It’s easy to let your DraftKings FLEX spot be left up to the amount of salary remaining after you fill out the rest of the squad. That’s the ‘flex-by-default’ strategy. The purpose of this Week 15 DraftKings DFS article is to help you avoid it. You can and should use the FLEX spot to strengthen and diversify your daily league lineups for Week 15 of the NFL season.

A couple of thoughts: 1) You don’t have to spend all the salary cap. A better player in a better situation may force you to leave a few hundred salary cap dollars on the table. Force yourself to roster the best lineup, even if it fails to use the whole cap. 2) As a scientist, I like to use players for which I can build a case based on multiple pieces of evidence. I look at things like opportunities, efficiency, opponent and game flow to start my research. I want as many players that are positive in all categories as I can fit. Having an idea of the players I want before I work with salaries helps me with #1 too.

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Week 15 DraftKings FLEX Options - Daily Fantasy Football Picks

Use this list as your flex cheat sheet; if a player is on here, there’s good reason to roster him in your last spot.

I assume that you have $6,500 or less to work with for this final spot on the roster. I also assume you’ll arrange accordingly so that the player with the latest game start is in the flex in case you should need to swap someone out.

Safe Options - Week 15 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Latavius Murray $5800: Murray was the lone bright spot for Oakland in a tough divisional matchup last Thursday night, and he’ll get another chance to reclaim the Raiders lead in the AFC West in San Diego come Sunday. Averaging over 20 carries per game over the last three games, Murray has scored four rushing touchdowns in that span.

Sterling Shepard $4600: The Giants got it done on defense Sunday night, but will look to pass on the Lions, who are a formidable run defense, in what Vegas has as a relatively easy victory for New York. Shepard is the clear number two guy for Eli Manning, and has been efficient regardless of his target volume. Everything points to increased volume in what is still one of the league’s best passing matchups.

Taylor Gabriel $5600: I think Gabriel has shown us that he’s for real, so he slides up into the safe section of this article for a matchup with the defenseless 49ers. Matt Ryan continues to help the Falcons to the top of the points per game chart and Gabriel, who seems to score at will, has been a huge part of that lately. Aldrick Robinson ($3400) makes for a great value play too if you need to save a bit in tournaments but still want a piece of this potent pass attack.

Upside Options - Week 15 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Stefon Diggs $6200: I’m indulging a hunch about the Vikings this week, who really need to start making more of an impact on offense since their defense has been on the skids for a few weeks. One way to accomplish that is by getting Diggs more involved again. He enjoyed a mid-season stretch of 14 targets per game, but has fallen to about seven over the past three weeks. Diggs can reach value without scoring in DraftKings’ PPR format, but he needs to see those double-digit targets. You can throw on the Colts, and a Sam Bradford/Diggs stack will be part of my tournament strategy this weekend.

Thomas Rawls $5900: If you’re playing in the Thursday slate, the one player you’ll want some exposure to is Rawls. We’ve seen all manner of running back take advantage of the Rams lately, and Rawls is bound to bounce back from a terrible game in the frozen tundra of Green Bay back in Seattle this weekend. 

Dontrelle Inman $5100: I liked him and Tyrell Williams last week, I just wish I hadn’t paired either with Philip Rivers… Inman was a great value catching six of seven targets including a touchdown, making three nice games in a row for him. Rivers is clearly building trust with Inman, and I believe the Chargers will be playing hard to thwart their division rival Raiders, a team that typically emphasizes offense over defense.

Value Options - Week 15 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Robby Anderson $4200: Much has been made of the preseason and second-string connection between Bryce Petty and Anderson, and they lived up to the hype in a comeback overtime win against San Francisco last weekend. Anderson again saw double digit targets from Petty, catching six of 11 for 99 yards. He failed to score, but will get another chance vs. the rival Dolphins Saturday night—yes, that Saturday night game is only available on the Thursday slate.

Robert Woods $3500: While everyone will be on Sammy Watkins, who appears to be back to full health (played over 90% of snaps in Week 14), consider saving and going contrarian with Woods, who doesn’t need to do nearly as much to reach value. Woods’ volume has been incredibly volatile this season, but the Buffalo gets the Browns this weekend which provides ample upside for all Bills.