’ll get (see the first point) makes their selections for lineups tricky when they’re priced higher than some of the starters. They should be avoided in formats such as 50/50, but can be played in massive-field tournaments in an attempt to differentiate lineups from the rest of the field.

3. Stacking’s not hard

The pricing for the All-Star Game is pretty soft this year, and it’s not hard to stack lineups with starters high in their league’s respective lineups. On DraftKings, you can use five players from one league and one player from the other league for the maximum stacking ability.

I found it wasn’t hard to create what felt like stolid stacks for either the American or National league. I would avoid using players like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani in the captain’s spot in most situations, however, even if they’re affordable because they’ll be very popular picks so you can’t gain an advantage on the field.  My top captain’s pick is Mookie Betts, playing in his home park and batting second for the National League.

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On Tuesday, users had the opportunity to purchase a rare 2022 Field Pass for Reignmakers, which confers various benefits heading into the 2022 NFL season.

Reignmakers joins growing list of fantasy NFT games

The rare Field Pass carried a $99 purchase price, with only 2,000 available in the marketplace. Those who hold one of these passes in July will receive a free one-card pack containing one of the top-20 fantasy players in the NFL at the prescribed rarity �?in this case, the rare level.

Holders can land players including Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes II, Jonathan Taylor, or Derrick Henry, among others.

New drop incoming �?🏈

The Reignmakers Football Rare Field Pass drops TODAY at 3 pm ET.

Join the waiting room: //t.co/uAaYUJ82hL
Learn more: //t.co/TGfA9lGwtZ pic.twitter.com/Kr7miqIXs9

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) May 17, 2022

While DraftKings hasn’t released specifics about how Reignmakers will work, it appears the game will mirror their DFS product. Users will draft lineups each week, but only from players on the NFTs they own. Contests will be available at five different rarity levels: Core, Rare, Elite, Legendary, and Reignmaker.

While DraftKings will mint Core and Rare player cards to demand, the higher rarity tiers will feature fixed edition counts. Beginning in mid-summer, users will be able to acquire more cards through pack drops, auctions, and the secondary market on the DraftKings website.

Additional Field Passes are coming up for sale in the near future. DraftKings will release the Elite field pass �?priced at $499 and limited to 500 �?on Thursday. Users can bid on the Legendary (minted to 200) and Reignmaker (limited to 20) passes at a later date. Along with the guaranteed player card, holders will also have exclusive access to limited release side sets of NFTs during the season.

DraftKings isn’t the only company adding fantasy sports utility to its NFTs in an effort to provide value beyond collectability to the tokens. Last week, Major League Baseball signed a deal with Sorare to launch an MLB NFT fantasy game later this season. Sorare made its name with its popular soccer NFT games, which feature players from hundreds of clubs around the world.

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MLB and Sorare have announced the launch of an NFT-based fantasy game sometime this summer, though details about the game are few for the moment.

Sorare expands beyond soccer

Sorare has already built partnerships with 247 soccer clubs. Like many sports NFT marketplaces, it allows users to buy, sell, and hold images of players in a variety of different rarities.

However, the Sorare platform goes further by using these NFTs in fantasy sports games. Players can win cash and prizes by forming lineups using their NFT collection. Users start with free, common NFTs, but can win or purchase more on an integrated marketplace.

The Sorare MLB game won’t feature cash prizes, according to The Athletic. However, the secondary marketplace will be a major part of the product. Both the league and the MLB Players’ Association will take a share of sales from the marketplace.

“The connections we build with our fans and vital and Sorare understands the importance of that bond,�?MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said via a statement. “The company’s focus on transforming fandom through an innovative combination of sports, technology and gaming to let fans truly own a piece of the game they love is unique and goes beyond borders �?allowing us to bring the love of baseball to more fans across the globe.�?/p>

This won’t be MLB’s first foray into the world of NFTs. Both Topps and Candy offer up licensed MLB NFT projects. Panini also offers up NFTs licensed by the MLPBA, but which lack an official MLB license �?meaning they have to scrub all team names and logos from their images.

Fantasy game could stand apart could other NFTs

But the addition of a fantasy element could help separate the Sorare MLB offering from the pack. Other major North American sports NFTs �?including Dapper Labs’ NBA Top Shot, NFL All Day, and UFC Strike �?don’t have a real gamification element, though some third-party sites have developed such games.

The fact that Sorare cards have gaming utility may be why the platform has soared while other NFT projects have struggled over the past year. Sorare has enjoyed a 32 percent month-over-month increase in user growth. It generated more than $325 million in sales last year, a figure it expects to double in 2022.

It remains to be seen if Sorare can repeat that success with an MLB product when it launches this summer. The MLBPA says it is excited about the opportunities the project presents, howeer.

“Sorare has built a new baseball gaming experience that will excite fans,�?MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement. “We are very excited about our partnership and the effect Sorare’s first foray into North American sports will have on the growth of our game globally.�?/p>

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Instead, consider these five players for your Masters DFS rosters:

Justin Thomas ($10,300 on DraftKings, $11,900 on FanDuel)

JT has enjoyed an exceptional season so far, making 10 of 10 cuts, with six top-10 finishes. He’s one of only two players in the field who has gained over one stroke on approach per round, an important metric at Augusta considering its protected greens. Thomas is a perfect six for six making the cut at the Masters, with a fourth-place finish in 2020.

Brooks Koepka ($9,400 on DK, $10,900 on FD)

Koepka’s alter ego over the past year might as well be Mr. Major, given his tie for second at the PGA Championship and tie for fourth at the US Open. Koepka has proven strong at the Masters with three finishes inside the top 11 over the past four years.

Tyrrell Hatton ($8,000 on DK, $9,500 on FD)

Hatton has missed just one cut on the PGA Tour season, with four top 10s in nine starts. Those are strong numbers for a guy with this low of a salary. And it’s not as if he’s a scrub at the Masters, as he finished inside the top 20 last year.

Matt Fitzpatrick ($7,700 on DK, $9,600 on FD)

Following three straight top 10s, Fitzpatrick missed the cut at the Players Championship, then proceeded to finish fifth at the Valspar Championship. Fitzpatrick’s game is strong heading into this week, and he’s played well at Augusta, making six of seven cuts and tying for seventh in 2016.

Kevin Na ($6,800 on DK, $8,300 on FD)

Na could prove to be more of a gamble given his mediocre record on the season that includes just three of six cuts made and no finishes inside the top 10. But Na finished in a tie for 12^th at last year’s Masters (the same finish he recorded in 2012 and 2015), so he has some history on the course.

The post Masters DFS: Avoid Tiger, but Roster These Guys appeared first on nrxhb.shop | OG News.

Consider these five for your Super Bowl DFS lineups on Sunday:

Joe Mixon, Bengals RB ($9,600 on DraftKings, $12,500 on FanDuel)

The coaching staff leaned on Mixon in the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers, giving him 21 carries while no other running back received a single rush. That was Mixon’s second straight game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage. We could see a repeat of that in the Super Bowl.

Odell Beckham Jr., Rams WR ($8,400 on DK, $10,500 on FD)

ODB had himself a day in the NFC Championship Game, catching nine of 11 targets for 113 yards. If the Bengals try to double Cooper Kupp in the Super Bowl, then Beckham could see a healthy number of targets from Matthew Stafford again.

Tee Higgins, Bengals WR ($7,600 on DK, $10,500 on FD)

Conversely, the Rams may pay extra attention to Ja’Marr Chase, freeing up more opportunities for Higgins. He’s enjoyed some monster games this year, and caught six passes on 10 targets for 103 yards in the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs.

Kendall Blanton, Rams TE ($4,600, $8,000 on FD)

Starting tight end Tyler Higbee exited the NFC Championship Game in the first half with a knee injury and remains questionable for the Super Bowl. Stafford didn’t miss a beat with Higbee gone, hitting Blanton for five receptions and 57 yards. Blanton could offer nice value on Sunday.

Darrell Henderson, Jr., Rams RB ($1,600 on DK, $8,000 on FD)

Coach Sean McVay said earlier this week there’s a good chance that Henderson will return from injured reserve for the Super Bowl. He also said he will “ride the hot hand” in the game. Henderson is priced on DraftKings as an injured player, and while Cam Akers will still get the bulk of the carries, No. 27 could provide tremendous value if he scores in the Super Bowl.

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Here are six players to keep an eye on/

Joe Burrow, Bengals QB ($6,600 on DraftKings, $7,500 on FanDuel)

Can Burrow follow Josh Allen’s lead? While the Chiefs survived one of the most thrilling games in the history of the NFL last Sunday, their porous pass defense was again exposed. Don’t forget that when these teams met in Week 17, Burrow torched Kansas City for 446 passing yards and four touchdowns.

Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs RB ($5,100 on DK, $6,200 on FD)

Although Clyde Edwards-Helaire made his return last week, McKinnon continued to see high usage. That proved particularly true in the passing game where he caught five of seven targets for 54 yards against the Bills. While CEH is likely to get more carries against the Bengals, McKinnon may end up as the higher fantasy scorer due to his value as a third-down, pass-catching back.

Cam Akers, Rams RB ($5,000 on DK, $6,200 on FD)

Akers proved to be a workhorse in the divisional game against the Buccaneers, rushing 24 times for 48 yards and catching three targets for 20 yards. It wasn’t a stellar effort, but Tampa Bay boasts one of the league’s toughest defenses. The sledding should be easier against the 49ers, but Akers’ two fumbles last week could be a concern, as coach Sean McVay could give Sony Michel more reps in the conference championship game.

Cooper Kupp, Rams WR ($8,800 on DK, $9,700 on FD)

It’s hard not to just auto-slot Kupp into your lineups, given his week-to-week monster numbers that saw him put up nearly 28 fantasy points per game on DraftKings this season. The possibility of Kupp blowing up lineups makes him hard to fade in the NFC conference championship game.

Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals WR ($6,700 on DK, $8,000 on FD)

Chase feels too cheap here, given the likely shootout in Kansas City and his role as Burrow’s top receiving weapon. As part of the monster Week 17 the Bengals enjoyed against the Chiefs, Chase caught 11 passes for 266 yards and three TDs. Lock him in again in the AFC conference championship game.

Tyler Higbee, Rams TE ($3,700 on DK, $5,500 on FD)

For salary savings, look to Higbee at the tight end position. He hasn’t put up bigger fantasy numbers due to a lack of touchdowns �?just five on the year �?but he’s active, with 68 receptions for 657 yards. He’s prone to see positive touchdown regression, and that could occur this Sunday.

The post NFL Conference Championship DFS: Look for Burrow to Chase Combo appeared first on nrxhb.shop | OG News.

With that being said, here are some players to consider for your DFS lineups this weekend.

Matthew Stafford, Rams QB ($6,200 on DraftKings, $7,400 on FanDuel)

Stafford is too cheap for his potential against the Buccaneers in the divisional round. As underdogs, the Rams will likely play from behind, and Tampa Bay has one of the best run defenses in the league. Both factors point to more pass attempts from No. 9 in this contest.

Derrick Henry, Titans RB ($7,500 on DK, $9,000 on FD)

NFL fans have long pointed to the divisional round as the spot for Henry’s likely return from a broken foot, but the Titans remain tight-lipped on the issue. For now, Henry remains on injured reserve, but he practiced this week and also spoke to the media on Wednesday. Both are good signs for him playing, but we won’t know for sure until Friday evening. A rested Henry could wreak havoc in the playoffs.

Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers RB ($5,700 on DK, $7,000 on FD)

Another player whose status remains a mystery is Fournette. He practiced this week, but still sits on injured reserve due to his bum hamstring as of Friday morning. Number 7 is trending toward returning on Sunday, and the Bucs are likely to lean on Fournette to grind out a win. They don’t call him Playoff Lennie for nothing.

Cooper Kupp, Rams WR ($8,600 on DK, $9,500 on FD)

Kupp had a down game by his standards in the wild-card round, catching five of seven targets for 61 yards and a touchdown. That 17.1 points on DraftKings was a great game for most receivers, but not for Kupp, who averages more than 27. But shelve him at your own risk in the divisional round against Tampa Bay. The savings for Stafford at QB better allows us to pair him with Kupp, who has the most expensive salary in the player pool.

Allen Lazard, Packers WR ($4,400 on DK, $6,000 on FD)

Lazard shouldn’t put up Kupp-esque numbers (or Davante Adams-esque numbers, for that matter), but he’s cheap and has shown solid production lately. In his past five games, Lazard has scored double-digit points on DraftKings four times. Lazard caught five touchdown passes during that span.

CJ Uzomah, Bengals TE ($3,400 on DK, $5,500 on FD)

You can spend up for Kelce or Gronk, but Uzomah provides nice value and great consistency lower in the salary list. He’s caught at least three passes in each of his past seven games, including a nice 6-64-1 stat line against the Raiders in the wild-card game.

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Here are six players at the various positions to consider in the wild-card round:

QB �?Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers ($5,200)

Big Ben may be staving off retirement as Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Saturday. His likely final season hasn’t proven spectacular, but in the wild-card round, he’ll face one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Plus, with the Chiefs as big favorites, Roethlisberger will likely be passing more in the fourth quarter to pad those fantasy stats.

RB �?Joe Mixon, Bengals ($6,800)

After missing the regular-season finale under COVID-19 protocols, Mixon is back for the wild card and the Raiders’ 30th-ranked run defense in DFS. The Bengals will likely be playing with a lead late in the game and should lean on their workhorse running back.

RB �?Ke’Shawn Vaughn, Buccaneers ($4,500)

This is a bit of a risky play, as Leonard Fournette will be a game-time decision, according to head coach Bruce Arians. But at this low price, Vaughn isn’t a big risk, especially since he would likely get additional reps even if Fournette plays since the starter should be limited.

WR �?Cooper Kupp, Rams ($9,000)

Kupp just completed a historic regular season that saw him win the so-called Triple Crown of receiving by leading the league in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. There’s no reason not to expect more monster fantasy numbers from Kupp against the Cardinals in the wild-card round on Monday night, given that Arizona is one of the worst against defending receivers in DFS.

WR �?Cedric Wilson, Cowboys ($4,400)

Wilson has put up nice numbers since Michael Gallup went down with a season-ending knee injury. In the past two games, he snagged 11 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns. But his fantasy salary remains low, so Wilson looks to be one of the best value plays on the wild-card weekend.

TE �?Rob Gronkowski, Buccaneers ($6,400)

After missing a healthy portion of the season due to injury, Gronk has bounced back strong. In just the past two games, he has 14 receptions for 252 yards. The Eagles’ defense is terrible against tight ends, ranking 31^st in the NFL in defending the position in DFS.

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With the addition of the extra playoff spot in each conference, more teams have something to play for during the last week of the regular season, so finding value is tougher than expected. But, there are still some decent value plays under $5,000 on DraftKings if you look hard enough.

Duke Johnson, Dolphins RB ($5,000)

Johnson, a mid-season addition to the team, may have eclipsed Myles Gaskin to become the top guy in Miami. No. 28 only got seven carries this week when the game script worked against him after the Dolphins fell behind early to the Titans. He should see a bigger workload against the middling Patriots rush defense in Week 18.

Marquez Callaway, Saints WR ($5,000)

Callaway has developed a nice rapport with quarterback Taysom Hill, becoming his No. 1 wide receiver option. In the past two games in which both played, Callaway caught 12 passes for 209 yards. New Orleans plays the dead-in-the-water Falcons as they fight for a playoff spot in Week 18.

Cyril Grayson, Buccaneers WR ($4,400)

The various injuries and walkouts �?cough, cough, Antonio Brown �?in the Tampa Bay receiving corps has led to the rise of Grayson, who garnered nine receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown in the past two games. The Tampa Bay Times reported that quarterback Tom Brady has touted Grayson, which could be a good sign heading into the Week 18 matchup with the Panthers.

Ray-Ray McCloud III, Steelers WR ($3,800)

On one hand, McCloud has drawn 18 targets in the past two games, but on the other, he’s only caught eight of those for 60 yards and no TDs. Will QB Ben Roethlisberger, in what could be his final NFL game, look to McCloud often against the Ravens, one of the worst pass defending teams in the league? At this low price, McCloud should be worth the gamble.

Austin Hooper, Browns TE ($3,600)

Hooper is second on the Browns this season with 61 targets, trailing only Jarvis Landry. He’s converted those passes into 38 receptions for 345 yards and three touchdowns. Those are hardly monster numbers, but Hooper’s usage has increased, with at last five targets in five of the past six games.

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Here are five players under $5,000 on DraftKings to study for roster consideration this week.

Boston Scott, Eagles RB ($4,900)

Philadelphia’s running back corps continues to deal with injuries in Week 17. Miles Sanders will miss the tilt against Washington with a broken hand, while Jordan Howard continues to recover from a stinger. It will likely be Scott and rookie Kenneth Gainwell getting most of the reps against the Football Team’s middling rushing defense.

Cole Beasley, Bills WR ($4,900)

The new COVID-19 policy between the NFL and the players association will allow Beasley to return in Week 17 although he’s unvaccinated. Good timing, too, since Buffalo will face the atrocious Falcons pass defense this Sunday. No. 11 stands a good chance of well surpassing his 10.6 fantasy points-per-game average on DraftKings against Atlanta.

Rashod Bateman, Ravens WR ($4,800)

The rookie finally got the monkey off of his back with his first touchdown catch last week. Since his first game in Week 6, Bateman has put up respectable numbers and he could be buoyed this Sunday for two reasons: Marquise Brown may miss the game with an illness, and quarterback Lamar Jackson could return. Jackson is suffering from a sprained ankle and a lack of mobility could yield fewer rushes and more pass attempts against the Rams.

Braxton Berrios, Jets WR ($3,700)

Despite catching five of six targets for 37 yards against the Jags last week, Berrios remains cheap in Week 17. That could be because the fantasy sites expected the Jets’ pass-catchers to return this Sunday, but both Elijah Moore and Jamison Crowder are still dealing with injuries, and one or both could still miss the game. That could open up more opportunities for Berrios again this week.

Dalton Schultz, Cowboys TE ($5,000)

It’s hard to ignore Schultz after two consecutive monster games that saw him catch 16 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The only concern is the fact the Week 17 opponent, Arizona, ranks second-best against tight ends in DFS.

The post Boston Scott, Cole Beasley Cheap DFS Options in Week 17 appeared first on nrxhb.shop | OG News.