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Top FanDuel Football Values Week 15

toby gerhart*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 100 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.

 

Ideal Matchup at Each Position

Quarterback – Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers

The first thing to understand is that Flynn might not even play this week.  If Aaron Rodgers is healthy, completely forget about the name Matt Flynn.

However, if Rodgers can’t go then Flynn has a good amount of value for a cost of only $5,300.  The Packers have a favorable matchup against the Dallas Cowboys this week.  Yep, that’s the same Cowboys that gave up four passing touchdowns, 348 passing yards and a rushing touchdown to a backup quarterback last week.

The Cowboys defense has been absolutely horrid against the pass and Flynn has the ability to be the next quarterback to torch it.

 

Running Back – Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Vikings

The thing about the Vikings is that they have absolutely no reason to rush Adrian Peterson back from an ankle injury to play in Week 15.  If the Vikings are smart, which is quite unknown, they’d simply let Gerhart handle the No. 1 running back duties for the rest of this season.

Should that happen, Gerhart becomes the biggest steal at FanDuel due to his lost cost of only $5,600.  On only 15 carries last week, Gerhart gained 89 yards and a touchdown.  However, what is even more impressive are the nine missed tackles that he forced on only 15 touches.

If Peterson doesn’t play this week, Gerhard becomes a RB1 and an absolute steal this week.

 

Wide Receiver – Da’Rick Rogers, Indianapolis Colts

Rogers has taken a wild path to the NFL, but he finally got on the field in Week 14.  And boy did he take full advantage of the opportunity he had.

He finished Sunday’s game with an impressive six receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns.  Rogers also saw nine targets from quarterback Andrew Luck.

With the lack of receivers currently on the Colts roster, Rogers’ talent should continue to get him plenty of looks in the upcoming week.  With a cost of only $5,800, Rogers could pay off in a huge way.

 

Tight End – Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars

It’s hard to trust any Jaguars player whose name isn’t Maurice Jones-Drew.  However, Lewis has been rather productive the past two weeks and his cost of only $4,800 this week makes him an intriguing player.

While Lewis has only had 68 receiving yards the past two weeks, he’s also recorded a touchdown in each of those games.  A matchup this week against the Buffalo Bills is also a favorable matchup for Lewis.

It’s unlikely that Lewis will put up top numbers for his position this week, but he provides the most value at the tight end position for Week 15.

 

Ideal $60K Salary Team

QB – Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles ($9,200) – After a snowy game in Philadelphia, Foles gets to play indoors against the Minnesota Vikings.  That’s too good of a matchup to pass up.

RB – Steven Jackson, Atlanta Falcons ($6,300) – The Washington Redskins have the second-worst run defense in the league with a -60.4 grade.  Jackson has been great the past three weeks and that shouldn’t stop this week.

RB – Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Vikings ($5,600) – Gerhart is a solid play even if Peterson is active this week.  However, if Peterson can’t go, Gerhart has the potential of putting up gigantic numbers. Gerhart is a bit of an injury risk, however, so watch his status on Sunday. Chris Ogbonnaya and Jordan Todman are also nice values in similar situations.

WR – Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys ($8,700) – The Cowboys get the Green Bay Packers at home this week.  The last time the Packers were on the road in a dome they gave up about 5,000 passing yards.  That's an exaggeration, but you get the point about just how dominant Bryant could be on Sunday.

WR – Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens ($6,000) – Smith hasn’t been great this year, but he has a matchup with the Detroit Lions this week to get back on track.  Look for him to bounce back from his performance last week where he only caught one ball.

WR – Da’Rick Rogers, Indianapolis Colts ($5,800) – Rogers went off in his first career NFL game to the tune of 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns.  Don’t be surprised if he quickly becomes Andrew Luck’s No. 1 target.

TE – Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys ($6,500) – With a matchup against the porous secondary of the Green Bay Packers, Witten is poised to have a dominant performance this week.  Look for him to have one of his best games of the season while keeping the Cowboys in the NFC playoff picture.

K – Phil Dawson, San Francisco 49ers ($5,600) – With Tampa Bay coming to town this week, the 49ers should have no trouble continuing their trek towards the playoffs.  The Buccaneers have quickly fallen back to Earth after a strong few weeks, so this game has the potential to turn into an ugly affair for Tampa Bay.

DEF – Arizona Cardinals ($6,000) – The Cardinals defense has been extremely solid this year.  They have the seventh-best overall defense and a matchup against the fading Tennessee Titans is likely to boost their defensive grade this week.

 

High Gamble Player

Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, Washington Redskins

We’re only going to like at one player this week worth gambling on because it’s such a huge gamble.  That player is Cousins who enters Week 15 with the starting job in Washington and a cost of only $5,100.

The reason Cousins is such a gamble is because of the gigantic mess that the Redskins franchise is right now.  Even though he played well last year when replacing Robert Griffin III, this Washington team is far different than the one from 2012.

It’s possible that Cousins steps in and absolutely dominates the Atlanta Falcons.  It’s also possible that he crashes and burns like the rest of the franchise has this year.

If you’re in a gambling mood this week, Cousins is the perfect cup of tea.

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