Play Matchups at Quarterback
The Washington Redskins, New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Carolina Panthers make up the four-worst defenses against fantasy quarterbacks. And three of them play viable DFS quarterbacks this week.
While many have focused on DeMarco Murray and what he brings to the table from a fantasy aspect, Tony Romo is surely flying under the radar. He's the 10th-ranked fantasy quarterback through seven weeks and will be lining up against a Redskins team that ranks dead last against fantasy signal callers this season. At $8,200, Romo is a great FanDuel play. The only thing that might hold you back from playing him is the fact that he's thrown as many touchdowns (four) as interceptions (four) in his last three home starts against Washington.
New York will be taking on Kyle Orton, who is averaging 11.5 fantasy points in his three starts this season. At $7,200 and as the 17th-most expensive quarterback this week, he's a solid value play. It helps that he's going up against a Jets defense that has allowed 18 touchdowns while intercepting just one pass this season. The indicators are there for him to have a top-10 fantasy day.
Is Russell Wilson now a must start in DFS leagues? It seems that he's taken his fantasy production to a completely new level, which was evident last week against the St. Louis Rams. Now going up against a Carolina Panthers team that has been a downright disaster against the pass this season, and you have to believe that Wilson will live up to his standing as the fourth-most expensive FanDuel quarterback this week. After all, Carolina is yielding an average of 310.7 passing yards and 2.7 touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks on the season.
Be Cautious with DeMarco Murray, Other Front Line Running Backs
Murray may be having the best season of any running back in recent league history, but there are indicators that he's going to slow down in the not-so-distant future. First off, Murray and the Cowboys will be facing a Redskins team that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Secondly, there are indications out there that Dallas plans on limiting Murray's workload moving forward. All this equates to a Monday Night Football performance that won't live up to his $9,600 price tag.
As it relates to Matt Forte, the matchup is most definitely here. He's going up against a Patriots team that is yielding an average of 26.5 fantasy points to opposing running backs on the season. The issue with this is that Chicago will likely find itself having to go to the pass more than it would like, especially considering how the Patriots have scored at home over the past couple years. While Forte will give you some solid PPR points, there are better values out there.
Go Elite at Wide Receiver
While you may look for value elsewhere, go elite with your WR1 option here. There are so many great matchups for some of the top fantasy receivers around the league.
Outside of Antonio Brown, who will be going up against a top-ranked Colts defense against fantasy receivers, the other top receivers currently playing this week are tremendous FanDuel plays.
Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb (third and sixth respectively) will have the pleasure of catching passes against a New Orleans Saints defense that ranks in the bottom nine of the NFL against fantasy receivers. Nelson is valued at $8,800 while Cobb comes in at $8,400.
Dez Bryant will also find himself in a solid matchup against a Redskins team that is yielding an average of 37.5 points to fantasy receivers on the season. That's good enough to rank them in the bottom seven in the NFL in that category.
If at all possible, try to find it within your cap to add two of these three receivers. If not, maybe go with a combination of one of these three and add in a Golden Tate, who is going up against a Falcons defense that ranks in the bottom half of the NFL against fantasy receivers.