This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
We had a solid week last week as my favorite play, Joe Mixon, came through with 39.1 fantasy points. His salary rose only $100 this week (to $6,900) but he has a much tougher matchup heading to Baltimore. The folks at FanDuel continue to get creative as they've added another $100,000 bonus to the big $4.44 GPP. This week the bonus will be split between the owners who have the player who scores with the lowest salary. Let's see if we can find that guy (hint, it'll probably be a no-name tight end). I will try and highlight a player below $5K at each position who could hit the bonus.
QUARTERBACKS
There's nothing wrong with taking Patrick Mahomes ($9,000) or Dak Prescott ($8,700) for cash games given they both have great matchups at home. Kyler Murray ($8,300) is the best of the higher salaried players for tournaments. He's coming off his worst game of the season (23.12 fantasy points) and has a juicy matchup against the Jets. Murray will be one of the more unpopular picks this week, making him a good contrarian play in big GPPs. The two midpriced options I'm eyeing this week are Teddy Bridgewater ($7,100) and Philip Rivers ($6,900). Bridgewater gets the worst pass defense in the league traveling to Atlanta. Rivers gets the team 30th against the pass going to Cleveland to face the Browns. Bridgewater is my lean between the two given his ability to scramble. Atlanta's defense has been decimated by injuries this season, and they'll be short-handed once again this week. Am I going to be crazy enough to mention Kyle Allen here? I'm probably going to throw him in at least one lineup since I think he'll probably be the least utilized players at the position. In three of his last five starts last season, Allen had more than 20 fantasy points, which would make him a great value if he hit that mark.
RUNNING BACKS
I think this is a great position to find value this week, giving you the ability to spend up at the other positions. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (7,900) will be a popular choice this week in both cash and tournament lineups with a sparkling home matchup against the Raiders. The Raiders are 32nd against the run, and while CEH has a floor of double-digits, his ceiling is easily 20-plus fantasy points. I like the idea of using him without Mahomes, but also using him in a lineup with Patrick is a sneaky play as well. Mike Davis ($6,900) is an excellent value especially considering he's score 19.1 and 19.6 fantasy points since becoming the starter. The key for him is him being heavily involved with the passing game, receiving 21 targets over his last three games. James Robinson ($6,600) is another player who's taken advantage of his opportunity and has scored 12.7, 27.9 and 19.5 fantasy points in his last three games. Houston's defense has been 29th against the run, putting Robinson in a good spot. The best value at the position this week might be Damien Harris ($4,500). He appears to have taken over as the main running back for the Patriots, although Bill Belichick is tough to predict. Still, Harris had 10 fantasy points last week without finding the end zone and should have a similar game, and with a score it would the same (dollar for dollar) as Ezekiel Elliott ($9,000) scoring 34 fantasy points.
WIDE RECEIVERS
It's grabbing the low-hanging fruit suggesting DeAndre Hopkins ($8,900) this week as he carries the biggest hit against the salary cap at the position. Look for him to bounce back from his 7.6 fantasy points last weekend. Stefon Diggs ($7,100) is averaging more than 100 receiving yards per game through the first four. He's been consistent with at least 12 fantasy points every week and is averaging 16.3. The Titans are 22nd against the pass; just make sure this game isn't removed from the main slate or the stats won't count. D.J. Moore ($6,600) is more than Robby Anderson ($6,200), which doesn't make complete sense given their respective production so far. Therefore, I prefer Moore in GPPs as he won't be popular and has a lot of upside against this Falcons defense. Darius Slayton ($5,800) is my favorite play below the $6K mark despite being extremely quiet since Week 1. That should change this week against the Cowboys who have arguably the worst defense in the league. Sans Saquon Barkley, he's the best playmaker the Giants have on offense, and Vegas has New York penciled in for around 24 points in this matchup. My long shot/Damien Harris pick at this position is Olamide Zaccheaus ($4,800) of the Falcons. It's hard to imagine Julio Jones suiting up in this one, and Calvin Ridley isn't close to 100 percent. Either way, the Falcons run a lot of three-wide receiver sets and Zaccheaus has had 15 targets the last two weeks.
TIGHT ENDS
Travis Kelce ($7,800) should rebound from a 8.5 fantasy points performance, but I think he's best left for tournaments this week given the hit against the salary cap. Tyler Higbee ($6,000) won't have another Philadelphia game, but faces the team that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. That portends well to him having a good weekend. I feel like I tout Drew Sample ($4,600) every week but he has seven red zone targets over the last three weeks. Given the bonus this week, it's important to note the tight end position because their salaries go down to $4,000 while running backs and wide receivers are only cheapest at $4,500. Scouring the options below the $4,500 line, the following players stand out: Vance McDonald ($4,200), Ryan Izzo ($4,100) and Ryan Griffin ($4,100) are all options to win a part of the $100,000 bonus for the $2.5 million tournament.
DEFENSE
There's nothing wrong with paying up for Rams ($5,000) against Kyle Allen and the Washington Team, or the Patriots ($4,800) makes a lot of sense. Look down at more economical options, Houston ($3,700) might have a second life after Bill O'Brien was fired earlier this week. Dallas ($3,500) gets the Giants at home, a team who has scored only three offensive touchdowns this season. I don't see any value in the bottom nine-priced teams unless you like living dangerously.
