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 11 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 11 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 11 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 11 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Spencer Ware $6000: Ware is back and he’s set to be the man vs. Tampa Bay’s eighth-best fantasy defense for running backs on Sunday. Touchdowns are hard to predict, but Ware has both rushing and receiving TDs this season. I expect Alex Smith and the Chiefs to keep relying on him to move the chains.

Jordan Reed $5,900: We saw what Tennessee was able to do through the air against Green Bay last week. In one of the highest projected scoring games of this Sunday's slate, I want some exposure to the Redskins elite tight end. Reed had a down week against Minnesota, but should bounce back with double-digit targets in a  more enticing matchup. Green Bay has given up the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

Steve Smith Sr. $6,000: I think Dallas vs. Baltimore could be a slightly overlooked game this weekend. It wasn’t really on my radar until David Tuchman and I hashed out the week Wednesday night. Dallas is dealing with multiple injuries on defense, and is expected to dominate here offensively, despite a strong Ravens defense. That kind of game script calls for Joe Flacco catch-up/comeback mode given the Ravens struggle with the ground game recently. Mike Wallace is the higher upside deep threat, but Smith Sr. should see the volume and end zone targets to help him reach value this week. Kenneth Dixon is another cheap flier that could break out as his skill set should be favored in this game.

Upside Options - Week 11 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Sterling Shepard $4,700: Don’t get me wrong, I’m all over Odell Beckham Jr. but I think the Giants’ number one matchup with the Bears secondary this week is sweet enough to make two receivers fantasy relevant. It often takes a rookie receiver the better part of a year to establish true rapport with his QB—just ask OBJ—but I think we’re safely there with Shepard. He could also be considered a solid play, but for this price, there is definite upside for Shepard this weekend.

Jamison Crowder $5,400: I can’t get away from Crowder this week. He’s the number one guy in Washington after Reed, and Cousins has been really steady thanks to his high volume as a passer this year. Crowder is a great candidate to go over 100 yards receiving (something he’s done twice in the last three games) and catch a TD for the third consecutive game.

Donte Moncrief $6,100: I love Andrew Luck as the contrarian play in the Marcus Mariota-Andrew Luck showdown that Vegas considers the highest scoring game of the week. The Colts are favored, and while both T.Y. Hilton and Moncrief are in my lineups, Moncrief’s price affords a bit more upside. Coming off the bye, Moncrief should be fully healthy while it wouldn't surprise me if he posted his first 100-yard, two touchdowns performance of the season.

Value Options - Week 11 DraftKings Lineup Picks

C.J. Prosise $4,200: I’m sure it’s been amply covered, but just in case, I think Prosise holds down the running back job for at least one more week as Thomas Rawls works his way back into game shape, mentally and physically. Prosise was outstanding against the Patriots last Sunday night, and gets another difficult matchup with the Eagles this week. Slight advantage goes to Prosise as well because the Eagles have been vulnerable to pass catching backs. Prosise did a lot of his damage through the air in Week 10. The price vs. upside calculation here is off the charts.

Ladarius Green $2,500: Cleveland is the league’s best fantasy matchup for tight ends, and Green has a full game under his belt now. He tied Jesse James with four targets in Week 10, but my expectation is that Green’s market share grows while James’ shrinks. The idea was always for Green to take over the Martavis Bryant role, a role he showed promise in in San Diego. This is a big buy low opportunity if you, like me, think the Steelers come out strong vs. the Browns.

Martellus Bennett $3,700: Last but not least, if Rob Gronkowski is out with a punctured lung (we wait with baited breath for news (pun intended)), you have to use Bennett a ton this week. I personally believe in 1) statistics and 2) Tom Brady’s personal vengeance when it comes to fantasy football. Being held scoreless through the air in a rough loss to Seattle on national television is not something Brady takes well. I think he passes for at least 3-4 TDs this week in San Francisco (his old stomping grounds), and while Julian Edelman stands to benefit too without Gronkowski on the field, Bennett has the most upside for the price.