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Week 1 Fanduel Cheat Sheet

By Nick Pursel

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The best way to formulate a good FanDuel team is to be able to find players who can make an impact at different price points. For this article I will go over a couple of options at every position and talk about the FanDuel relevancy of some Lions options.

Quarterback

Aug 29, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) celebrates his second half touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Steelers 43 to 19. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Rodgers @ CHI ($9,700)

Aaron Rodgers is easily the best option if you want a premium quarterback. While his receiving options are injury ridden, he is matched up against the Chicago Bears who could have the worst defense in the NFL this year. Rodgers tore this defense apart last year and there is no reason to see him doing anything differently especially considering they are transitioning into a 3-4 defense. The Bears lack the personnel to be an effective 3-4 defense already and should have plenty of holes for Aaron Rodgers and Co. to exploit.

Sam Bradford @ ATL ($7,500)

Sam Bradford is probably the safest cheaper option at quarterback. He has a low salary and a favorable matchup against the Falcons weak defense. Chip Kelly was able to make both Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez fantasy relevant, the sky is the limit for Sam Bradford. He is deadly accurate and should be able to take advantage of the open reads Chip Kelly’s offense provides. We already had a glimpse of whats to come in his preseason performance against the Packers. He was accurate and consistently made correct reads. Bradford should be a staple in your FanDuel lineups until his price catches up with his production.

Tyrod Taylor vs IND ($5,000)

If you want to take the risky route and stack the rest of your roster, Tyrod Taylor is your man. He is dirt cheap at $5,000 and has a decent matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. The Bills completely rehauled their offense this season and brought in Greg Roman to be their offensive coordinator. Greg Roman is well-known for his work with Colin Kaepernick and should know exactly how to use Tyrod. The Bills have a lot of passing weapons and will give Tyrod a lot of easy throws to get the ball in their playmakers hands as soon as possible. His running threat will boost your fantasy scores even if he has an average outing. He is good for 50+ yards on the ground and can pick up a rushing touchdown at any time. He is a threat to break a big play and is by far the cheapest productive quarterback on FanDuel.

(Other Options: Carson Palmer ($7,700), Marcus Mariota ($7,100), Jameis Winston ($6,900), Tom Brady ($8,400))

Running Backs

Aug 22, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) runs the ball as he is tackled by Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones (20) during the first half of the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Eddie Lacy @ CHI ($8,500)

Eddie Lacy is another Packer going against the atrocious Chicago defense. I already mentioned the transition into the 3-4 defense, this transition is particularly rough on the run defense (think 2014 Tennessee Titans). Teams are asking their defensive lineman to be responsible for two gaps, which is a huge change for defensive lineman. Considering Jordy Nelson is out, the Packers will most likely try to run the ball against the inexperienced Bears front 7. Eddie Lacy should have a huge game against the Bears, the Packers offensive line will be able to open up some holes for him to exploit and he should be a focal point of the offense.

Jonathan Stewart @JAC ($7,100)

Jonathan Stewart has always been a frustrating player in fantasy football. He is a stud when he is on the field, but almost always misses a huge spell of games every year making him a hard player to target in a year-long fantasy league. However, he is a perfect player for daily fantasy. He enters 2015 as the undisputed number one running back on a run first offense. The Panthers recently lost Kelvin Benjamin and are very thin at wide receiver. They will need to look to the run game for production, and the added threat of a Cam Newton QB keeper only boosts Stewarts big play ability. He has a great matchup against a weak Jacksonville run defense and should be a top performer week one.

Doug Martin vs TEN ($6,900)

Doug Martin has received rave reviews all offseason and is the number one running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have a questionable offensive line but face up against the NFL worst fantasy run defense from 2014. They haven’t done much to improve their defensive front except signing pass rusher Brian Orakpo. They will be more comfortable in the 3-4 scheme but you shouldn’t expect them to suddenly become a top unit. Martin will see plenty of touches and will benefit from Jameis Winston and an improved passing attack. He is the Buc’s goal line back and is also a big play threat. He has had two injury ridden seasons but looks to finally be healthy again, if he can regain 2012 form he will be a valuable FanDuel asset.

(Other options: DeMarco Murray ($8,500),  Lamar Miller ($7,300), Benny Cunningham if Mason is out ($5,100))

Wide Receiver

Aug 22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews (81) is tackled by Baltimore Ravens defensive back Kyle Arrington (24) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

AJ Green @ OAK ($8,300)

A lot of the top wide receivers on FanDuel have some injury problems coming into week one (Randall Cobb, Alshon Jeffery, Mike Evans) which makes AJ Green a steal at $8,300. He faces a weak Oakland pass defense and is a constant big play threat. Oakland doesn’t have many impact defenders outside of Khalil Mack and will struggle to contain a dominant receiver like AJ. They will be focused on containing the Bengals dominant run game which should give AJ Green some favorable match ups on the outside. He could have the best day of the 11 wide receivers that cost over $8,000 and he’s the second cheapest option.

Jordan Matthews @ ATL ($6,800)

Jordan Matthews is another guy FanDuel’s pricing hasn’t caught up on yet. He is the number one option on a top 5 scoring offense and is in line for a huge season. His week one matchup is against the Atlanta Falcons who have a very weak pass defense outside of Desmond Trufant. Considering their new coach is Dan Quinn (ex Seahawks defensive coordinator), it would be very bizarre if Trufant shadowed Matthews around the field especially considering Jordan Matthews is primarily a slot wide receiver. Jordan Matthews is a great play this week, he is a cheap option with high upside and is another player you should continue to target in daily fantasy until his pricing adjusts.

John Brown vs NO ($6,000)

With the injury to Michael Floyd, John Brown instantly became one of my favorite FanDuel targets. He is a perfect fit for the Arizona Cardinals vertical offense and is already one of the better deep ball threats in the NFL. He can blow the top off of an offense at any time and was highly productive as a rookie. He is a lot more than just a deep threat and showed some effective route running in his rookie season. Before Carson Palmer was hurt, they developed some very good chemistry and Brown was very hard for defenses to stop. Now John Brown is the number two wide receiver and the Cardinals finally have Carson Palmer back from injury. He is one of the best cheap options in daily fantasy this week against a New Orleans defense that is already banged up.

Allen Robinson vs CAR ($6,100)

Allen Robinson was on pace to be one of most impressive rookie wide receivers last year before a foot injury ended his season. He was receiving a huge target load and was already becoming Blake Bortles’s security blanket. He has received a ton of offseason hype and has been incredibly impressive this preseason. He is a good jump ball receiver and is in line for the majority of the Jaguars red zone targets with Julius Thomas sidelined. Robinson is a smooth route runner and a key breakout candidate this season. Carolina’s two starting cornerbacks are both recovering from injury and there isn’t much depth behind them. Robinson is another high upside play that could end up winning you some money especially if one of the Panthers starting corners can’t play.

(Other Options: Vincent Jackson ($7,200), Amari Cooper ($7,100), Jarvis Landry ($6,900), Kendall Wright ($5,800), Charles Johnson ($5,600), Devante Adams($5,500))

Tight Ends

Aug 22, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen (88) runs after making a catching a pass while Miami Dolphins linebacker Chris McCain (58) pursues during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Greg Olsen @ JAC ($5,900)

With all the injuries to Carolina’s wide receivers, Greg Olsen has quickly become Cam Newton’s number one option in the passing game. He will see a large amount of targets, especially in the red zone where Olsen dominates. Olsen is one of the more expensive tight end options, but is well worth the extra money. He is facing a weak Jacksonville defense and already was a top 5 fantasy tight end before the Panthers injuries. He is still relatively cheap compared to wide receivers and running backs so you should be able to sneak him into your roster. He is probably the cheapest number one passing option on FanDuel. He is a high ceiling/floor player who you should confidently start.

Martellus Bennett vs GB ($6,200)

Martellus Bennett is another top option at the tight end position this week. Alshon Jefferey is questionable with a calf injury and his status will be huge for Martellus’s fantasy prospects. If he doesn’t play Martellus instantly becomes the Bears number one passing option and will be set up for a huge night. The Bears will most likely will be forced to air it out often to keep up with the Packers offense giving Martellus plenty of opportunities to rack up fantasy points.

(Other Options: If you’re in a Thursday league play Gronk ($8,100), Owen Daniels ($5,500), Delanie Walker ($5,400))

Defense

My strategy for defense is always the same. I find the best defense playing the worse offense. A couple good options this week are:

Cleveland Browns ($4,600)

New York Jets ($4,400)

Kansas City Cheifs ($4,300)

Philadelphia Eagles ($4,300)

Seattle Seahawks ($5,000)

Kickers

A couple kickers to watch this week(remember if you have extra leftover money always try to upgrade your kicker):

Matt Prater ($4,700)

Mason Crosby ($5,100)

Cody Parkey ($5,000)

Brandon McManus ($4,500)

Lions to target

A couple of different Lions have favorable week one match ups against the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers had the 26th ranked run defense in the NFL last season so Joique Bell ($6,500) and Ameer Abdullah ($5,900) deserve some FanDuel attention. Abdullah is definitely the higher risk player, but his big play threat and cheap price point make him very tempting. Personally, I am going to wait a week and see how much the Lions utilize him now that Joique Bell has returned. Joique is a solid start because of his touchdown potential and starting running back touches. Calvin Johnson ($8,500) is a great option this week, both of the Chargers starting corner backs are both below six feet tall and will struggle to overcome Calvin’s imposing size. Eric Ebron ($5,000) is another interesting cheap option, he will also be able to physically overpower the Chargers secondary and should get some redzone targets. Matthew Stafford ($7,800) is a good value pick at quarterback, he has looked sharp in preseason action and finally has the surrounding talent to be successful.

My Two Lineups

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Next: T.J. Jones, the Lions next return man?

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