This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
The NFL played a little Roulette Thursday switching the Seattle/Arizona game to the night game and bringing the Tampa/Las Vegas game to the late set of afternoon. This was a result of a Covid-19 scare with the offensive line, although it appears they should get the game in if the players in question can provide a negative test before Sunday. FanDuel has determined that Seattle/Arizona will stay on the Main Slate of games for Sunday, so there could be some interesting sweats late Sunday night in the big GPPs.
Quarterbacks
Every week I take a look at who's playing the Falcons (the worst pass defense in the league), and this week that honor falls on Matthew Stafford ($7,300). His over/under for passing yards is at 285.5, so that suggests a big game for him. On the other side of the football, Matt Ryan ($7,800) has an over/under of 305.5 passing yards, which doesn't seem out of line now that Julio Jones is back. Josh Allen ($8,800) stands out among the quarterbacks with a higher salary, as he's a big favorite despite being on the road. This feels like a game where he could rush for a touchdown, and he torched the Jets for 28.18 fantasy points the first time these teams played. Looking at the players with a little lower salary, Andy Dalton ($7,200) is a good contrarian play this week. After last week's dud, most players will take a pass on him even though he's facing a defense that's 27th against the pass on defense. The Washington Football team has a solid defensive line but their secondary has a lot more question marks.
Running Backs
The Bengals were kind enough to rule out Joe Mixon Friday, meaning that Giovani Bernard ($4,800) should be a consistent play in cash games. Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara are all almost double the salary, meaning they'll likely have to get 20 or 30 fantasy points to match Bernard's value. Plus, Bernard has a pretty cool mustache, so it's hard to root against him. Jerick McKinnon ($5,500) is another good economical option, as he'll be the main running back for the 49ers with Raheem Mostert dealing with an ankle injury. While the Patriots aren't the greatest matchup, McKinnon should be penciled in for at least 15 touches. David Johnson ($6,300) is another good option facing a Packers' team that is 31st in the league against the run. Johnson has gone over 10 fantasy points in five of his six games this season, showing a solid floor for him. If you're looking at one of "studs" to choose from this week, Alvin Kamara ($9,300) makes a lot of sense. The Panthers are dead last in the league against the run, and the Saints are home and coming off their bye week.
Wide Receivers
Kenny Golladay ($7,600) has at least 12 fantasy points in each of his three games this season and now gets an Atlanta team that's been riddled by injuries. Stacking him with Stafford, T.J. Hockenson makes sense for both cash and tournaments plays. The Titans are 23rd in the league against the position, and while many will flock to Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster ($6,500) has just as good of opportunity to have a better fantasy game. He'll likely be overlooked given that he's had six catches for 34 yards over the last two weeks. Both Calvin Ridley ($8,400) and Julio Jones ($8,300) can be used with Matt Ryan, as the trio combined for more than 76 fantasy points last week and have a better home matchup this week. If Michael Thomas is out (he missed practice Friday), all eyes should be on Tre'Quan Smith ($5,300). While he's a hit-or-miss play, he does have games of 11.1 and 19.4 fantasy points in two of his five games this season.
Tight Ends
It's worth bringing up T.J. Hockenson ($5,900) given that the Falcons are 31st when facing the tight end position this season. You can't go wrong plugging in Travis Kelce ($7,600) in any matchup, although his salary seems to keep inflating every week. It's a matter of time before Hunter Henry ($5,800) explodes for a big game, and given that he's home and coming off a bye week, that week could be Sunday. Look for him to get at least double-digit fantasy points against the Jaguars with a ceiling around 20 fantasy points. Finally, Darren Fells ($5,300) should make his value if Jordan Akins is out for the third straight game, as he'll be the primary tight end target for the Texans this week.
Defenses
My Buffalo Bills ($5,000) have the highest salary this week, and for good reason. They had eight fantasy points the first time these two teams played, and there's a good chance they surpass that number Sunday. Sam Darnold should have some rust sitting out the last few weeks, and playing on the road this season has less of an impact than in years past. I don't really trust the Dallas Cowboys defense ($3,700), but the salary is appealing, and I trust Kyle Allen even less. Antonio Gibson is a nice story, but for some odd reason they're also giving Peyton Barber touches as well. Look for Dallas to win this game, and this is another matchup with a lower over/under total.
