NFL DFS Week 7: Top 10 DraftKings Main Slate Plays Under 10% Owned

Sunday, October 25, 2026 · DraftKings main slate · Large-field tournaments

Justin Jefferson is my favorite way to spend differently at receiver in Week 7. Trey McBride offers a reception-heavy alternative at tight end, and Joe Burrow gives us a low-owned quarterback with established stacking partners. None requires a bet on an anonymous backup suddenly becoming a star.

These are my top 10 NFL DFS plays below 10% estimated DraftKings ownership, ranked by the appeal of their role, price and tournament fit. They are choices to mix into a lineup, not ten players to force together. Keep the popular plays you trust and choose a different route to the touchdowns around them.

Early inactive-list update: the percentages and under-10% classification here are pre-inactives references, not refreshed current ownership. Breece Hall is inactive, changing the available player pool. These ten players qualified below 10% in the original estimates, but we cannot claim they remain below that cutoff after the news. The football arguments remain choices to assess, not a new numerical ranking.

Original large-field main-slate estimates: October 25 at 12:47 a.m. ET. One decimal place is displayed. See the Jets final inactives and the status note on our ownership reference.

Top 10 DraftKings plays under 10% ownership

Rank	Player	Pos.	Matchup	Salary	Est. ownership	Best use
1	Justin Jefferson	WR	MIN vs. IND	$7,300	9.0%	Premium receiver pivot
2	Trey McBride	TE	ARI vs. DEN	$7,400	7.1%	Pay up for catches at TE
3	Nico Collins	WR	HOU vs. NYG	$7,200	9.2%	Houston passing stack
4	Jonathan Taylor	RB	IND at MIN	$8,000	4.7%	Different premium RB build
5	Jared Goff	QB	DET vs. GB	$6,800	5.7%	Detroit passing stack
6	Jameson Williams	WR	DET vs. GB	$5,800	5.9%	Explosive Detroit alternative
7	Joe Burrow	QB	CIN at BAL	$6,900	3.9%	Passing-touchdown ceiling
8	Isaiah Likely	TE	NYG at HOU	$5,300	6.7%	Houston-stack bring-back
9	Jaylen Waddle	WR	DEN at ARI	$5,500	9.5%	Affordable late-game receiver
10	Cade Otton	TE	TB at CAR	$3,100	8.3%	Salary relief with an opening

Low ownership is not the whole case. These are ranked tournament choices with real roles, not the ten least popular names on the slate. A player can be an excellent stack partner without meeting this article’s ownership cutoff.

Why these ten make the tournament pool

1. Justin Jefferson: a healthier premium pivot

$7,300 · 9.0% estimated ownership. Jefferson finished Thursday and Friday as a full participant and carries no game designation. Indianapolis will be without Sauce Gardner. That is a more useful reason to consider Jefferson than simply recognizing a famous name beside a single-digit ownership estimate. Final Vikings–Colts injury report.

He caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown in Minnesota’s last game before the bye. At $500 less than Amon-Ra St. Brown, he fits as a one-for-one premium WR alternative or alongside Kyler Murray. The trade-off: Jefferson has not reached 100 receiving yards this season, and Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson are also available again. I want the healthier version of this offense, but I am not assuming Jefferson takes every important target. Jefferson’s game log.

2. Trey McBride: spend for volume at a different position

$7,400 · 7.1% estimated ownership. McBride has 49 catches, 361 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Michael Wilson is next on Arizona with 33 receptions. That established receiving role is the attraction on a full-PPR site: McBride can build a useful total through catches rather than needing one long touchdown. Cardinals receiving statistics.

Denver’s final inactive list confirms that both safety Talanoa Hufanga and Pat Surtain II are out. Those absences matter to the passing matchup, but I would not invent a specific coverage assignment for McBride. The trade-off: his 7.4 yards per reception makes a huge yardage game less automatic than the salary suggests. Paying this much at TE must leave you credible receivers. He works particularly well opposite a Bo Nix–Waddle stack. Broncos final inactives.

3. Nico Collins: bet on Houston’s passing touchdowns

$7,200 · 9.2% estimated ownership. Collins has 22 catches for 323 yards and three touchdowns. With David Montgomery out, Woody Marks is an appealing running-back value, but a Houston win does not require Marks to score the touchdowns. Collins is the direct way to back a different outcome, especially with C.J. Stroud. Texans statistics · Houston’s injury report.

The Giants are missing Greg Newsome II and Jevón Holland, although Paulson Adebo was activated Saturday. That is a weakened secondary, not an empty one. The trade-off: Houston can spread its catches around or protect a lead on the ground. Collins is $1,600 more than Marks, so this is a deliberate change of construction rather than a straight salary swap. Giants’ Saturday updates.

4. Jonathan Taylor: the uncomfortable premium running back

$8,000 · 4.7% estimated ownership. Taylor’s 122 carries, 15 receptions and seven rushing touchdowns give him a substantial role to bring into a difficult matchup. He has no game designation after full practices Thursday and Friday. I would consider him when the rest of a lineup already leans toward the common McCaffrey-and-value-back construction. Colts statistics · Final injury report.

The trade-off: Minnesota has allowed 433 rushing yards on 108 attempts, and Tyler Warren’s absence removes an important Colts receiving option. Indianapolis may struggle to sustain drives. Taylor needs productive possessions and finishing work, not just a high carry count. Pairing him with Jefferson tells a clear competitive-game story; pairing him with Vikings DST fights the result you need from your $8,000 back. Minnesota’s defensive totals.

5. Jared Goff: buy a different Detroit scoring path

$6,800 · 5.7% estimated ownership. Goff has thrown for 1,485 yards and 12 touchdowns without an interception. He gives a lineup a different bet on Detroit’s offense than building around Gibbs’ rushing production. Pair him with Jameson Williams for a lower-cost stack, or add St. Brown when the rest of the lineup can afford his stronger reception volume. Detroit’s passing and receiving totals.

The trade-off: Goff has only 16 rushing yards. A good Lions game can still leave him short of a tournament-winning result if Gibbs finishes the drives on the ground. I want Goff when I am deliberately betting on multiple passing touchdowns, not as an extra Detroit player tucked into a lineup already paying for every other Lion.

6. Jameson Williams: a cheaper share of Detroit’s upside

$5,800 · 5.9% estimated ownership. Williams has turned 18 catches into 276 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 15.3 yards per reception. That is a credible explosive-play route at a $2,000 discount from St. Brown. He makes sense with Jared Goff or as the Detroit player opposite a Packers passing stack. Lions receiving statistics.

The trade-off: St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs all have more catches. Williams is not a volume-equivalent replacement for St. Brown; you are accepting fewer receptions in exchange for salary relief and a different path to a big score. I prefer him when the savings improve another starting spot, rather than leaving $2,000 unused just to avoid a popular receiver.

7. Joe Burrow: make the low-owned quarterback count

$6,900 · 3.9% estimated ownership. Burrow has 11 passing touchdowns and has completed 71.4% of his attempts. Pair him with Higgins, then decide whether the budget supports Chase as well. A low-owned quarterback is much more useful when his big day can also lift the receivers in your lineup. Cincinnati’s passing totals.

The trade-off: he has only 48 rushing yards, so most of the ceiling has to come through the air. Lamar Jackson is out, with Tyler Huntley starting again. That lowers my confidence in a back-and-forth game and is why I would not force an expensive Baltimore bring-back into every Burrow lineup. A strong early Bengals lead could be good for Cincinnati and disappointing for an expensive double stack. Baltimore’s Saturday quarterback announcement.

8. Isaiah Likely: a bring-back with an established role

$5,300 · 6.7% estimated ownership. Likely has 39 catches for 383 yards and five touchdowns. His case does not begin with Theo Johnson being ruled out Saturday: he was already a major part of the Giants’ passing production. Johnson’s absence is another reason to keep Likely in the pool, not a reason to award him every vacated snap or target. There is also a route-based case: Texans analyst John Harris described Likely working farther down the middle over the past two weeks, rather than only underneath. That gives the matchup argument more substance without guaranteeing McCarthy will find him. Giants receiving statistics · Johnson ruled out.

The trade-off: J.J. McCarthy is making his first Giants start, which adds uncertainty to this week’s target distribution. Houston also has 18 sacks, even as safeties Reed Blankenship and Jalen Pitre sit out. Likely is my less expensive alternative to Malik Nabers when a Stroud–Collins lineup needs an opposing receiver, but his five touchdowns are not a dependable weekly scoring rate. Giants’ starter announcement · Houston statistics · Texans availability.

9. Jaylen Waddle: a useful price in the late window

$5,500 · 9.5% estimated ownership. Waddle practiced fully Friday and has no game designation. His 22 catches and 228 yards lead Denver’s wide receivers, giving him a more established receiving case than simply chasing the cheapest name in this offense. Arizona’s final inactive list confirms that Andrew Wingard and Max Melton are out. Budda Baker is active; that does not establish an unrestricted workload. Broncos statistics · Cardinals final inactives.

The trade-off: Denver is averaging only 5.6 yards per pass attempt. The matchup offers an opening, but Waddle’s salary still needs more than a few short completions. Nix–Waddle with McBride coming back is an affordable way to bet on this game improving through the air. The 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff also preserves a later decision if your early players disappoint.

10. Cade Otton: the budget choice with a clear limitation

$3,100 · 8.3% estimated ownership. Emeka Egbuka is out, leaving Tampa Bay without the receiver who leads the team in catches. Otton already has 19 receptions for 186 yards, so this is a bet on an existing role gaining relevance rather than a player appearing from nowhere. He saves $4,300 from McBride and lets you spend differently elsewhere. Buccaneers statistics · Final injury report.

The trade-off: Otton has not scored, Chris Godwin Jr. is available, and Baker Mayfield is active and will start despite the thumb issue. Egbuka’s absence does not guarantee Otton inherits his targets. I prefer this as a salary-saving tournament piece, not the centerpiece of a heavy Tampa Bay passing stack. Tampa Bay’s final inactive report confirms his return.

Low-owned stacks that still leave a workable budget

The combinations below use a featured play from the top ten, but not every player in a stack needs to be below 10%. One useful difference is enough. These are three-player cores, not complete lineups.

Core	Cost	Left for six spots	What you are buying
Burrow + Higgins + Mark Andrews	$17,400	$32,600	Cincinnati passing scores with a cheaper Baltimore answer
Stroud + Collins + Likely	$18,200	$31,800	Houston passing production and an involved Giants bring-back
Goff + Williams + Matthew Golden	$18,600	$31,400	Explosive receiving plays on both sides of Packers–Lions
Nix + Waddle + McBride	$17,900	$32,100	Denver’s passing game improving while McBride supplies the return
Murray + Jefferson + Taylor	$20,700	$29,300	Minnesota air production while Indianapolis keeps Taylor involved

My first two builds would be Stroud–Collins with Likely and Burrow–Higgins, adding Andrews only when I like the complete lineup. The Taylor core is the more uncomfortable game bet. Do not use Minnesota DST in it just because the defense looks good in isolation.

Bargain alternatives below $4,000

Otton is the top-ten budget choice. If you want a different inexpensive tight end, these two also sit below 10% estimated ownership:

• Dalton Schultz, $3,600, 3.6%: His 28 catches and 277 yards give him a reception-based case, and he finished Friday with no game designation. He has no touchdowns, while Foster Moreau has three, so do not assume Schultz owns Houston’s scoring-area work. Useful with Stroud or as a standalone salary release. Texans statistics.
• Mark Andrews, $3,900, 2.2%: A cheaper Baltimore bring-back than Zay Flowers, with 23 catches and 181 yards. He was a full participant all week with no game designation, but has only one touchdown and still depends on the Huntley-led offense moving the ball. Ravens statistics · Final practice report.

These are alternatives at the same position, not an instruction to fill FLEX with another cheap tight end. For receiver savings and more budget comparisons, see our Week 7 DraftKings values under $4,000.

How I would use the list

For one entry, choose the strongest low-owned play that fits your existing lineup. Jefferson can replace a more popular premium receiver without rebuilding everything. Collins makes more sense when you are deliberately buying Houston’s passing touchdowns. McBride changes where you spend, while Otton releases salary. Those are different decisions, and the right choice depends on the other eight spots.

For multiple entries, vary those scoring paths instead of adding a different near-zero-owned backup to the same core. Recheck the ownership board and inactive lists before the 1 p.m. ET games, then again before the late window. Williams plays at 4:25 p.m. ET; Waddle and McBride start at 4:05. Keep a later eligible player in FLEX when possible so you retain more swap choices.

For the broader player pool, read our NFL DFS Week 7 DraftKings main-slate picks and GPP stacks and pivots. The goal is a lineup with a believable way to win, not the lowest possible ownership total.