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 Seven 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 7 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 7 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 7 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Spencer Ware $5,800: The Kansas City Chiefs are a run-first team and Ware is still projected to get most of the carries and opportunities. The game itself works for him, as the Chiefs are big home favorites in what Vegas has as the second-highest point total this week. New Orleans has allowed 10 rushing touchdowns, along with the most fantasy points per game to opposing backs. Feel free to use Jamaal Charles a little bit in tournaments, but Ware should be the safer play.

Michael Thomas $4,700: On the other side of this game, I expect Drew Brees to do what he does, and what he does is pass A LOT. The Chiefs may very well pick him off a couple times, but that doesn’t affect the value of his #2 receiver. Thomas is getting a steady dose of targets (5-11 each week) and has caught a touchdown in each of the last three games.

Jacquizz Rodgers $4,300: Rodgers tallied 30 carries and was targeted six times in the Tampa Bay's Monday night game before their bye week. That kind of volume in combination with the 49ers terrible run defense should have you super excited to roster Rodgers this weekend.

Upside Options - Week 7 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Mohamed Sanu $4,400: The week’s highest scoring game could very well be this one between Atlanta and San Diego. I like Sanu here because he’s coming off a 10-target game and should have an easier defensive assignment as the Chargers attempt to cover Julio Jones. With Matt Ryan playing well and the run game keeping defenses honest, Sanu could be the best value receiver of the week.

Mike Wallace $5,800: It didn’t work last week to target the Cardinals passing game against the Jets, but that doesn’t mean it was flawed analysis. The Jets secondary has not been effective this season, allowing opposing wide receivers the third most fantasy points (over 200 receiving yards per game). With Steve Smith Sr. out, Wallace and Dennis Pitta were the primary beneficiaries of Joe Flack’s passes. Wallace also added one nice deep catch. He hasn’t had a real breakout game but I think this could be the one.

Duke Johnson Jr. $3,900: Cleveland in Cincinnati this weekend is a game I’m very interested in. It’s obviously a great spot for a number of Bengals, but Cody Kessler and company could be in catch-up mode and I liked what I saw last weekend in a similar situation. Hopefully Terrelle Pryor Sr. is able to go, but if not I think Johnson is an even better upside flier. His main usage is as a pass-catching back, and he’s averaging over 10 yards per catch over his last two. A touchdown—rushing or receiving—pays off his meager salary.

Value Options - Week 7 DraftKings Lineup Picks

Coby Fleener $3,800: If you need to save a bit more but still want a piece of the New Orleans pass offense, I am now a firm believer in Coby Fleener. He’s looked so much more in step with Drew Brees over the past couple games and as I said above, I expect the Saints to be pass heavy in Kansas City.

Mike Davis $3,000: The next man up in San Francisco is Mike Davis. While reports are that the running back duties are going to be split with Shaun Draughn or even DuJuan Harris, Davis looks like the guy to own. The total on this game is surprisingly high, with the Bucs only small favorites, suggesting that Vegas believes in Colin Kaepernick’s ability to move the ball down the field. Davis should see enough volume and key goal line work to reach or even smash value at his minimum salary.