*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 – Chad Henne, Jacksonville Jaguars
I know that it’s usually a terrible idea to start anyone for the Jaguars in fantasy football, but this week may be the only exception to the rule.
The Jaguars play the Houston Texans this week. The Texans are currently the sixth-worst defense in pass coverage this year. And it seems like they are getting worse and worse as the season progresses.
This means that Henne, who has played decently over the past two weeks, definitely has a chance to put up some points this week. With a cost of only $5,300, Henne could pay off in a huge way.
Running Back – Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants
The key for Jacobs, and the only reason he’s an ideal matchup at running back, is the fact that he appears to be the goal-line back for the Giants. With the Giants offense beginning to click, that could mean big things for Jacobs.
At a cost of only $5,000 this week, all Jacobs really needs to do is find the end zone one time to be worth playing this week. However, if Jacobs can have multiple touchdowns this week, he could end up being the steal of the week.
The Giants play the Dallas Cowboys and their No. 29 ranked run defense this week, so the chances of Jacobs having a big game are actually quite good.
Wide Receiver – James Jones, Green Bay Packers
It can be hard to get noticed in Green Bay as a receiver, but Jones is still the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart for the Packers. A matchup this week against the Minnesota Vikings and their terrible defense is a good one for Jones.
The Vikings currently rank have a -43.3 grade in pass coverage this year, the third-worst. While Jones will have a backup quarterback throwing him the ball this week, he still has plenty of value against such a week opponent.
Jones only has a cost of $5,400 this week, so his upside for paying off in a big way is absolutely huge.
Tight End – Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans
Walker has posted a positive grade for the Titans over the past three weeks, including an extremely impressive +4.4 grade last week. That was good for the second highest grade from any tight end last week.
Walker finished last week’s game with 10 receptions, 100 yards and a touchdown. He’s clearly become a favorite target for backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
At a cost of only $5,600, Walker is one of the biggest steals this week.
Ideal $65 Salary Team
Last week we looked at the ideal $60K salary team. This week we’ll bump up the salary and see how this changes things. The biggest way it makes a difference is by allowing at least one more elite player to get on your roster.
Let’s take a look at the ideal team with the highest salary cap that FanDuel offers.
QB – Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers ($7,900) – While Kaepernick has certainly struggled this year, a matchup against the worst passing defense in the league should help him get back on track. With the Washington Redskins on the schedule this week, look for Kaepernick to have an absolutely huge game.
RB – Zac Stacy, St. Louis Rams ($7,400) – Stacy is coming off a bye week to play the worst run defense in the league in the Chicago Bears. Stacy’s been an absolute stud in recent weeks and that shouldn’t change with an ideal matchup in Week 12.
RB – Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants ($5,000) – All we really care about with Jacobs is him getting touches near the end zone. It happened last week and the Giants have a more favorable matchup against the Dallas Cowboys this week.
WR – Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions ($10,500) – With a $65K salary, it’s okay to splurge on a player like Johnson who you know is going to dominate each and every week. While a matchup with Darrelle Revis isn’t ideal, Johnson is simply too good to be slowed down.
WR – Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($8,000) – With Johnson dominating on the other side, the Buccaneers are going to need Jackson to counter in a big way. The good news is that the Lions have given up huge games to team’s No. 1 receivers in recent weeks.
WR – James Jones, Green Bay Packers ($5,400) – Jones has the most value of all the Packers receivers this week. With the Vikings on the schedule this week, it’s possible that Green Bay has a huge game through the air. Look for Jones to be a big part of the Packers game plan this week.
TE – Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans ($5,600) – We already touched on what Walker did last week for the Titans and with Fitzpatrick still at quarterback, there’s no reason to believe he won’t do it again this week.
K – Stephen Gostkowski, New England Patriots ($5,900) – A matchup with the Denver Broncos could turn into an absolute shootout for the Patriots. Look for Gostkowski to post huge numbers this week for New England.
DEF – Carolina Panthers ($5,700) – The Panthers defense has been absolutely dominant in recent weeks. With the Miami Dolphins on the schedule this week, their streak of suffocating offenses shouldn’t come to an end.
High Upside Gamble Play
If you’re looking for the biggest gamble player of the week, then look no further than running back Montee Ball of the Denver Broncos.
Ball only has a cost of $4,500, but has the potential to outplay his cost by a landslide. For starters, Ball has started to see an increase of snaps in recent weeks. Over the past three games, Ball has played 30, 19 and 22 snaps. While those numbers aren’t great, they are a ton better than they were earlier in the year.
Secondly, Ball has started to make the most of his snaps for the Broncos. Last week we saw him rush the ball eight times for 25 yards and two touchdowns. Obviously, it’s those two touchdowns that truly make Ball an intriguing pickup this week.
With the Patriots coming to town, Denver will likely need to put a ton of points on the board in order to win. That means that Ball will get plenty of opportunities to build on a successful game from last week and make his $4,500 cost look absolutely foolish.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.