Welcome to another season of Daily Fantasy Football; these articles will focus on games being played at FanDuel. Each week I will highlight some of my preferred plays of the week, plus some deeper “Tournament” plays, who will be decent options to mix in for the larger field tournaments in an effort to differentiate your lineup from the similar higher owned lineup options.
For those of you who are not familiar with the format at FanDuel, here is a quick primer:
- Scoring: Half PPR with 4 point Pass Touchdowns, -1 for Interceptions and -2 for Fumbles Lost.
- Lineups: 1 Quarterback (QB), 2 Running Backs (RB), 3 Wide Receivers (WR), 1 Tight End (TE), 1 Kicker (K), and 1 Defense (D).
- Salary Cap: 60,000 with player salaries ranging from 4,000 to approximately 10,000 in any given week.
Different from some of the other sites, there is a smaller range of salaries from the top to bottom players, so rather than a “Stars & Scrubs” approach as many will take on certain sites, on FanDuel you are better off looking for value in the midrange and avoiding the bottom end players unless a clear value play emerges.
FANDUEL WEEKLY PICKS (WEEK 8)
Note: These rankings are only for the full Sunday/Monday FanDuel leagues, the Miami Dolphins/New England Patriots Thursday game and Detroit Lions/Kansas City Chiefs London game are not part of these rankings.
Another note: the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins are on bye this week.
Quarterback Top Plays
- Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (8100 @ PIT) – Ben Roethlisberger appears to be on track to play this week, so I am expecting a shootout in Heinz Field between the division rivals.
- Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (7800 @ DAL) – This game seems to me like a place where the Seattle passing game gets on track; I can see Wilson putting up a big stat line against the Cowboys.
Secondary Plays
- Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers (8500 @ BAL)
- Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (8000 v. TB)
Tournament Plays
- Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers (8000 v. IND)
- Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (7400 @ OAK)
- Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6600 @ ATL)
Running Back Top Plays
- Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings (8900 @ CHI) – There appears to be some value at running back this week, but it is hard to overlook Adrian Peterson against the Bears’ terrible defense.
- Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams (8100 v. SF) – Gurley was here last week and ran roughshod all over Cleveland even though he was in negative yardage after the first quarter; San Francisco is not as bad as Cleveland against the run, but they are not good.
- Chris Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (7300 @ CLE) – I honestly cannot believe I am recommending Chris Johnson in 2015, but against the horrendous Browns rush defense, I think almost anyone deserves a serious look in DFS.
Secondary Plays
- Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7500 @ ATL)
- Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens (6900 v. SD)
- Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (6600 v. IND)
Tournament Plays
- Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints (8000 v. NYG)
- Alfred Blue/Chris Polk, Houston Texans (6500/5300 v. TEN)
- Danny Woohead, San Diego Chargers (6100 @ BAL)
Wide Receiver Top Plays
- Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (9200 v. TB) – Julio is not 100% healthy, but Tampa Bay is horrendous in pass defense. They were just eaten alive by Kirk Cousins this week…Kirk Cousins.
- Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7800 @ ATL) – With Vincent Jackson out, Mike Evans will see a ton of targets; following the bye week, it looks like Evans and Winston have gained a better rapport and should continue to grow as the season moves on.
- Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings (6700 @ CHI) – There is a risk this game draws a heavy Adrian Peterson game plan, but the Bears are so bad, there will be some good passing numbers available for the Vikings.
Secondary Plays
- DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans (9000 v. TEN)
- J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (8200 @ PIT)
- Donte Moncrief, Indianapolis Colts (6400 @ CAR)
Tournament Plays
- Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers (8000 @ BAL)
- Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (7600 @ DEN)
- Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks (5500 @ DAL)
Tight End Top Plays
- Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (6400 v. IND) – With no Gronkowski in the player pool this week, there is not a big incentive to skimp at tight end, so Olsen provides a solid option, even at the top price tag of the week.
- Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals (6000 @ PIT) – Eifert continues his breakout season with a good road matchup against the Steelers.
Secondary Plays
- Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks (6100 @ DAL)
- Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (5500 v. ATL)
Tournament Plays
- Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (5500 v. SEA)
- Ladarius Green, San Diego Chargers (5300 @ BAL – check Antonio Gates injury status)
Kicker Top Plays
- Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens (4900 v. SD) – Bottom line, the Chargers defense is awful; this game should see some points put up by both teams, but more by the Ravens.
- Kai Forbath, New Orleans Saints (4600 v. NYG) – This seems like a very good value play this week, the Saints won on the road this week, but are a much stronger team at home.
Secondary Plays
- Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons (4800 v. TB)
- Greg Zuerlein, St. Louis Rams (4600 v. SF)
Tournament Plays
- Graham Gano, Carolina Panthers (4700 v. IND)
- Mike Nugent, Cincinnati Bengals (4600 @ PIT)
Defense Top Plays
- St. Louis Rams (5100 v. SF) – The Rams were in this spot in last week’s article and did not disappoint; a home game against the hapless 49ers makes the Rams another good play this week, even at an inflated price tag in a week where there is not a lot of value at defense.
- Carolina Panthers (4800 v. IND) – I would not have believed preseason that any game against the Colts would be a plus defensive matchup, but it is clear by now that Andrew Luck is not healthy.
Secondary Plays
- Arizona Cardinals (5400 @ CLE)
- Minnesota Vikings (4700 @ CHI)
Tournament Plays
- Seattle Seahawks (5200 @ DAL)
- New Orleans Saints (4200 v. NYG)
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