Daily Optimized Lineup: Week Three

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As part of that experience we at DLF felt it might be of particular interest to our readers to provide them with an optimized lineup that they should be able to plug into a Head to Head or 50/50 game and fully expect to win some money.

Last week should have provided with a lineup that would have won most of the games you entered and this week I have a great lineup for you. I can say with certainty, this week’s line up is the best one yet!

Quarterback – Drew Brees – $9,100

Drew Brees is a must start in nearly any format – that much is obvious to anyone who has watched football in any passing manner. This week, however, you must start this “must start.” Not only is Brees at home where he tends to have better games than on the road but he is also facing a team that not only is in the midst of a media firestorm due to Adrian Peterson’s legal problems, but is also fielding a defense that isn’t all that different than the incredibly bad defense that Minnesota rolled out last season. Brees should have next to no problem carving up the Vikings. Thus far, the Vikings dodged a bullet in their match up with the Patriots and against the Rams they were facing a third string quarterback for much of the game. Simply put, they haven’t been tested in any real way, Brees will change that.

With the fact the Saints are now 0-2 and likely steaming mad from a last second loss to the Browns last week and you have a motivated Brees looking to turn the fortunes of his team around. Look for Brees to put up yet another 300+ yard game en route to hanging a blow out on the Vikings defense and reminding everyone just how exploitable they really are.

Projected Stat Line – 26 completions for 315 yards and two touchdowns

 

[inlinead]Running Back – Le’Veon Bell – $8,800

For all the talk during the offseason of Le’Veon Bell’s workload being reduced with the addition of LeGarrette Blount, that just has not been the case thus far. Bell has been able to post an impressive 5.3 yards per rush thus far in this short season, which is well above his 2013 average of 3.5 yards per rush. He has also has a 100+ yard rushing game already and if anything it appears as if the adding of Blount has lit a fire under Bell. Not only is he adding points to his total on the ground, but he’s racking up the points through the air also. In each of the two games Bell has had five or more receptions per game with 68 receiving yards per game on average. Bell is stepping up his game in a huge way this season, already totaling a quarter of all the receptions he had last season and a full third of his 2013 receiving yards.

It’s this stat that makes me feel confident in playing Bell this week. Carolina is been susceptible to the pass this season, giving up 255 receiving yards per game on average. I’m looking for Bell to at least get 50 rushing yards against a tough Panthers rush defense but to add some significant points through the air. In the FanDuel format this is very important as it’s PPR (unlike some of the other daily sites), so if you can find a running back who is going to be involved in every aspect of their offense then it’s like gold. Look for Bell to post a similar stat line to his game against Baltimore last week.

Projected Stat Line – 15 rushes for 70 yards, four receptions for 40 receiving yards and one touchdown

Running Back – Giovani Bernard – $8,500

Just like Le’Veon Bell, Giovani Benard is a special kind of running back in the FanDuel format due to his multi-faceted use in the Cincinnati’s offense. Bernard is able to add a respectable amount of rushing yards to give his fantasy point total a solid base and then supplements that base with a significant bump with his contributions through the air. Through two games, Bernard has averaged just under 70 rushing yards per game, which makes him a respectable option on just his rushing statistics alone. However, he is also adding at least five receptions per game and averaging an additional 70 receiving yards per game.

On Sunday, Bernard will face a Titans defense that is giving up 30 rushing attempts per game for about 144 rushing yards per game, so look for Bernard to have a great game on the ground. The Titans have not given up much in the way of passing yards thus far but that is because they are just so poreous against the rush. However, I fully expect Bernard to get the receptions he’s used to in this game as well due to a banged up Bengals passing offense that needs play makers to pass to.

Projected Stat Line – 22 rushes for 82 yards, four receptions for 38 yards

Wide Receiver – Golden Tate – $5,000

I’ve had a Detroit wide receiver in this lineup each week and this is Tate’s second appearance in this column in just three weeks’ time. It’s just so hard to deny how much value he brings to a lineup both in terms of potential points and salary savings. This week Tate will face a Green Bay team that has every potential to either stay in the game or pull ahead of the Lions. Meanwhile, Tate has shown himself to be an excellent complement to Calvin Johnson since arriving in Detroit with at least five receptions in each of his first two games with an average of 75 yards receiving gained per game.

There may be some worry due to the Packers’ defense giving up very few yards through the air, but that has been due mainly to scheduling thus far. Green Bay faced Russell Wilson and Geno Smith in the first two weeks, neither of which are widely known for the passing aspect of their game. This week, however, expect Stafford to increase Green Bay’s defensive passing averages across the board and look for Tate to be heavily involved in that production. At his price, he’s a steal!

Projected Stat Line – Five receptions for 60 yards and one touchdown

Wide Receiver – Brian Hartline – $4,500

To open the season I suggested starting Brian Hartline and he promptly made me look pretty stupid with a stat line of two receptions for 26 yards – not exactly what I was aiming for with that suggestion. However, due to some circumstances surrounding Hartline I feel comfortable coming back to him this week despite our previously rocky relationship. The reason for this is due to the injuries suffered to the Dolphins’ rushing attack with Knowshon Moreno out and the possibility that Lamar Miller can’t suit up on Sunday. If Miller can’t play the Dolphins will be forced to either rely on a couple of rookie running backs or severely curtail their rushing attack in favor of the pass in order to beat Kansas City.

There are some things that point to Miami at the very least increasing their passing numbers this week. First, the Dolphins have faced one of the surprising defenses of this young season, the Patriots who are making the Dolphins’ passing stats look significantly worse than they are likely to be going forward. Second, Kansas City can be thrown on as sit pretty much in the middle of the pack in terms of passing defense in many categories. Hartline should easily outperform his extremely low $4500 price tag and should see his price rise in coming weeks. Grab the bargain while you can.

Projected Stat Line – Four receptions for 52 yards and one touchdown

Wide Receiver – Pierre Garcon – $6,500

The Washington passing offense has looked fairly abysmal this season when Robert Griffin III was at the helm and it obviously impacted Pierre Garcon’s statistics negatively. However, with Kirk Cousins at the helm that all changes and this is going to be a great time to take advantage of that turnaround. Last week Garcon posted a horrible stat line but there were a few reasons for that, namely a collection of injuries that required their game plan to be scrapped very early.

This week, however, Garcon has a prime matchup against a porous Philadelphia defense. The Eagles will make every effort to try to take DeSean Jackson out of the game in order to prove they made the right decision in severing ties with him during the off season. This is juxtaposed against the fact that Jackson himself is dealing with an injury and may serve as little more than a decoy which should free up Garcon to get even more looks. All the pieces are in place for Garcon to have a great opportunity at a big fantasy game.

Projected Stat Line – Six receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown.

Tight End – Jimmy Graham – $8,400

Jimmy Graham once again showed why I advocated rostering him last week and I feel the same why this week as well. Tight ends have been heavily targeted versus the Vikings with their opponents completing the fifth most passes in the NFL to the position. Additionally, the last time Graham faced the Vikings he hung seven receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown on them. The final selling point on Graham is tied to the fact that if you’re already starting Drew Brees (as I suggested earlier in this very article) then not only will you be able to take advantage of everything Brees does to the Vikings, but you’ll be able to pair that production up with his most targeted option in the passing game in Graham.

Expect to see your points increase in large chunks come Sunday as Graham should easily put up another of his monster games and will hit his price-point with ease.

Projected Stat Line – Six receptions for 75 yards and one touchdown

Kicker – Billy Cundiff – $4,500

If you’ve been reading this series all along then you know how I feel about kickers – basically it’s just a waste of money due to the variance displayed within the position. Nonetheless, it’s required, so I try my best to give you a viable starting option each week. This week I’m going to suggest adding Billy Cundiff to your lineup due to the fact the Cleveland offense, despite showing some signs of life, just doesn’t appear to have enough to consistently get in the red zone against a decent Baltimore Ravens defense this week. As such, Cundiff should have several opportunities at mid-to-long range field goals in an effort to keep Cleveland in the game. More than anything Cundiff’s cheap price allows us to get several high end players in our lineup without losing really any opportunities to add points at the kicker position.

Projected Stat Line – Three field goals, one extra points

Defense – New Orleans Saints – $4,800

Yep, you read that right, I’m suggesting starting the Saints defense once again this week. The reason behind this is due to the fact that their matchup is pretty tasty and I’m convinced that Rob Ryan didn’t like losing the little bit of butt that Sean Payton chewed off at the end of the Browns’ game. Additionally, his defense is actually pretty good at stopping the rush so they should be able to contain a pretty average Matt Asiata. Conversely, their weakness, defending the pass, isn’t exactly a strong suit of the Vikings offense either. You see, Minnesota has only averaged 166.5 yards per game thus far in the season, the 31st worst in the NFL. Even if the Saints pass defense is horrible, the Vikings in all likelihood have no idea how to even exploit it!

You can fully expect the Saints offense to jump way out ahead which will force Minnesota’s hand, requiring them to pass and hence becoming one dimensional and predictable. At the price the Saints are going for it’s really tough not to side them into your line up this week.
Projected Stat Line – 16 points against, two interception, three sacks

Have fun everyone!