Fan Duel Strategy Week 5: Best Bargains At Each Position
The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.
Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position on FanDuel that will let you splurge elsewhere. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is FanDuel’s scoring system.
The bargains are listed in the order I like them.
Quarterbacks
Joe Flacco, Broncos ($6,600): Flacco is kind of my guy this week, as weird as that is. Through four weeks he’s shown he can still be useful for fantasy at times; he’s been over 268 yards in three games, threw for 292 against the Bears, and racked up three scores last week. He has a very soft matchup with the Chargers in Week 5, who have a good enough offense to keep Denver throwing the ball for four quarters. I’d expect Flacco to be around 300 yards, with touchdowns being a total wild card. Hey, if you could bank on them he wouldn’t be this cheap.
Mason Rudolph, Steelers ($6,500): I honestly don’t love Rudolph that much, but the matchup is really great for the price he’s being offered at, so he’s worth a mention. Rudolph relied mostly on checkdowns last week vs. a brutal Bengals defense and finished with 229 yards and two touchdowns. He’s struck for two touchdowns in each of his first three games, which is nothing to sneeze at. The Ravens have the rep of a good D, but so far they’re among the four worst pass defenses in football per FootballOutsiders. Personally, I’m staying away, but the matchup makes him interesting.
Running Backs
Ronald Jones, Buccaneers ($5,900): Pickings are a bit slim in the bargain barrel at RB, so consider spending a big chunk of your budget on established guys. If you just need to have a lower-priced RB, Jones will likely serve you well. New Orleans’ run defense has been middle of the pack, and Jones is seeing a promising increase in his workload lately. Averaging 4.7 yards a pop, Jones looks more like the explosive rusher they drafted last season. The coaches are also probably dying to put Peyton Barber out to pasture.
Jaylen Samuels, Steelers ($5,000): Samuels presents a higher risk, but a pretty significant ceiling considering the matchup. He’s obviously second in the pecking order to James Conner, but Samuels was used extensively last week vs. the Bengals, and Conner left that game nicked up. The rushing TD was nice, but he finished the game with 26 yards on 10 carries. Samuels’ primary value is as a pass-catcher, and he reeled in eight passes for 57 yards against Cincinnati. Baltimore has been the second-worst defense in the NFL against running backs in the passing game, so the upside is real.
Wide Receivers
Will Fuller, Texans ($5,700): Fuller hasn’t had the breakout game we know he’s capable of, and peeps, I’m here to tell you it’s coming this week. The Falcons defense hasn’t been as poor as last year, which covers up the fact that they rank dead last in the league through four weeks against No. 2 receivers. Few teams have as clearly defined – or as talented – a No. 2 receiver than Houston. With his ability to wreak havoc downfield, and likely adjustments to protect Deshaun Watson better, Fuller is primed to absolutely explode.
Cole Beasley, Bills ($5,500): Beasley has a low ceiling, but a very high floor. He’s seen double-digit targets in back-to-back weeks, and hasn’t dipped below 40 yards at all in 2019. My enthusiasm for him would be diminished if Josh Allen can’t suit up, and Matt Barkley is throwing the passes instead. In that case, I probably would look elsewhere unless you have expensive, killer options in other spots.
Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham, Packers ($5,500): With Davante Adams out (probably?), Graham is the most obvious red zone target for Aaron Rodgers. Graham is typically a TD-or-bust TE option, and he has additional downside in that he doesn’t draw many targets at all. With Adams missing a chunk of last week, however, Graham drew nine targets, hauling in six for 61 yards and a score. He’s still going to be a risky play, but near the end zone Rodgers will definitely look his way.
Tyler Eifert, Bengals ($4,600): Eifert has not been a good option for quite some time, but if you’re ever going to make a play based on matchup, a TE facing Arizona’s weak ass defense is it. The Cardinals are straight up butt vs. tight ends, to the point that Eifert may actually score a touchdown or two. There’s clear downside here, and always the possibility of a doughnut or an injury with this dude, but this is one of the only times you’ll ever be able to get away with using him.