*For those that are weekly readers, simply skip the first few paragraphs of explanation and jump down to the ideal matchups. Don’t forget that the promo code ‘PFF’ is worth a 50 percent deposit bonus.
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. We’ll also give you an ideal lineup using these bargain players while also breaking down a handful of huge upside plays for the riskier folks out there.
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Ideal Matchup Team
Quarterback – Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week. While the Buccaneers aren’t terrible against the pass (0.9 overall grade), their season is quickly spiraling down the drain. Foles is coming off a game where he threw two touchdowns and posted the sixth-best game last week with a grade of 3.3. With a full game to dissect Tampa Bay, don’t be surprised if Foles has a huge game this week.
Running Back – Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams
Stacy propelled himself to the top of the Rams’ depth chart at running back thanks to a 14 carry, 78 yard performance last week. Yes, that game came against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Stacy still showed enough to have great value at a cost of only $4,900 this week. He should see more touches this week and be an even bigger part of the Rams offense.
Running Back – Andre Ellington, Arizona Cardinals
Ellington was an absolute stud last week for Arizona. Despite only registering 30 snaps last week, Ellington still managed to post a grade of 1.7, good enough for the fourth-best in the league for Week 5. Where Ellington provides so much value is in his ability to make plays on the ground and as a receiver. He had 11 total touches last week for 83 yards and that number should improve greatly moving forward.
Wide Receiver – Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys
Williams had 151 receiving yards and a touchdown on only four receptions last week. Yep, that’s an average of nearly 38 yards per reception. With the Cowboys playing the worst-graded pass defense in the Washington Redskins this week, Williams could have even better numbers this week than last week.
Wide Receiver – Rueben Randle, New York Giants
It was breakout game for Randle last week. He finished Week 5 with six receptions, 96 yards and two touchdowns. However, the most surprising part of Randle’s game last week was his 13 targets which led all Giants receivers. With New York a complete disaster, Randle has an opportunity to establish himself as the future receiver for this team.
Tight End – Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions
It’s unknown right now whether or not Calvin Johnson will be playing this week for the Lions. Last week, Pettigrew led the Lions with four receptions and 59 yards. Sure, those numbers aren’t very good, but if Johnson doesn’t play again this week, Pettigrew will likely be the top target for quarterback Matthew Stafford. With a game against the Cleveland Browns this week, that could mean a huge game for Pettigrew.
Ideal $55K Salary Team
QB – Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos ($10,800) – A matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars puts Manning on pace to score an infinite amount of points. Yes, he costs $10,800 this week, but he’s worth every penny.
RB – Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams ($4,900) – Stacy should get enough carries to make him a viable option at running back. A matchup with the Houston Texans isn’t a great matchup, but Frank Gore showed last week that running on Houston is possible.
RB – Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts ($7,600) – Yes, Richardson has been extremely unproductive with the Colts, but an ideal matchup against the San Diego Chargers and their fifth-worst run defense should be the exact boost he needs.
WR – Rueben Randle, New York Giants ($5,000) – The Giants may be 0-5, but Randle had a breakout party last week. The Bears have a -2.4 grade against the pass, so look for Randle to continue his success in Week 6.
WR – Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys ($5,600) – The Cowboys play the Washington Redskins and their league-worst pass defense this week. Tony Romo threw for 500 yards and five touchdowns last week and he may double it this week. Look for Williams to put up quality numbers in this game.
WR – Vincent Brown, San Diego Chargers ($4,500) – Brown graded out as the fourth-best receiver last week thanks to an eight reception, 147 yard game. If he adds a touchdown this week, he could be one of the highest scoring wide receivers.
TE – Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit Lions ($4,800) – Calvin Johnson’s status is still up in the air. If Megatron can’t go, Pettigrew once again becomes the top option for a team that needs to pass often in order to win games.
K – Alex Henery, Philadelphia Eagles ($5,500) – Henery has been great this year and Tampa Bay has been really, really bad. He should once again be amongst the top scoring kickers this week.
DEF – Cincinnati Bengals ($5,300) – Any defense playing Buffalo Bills’ starting quarterback Thad Lewis (you read that right, Thad Lewis) is worth starting here.
High Upside Gamble Plays
TE Fred Davis, Washington Redskins
Davis has yet to do much on offense this year due to injuries, but it appears as if he’ll be healthy for his matchup this week against the Dallas Cowboys. That’s the same Cowboys defense that allowed Denver Broncos’ tight end Julius Thomas to have nine receptions, 122 yards and two touchdowns. At a cost of only $4,500, Davis would be the play of the week if he can put up similar numbers.
WR Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans
It’s hard to know exactly what’s going on with Britt right now, but the fact of the matter is that the Titans desperately need a playmaker for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Britt needs to do something to salvage this season, so don’t be surprised if he starts playing at the level that his talent suggests he’s capable of. He only costs $4,500 this week, so he’s another huge gamble with major upside.
RB Montee Ball, Denver Broncos
Ball only costs $4,900 to start this week and he plays the helpless Jacksonville Jaguars. It’s certainly possible that the Broncos are up by 50 points at halftime this week and they decide to pull their starters and put in their backups in the second half. Even if that doesn’t happen, Ball has been working on his rock-paper-scissors game in recent weeks and could get a handful of touchdown opportunities.
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