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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. 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 – Eli Manning, New York Giants
The fact that Manning only has a cost of $6,100 this week shows just how far he’s fallen this year. However, Manning finishes the year with a favorable matchup against the Washington Redskins, the team that allowed Tony Romo to beat them with a herniated disc in his spine.
On the year, Washington has a -51.0 grade in pass coverage, which is good enough for the fourth-worst in the league. What’s surprising about Manning’s lack of production is that he still has talented receivers around him in Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks and Rueben Randle.
This week is the perfect week for Manning to be that elite quarterback we’ve seen him be in the past. Look for him to have his way with the Redskins secondary.
Running Back – Bobby Rainey, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rainey has been up-and-down since becoming the starter in Tampa Bay. However, he has an ideal matchup heading into Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints gave up 67 yards and a touchdown to DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers last week. They’ve been mediocre against the run all year and Rainey has the type of skill set that could cause the Saints defense some issues.
With a cost of only $5,500 this week, Rainey provides a ton of upside for little cost.
Wide Receiver – Jarrett Boykin, Green Bay Packers
Last week Boykin caught five passes for 54 yards and a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While those numbers aren’t overly impressive, it’s the number of targets that Boykin received against Pittsburgh that makes us hopeful this week.
Boykin saw 12 passes come his way in Week 16. He’s clearly a favorite target of backup quarterback Matt Flynn and his ability to make big plays has been on display in recent weeks.
The only thing that could potentially hold back Boykin is if Matt Flynn continues to struggle with his consistency. However, Boykin’s cost of only $5,300 makes him a solid play this week at the receiver position.
Tight End – Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears
The Bears play the Packers this week. That statement alone should be enough for you to start Bennett on every roster you have this week.
However, its Bennett’s cost of only $4,800 that makes him a true steal. Last week the Packers gave up a touchdown to the Steelers tight ends and Bennett has much more talent than any tight end on Pittsburgh’s roster.
Don’t be surprised if the Bears put a ton of points on the scoreboard against Green Bay this week and Bennett should be a big reason why.
Ideal $55K Salary Team
QB – Eli Manning, New York Giants ($6,100) – If Manning can’t torch the Redskins secondary this week, it might be time for New York to start looking in a new direction for a starting quarterback. That’s how bad Washington has been against the pass.
RB – LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles ($9,400) –With a $55K salary team you can only take one premier player. McCoy is the logical choice due to his matchup against the porous defense of the Dallas Cowboys. He dominated a similar defense last week in the Chicago bears, and this game means so much more. He should have no trouble being the top-scoring back by the end of Week 17.
RB – Bobby Rainey, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($5,500) – We talked briefly about Rainey above. He’s a solid play this week against a defense that has slowly been getting worse as the season has progressed.
WR – Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers ($7,600) – Brown dominated the Packers last week with his speed and playmaking abilities. His matchup against the Cleveland Browns isn’t ideal, but with Pittsburgh looking to make the playoffs, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be looking in Brown’s direction early and often.
WR – Roddy White, Atlanta Falcons ($5,900) – White has exploded the past few weeks and is back to being quarterback Matt Ryan’s No. 1 target. His matchup against the Carolina Panthers isn’t ideal, but he provides great value for his cost with a ton of upside.
WR – Jarrett Boykin, Green Bay Packers ($5,300) – Boykin saw 12 targets last week, proving he’s become Flynn’s favorite target. If he can increase his catch rate (he only have five receptions last week), he could be in for a rather big game this week.
TE – Martellus Bennett, Chicago Bears ($4,800) – Any tight end playing the Packers has a chance to be productive due to the struggles of the Packers secondary. Bennett is having a great year for Chicago and should be a big part of their game plan this week.
K – Greg Zuerlein, St. Louis Rams ($5,300) – The Rams play the Seattle Seahawks on the road. While that seems like an unfavorable matchup for St. Louis, the Rams are a similar team to the Arizona Cardinals who beat Seattle last week. Zuerlein should get plenty of field goal opportunities in this game.
DEF – Miami Dolphins ($5,000) – This is definitely a risky play, but the Dolphins defense plays the New York Jets and rookie quarterback Geno Smith. If they can get consistent pressure on Smith, they could create numerous turnover opportunities.
High Gamble Player
With the final week of the season upon us, we thought it’d be good to break down one last player who is going to be a major gamble to start in Week 17. That player is James Starks of the Green Bay Packers.
Starks has taken the backseat to rookie Eddie Lacy on the year, but Lacy enters Week 17 with an ankle injury. That injury was bad enough to force him out of last week’s game and could keep him from the Packers matchup against Chicago.
However, even if Lacy does play, Starks still has plenty of potential. Starks has been up-and-down the past few seasons for Green Bay, but he’s been solid as a backup this year. His vision seems better, as does his speed and decision making.
With the Packers likely needing plenty of points to beat the Bears this week, Starks should have a big role no matter what happens to Lacy. At a cost of only $4,600, he’s the biggest gamble this week with the most upside.
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