It’s Turkey week here in Week 13, and I’m back once more to walk you through one of the biggest games you can play on Underdog Fantasy, the Battle Royale. The Battle Royale is a 6-person, 6-round fantasy draft. There are no bench spots, and you must start 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, and 1 Flex spot.
Your goal is to pick the best combination of six high-scoring players, with the weekly grand prize available of $50,000 to the ultimate drafter. If you’ve never played on Underdog before, try it out! Click this link and sign up for Underdog Fantasy. Play $5, get $100 in bonus funds to use on other games and drafts. If you want to join in the fun, read on to see my favourite plays to target in Week 13.
The Week of the RB
For the first time in what seems like forever, pretty much all of the top running backs on the season are in this slate, including 5 of the top 6 in fantasy points (only missing Jahmyr Gibbs). And of those 5, 4 of them are in the first 5 picks in ADP this week on Underdog, with only James Cook missing from the first round. If you decide to fade those 4 this week, you basically have to get your RB pick(s) perfect later on to have much of a chance of winning any money this week.
James Cook is a strong play to help you overcome that strategy, especially in a game the Bills must win to stay strong in the playoff race. I also love Trey McBride in the second round, as he had his “worst” game with Jacoby Brissett last week and still had 9 receptions for 79 yards, just didn’t get the TD. McBride is still the best TE play every single week as long as Brissett is starting, and to get him at a discount and only slightly ahead of Brock Bowers feels great.
Calling Your Shots
Rounds 3 and 4 on Underdog are largely dominated by WRs this week, and to me, their projections all feel pretty similar. Basically, all of them are in positive matchups, all of them should be fully healthy (Drake London is missing this week and will drop out of ADP very soon), and to me, the decision point on these players is predicated entirely on who you think has the best chance to score a touchdown or two. If you can guess right, you’re going to profit.
The only other interesting plays are Matthew Stafford at QB and George Kittle at TE. Stafford is a coin flip to me, as the Rams could also just run over Carolina easily (making Kyren Williams equally interesting in this range if you believe that’s the more likely outcome). And George Kittle is also a better play with Brock Purdy under center, even if the 2 TEs ahead of him feel like much better clicks.
Lots of Fun Clicks
In the late rounds, there are a lot of guys who could end up being really fun clicks for us. QB and TE have some perfectly viable scroll options for guys who can get you where you want to go. RB has a lot of depth to a noticeable degree, with players like Quinshon Judkins and Rico Dowdle available in the 6th round often. I will say, WR is a lot thinner this week, as there are a lot of possession receivers in the pool and not as many guys who can go out and score 2 TDs if things break their way.
Who to Target
So who should you take? I’ll tell you who my targets are at each position, keeping in mind the idea of balancing good projectable volume with understanding how the field may build their Underdog lineups.
Quarterbacks – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Josh Allen | Matthew Stafford | Jacoby Brissett
Running Backs – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Bijan Robinson | Kyren Williams | Bucky Irving
Wide Receivers – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Jaylen Waddle | Jauan Jennings
Tight Ends – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Trey McBride | George Kittle | Harold Fannin
Flex – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Michael Wilson | Quinshon Judkins | Devin Neal
