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If you’ve never played weekly salary cap games, you’re missing out on an exciting game to play throughout the NFL season. The game that we’ll be breaking down in this weekly article is for the website FanDuel.
For those of you that have never played a salary cap game before, I’ll quickly go over the rules so you can understand how these games work. Each player is given a monetary value based on statistics, matchups and that player’s hype. You then try to create the ideal lineup using as salary cap, such as $60,000.
The purpose of this weekly article is to point out the best values each week so you can make the most ideal lineup. A few positions you’ll never see on this article is defenses and kickers. With these positions you’re just basically looking for the most ideal matchup, whether that’s a rookie quarterback for a defense or a terrible defense for a kicker.
With all this information, let’s now take a look at some of the most ideal matchups over at FanDuel.
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Quarterback
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
No young quarterback is progressing week-to-week like Tannehill. He’s simply been phenomenal through the first two weeks of the NFL season. His overall grade of 2.4 is good for ninth-best amongst NFL quarterbacks, while his passing grade of 4.2 is the sixth-best.
However, what makes Tannehill such a great start at only $6,100 is the fact that he plays the Atlanta Falcons this week. Atlanta’s -11.2 grade in pass coverage is good for the fifth-worst in the NFL. With weapons like Mike Wallace, Charles Clay and Brian Hartline, Tannehill should be able to have a field day offensively.
Look for Tannehill to continue his extremely impressive play in his Week 3 matchup.
Running Backs
Bernard Pierce, Baltimore Ravens
With Ray Rice limited with a hip injury, Pierce will most likely see an increase in carries. At a cost of only $5,900, that’s an extremely cheap rate for a potential starting running back.
Pierce has forced eight missed tackles through the first two games. That’s good for the fifth-most amongst running backs. However, what makes this so impressive for Pierce is that he only has 28 carries on the season.
If Rice is limited on Sunday, Pierce will be in for quite the day.
Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals
Bernard saw a slight increase in his offensive snaps last week, and that’s a trend that is likely to continue. He had 22 snaps in Week 1 and 29 snaps in Week 2.
Bernard took full advantage of his extra snaps last week by posting a 2.3 grade against the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was tied for the fourth-highest grade at running back in Week 2.
What makes Bernard such a dangerous player is the fact that the Bengals are willing to use Bernard in both the run and the pass game. As long as he can continue to see an increase in his snaps in Week 3, he should continue to see his fantasy value increase.
Wide Receivers
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
Hopkins made our list off value pickups last week and certainly didn’t disappoint. At only $5,700 this week, Hopkins is once again a must-have player this week.
Last week we saw the full potential of Hopkins who had seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. His 4.9 overall grade was easily the highest grade for a receiver in Week 2. He’s also got the second-best grade for the entire season at 6.1.
Simply put, Hopkins is already proving to be one of the best young receivers in the game. He’ll only become more important for the Texans offense as the weeks progress.
This may be the last time you can get Hopkins at a value like this, so it’s imperative that you take the opportunity while you can.
James Jones, Green Bay Packers
Despite being held without a reception in Week 1, the Packers really showcased Jones in Week 2 against the Washington Redskins.
He finished the game with a team-high 11 receptions and 178 receiving yards. His wide receiver rating of 118.8 is good for the 11th-best in all of the NFL.
At a cost of only $6,000, Jones is a solid-value add this week at FanDuel.
Tight End
Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins
Clay is only seeing playing time because of the season-ending injury to Dustin Keller, but he’s taken full advantage through the first two weeks.
He’s currently second on the Dolphins roster for receiving yards with 163. While he hasn’t recorded a receiving touchdown, he has managed to rush for a touchdown.
Clay is currently averaging 3.08 yards per route run, which is the most of any tight end in the league. That means the Dolphins are moving him downfield and looking for him to make plays.
Don’t be surprised if Clay continues his big part in the Dolphins offense this week against a very vanilla Falcons defense.
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