Fan Duel Strategy Week 1: 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.
Nick Foles, Jaguars ($6,500): Bargain hunting at QB isn’t easy on FanDuel, but Foles has a chance to provide value if he can avoid turnovers. He’s inconsistent, but he’s proven he can explode. Last season he torched the Buccaneers for 334 yards and a touchdown, and then erupted again vs. the Texans for 471 yards and four touchdowns. Foles threw the ball more than 40 times in both games, the only two times during the season he attempted that many passes. The Jaguars will be at their best when Leonard Fournette is rushing like crazy, but the Chiefs’ offense could turn this game script in Foles’ favor. I’m banking on that, and Foles throwing the ball enough against a semi-soft defense to pile up yards and maybe toss two touchdowns.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dolphins ($6,200): No part of me enjoys talking about Fitzpatrick in an ugly matchup with the Ravens, but it’s not often a starting QB comes at this price. Personally, it’s still not low enough for me to be excited, but Fitz has the ability to put on a show. If the Dolphins fall behind early, he may still put up empty calories stats by throwing the ball 50 times. It’s unlikely, but at $6,200 he’ll allow for you to potentially make up the stats elsewhere on the roster.
Running Backs
Mark Ingram, Ravens ($6,600): Ingram is being viewed with skepticism across DFS it seems, perhaps because folks are afraid he won’t be getting as big a workload as I’m expecting. Baltimore is going to have to run so much, though, to cover over their passing game warts, that Ingram is close to a must-start against any bad defense. Miami certainly is one of those defenses.
Tevin Coleman, 49ers ($6,300): Coleman’s price is not befitting of a bellcow back, and that’s because we aren’t sure yet how much work Coleman will share with Matt Breida. I’m betting that Coleman gets the larger share of the work, and even if it’s a 60/40 split, 60% of the carries vs. the Bucs is worth a start. Tampa Bay finished 2018 as FootballOutsiders’ worst ranked defense, and 29th in their weighted defense metric. They were almost dead last vs. the run, behind only the Chiefs. Meanwhile, Coleman had his best season in terms of yards per carry last year (4.8) and he has proven chops as a receiver out of the backfield too. He’s a strong option, and reasonably priced with one of the juiciest Week 1 matchups.
Devin Singletary, Bills ($5,300): Singletary, an absolute touchdown monster out of Florida Atlantic, just leapt up in value when the Bills cut LeSean McCoy. Frank Gore is likely the nominal starter, and he’ll see a meaningful workload, but Singletary is the back you’ll want in this committee. In fact, it’s possible for Buffalo to trust him as a workhorse right away; he has registered 562 carries in his last two collegiate seasons. He also scored 55 total touchdowns in those two years, so don’t assume the Bills will automatically give the goal line work to Gore. I predict he won’t be available for this price tag for very long.
Wide Receivers
Sterling Shepard, Giants ($6,000): Shepard is assuming the No. 1 receiver role in New York from Odell Beckham Jr., and while he’s not the talent OBJ is, he’s proven what he can do with a ton of targets. Shepard is a viable TD threat, can pile up yards with enough targets and the right matchup, and really has no other receiver to share the targets with. Yes, TE Evan Engram and RB Saquon Barkley will see a lot of targets, but in his own receiving corps the next biggest threat is Cody Latimer for the next four weeks. Shepard’s in line for double-digit targets, so he’s a total steal at $5,000.
Dede Westbrook, Jaguars ($5,900): If you roll with Foles, Westbrook is a smart pickup if you like to stack. Jacksonville’s WR corps is tough to figure out, but the constant should be Westbrook, who led the team in targets last year and has ownership of the slot. Kansas City’s pass defense wasn’t atrocious last season, but their high-powered offense may turn this into a shootout. If so, expect Westbrook to help you take advantage of FanDuel’s half-PPR scoring.
Albert Wilson, Dolphins ($5,000): This early in the season, it’s hard to predict things because we have no data to go off of. We must rely heavily on data from last season, and that data showed us that Albert Wilson was breaking out prior to a season-ending hip injury. Entering 2019, he’s ready for Week 1, and the Dolphins did nothing to their WR corps besides trade Kenny Stills. If you decide to roll the dice and play the budget game by using Fitzpatrick, Wilson is the only pass-catcher you want. And he’s cheap enough that even if Baltimore stifles him, you’ve probably got some studs elsewhere on your team. At 15 yards per catch in 2018, Wilson is capable of breaking off a big one against any team, even the Ravens.
Tight Ends
Mark Andrews, Ravens ($5,400): Andrews has competition at his position in the form of Hayden Hurst and Nick Boyle, but he stood out as a pass-catcher last season. Baltimore’s offense will be run heavy; Lamar Jackson is very limited as a passer, and his receiving options are mediocre, and that’s being kind. Andrews could legitimately be the No. 1 receiving option in this entire offense. Sure, it’s a low-volume offense, but he should see the vast majority of red zone targets, and there will be red zone targets vs. a Dolphins defense that was dead last in weighted defense according to FootballOutsiders, and is entering the season intent on landing the No. 1 pick. Yes, he’s a risk, but he carries high reward.