This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
We did pretty good last week nailing the quarterback spot (Tom Brady and Justin Herbert), not that it's much of a victory lap to take considering the hit against the salary cap both were. As always, keep an eye on injury reports as they seem to change every day; pay attention to who practiced and who didn't Friday. It's also a great time to jump on the daily action in upcoming weeks if your season-long team didn't work out as you hoped.
QUARTERBACK
Quarterback is difficult to navigate this week with all of the upper-tier players having a red flag or two. Josh Allen ($8,800) faces a Tampa Bay team on the rise defensively, Patrick Mahomes ($8,500) has been inconsistent and Tom Brady ($8,200) has a tough home matchup against the Bills. This leads me again to Justin Herbert ($8,400), who gets a league-average team in the Giants at home. The Giants had to travel to Miami last week and now have to go across the country to take on the Chargers. Herbert has three consecutive 300-yard passing games; obviously, I'll feel better about Herbert if Keenan Allen takes the field.
I think this is a good week to save some money at the position, and there are a few players I'll probably use at the very least in GPPs. After getting benched, Cam Newton ($7,400) will be a big contrarian play despite facing the Falcons, who rank 30th against quarterbacks. Cam might not do big things throwing the ball, but he still has potential for rushing points. Taysom Hill ($7,700) still managed more than 24 fantasy points in his first start of the season last week despite four interceptions and should cut the interceptions this week. The Jets aren't a tough matchup; just check the weather come Sunday. The final player I'd take a chance on is the Raiders' Derek Carr ($7,200). The first time around against Kansas City he managed 19.24 fantasy points. If this turns into a shootout, he could very well be a better option from a salary/fantasy points ratio than Patrick Mahomes.
RUNNING BACK
If I'm looking for a good value this weekend, it might just be Jeff Wilson ($4,900). If Eli Mitchell is out due to his knee injury and concussion, Wilson would be the preferred target over JaMycal Hasty. Wilson is the bigger of the two running backs and likely would get the goal-line work. Wilson also barely missed a touchdown a couple weeks ago when Jimmy Garoppolo threw a bad pass to him on a short route in the end zone. It's not a bad thing that the 49ers face the 32nd defense against the run in the Bengals, albeit in Ohio.
If you don't use Justin Herbert this weekend, you should consider paying up for Austin Ekeler ($9,200). He's scored at least 13.4 fantasy points in four consecutive games and has found the end zone each game in that span. Ekeler has games of 30.4 and 38.5 fantasy points this season, showing how high his ceiling is.
With the Panthers coming off a bye, fantasy owners might forget Chuba Hubbard ($6,500) is now the main running back in Carolina. Like Ekeler/Herbert, if you're not going to use Cam Newton I'd strongly consider using Hubbard. The Falcons rank 22nd against the run and earlier this season with Christian McCaffrey sidelined Hubbard had games of 13, 13.6 and 15.9 fantasy points.
WIDE RECEIVER
The team to watch for wide receivers this weekend is the Chargers. Keenan Allen could be out, which would launch Mike Williams ($6,900) into a great spot; he could be stacked with the aforementioned Justin Herbert. Williams is going through the COVID-19 protocol, so just make sure he's a go Sunday.
The other player I'll target this weekend is the 49ers' Brandon Aiyuk ($6,400). Cincinnati is last against wide receivers and Aiyuk should get plenty of work with Deebo Samuel sidelined. Aiyuk has had at least six targets in five of his last six games, suggesting he'll be busy Sunday in Cincinnati.
TIGHT END
I don't mind paying up for this position this week given the value at some of the other spots. Travis Kelce ($7,500) and George Kittle ($7,100) face the 30th- and 31st-ranked teams against the tight end, and I'll probably use both in a tournament lineup as either could be a difference maker. I'll also probably use both in a lineup, especially considering using two tight ends is a pretty contrarian play.
After an unspectacular performance last week, it's likely people will be off Foster Moreau ($5,200). He plays Kansas City this week (who is 25th against the position) and last week's dud helped keep his salary cap hit low. I wouldn't trust him in cash games but like him for GPPs.
DEFENSE
While I liked seeing Detroit get into the win column, let's not mistake Jared Goff and company for a great offensive team. Therefore, I like the Broncos ($4,400) this week getting Detroit at home in the thin air. Denver has games of 17, 17 and 19 points this season, showing its potential Sunday against the Lions.
