Daily League Bargains: Week Fifteen
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Keep in mind these suggestions are made for GPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool) tournaments with more than 50 participants where players are looking for bargains to fill out their lineups after already inserting their “studs” for the week. Many of them are risky plays and shouldn’t necessarily be considered in head to head or 50/50 games.
Quarterback
Matt Ryan, QB ATL
At his price, Ryan ($7,900) might not be considered a bargain to some. When you consider that he’s listed as the 16th highest priced quarterback on FanDuel this weekend, it’s easy to see what a bargain he may be. Coming off three consecutive games with multiple touchdowns and a dominant effort against the Packers on Monday night when he lit up Green Bay to the tune of 375 passing yards and four touchdowns, he’ll face the Steelers’ secondary that has allowed multiple touchdown passes in each of their last seven games and seven scoring tosses over the last two weeks.
Julio Jones is very questionable for this weekend’s game and if he’s unable to suit up, it would definitely hurt Ryan’s chances of being a top scorer at quarterback. If he does take the field however, Ryan could be the steal of the week under center.
Johnny Manziel, QB CLE
Putting a lot of faith in any rookie quarterback on the weekend of his first start isn’t a very good idea in most cases, but Johnny Football may not be just any rookie quarterback. Manziel ($6,700) most likely won’t be lethal through the air on Sunday against the Bengals but he’s sure to put on a show with his legs and as we’ve seen in the past with Michael Vick, Tim Tebow and other scrambling quarterbacks, that can be quite valuable on FanDuel. With Josh Gordon, Andrew Hawkins and Jordan Cameron all available, the Browns offense will be at full strength.
I don’t expect Manziel to light up the scoreboard and carry people to glory on FanDuel this weekend, but I’m also not so naïve to say it couldn’t happen. He’s an incredibly risky play and may be in quite a few lineups this weekend, but Manziel is worth consideration.
Other Options: Mark Sanchez ($7,500) and Derek Anderson ($5,000) if Cam Newton can’t play.
Running Back
Jonathan Stewart, RB CAR
Stewart ($6,700) grew on me throughout the week last week and ended up in most of my tournament lineups, coming through in flying colors. This week his value is strictly based on whether or not DeAngelo Williams ($5,200) is active or not. Stewart finally got 20 carries against the Saints on Sunday and put up 21.5 fantasy points. If he gets that kind of workload this weekend against the Buccaneers (who are among the worst defenses in the league when it comes to giving up fantasy points to tailbacks), Stewart will have an excellent chance to post a similar total on FanDuel once again.
Dan Herron, RB IND
I’ve listed Herron ($6,300) here for the last couple weeks and although he hasn’t had monster games, he’s played well. At this point he’s completely taken over the role that Ahmad Bradshaw had before getting hurt and is a far better option than Trent Richardson ($5,300). Herron has a tough matchup against the Texans this weekend but the Colts are getting him the ball in the open field and he’s a threat to make a big play every time he touches the pigskin.
Latavius Murray, RB OAK
Despite taking over as the fulltime tailback for the Raiders and handling the ball 25 times against the 49ers on Sunday, Murray ($6,500) is still listed at a bargain price for week 15. The last time he faced the Chiefs, he ran for 112 yards and a pair of scores on just four carries before exiting with a concussion. Kansas City is allowing a league worst 4.9 yards per carry on the season and nearly 170 rushing yards per game to tailbacks over the last three weeks.
This is a great week to find value in your FanDuel backfield and Murray is the best bargain of all in my opinion. He’ll be in many of my tournament lineups this weekend.
Chris Johnson, RB NYJ
Many may be surprised to see his name among the bargains for this weekend, but I simply couldn’t resist including Johnson ($5,300) at a bargain basement price while he’s scheduled to take on his former employer, the Titans. To make things even more intriguing, Tennessee just happens to be giving up a league worst 132 rushing yards per game to tailbacks as well as five 100-yard rushing performances and nine total touchdowns to the position in their last six games.
Johnson has touched the ball 35 times over the last two weeks and is sure to be motivated to show the Titans what they’re missing. Some may go with Chris Ivory ($5,200) because he’s getting just as much work (33 touches) over the last couple weeks and may be more likely to get a goal line carry, but I’m leaning towards the former Titan this week in Tennessee.
Other options: Alfred Morris ($7,000), Isaiah Crowell ($6,500) and Kerwynn Williams ($5,300)
Wide Receiver
Roddy White, WR ATL
Even if Julio doesn’t play this week, Ryan and the Falcons should still light up the Steelers secondary. As I mentioned above, Pittsburgh has been awful against the passing game particularly in the last few weeks. White ($7,000) is getting healthier with every week that passes and caught a touchdown Monday night after Jones left with an injury. In the event that Julio isn’t able to take the field on Sunday, White could prove to be one of the best bargains of the week at the position. Harry Douglas ($5,800) could also be an option for those worried about White’s injured ankle.
Charles Johnson, WR MIN
Johnson ($6,600) has been a regular on this list since he took over as the number one receiver in Minnesota. He had his best game as a pro last week against the Jets, catching four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown while nearly scoring another. Johnson has a tough matchup this week against Detroit, but the Lions have given up big games in recent weeks to receivers Vincent Jackson (10/159/0), Mike Evans (4/45/2) and Alshon Jeffery (9/71/2). I wouldn’t put it past Johnson to post a similar stat line on Sunday.
Marqise Lee, WR JAX
Lee ($5,800) has been one of my favorite bargains at wide receiver over the last few weeks. He hasn’t had a breakout game yet, but it’s bound to happen. Now playing more than 70% of Jacksonville’s snaps, he has 18 targets over the last three games. While those numbers aren’t necessarily eye-popping, they definitely indicate Lee is taking over as the top receiver in Jacksonville. This week, Lee gets to take on the Baltimore secondary giving up a league worst 204 receiving yards per game to wide outs. Lee’s production may come in garbage time, but it all counts.
Marquess Wilson, WR CHI
Although he has just seven career receptions for 53 yards and no touchdowns, Wilson ($4,500) has a golden opportunity to become a factor down the stretch for the Bears and fantasy players. With Brandon Marshall sidelined due to injury, he’ll step into the starting role opposite Alshon Jeffery and should receive a majority of Marshall’s seven-plus targets per game. This week, Wilson will face the Saints’ secondary that is among the worst against wide outs. At his rock bottom price, he’s definitely worth consideration for your GPP lineups.
Other Options: Jordan Matthews ($7,000), Martavis Bryant ($6,800), Donte Moncrief ($5,700) and Malcom Floyd ($5,600)
Tight End
Martellus Bennett, TE CHI
Bennett ($6,200) was my favorite play at tight end a week ago and he came through with 12 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown. This week, he ranks as one of the top plays once again as he gets to face the Saints’ awful defense that has given up big games to Heath Miller (8/82/0) and Greg Olsen (10/72/1) over the last two weeks.
If you include Matt Forte (who is a dynamite play this weekend), I am unusually high on the Bears this week. I won’t be stacking any of the Bears together but I’ll definitely be rostering all of them in different lineups.
Antonio Gates, TE SD
Denver’s defense has been one of the worst in the league against the tight end throughout the season, giving up an average of six catches for 60 yards per game and seven scores on the year. The last time that Gates ($5,500) lined up against the Broncos, he hauled a pair of touchdowns. He’s been held without a score in each of his last five contests but that streak should end this week. Gates is a good bet to finish as a top-five scorer at the position and at his price, that’s a bargain.
Larry Donnell, TE NYG
Donnell ($5,200) faces the Redskins this week – the same defense that allowed four grabs for 61 yards and two touchdowns to Jared Cook last week and four catches for 127 yards and two more scores to Coby Fleener a week before. If you recall, the last time Donnell faced the Skins he had the best game of his career – catching three touchdowns. He’s been a bit of a disappointment over the last few weeks but Donnell is worth considering this week.
Other options: Travis Kelce ($5,400) and Jordan Cameron ($5,100)
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