Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Fanduel is a daily fantasy game where you get an entirely new team each week. Here's the optimal team with a salary cap of $60,000.

Carson Palmer, ARI QB ($7,900)

The value here with Carson Palmer is a steal!  He has an average QB rating of 98.2 in the 5 games he has played in. His TD:INT ratio is 11:2 and he is averaging about 37 passes per game. On top of his stellar stats is a dream match up for the veteran against the St. Louis Rams. The Rams pass defense is ranked 31st in the league. They may have trouble getting to the quarterback (due to the Cardinals O-line - Palmer has not been sacked yet!) and are not a huge threat for takeaways either. Carson Palmer has thrown 2 or more touchdowns in every game he has played and you can bet that trend will continue against this weak defense. 

DeMarco Murray, DAL RB ($9,300)

Typically I like to go for the value over the high priced names, but this week with DeMarco Murray is a different story. The Cowboys play Jacksonville over in London. Jacksonville's run defense isn't the worst in the league but it's close. There are a couple big reasons why I am willing to spend the money on Murray this week. One, the Cowboys feed him the ball A LOT because they win when they let him have 20+ carries. Two, Tony Romo is projected to start and there is no doubt in my mind that they are going to limit the amount of contact he risks taking after fracturing his back. He is expensive, but there is plenty of places to find value this week and Murray is worth the price.

Justin Forsett, BAL RB ($6,500)

Don't let last weeks run totals keep you down on Justin Forsett. He carries amazing value at this price. Tennessee is a bottom 5 run defense this season and Forsett is still seeing a majority of the work for the Ravens. Taliaferro only saw 23% of the snaps last week compared to Forsett's 73%. Forsett also offers a double edged attack with his ability to produce out of the backfield. There is obvious concern about his lack of touchdowns, but when you play daily fantasy football you need to pick value when you can find it. 

Julio Jones, WR ATL ($8,000)

A mix of injury and bad luck has plagued Julio Jones the last 3 weeks. Coming out of the week 9 bye the Falcons have a cupcake match up with the 30th ranked pass defense in Tampa Bay. Jones' ankle issue should be behind him and Atlanta undoubtedly knows they have to get Julio more involved. The Falcons injured O-line is a concern, but Tampa Bay has only recorded 13 sacks all season. The match up and upside are too good to pass up this week.

Anquan Boldin, WR SF ($6,500)

The 49ers have a tough match up this week as they travel to New Orleans. They are fighting for their lives and this match up is a favorable one for Anquan Boldin. Boldin has emerged as the Kaepernick's favored target with just under 5.8 catches for 74.2 yards in the last 5 games. The Saints defense isn't horrible but they aren't special either. Rob Ryan and his defense are going to have a lot to think about with a mobile quarterback. I like the value here with Boldin considering he is Kaepernick's first look in a game where the 49ers are likely going to have to pass often.

Martavis Bryant, WR ($6,100)

To not take Martavis Bryant this week at this value is crazy. The Steelers travel to take on the Jets in week 10. The Jets have the worst ranked pass defense in the league and have given up 24 passing TD's while only snagging 1 INT. It is going to be a blood bath as the Steelers and The Roethlisberger continue to put on their amazing aerial show. Seriously, Big Ben may have 3 straight games with 6 touchdowns. Martavis Bryant has been a huge benefactor of Big Ben's record setting run. He has 4 of the 12 TD's Roethlisberger has thrown in the last two weeks. Bryant is very comparable to Randall Cobb but without the hefty price tag.

Delanie Walker, TE TEN ($5,800)

Walker's first game with rookie QB Zach Mettenberger wasn't a total loss because he found the end zone. It was a shame to only see him post up 37 yards on 4 catches though. Tennessee is coming out of their bye week and will play Baltimore in week 10. This match up is not ideal, however Delanie Walker is too important to the Titans offense for this pick not to make sense. Two weeks ago Walker did see 10 targets which makes me confident that Mettenberger is comfortable with his tight end. I also believe that the rookie QB will lean heavily on Walker in this game as he searches for his first win.

Shayne Graham, K NO ($4,600)

The Saints offense has not been what we are used to seeing this season. It has hurt the overall value of Shayne Graham for the season but makes him a good value pick this week. This pick boiled down to 3 kickers; Graham, Zuerlein and Succop. Graham was the obvious choice here for a few reasons. One, New Orleans is at home and home happens to be in a dome. Two, the match up is good and New Orleans should move the well against the 49ers. Three, the other options don't have the upside.

Miami Defense ($5,300)

The Miami defense has been impressive as they have held opposing teams to only 18.9 points. This match up does carry its risks but what I like most about it is the battle in the trenches. Miami has had no issue getting to the QB this year and that isn't likely to change in Detroit. Stafford is already overrated in my opinion but when you apply pressure to him he is extremely mistake prone. I'm going to bet that the Miami defense keeps rolling in week 10.

Sleep-er (n) - A Player who has been warming your bench, but is ready for a breakout week this week. Here's your sleepers, this week.

QB

Mark Sanchez, PHI - Chip Kelly has managed to find success in the NFL even with an under performing Nick Foles this season. The 6-2 Eagles will now have Mark Sanchez leading the offense after Foles went down against the Texans with a broken collarbone. Sanchez went 15-22 for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns with 2 interceptions after entering the game. It's a small sample size but compared to Nick Foles' 13 TD's and 10 INT's, Sanchez was right on par with the Eagles do-enough-to-win offense. In any case this week Sanchez tops the list as a sleeper. The Panthers 26th rated defense has allowed an average of 246 passing yards while giving up 17 passing TD's. Despite a less than spectacular career in New York Mark, Sanchez is a capable quarterback and under Chip Kelly's tutelage we could see a relevant fantasy quarterback for the rest of the season. 

Kyle Orton, BUF - BOILER UP! Kyle Orton has a 104 QB rating through his 4 games as starter. His stat line is 1128 yards with 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The Bills have a tough matchup in week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs but the key is that they are coming off the bye week and hosting. While KC isn't giving up a lot of yards through the air, they are on par with other defenses around the league with 13 passing TD's against. Kyle Orton is one of the best game managers in the league and that has been proven since he got the nod in Buffalo. His 9:3 TD to INT ratio proves he can take care of the ball and the Chiefs pass defense has only 4 interceptions on the year. The Chiefs pose the toughest test for Orton since taking over but that week of rest and extra time to game plan can't be underrated for the 5-3 Bills still in the playoff hunt.

RB

Terrance West, CLE - The Browns have officially raised the frustration level of fantasy owners everywhere. Isaiah Crowell was no where to be seen last week, Ben Tate was unable to get anything going and Terrance West sucked the least averaging 3.2 yards on 15 carries. Week 10 is a heavy bye week however, and Terrance West finds himself at the top of the Cleveland depth chart heading into a juicy match up with the Bengals. Cincinnati is tied with Cleveland for the second to last run defense in the league. I like West this week because Ben Tate is the opposite of the hot hand and Isaiah Crowell has fumbling issues. I don't expect West to run away with the running back position this week but he is my favorite to get more opportunities. He is also the clear cut red zone favorite over the bumbler and the fumbler. It's worth taking a flier if you need him this week.

Bobby Rainey, TB - As of right now, Doug Martin still has yet to be cleared for practice this week. This means Bobby Rainey is good bet to get the start against Atlanta in week 10. Last week against Cleveland, the second to worst run defense in the league, Rainey ran for 89 yards on 19 carries and added another 34 yards out of the backfield. This weeks matchup is just as good against an Atlanta run defense that has allowed 13 rushing TD's this season and isn't far behind on yards allowed either. Rainey is only owned in 50% of leagues and considering this weeks bye week jumble he is a good play with the match up.

WR

Davante Adams, GB - In his last three games, Davante Adams has 14 receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown. Those numbers don't necessarily scream must start but they do show his potential value. Adams is the third guy in the Packers receiving corps and that leaves him prone to duds but he has been on the field for a lot of plays recently. This week the Packers host the Chicago Bears and that match up couldn't be a better time for fantasy owners to take a chance on Adams. The Bears are playing for their life, if any hope even still exists, and will be focused on shutting down the top weapons for Aaron Rodgers. Adams is going to get his fair share of looks and if he executes it could be his best fantasy day yet. He's an option as a WR3 in PPR and deeper leagues if you need him.

Martavis Bryant, PIT - Bryant is hardly a sleeper but it is hard to believe he is still only owned in about 56% of leagues. Let his presence on this list be the bitch smack you need to start this guy in week 10. Bryant has 5 TD's in 3 games on 17 targets. This included two back to back multiple touchdown games. Now, he does have some value issues due to his time spent splitting the position with Markus Wheaton, but that is no reason to ignore a guy who looks like the newest model of Randall Cobb. On top of all this statistical evidence you have maybe the juiciest match up of the week with the Steelers taking on the Jets and their worst rated pass defense. I get it, everyone is waiting for the other shoe to drop on this guy. That very well may happen as we usually see hot streaks come back down to earth but it wont happen this week. Roethlisberger is on fire and this week against the Jets is not going to extinguish those flames. If you own him then you need to start him.

TE

Mychal Rivera, OAK - Rivera has become a shining light in the black hole that is the Oakland Raiders. No, that isn't a compliment to their stupid fan base nickname. The Raiders are 0-8 and are not going to be getting their first win in week 10 when they host the Denver Broncos. What we could see against the Broncos is the continued rise of Mycal Rivera. In the last two weeks Rivera has had 20 targets of which he caught 15 for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Now just because both touchdowns came last week doesn't mean you should be wary. His 20 targets and 15 receptions prove that he has become a big part of this offense. While we all know the Raiders won't win the game, that doesn't mean Rivera has no value. Denver is a good match up for opposing TE's and furthermore the Raider rookie QB is going to be forced to throw the ball a lot in an attempt to keep this game close. 

Chris Ferguson from Sacramento, CA asks: First year fantasy player here.. I didn't end up getting a top defense in the draft because they all seemed to go to early. I've heard about the value of streaming defenses but was wondering if it would be better to just grab one that could be good all year. Here's my situation: I have the Jets that I picked up for their week 1 match-up against Oakland, but I could pick up Tampa Bay, Baltimore, New Orleans, Arizona, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, or Baltimore. So my question is, what would you do here in week 1 and going forward with those options? 

Chris,

Welcome to the drug we call fantasy football! I have to commend you on waiting on a defense in your first draft. Defensive strategy in fantasy football is a tricky thing. In my opinion you get way more value out of a positional player throughout the year so I usually follow the strategy of waiting until the last couple rounds to take my defense. Following this strategy I know going in that I am going to be playing match ups week to week with my defenses. This is going to be your best bet heading into your first year. Luckily, a lot of the work is done for you. A good source for tracking the best match ups are odds websites. I prefer the Vegas odds sites because they are incredibly good at what they do. What you're looking for when checking these odds sites is the over/under scores. Find the lowest over/under games and base your weekly defense on that game. Other factors come in to play too, but this is always a good start. Opposing QB's and play-makers, game time weather reports, and specific stat categories are all things you will want to look up to increase your odds of your defense performing well. In Week 1 you have a good defense in the Jets. They have solid linebackers and apply a lot of pressure with their 3 man front. The Jets are also going up against a rookie QB in Derek Carr. Carr is prone to make mistakes considering his inexperience and the likely pressure Rex Ryan will send. They are also one of the lowest over/under picks with 39.5 points. On a side note. Keep an eye on Tampa Bay. Lovie Smith is proven defensive coach and specializes in teaching his team takeaways which leads to big points for fantasy defenses. If you have more questions as your season continues just drop a line or log into the podcast chat room. Get to the podcast early for important questions; the advice from Dave and Jason is solid, but you want to get your question answered before the shots start being poured!

Steve312 from Chicago writes: So I just heard the news about Derek Carr starting ahead of Matt Schaub for the Raiders. Assuming that he starts for the rest of the year, which receiver on Oakland benefits the most (Rod Streater, James Jones or Denarius Moore) and could any of them be fantasy relevant as early as week 1? Thanks!

Steve,

It's Oakland. WHO CARES? In all seriousness there are guys to keep an eye on, but far too much is uncertain at this point. In week 1 none of the Oakland wide receivers will be relevant. The Jets secondary may not be anything to fear, but their defensive line always finds a way to get to quarterback. Fantasy value decreases for wide receivers when their rookie QB is getting blitzed and put on his ass frequently. Keep an eye on Rod Streater this season. He is a third year wide out who broke out last season. James Jones is the new guy on the block and is going to have to make adjustments after previously being thrown to from the best QB in the league. We're going to have to see what he has before you can even think about adding him to your bench. Denarius Moore's value is seriously hampered by his spot on the depth chart. If you aren't an X or a Y it is tough to maintain consistent fantasy value.

Mike from New York asks: Somehow I wound up scooping up some late round Dolphins in one of my leagues. In my flex spot, I'm trying to decide between Mike Wallace and Lamar Miller. With the recent resurgence of Knowshon Moreno, I'm not not sure if Miller is the go to guy in my flex anymore. Should I go with Wallace instead?

Mike,

I like the easy questions!  Mike Wallace is your play here between those two players. Lamar Miller was disappointing in the preseason and Moreno appears to have a little left in his tank. Knowshon Moreno's health is still a concern, but not in week 1. Wallace was disappointing last year after getting the big contract, but all reports are positive this preseason and he is working overtime after practices. There is a caution in week 1 as Wallace is likely to be on Revis Island. Considering he is your flex player you shouldn't be too concerned. My bet is he gets in the end zone in week 1 and that's all you really want.