Daily League Bargains: Week Sixteen
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Week 16 brings another opportunity for bargain hunters to find deals on FanDuel. Due to some injuries throughout the league, there’s the possibility for some major savings. Let’s shine a light on some of the best bargains of the week.
Keep in mind that 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
Alex Smith, QB KC
The last time I suggested Smith ($7,400) in this space he disappointed in a big way and overall, I’m not a big fan of the former number one overall pick. But this week his matchup is just good enough to give him another chance.
Smith will travel to Pittsburgh this weekend to take on the Steelers’ defense that is among the worst in the league against the pass. They’ve allowed back-to-back 300-yard passing games to Andy Dalton and Matt Ryan and have given up multiple touchdown passes in eight consecutive games. I won’t have Smith in a lot of my tournament lineups this weekend due to his inconsistency and constant insistence on checking the ball down rather than pushing it down the field, but I’ll certainly have some exposure to him.
Robert Griffin III, QB WAS
Coming into the season I was quite high on Griffin ($6,900) so I was thrilled to see him get another chance on Sunday against the Giants. He played well for the most part, completing 18 of 27 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown. This week, Griffin should get the start against the Eagles’ leaky pass defense that has allowed 286 passing yards per game over the last six weeks and are ranked among the five worst defenses in the league against quarterbacks on the season.
No doubt he’s been itching to get another chance under center while sitting behind Colt McCoy, RG3 should be motivated to once again take the league by storm as he did a couple years ago as a rookie. He has the potential to finish the week in the top-five at the position – especially if he’s allowed to use his legs. Something he did last week, carrying five times for 46 yards. He’s my favorite bargain at quarterback this week and will be in many of my tournament lineups.
Other Options: Kyle Orton ($7,200), Shaun Hill ($6,500) and due to his bottom of the barrel pricing, Case Keenum ($5,000)
Running Back
Tre Mason, RB STL
Since gashing the Raiders for 164 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in week 13, Mason ($6,500) hasn’t done much over the last two weeks against Washington and Arizona’s tough run defenses. That’s driven his price down to the point where he’s once again a bargain and just in time for a tasty matchup with the Giants.
New York has been better of late against the run but is still incredibly vulnerable and Mason was terribly close to breaking off big runs against one of the best run defenses in the league, the Cardinals, a week ago. He’s had the three biggest games of his career at home and will get another chance on the fast track in the Edward Jones Dome against the Giants this week. Mason is primed for 20-plus touches and is a great bet to outperform his salary on FanDuel.
Steven Jackson, RB ATL
Jackson ($6,200) has averaged 15.5 carries per game over the last seven weeks and found pay dirt four times over that stretch. Although he’s not contributing as a receiver anymore, he’s settled in as the Falcons’ top runner and has a nice matchup with the Saints this week. New Orleans has allowed 240 yards from scrimmage per game to running backs over the last five weeks and given up monster games to Jonathan Stewart, LeVeon Bell, Justin Forsett and Jeremy Hill in the last month. Jackson’s no longer the beast he once was but with the workload he’s been getting and the matchup he’s facing, he should be considered in week 16.
Toby Gerhart, RB JAX
Gerhart ($4,700) has been one of the biggest disappointments of the season but got a chance to be the lead back once again in Jacksonville last week after Denard Robinson went on injured reserve. Playing against the top run defense in the league, he posted a respectable 54 yards on 13 carries against the Ravens.
This week Gerhart gets a much better matchup against the Titans. Tennessee is allowing 132 rushing yards per game to running backs and until last week against the Jets, had given up five consecutive 110-plus yard rushing games with at least one touchdown to the opposition’s top tailback. Gerhart isn’t a great runner and investing in any part of the Jacksonville offense is incredibly risky. But if you’re looking for some salary cap relief to get some big names into your lineup, he’s worth consideration.
Lance Dunbar, RB DAL
With DeMarco Murray ($9,300) likely to be sidelined this week with a broken hand, the spotlight will turn to the duo of Dunbar ($4,500) and Joseph Randle ($4,900). Early word out of Dallas suggests Randle will start for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Colts but daily players should consider a couple things before slotting him into their lineups.
First, Dunbar out-touched Randle 6:2 last week against the Eagles while Murray was nursing the injury. Secondly, Dunbar is a far more polished receiver than Randle and the Colts enter the week worst in league at slowing down tailbacks in the passing game – giving up 57 yards on better than five catches per game.
There’s no guarantee that Dunbar gets more touches than Randle so playing Dunbar is very risky. It’s certainly possible if the reports out of Dallas are correct that Randle will get the first opportunity to handle the ball, he could run with it and I could be off base. But if a lot of daily players are rostering Randle and its Dunbar that gets the work like he should, you could be at a huge advantage by having him in your lineup. I’m not going overboard with either Dallas running back this week but I certainly plan on having Dunbar in my lineup in a few tournaments this weekend.
Other options: Fred Jackson ($6,700), Pierre Thomas ($5,700) and whoever starts for the 49ers – Frank Gore ($5,400), Carlos Hyde ($5,000) or Alfonso Smith ($4,500)
Wide Receiver
Vincent Jackson, WR TB
Jackson ($6,700) has been more involved in the Buccs’ offense over the last month and although he hasn’t found the end zone since week four, he’s hauled in 23 passes over the last four weeks for 370 yards. This week he’ll take on the Packers’ secondary that has given up more touchdowns to receivers than any other defense (20). Many will be turning to rookie Mike Evans ($7,900) for good reason this weekend, but the discount of $1,200 is enough for me to take the veteran. Call it a hunch but I believe Jackson has a good chance of ending his scoring slump on Sunday and therefor, is an excellent value for week 16.
Kenny Stills, WR NO
Because he played on Monday night, Stills’ ($6,100) price didn’t change between weeks 15 and 16 and that’s a break for bargain hunters. Now a fulltime player, Stills has hauled in at least five balls in three of the last four weeks and Drew Brees just missed him for a long touchdown against the Bears last week. They’re gaining chemistry with each game that passes and now they’ll face the Falcons, who have given up more yards through the air than any other team in the league.
Stills’ teammate, Marques Colston ($6,100) is another quality option, but the Saints will no doubt be airing it out on Sunday and Stills is far more likely to carry your team to daily glory.
Donte Moncrief, WR IND
After laying a goose egg a week ago with so many people on his bandwagon, Moncrief ($5,900) probably won’t be in many peoples’ lineups in week 16. I won’t be one of those people avoiding him though – especially if T.Y. Hilton misses this week’s game against Dallas. The Cowboys have been good against receivers throughout the season but have been among the worst in the league when it comes to giving up the deep ball. Moncrief has slowly become the target of choice for Andrew Luck in the deep passing game and the Colts will have to stretch the field to beat the Cowboys.
If Hilton misses the game this weekend Moncrief will nearly be a full time player and therefor will be in many of my tournament lineups.
Other Options: Jordan Matthews ($7,000), Nate Washington ($6,600), Stedman Bailey ($6,200) and Pierre Garcon ($5,700)
Tight End
Travis Kelce, TE KC
As I mentioned above, the Steelers’ pass defense is dreadful. They’re giving up 281 yards per game through the air over their last seven games and allowed six touchdowns to tight ends over the last eight. Kelce ($5,600) is the only dependable receiver on the Chiefs’ roster. He’s averaged 14.45 fantasy points per game on FanDuel over the last two weeks and should approach those numbers once again in week 16.
Other options: Delanie Walker ($5,400)
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