DraftKings' Arena Football League (AFL) contests are back for the second week of the AFL's two-week playoffs. RotoWire will be providing lineup suggestions for each of the 13 weeks of the AFL regular season, the two weeks of the playoffs and the ArenaBowl.
DraftKings AFL lineups consist of one Captain spot, which sees the player's salary and fantasy points both multiply at a rate of 1.5x, and five Flex positions. The lack of positional specifications means that one could potentially compose a lineup consisting of players from just one position. However, for our purposes, we'll strive to highlight players from at least the top two fantasy-producing positions, quarterback and wide receiver.
Note: Please keep in mind that these are merely recommendations on certain players and are not intended to constitute a lineup that fits under DraftKings' $50,000 salary cap. In fact, the cumulative salary of the players suggested weekly will often check in well over that figure.
For a full overview of the basics of playing AFL DFS contests on DraftKings, review our DFS 101 primer here: https://www.rotowire.com/arena/article.php?id=45291
2nd Round Playoff Plays
Captain: Arvell Nelson, QB, WAS at PHL ($16,800):
Primarily due to turnovers, Nelson didn't maximize his potential in the Captain's spot last week. The Valor are now in desperation mode, as they have a 36-point deficit going into the second game of their home-and-home elimination series against the Soul. Philadelphia did an excellent job with both its pass rush and coverage last week, but Nelson certainly has the talent to make the necessary adjustments and put together a cleaner performance. He should be nothing if not aggressive in Sunday's contest, and that could equate to some big numbers in the early part of the game. Nelson was also a slightly better fantasy producer on the road this season (38.2 fantasy points per game in standard scoring), and he therefore gets my pick for the Captain's spot in what is a bit of a tricky week to prognosticate.
Flex: Tommy Grady, QB, ALB at BAL ($10,600):
Grady came through in spades last week in the first game of the Empire-Brigade postseason series, tallying 36.48 fantasy points on the strength of seven touchdown passes. The one caveat here is that the Empire enjoys a big 35-point edge in overall points coming into the game, so Grady could eventually see the bench in the second half if Albany gets off to a fast start and essentially locks up its ArenaBowl berth early. Nevertheless, it's not like there's a ton of options with only four teams in action, and Grady's upside, even in potentially abbreviated action, is too good to pass up. For reference, see the 23.84 fantasy points he collected in just one half of play versus a Soul team that had playoff seeding to play for in the final week of the regular season.
Flex: Dan Raudabaugh, QB, PHL vs. WAS ($10,200):
Raudabaugh is in somewhat of a similar position to Grady, as his team also walks into their second playoff matchup with a comfortable cushion points-wise. However, the veteran gunslinger is also capable of strong production even if he doesn't play a full game, and he has the Valor defense well figured out. Raudabaugh totaled 12 touchdowns during two regular-season meetings with Washington, and he then lit them up for 34.36 fantasy points last week on the strength of a 284-yard, six-touchdown effort. Raudabaugh has no shortage of postseason experience, and even though he, too, could get an early hook, there's no guarantee if or when that exactly would happen. Given his strong track record, he's still a viable play for me this weekend.
Flex: Josh Reese, WR, WAS at PHL ($7,800):
Pinning down which pass catchers might thrive in any given week in Arena football can certainly be an interesting exercise. However, Reese typically offers a very solid floor and even experiences the occasional spike in production, with the latter scenario particularly a possibility in this coming Sunday's game. As mentioned in Nelson's entry, the Valor will have to be very aggressive offensively to have any chance of making up their sizable deficit in points. Reese produced a 8-80 line against the Soul last week to lead Washington in receptions and receiving yardage. He averaged a solid 15.6 fantasy points on the road this season as well, and his third-highest fantasy-point haul of the season (20.1) came back in Week 4 versus this same Soul squad.
Flex: Darius Reynolds, WR, PHL at WAS ($6,800):
Reynolds emerged phoenix-like from the ashes in last week's opening playoff win, seeing his first game action on offense in two months and producing an 8-115-3 line that led to 40.5 fantasy points. While that performance certainly came out of nowhere, Reynolds does have an extensive track record of AFL success as a receiver that includes three 1,000-yard campaigns, and the Valor secondary clearly had no answer for him last week. Dan Raudabaugh does have plenty of targets to choose from when dropping back, but the fact Reynolds' fellow wideout BJ Bunn (undisclosed) appears unlikely to play after being downgraded to a missed practice Friday only furthers Reynolds' case at a very reasonable mid-tier price.
Flex: Rod Windsor, WR, BAL vs. ALB ($4,000):
The Soul's Adrian Ferns ($5,400) is certainly an interesting value candidate as well if you have the extra cash, but Windsor is my GPP flier of the week. The veteran has seen action in two games for the Brigade, generating a modest 6-50 line thus far in that pair of contests. However, Windsor certainly has fresh legs after not playing until the regular-season finale, and his track record is impeccable. The 34-year-old has six seasons with at least 1,590 yards receiving, and the Brigade will have to be in a particularly aggressive mode offensively from the jump Saturday due to the fact they're 35 points from even catching up to the Empire. While Windsor's floor is far from guaranteed, his price is such that there's not much risk associated with him at what should also be very low ownership in tournaments.
