The fantasy football season isn’t over until the NFL season is over. Fantasy analyst Joel Smyth goes over his favorite Yahoo Daily Fantasy plays for Seahawks versus Patriots.
Drake Maye, QB, Patriots ($33)
Drake Maye’s salary is only 6% more expensive than Seahawks QB Sam Darnold ($31) and yet he has averaged 39% more fantasy points per game. In DFS solo matches, you almost always need at least one quarterback in your lineup. I’d rather go Maye over Darnold here for a few reasons, that being the first.
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The second point is that, yes, the Seahawks defense has been amazing, but so has the Patriots’ passing defense. When Christian Gonzalez has been healthy, the Patriots are tied for the No. 1 spot in the NFL for yards allowed per dropback. Lastly, the rushing ability. Especially if you want a QB in the “Superstar” spot, they need rushing production or to perfectly balance his targets between his receivers to be the top scorer. Maye scrambled more than any quarterback this season, but in the playoffs specifically, he has run 24 times for 20 extra fantasy points.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, Seahawks ($16)
This is not a shoo-in play. Shaheed has seven games this season with fewer than 10 receiving yards. The other side of the coin is what you play him for. He only needs one play to hit with 11 of 12 TDs in his career coming on vertical routes, and he adds the special teams potential with it. With Klint Kubiak in 2024, Shaheed led the entire NFL in air yards per game.
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Seattle Seahawks D/ST ($15)
Just a quick comparison, Cooper Kupp and Kayshon Boutte are $19 and $18, respectively. They have scored 113.9 points and 132.3 points. The Seahawks defense is up to 203 points on the season. It’s against a great opponent and comes with inconsistent scoring production, but that low floor comes with a high ceiling, the key to DFS lineups. For cheap, you can have a “player” who’s scored 30, 21, 21, 19, and 16 points in singular games this season. Double-digit points itself would be great, a mark Mike Macdonald’s defense has hit in over half of the games this year.
Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots ($14)
When looking for value in a solo contest, your best shot is going after the player with the best TD odds. That would be Hunter Henry. At only $14, Henry has scored eight touchdowns, 23% of Maye’s passing scores. The Patriots’ TE ranked third in red-zone targets among the position this year, with a 34% team target share.
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