This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
Starting this week, FanDuel will hide players on other teams' rosters until the day of their game, so we will not be able to see the percentage owned of each player. Sadly, this means that the percentage owned article is dead. This week, I will cover some quick tricks of the trade, guess at the highest owned players this week and provide some picks for Week 9.
Head-to-Head Matchups – Finding the Right Opponent
Finding the right H2H opponent in daily fantasy can provide you with an advantage. In general, I like to target opponents with limited experience in NFL on FanDuel. To start your search, go to lobby, and select the head-to-head tab.
Figure out the entry fee that you're comfortable with, and start clicking on the usernames. Once you click, a screen will pop up like below:
Once you find an opponent with a low win total, enter that contest. You can even find people with zero wins -- those are the guys you really want to go after. This can be a very tedious process, so grind away.
Stacking Players on the Same Team – GPP's
There are two main strategies that I utilize when stacking players (using more than two players from the same team).
First, when you select a quarterback, select one of his wide receivers or tight ends. If you are going to place in a GPP, you will need a nice performance from your quarterback. If he does well, that most likely means one or more of his wide receivers and/or tight ends also had a good game. The only time you should not do this is if you select a running quarterback; think Michael Vick or Cam Newton. Dual threat quarterbacks could have solid game without providing great stats through the air.
Another very sneaky strategy is pairing a defense with a return guy from that same team. If your targeted return man hits paydirt on a punt or kickoff, you get 12 points, six from the player and six from the defense. It's a very boom-or-bust strategy. Players with kickoff touchdowns this year include C.J Spiller, Chris Polk and Knile Davis. Players with punt returns for touchdowns this year include Darren Sproles, Devin Hester, Ted Ginn Jr., Stedman Bailey and Philly Brown.
Week 9 Projected Highest Owned Players
QB – Russell Wilson - $8,600
RB - LeSean McCoy - $7,800, Andre Ellington - $7,700
WR – T.Y. Hilton - $8,100 (*Highest Owned of the Week), Jeremy Maclin - $8,400, Andrew Hawkins - $6,400
TE – Rob Gronkowski - $7,900
K – Brandon McManus - $4,600
D – Seattle Seahawks - $5,500
Week 9 Value Play of the Week
Jermain Kearse, WR, $4,700 – Kearse is at near minimum salary. If he can score a touchdown, he will easily pay off. If you go with Wilson in a GPP, throw in Kearse for salary relief.
*Keep an eye on Giovani Bernard. If he can't go, Jeremy Hill becomes close to a must-start and will be the highest owned player this week.
Week 9 Stud of the Week
Julius Thomas, TE, $7,800 – People will be all over Gronkowski this week. Go contrarian in GPP's and select Thomas. He has the ability to go off for two or three touchdowns every game. If Gronk has an off day and Thomas has a huge performance, you are in the driver's seat.
