FanDuel Bargains: Week Four
Editor’s Note: We’re going to bring you an unprecedented amount of content this year during the season, mostly dynasty related. However, seeing the explosion of DFS games, we’ll also be providing daily coverage. Even if you don’t play in DFS games, these articles can help you in making lineup decisions or judge the current value of your dynasty assets.
Over the next 17 weeks (and into the post-season), I’ll be highlighting some of the best bargains on the best daily site in the industry, FanDuel. Keep in mind that these suggestions relate to 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 take into account for head-to-head or 50/50 games.
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins, QB WAS $7,600
Three games into the season and Kirk Cousins is not having the year he would hope or fantasy owners would like him to have. His 329 yards per game is solid, but it’s his three touchdowns that have him low on the totem pole of signal callers. But the good news is just a few days away. The Washington Redskins will be playing the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns defense is all around stinkage. 24th overall to go with 22nd against the pass, and 18th versus the rush. Cousins will use both DeSean Jackson and Jamison Crowder to move the ball downfield. He elevated his play against the Giants last week, but his completion percentage (63.7 percent) is 20th in the NFL. All these numbers should increase now that they get to play the Brownies.
The over/under is 47.5 points and Vegas favors the Redskins by 7.5 points at home.
Others to Consider:
Blake Bortles, QB JAC $7,700
Bortles had another interesting game against the Ravens. He is averaging 281 yards a game, but only threw for 194. At least he was consistent in his touchdown to interception ratio of two-to-three. Bortles does have five touchdowns on the season (ninth) and six interceptions (second), he has 843 yards (12th) and a 62.2 completion percentage (24th). Typical Bortles.
I hope Bortles does not get jet lag because they will be in London facing off with the Colts at 9:30 a.m. on the eastern coast. Indianapolis has one of the worst defenses in football, yet they don’t play that awful. They do have a severe departure of injured players in the secondary, so Bortles should take advantage of this.
The over/under is 49 points and Vegas favors the Colts by 2.5 points on the road.
Trevor Siemian, QB DEN $7,400
Not to many fantasy owners gave Trevor Siemian much of faith and in some leagues he went undrafted. That has all changed now, and the former seventh-round selection has become desirable and most likely on all teams. Last week he was accurate connecting on 66 percent of his passes for 312 yards and four touchdowns against a tough Cincinnati Bengals defense. He is in the top ten in most of the important categories, except for passing attempts and completions, but Denver is a running team.
This week the Broncos will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs defense is not as bad as you would think. In fact, they are average in all three categories of total defense (18th), against the pass (18th), and against the run (14th). I like Siemian’s price tag as well.
The over/under is 43 points and Vegas favors the Broncos by three points on the road.
Basement Pick:
Dak Prescott, DAL $7,200
It will be interesting to see how Dak Prescott will perform without superstar Dez Bryant who will be out for the next couple of weeks to heal from a hairline fracture in his knee. Lucky, for Prescott, he wasn’t targeting Bryant in the passing game (11 targets in three games) up to this point. He has played well for a rookie, but his numbers just have not been great. What he has done is keep the ball control moving forward and not let mistakes beat him. Even though he has only thrown one touchdown he has not thrown an interception. Shouldn’t be too down on his low touchdown numbers as Bryant scored but it was called incomplete, Cole Beasley dropped one at the goal line, and there were a couple where the receiver was tackled at the one.
The Cowboys will now take on the San Francisco 49ers. The bay area team has a good defense, better than one may think. They are 19th overall and 13th against the pass. Prescott has a good enough ability to add some points on the run and I believe he will score once either through the air or run one in as he has done twice already.
The over/under is 45 points and Vegas favors the Cowboys by two points on the road.
On the Cheap
Brian Hoyer, CHI $6,000 vs. Detroit Lions
Running Backs
Matt Forte, RB NYJ $6,900
In whole career Matt Forte was never used as extensively as he has with the New York Jets. There are only three backs right now that have more carries LeGarrette Blount (75), Lamar Miller (74), Ezekiel Elliot (71), and Matt Forte (67). He also has not stopped with catching the ball either. He has nine on the season. He has also accumulated 261 yards on the ground.
In his last three games played at Kansas City (7.4), at Buffalo (29.9), and then at home against the Bengals (18). This week he will take on the rugged Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks have been all-around tough to block. They are first overall, and ninth against the rush while being second against the pass. Tough sledding for Forte. Here is why I like him. He has an excellent price tag and his PPR bonus skills should make room for those that you want to have in the upper tiers.
The over/under is 38.5 points and Vegas favors the Seahawks by two points on the road.
Mark Ingram, RB NOS $6,900
Mark Ingram finally got in the end zone and collected 77 yards on 15 carries. He caught four passes on six targets one of those was a touchdown. The good news is that Ingram was more involved in the offense, the bad thing is that it was against a poor defense and they were behind. He has 36 carries on the season which rank 21st but his 76 yards is 12th in the NFL.
He will now face the San Diego Chargers. Their defense is in shambles as they rank 24th overall and 29th against the pass. However, they are stingy against the run (sixth). Their run defense is more a stat that lies that one is a true test that shows how good they are. The Chiefs averaged 4.4 yards per carry, and they allowed the Jaguars to average 6.3 per carry, but held the Colts to just 3.6 but Indianapolis is not known for their run anyhow as they rank 25th in the league. Look for Ingram to be involved in both the passing and running once again and should be able to outproduce his market price.
The over/under is 53.5 points and Vegas favors the Chargers by four points at home.
Others to Consider:
Spencer Ware, RB KCC $6,200
Even though Jamaal Charles is expected to play, I don’t see much action for the future Hall of Fame player. Charles is coming off that ACL injury and is not near any game shape. He may vulture some touchdown carries. Kansas City has a bye week next week, so there is even more reason not to rush him back into a lot of carries. The good news for Ware is that Charcandrick West is not going to play, so the majority of the game should be in Ware’s hands.
Ware is middle of the pack when it comes to rushing yards (16th), carries (18th). He is in the top tier in receptions (11th) and receiving yards (first). Last week he rushed for 75 yards on 20 carries and caught one pass. He should have had one touchdown, but it was overturned and called a fumble. Ware is averaging 67.3 yards per carry and has a 15.2 point average in FanDuel. Steelers are tough against the run (fourth), but everywhere else they have been trampled. The overall defense (26th) and they give up a ton of yards through the air (996 to be exact) good for 30th in the NFL.
The over/under is 47 points and Vegas favors the Steelers by five points at home.
Carlos Hyde, RB SFO $6,800
Carlos Hyde has been a huge standout for the 49ers offense. Especially, when you consider who he has faced Rams, Panthers, Seahawks. Against Seattle, he carried the ball 21 times for 103-yards. Considering the Seahawks won the game 37-18 it makes it even more impressive. Hyde is first in rushing touchdowns, 11th in yards (225) and seventh in carries (58).
Hyde is averaging 75 yards per game and currently has four touchdowns on the season. As for FanDuel he is averaging 17.3 per week.
He will now face the Dallas Cowboys whose defense is not anywhere near the competition the that his first three opponents bring. The Cowboys are in the middle tier of defenses. Overall and against the pass they rank 21st, and against the run 12th in the NFL. The Cowboys are allowing 4.8 yards per carry.
The over/under is 45 points and Vegas favors the Cowboys by two points on the road.
Basement Pick:
Jordan Howard, RB CHI $5,600
With Jeremy Langford out for four-to-six weeks it will become the Jordan Howard show. His market value is extremely cheap considering he should get a boatload of carries. On top is matchup is just as nice. The Lions are 20th against the rush. Detroit allows 114.7 rush yards per game, on 5.1 yards per carry. Lastly, Howard is also going to be involved in the Bears’ passing game as a check-down or an outlet and get goal-line work.
The over/under is 47.5 points and Vegas favors the Lions by three points on the road.
On the Cheap
Chris Ivory, JAC $5,700 vs. Indianapolis Colts
Wide Receiver
Kelvin Benjam
in, WR CAR $7,700
The Minnesota Vikings shut down Kelvin Benjamin completely. The wide receiver did not catch a pass and was only targeted once against the aggressive defense of the Vikings. Over the last two games before week three have been a dominating for Benjamin. Both the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers couldn’t contain him. He totaled 13 receptions for 199 yards and three touchdowns.
This week he will face an Atlanta Falcons defense that cannot stop anything. They are 29th overall and 28th against the pass. They allow 318 yards in the air and 23 receptions per game. Benjamin has averaged 66 yards and a little over four catches per game.
The over/under is 50 points and Vegas favors the Panthers by three points on the road.
Demaryius Thomas, WR DEN $7,900
Thomas caught six of seven targets for 100 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. His numbers have not been all that great, but that should change as Trevor Siemian gets more familiar with the offense. Thomas has 15 receptions on 20 targets for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
Denver will now take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are 18th against the pass as they allow 280 yards per game. They do allow the big play which fits Emmanuel Sanders, so their defense will focus on him, which will allow Thomas those swing passes and allow him to create. The Buccs also have allowed seven passing touchdowns which tie them for 28th in the NFL.
The over/under is 43 points and Vegas favors the Broncos by three points on the road.
Others to Consider:
Larry Fitzgerald, WR ARI $7,500
Fitzgerald caught seven passes for 60 yards against Buffalo. Fitzgerald already has 20 catches this season which is fifth in the NFL. His yards are not all that impressive with 218 which is 22nd in the league. The chemistry with Carson Palmer cannot is still in force and his double-digit targets will continue.
Under FanDuel scoring the wide receiver has averaged 16.7 points per game. He will face the Los Angeles Rams who give up 276 yards (17th in the NFL). They have only given up four touchdowns this season but have given up 80 receptions (27th in the NFL) which fit Fitzgerald’s game. At his market price it is just too hard to pass up.
The over/under is 43 points and Vegas favors the Cardinals by eight points at home.
Terrelle Pryor, WR CLE $7,000
Terrelle Pryor has been a pleasing surprise this season. His 14 receptions on 31 targets show he is their deep threat option, especially when you add in his 17.4 yards per reception. Last week he played the receiver position (8-144 yards), running back (4-21 yards), and quarterback (3/5 35 yards). He is getting it done all over the field. He is averaging 13.6 points in FanDuel.
The Cleveland Browns now face the Washington Redskins. Playing the Redskins should be even more beneficial for Pryor. Washington gives up 12.7 yards per pass completion which is 27th in the NFL. Look for Cody Kessler to go deep a couple of times.
The over/under is 47.5 points and Vegas favors the Redskins by 7.5 points at home.
Basement Pick:
Jamison Crowder, WR WAS $6,000
Jamison Crowder caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown against the Giants last week. His touchdown came on a 55-yard bubble screen. He has earned chemistry with Kirk Cousins and has become his number one receiver. His season totals he has caught 16 of 25 targets for 175 yards and two touchdowns. His receptions are 20th right now in the NFL and that means he has solid number two receiver value and a great receiver three target.
Crowder is averaging 12.5 points for FanDuel and has averaged 58.3 yards per game. The Washington Redskins will play against the Browns who have been a sieve on defense. Cleveland is 18th in receptions allowed on the season and 24th in average per passing play. Crowder should rack up the receptions, yards, and even may get in the end zone.
The over/under is 47.5 points and Vegas favors the Redskins by 7.5 points at home.
On the Cheap
Allen Hurns, WR JAC vs. Indianapolis Colts
Tight End
Dennis Pitta, TE BAL $5,400
Dennis Pitta caught six balls for 42 yards last week against the Jaguars. Even though it was not as impressive as his week two numbers where he caught nine passes for 102 yards, he still finished second on the team in both receptions and yards. Pitta and Joe Flacco have reunited their chemistry since Pitta has been out with injury.
The Ravens will face the Oakland Raiders on Sunday and the Raiders just can’t seem to cover the tight end.
The over/under is 46.5 points and Vegas favors the Ravens by 3.5 points at home.
- FanDuel Bargains: Week Three - October 1, 2017
- FanDuel Bargains: Week Three - September 24, 2017
- FanDuel Bargains: Week Two - September 17, 2017
