As we move into the heart of the fantasy season playoffs we start to see the Saturday football games pour in. This of course takes a few games off of the FanDuel week 15 main slate. Similar to playing the slates when four teams have a bye week there will be a few less targets, but I will still have plenty of targets to choose from.
Starting as I always do, last week’s misses at quarterback, none of my suggested four cracked the top ten at the postion yet were solid even with Big Ben and Lamar Jackson getting nicked up. The biggest mistake for me at running back was fading Ezekiel Elliot as he was the top player at the position. Part of the reason I did fade Zeke was because I loved Amari Cooper who broke the slate. The obvious blunder though was paying up for Antonio Brown over JuJu, and the Chris Godwin fiasco.
Getting right to it. This week is not the sexiest slate, yet I have a job to do. The Steelers and Patriots game is the game with an implied total over 50 points. This slate also features the lowest implied total between the Jaguars and the Redskins. Here we go:
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Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger $8,600
I have already alluded too this being the highest expected score and it makes sense to go for Big Ben since they still look to be the highest without a running attack.
Tom Brady $7,900
The counterpart to Ben is Tommy Touchdown. A sub par year thus far, Brady has played well recently and should do well in this one.
Kirk Cousins $7,800
Coming off of an abysmal performance on Monday night and after the firing of their offensive coordinator, who isn’t ready to roll him out? The match up is too good to pass up for me and the talent is too good on offense.
Dak Prescott
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Since the Cowboys added Amari Cooper this offense has looked good. The Colts secondary is not as inept as the Eagles were, yet this is still a great spot for Dak.
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Running Back
Ezekiel Elliot $8,800
They keep feeding Zeke. Getting 12 catches is probably out of the picture, but his usage in the pass game makes him an elite option.
Leonard Fournette $8,200
Which Fournette can we expect this week? I am betting on the beast version. The Redskins have all but officially checked out and shouldn’t be able to stop him anyway.
Joe Mixon $7,800
Despite not playing for a playoff spot, the Bengals have shown they are not scared to run Mixon into the ground. If he continues to get that bulk this week he will be a steal.
Aaron Jones $7,500
The Bears absolutely stepped up and man handled Todd Gurley last week on national television. I still think Aaron Jones has a good game and not many will play him.
David Johnson $7,400
The Falcons have been bad trying to stop opposing running backs especially in the passing game. Yes please.
Tarik Cohen $6,800
If I think Aaron Jones is a good play that kind of sets up my feelings for the game. I feel the Bears will need to score and Cohen catching passes is a great way to do so.
Dalvin Cook $6,200
I like all the Vikings offensive weapons this week and Cook is one of the main guys. As long as he stays healthy I do not see him missing his value.
Derrick Henry $6,100
Coming off that monster rushing game versus the Jaguars I am sure a lot of people will play him. Surely many will dismiss it as a fluke, but he gets the Giants poor rush defense this week. You could definitely do worse.
Jaylen Samuels $5,500
I expect James Conner to sit. Priced up only slightly, Jaylen is worth playing again this week.
Wide Receiver
Antonio Brown $8,600
I feel that if the Steelers are passing all game then Brown and JuJu should have great games.
Adam Thielen $8,200
The top target for the Vikings is coming into a fantastic match up. He should be able to exploit it and earn value.
JuJu Smith-Schuster $7,800
See Antonio Brown.
Stefon Diggs $7,700
Diggs will have the benefit of no Xavien Howard this week, making him a great target this week as well. I prefer Thielen, but obviously Diggs is cheaper.
Julian Edelman $7,200
Edelman, despite the addition of Josh Gordon, has remained the top target for Brady. That’s all I need to know.
Tyler Boyd $6,700
I have been on then off then back on again. He is finally in a spot and at a price where investing in his talents make sense.
Amari Cooper $6,600
I am a bit surprised Cooper isn’t more expensive after last week. The Colts are not great defensively yet did hold DeAndre Hopkins to a modest line last week.
Corey Davis $5,800
Davis should be well rested after watching Derrick Henry play by himself last week. Seriously though, Janoris Jenkins reportedly said he did not know who Corey Davis was. Davis responded by saying he will find out this week. We can find out together.
Kenny Stills $5,700
Stills has all of a sudden become reliable.
Calvin Ridley $5,700
I love Julio but coming off of an injury and likely facing Patrick Peterson means Matt Ryan should be able to get it to Ridley a lot.
Robert Foster $5,400
He has the body and skill set to repeat success. The Bills will need to find him to help move the chains this week.
Sterling Shepard $5,200
Another week with no Odell and this week I firmly believe Shepard shows up.
Taylor Gabriel $5,100
Gabriel might be the best receiver on the team and has certainly been the most consistent.
John Brown $4,800
At this price he is basially a punt with potential. There are some high priced guys I want to use and need to find discounts.
Tight End
George Kittle $7,400
He could have easily broken the all time receiving yards by a tight end last week as he was five yards short……at half time. This week he is the highest price option on the slate. Still love him. When you choose to play a few of the top tight ends it is like playing another wide receiver.
Rob Gronkowski $6,900
Speaking of a wide receiver in a tight end body, Gronk has looked to be back. I will ignore his defensive struggles. He should get his fair share of targets in this game.
Eric Ebron $6,500
As of the time I am writing this, T.Y. Hilton is a game time decision after missing practices this week. If he doesn’t play, Ebron will be this week’s play by the masses.
Jared Cook $6,300
Cook has been doing the heavy lifting recently for the Raiders passing attack. The same situation applies this week.
Vernon Davis $5,300
Back in our DFS hearts again this year after Jordan Reed has been ruled out. With Josh Jackson at quarterback there will not be a line formed to start him this week. To me he is worth his price.
Evan Engram $5,200
He should gain a few more targets again with Odell out. The Giants should also be forced to pass more than last week earning him some more looks.
C.J. Uzomah $5,000
The worst defense versus the tight end position are the Raiders. That is all I have for him. I don’t feel good about it, but he may find his way in while tweaking salaries.
Defense
Jaguars $4,800
Only two options stick out for me this week. It is just whether you want to pay up or pay down.
Cowboys $3,400
The Cowboys and their team speed are the reason I like them. I generally pay down for a defense and likely will this week.
