s still a lot to achieve from this game.R | Forum

The flex position on DraftKings -- or in your season-long fantasy football league, for that matter -- is really just a WR4, RB3 or TE2. Pharrell Williams Hu NMD Sale . But if you view the position as a strategic advantage rather than a leftover slot determined by price or bye-week availability, you could have a leg up on your opponents.I cannot tell you how many owners fill out their lineups only to slot the highest-priced player they can afford with their remaining salary into flex. Sure, we might have ways of justifying these players -- maybe X, Y and Z will all happen and he will score two touchdowns. Anything is possible.But thats exactly the kind of thinking that Im hoping to erase from your lineup-building process. Id like you to know whom you want on your rosters and why before you ever get to the sites salaries. Next, I want you to consider your roster as a whole. Are you competing in head-to-head contests? Double-ups? Huge prize-pool multi-entry tournaments? What is it that you want your lineup(s) to do for you -- beat one other person, or a half million other lineups?With those considerations in mind, here are a few principles I use to fill my flex spot:StackingEveryone knows that quarterback and wide receiver are the highest correlated fantasy point pairing, and you likely build your cash game and tournament lineups around such mini-stacks every week. Adding a running back to that combination might seem counterintuitive (if youre high on the passing game, why roster the running back?), but DFS expert Chris Raybon has shown a trend of three or four main stacks that involve at least QB, WR1 and RB being effective in terms of their potential to exceed the average projections of the positions. I think of it in terms of giving yourself a good chance to gain access to all of a teams touchdowns.So, if youre high on Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, think about using Latavius Murray in the flex. Hes got a reputation for not being reliable, and maybe not even being well liked by his own coaches, but the Oakland Raiders ran the ball 59 percent of the time from inside the 10-yard line last year (and 42 percent in the red zone overall). Thats a lot of opportunity for a running back. Other teams that ran a high percentage in the red zone included Dallas, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Now that people are on a minimum-priced Dak Prescott and Dez Bryant stack (predicted by some to be the highest Week 1 stack), will Ezekiel Elliott be forgotten? Are people afraid that Tevin Coleman will detract from Devonta Freemans production? These are ideal situations to go one step further with your stack than most of your opponents will and put you in position to access all of one teams scoring.ScoringSome weeks I look at my lineup and all I see is risk and upside. These are fun tournament lineups to make, but its important to see both upside and downside in your DFS lineups. Many of us -- myself included -- are optimists and have a much easier time seeing how things could work out beneficially when rostering a Chris Hogan or Brock Osweiler. In a tournament, you need a lot of low-probability, high-upside events to happen simultaneously to find yourself atop a huge field. But even in these big multi-entry games with huge prize pools, there is room for some safety. It goes without saying that cash-game lineups are built on solid ground, and safety starts with opportunities. Touches and targets from a team and quarterback with a track record of moving the ball and scoring are what Im looking for in a safe player, whether Im using him to balance a high-risk lineup or further shore up an already-solid squad.On a PPR site, receptions are obviously extremely valuable and the highest target/reception guys are priced accordingly -- Julio Jones, Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins among them. But someone like Jarvis Landry is affordable. In 2015, he posted nearly identical numbers to Odell Beckham Jr. with over 10 targets and nearly seven catches per game. Landry is a great flex filler. Michael Crabtree and Eric Decker (with around nine targets per game) are players I used a lot to round out my lineups last season and should be in line for similar numbers this year. Crabtree still comes at a significant discount relative to players with similar numbers.UpsideOn the other hand, some lineups emerge that beg for upside. Theyre full of safe, high-floor players but lack the ability to really push your lineup into elite range. This is where I look to big-play guys -- the receivers with great speed, who stretch the field and make 80-yard touchdown catches look routine. There arent many of them, but they often come cheap because those long plays are anything but guaranteed. Players like DeSean Jackson, Travis Benjamin and John Brown could fit the bill once again for 2016, as they all have competent quarterbacks who pass often and can throw deep.Third-down or pass-catching running backs also can provide some upside and are typically priced low. As long as the player is involved in the game plan, and you have a reasonable expectation that the team will score, guys like Theo Riddick, Giovani Bernard, Shane Vereen and, of course, Danny Woodhead make great fill-in flex options.DiversificationThe chalk plays are the chalk plays for a reason. Theyre good players in good defensive matchups, probably in what Vegas expects to be high-scoring games. Plus, there is plenty of content from expert analysts telling you whom to play every week, which leads to high rates of ownership. You know you need to use game theory to win big games (game theory is the approach of making your decisions based on what others are doing, not merely doing what appears optimal). But that doesnt mean you have to fade every good player.One way to diversify your lineups at the flex position is to use a teams best player when that team is in what seems to be a bad matchup. The crowds wont be on Keenan Allen vs. Seattle, or Sammy Watkins vs. the Jets. Todd Gurley figures to remain the Los Angeles Rams primary offensive weapon, even when hes facing Arizona or Seattle, situations when most people will be looking elsewhere at running backs in better matchups. Top players often find their way to abundant fantasy points due to their own talent and their teams reliance on their playmaking regardless of defensive scheme.Another option for diversification is to pay up for the top position player when there is significant and obvious value at that position. This typically works for tight ends or running backs (or quarterbacks) when a starter is injured. What doesnt work is to use a player with no opportunity or little talent -- regardless of the matchup.Above all, dont let circumstances like remaining salary dictate which player fills this slot on your roster. Make it work for you to gain an edge on your opponents with a more thorough stack, higher upside, increased security or that unique player with low ownership. How you design and arrange your lineup should vary from week to week. Thats the beauty of DFS; what works best one week wont be the answer the following week. So dont take any one strategy as a strict rule of thumb. Be flexible and on the lookout for that weeks winning formula. Cheap Adidas NMD 2019 . Barcelonas entertaining victory ensured the defending Spanish champions retained their share of the league lead with Atletico Madrid two rounds ahead of their meeting in the capital. Real Madrid needed a late goal by substitute Jese Rodriguez to earn a 3-2 victory at Valencia to stay in third place and three points behind its title rivals. Adidas NMD Clearance . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. http:///...uman-race-china.html .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play. Match factsOctober 5, 2016 Start time 1500 local (11:00 GMT)Big pictureIt has been more than two weeks since West Indies landed in the UAE, and are yet to win a game against Pakistan. West Indies, World T20 champions six months back, are now on the brink of their second successive whitewash of the tour.West Indies batsmen have looked out of place, despite showing some resistance in the second ODI. Fifties by Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels sparked a comeback but the West Indies bowlers lacked penetration and had conceded far too many earlier in the day. Phil Simmons sacking just before their UAE tour didnt bode well for the team either but with a gruelling Test series on the horizon, West Indies need to pick themselves quickly.Since their 4-1 rout against England last month, Pakistan have raised the bar, winning six consecutive matches: all of them one-sided. Their progress has been built on consistent performances from the top order, apart from captain Azhar Ali. The biggest upshot for Pakistan is their improvement in the ODI rankings as they strive to gain automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup.Form guidePakistan WWWLL (completed matches, most recent first)West Indies LLLWLIn the spotlightAzhar Alis role as Pakistans ODI captain has repeatedly been questioned of late. His batting, though, may be more of a worry. His dismissal in the second ODI was greeted by cheers from the Sharjah crowd. After back-to-back failures in the first two ODIs, Azhar will be desperate for a score of substance.Johnson Charles came to the UAE on the back of some impressive T20 form and the experience of 42 ODIs. Scores of 7, 10, 5, 20 and 2 on this tour have only added pressure on West Indies middle order.Team newsPakistan scored 337 in the second Sharjah ODI, but the scoring rate dipped between overs 31 and 40, which indicated a lack of firepower. Umar Akmal, who last played an ODI for Pakistan in the 2015 World Cup in Adelaide, may be given a chance.Fast bowler Mohammad Amir has returned home due to his mothers illness. Rahat Ali could step in.Pakistan (possible): 1 Azhar Ali (capt), 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 6 UUmar Akmal/Mohammad Rizwan, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Rahat Ali, 11 Hasan AliDespite the batsmen showing some fight in the second ODI, West Indies may consider rejigging their top order. Adidas NMD R1 White. . Evin Lewis, who struck 100 off 49 balls against India last month, is the reserve opener in the squad. Alzarri Joseph, who replaced Shannon Gabriel in the second ODI, is likely to retain his place.West Indies (possible): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite/Evin Lewis, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Jason Holder (capt.), 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Alzarri JosephPitch and conditionsThe October heat and dew will be significant factors in Abu Dhabi. The stadium is located in the middle of the desert, so gusts of wind may offer additional movement to the seamers.Stats and trivia7 - ODIs that Pakistan have lost, out of their last nine in Abu Dhabi over the last three years. They havent lost as many ODIs in any other venue during this period.West Indies have not won an ODI in Abu Dhabi. They lost all three to Pakistan in 2008.Two Pakistan batsmen have scored hundreds in three successive ODI innings - Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar. Babar Azam scored hundreds in the first two ODIs of the series.QuotesEveryone knows that we have to be in the top eight come this time next year so we will be doing our utmost to win. We dont want to think that we have won the series so [we can] back off. We have to make sure to tick off our goals; only then we will be comfortable that we can get into the top - not eight, but in the top four.Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur wants more than No. 8 on the rankingsThere are players who are playing in the Test series who are playing in the ODI series, so its important that they get used to the pitch and get used to the conditions, get used to the Pakistani bowlers as well, so theres still a lot to achieve from this game.Roddy Estwick, West Indies bowling coach, on why the dead rubber is important for his team ' ' '