This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Before jumping in headfirst into the whirlwind of fun that is Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football, be sure to differentiate from the variety of games offered. Since Head-to-Heads, 50/50s and Double Ups pay nearly half of entrants, your best bet to cashing is to target players with higher floors. Think heavily targeted No. 1 WRs, RBs who get the bulk of a team's carries and upper-echelon QBs in matchups with a tight Vegas point spread and a high total.
Tournaments/Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) require a bit more of your inner contrarian -- target offensive players with higher ceilings in advantageous matchups. Huge point totals can come from the most unpredictable of places -- the most obvious plays are not always the right ones. Although previous week's performances should be noted, each new week of action should be considered its own season. Don't chase last week's stats.
TOURNAMENTS (GPP - GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
Matthew Stafford (DET, $32)
Stafford has been a big disappointment in season-long leagues, surpassing 20 fantasy points twice in nine games. It is officially redemption time with his Week 11 matchup against a porous Raiders' pass defense -- an opportunity ripe for the plucking. Talented free safety Nate Allen returned to the Raiders last week, but their secondary has been ravaged lately, ranking as a bottom-five unit. Moreover, the Raiders have lost stout pass-rusher Aldon Smith, who was suspended for the season. several quarterbacks under 30 bucks are worth considering, but Stafford's matchup doesn't get any better with a 48.5 projected point total -- one of the highest of the week.
DeMarco Murray (PHI, $29)
You'll notice that Yahoo has softened its pricing for the first time this season, and that allows for better flexibility to get a nice mix of studs into our lineups. A high percentage of folks will be on some combination of Devonta Freeman ($34), Todd Gurley ($34), Adrian Peterson ($31) and Charcandrick West ($22). Murray could fly under the radar following an average performance in Week 10 without a trip to the end zone. Ryan Mathews has been incredibly efficient (5.7 YPC) this season, but suffered a concussion last week and is a longshot to suit up this week. That leaves Murray with an incredible setup as the bellcow back in a game where the Eagles are favored by 5.5. Keep in mind Murray has had at least 20 carries in the last three games despite Mathews averaging 10 carries per game himself. The Bucs are solid against the run, but Murray is a threat in the passing game as well (35 receptions through eight games) and will be ready to feast this pre-Thanksgiving Sunday.
Golden Tate (DET, $22)
Just like his quarterback, Tate has been a huge bust for fantasy owners, accounting for just one touchdown and failing to surpass 80 yards in any game this season. He showed signs of life in Week 10 against the Packers with a fourth-quarter catch-and-run of 43 yards but gathered just nine yards on his other three receptions. Tate lines up primarily in the slot and has an advantageous matchup against one of the league's worst slot corners, D.J. Hayden. Calvin Johnson has been dealing with a sprained ankle for a second consecutive week and didn't practice Wednesday. He should be good to go Sunday, but Stafford will look to capitalize on the Oakland secondary's weakest link. The masses will be reluctant to target Tate with all of the WR options in his range and the soft pricing. If there was ever a week to invest in Golden Tate, this is it.
Other Against-the-Grainers:
QB: Brock Osweiler (DEN, $20)
RB: Latavius Murray (OAK, $27), Jonathan Stewart (CAR, $25)
WR: Demaryius Thomas (DEN, $31), James Jones (GB, $19), Jamison Crowder (WAS, $16)
TE: Coby Fleener (IND, $15)
DEF: Carolina Panthers ($14)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
Quarterback
Mark Sanchez (PHI, $23)
The veteran signal-caller will make his first start of the season in place of the injured Sam Bradford in a game where the Eagles are 5.5-point favorites. Sanchez is familiar with Chip Kelly's up-tempo offense and had some decent numbers as a starter last year -- a 64.0 completion percentage and 7.8 yards per attempt. In his nine starts last year, Sanchez threw for more than 300 yards four times and double-digit scores six times. Sanchez has a solid rapport with target-hog Jordan Matthews but likely will have most of his success in dump-offs to DeMarco Murray. Don't be afraid to buck the trend of avoiding the "negative correlation" pairings of a QB and RB from the same team. If Murray is able to break off a big one off a screen pass, you're looking at potentially a big day from a Sanchez-Murray combo.
Running Back
Devonta Freeman (ATL, $34)
The Falcons are coming off their bye, and the diminutive second-year stud out of Florida State has a good shot at continuing his RB1 run. In his last outing prior the bye, Freeman had a disappointing effort on the ground, getting bogged down for just 12 rushing yards against the 49ers, but saved his day by catching eight balls for 67 yards and a touchdown. He has found paydirt in six of nine games and sets up for an exploitable matchup against a Colts defense that has allowed an average of one rushing touchdown per game and was burned by the last decent back they faced -- 143 yards on 14 carries by Mark Ingram. Freeman has had the benefit of running behind a top-five ranked offensive line and gets his fair share of red-zone opportunities, including 14 carries and targets there over his last two games. Freeman is the highest-priced RB this week (along with Gurley), but is a fairly manageable salary considering his ceiling in a game with an implied positive game script (-5.5, 47.5). Lock Freeman in as the focal point of your cash game lineups this week and build your squad around him.
Charcandrick West (KC, $22)
West will be extremely popular this week after his 161-yard, two-TD performance against one of the league's best defenses (Broncos) last week. And deservedly so, as we know that volume is the name of the game with cash game running backs. West is the Chiefs' undisputed all-purpose weapon now, totaling at least 23 carries in his last three games and averaging 3.5 red-zone carries over his last four. Sometimes we can get cute and try to fade players coming off big games, but with a good matchup and a cheap price, West is hard to avoid this week. There is no team in the NFL more susceptible to opposing running backs than the Chargers. They rank 31st in yards-per-carry against (4.9) and allow a rushing touchdown per game. Prior to their bye, they let rookie Jeremy Langford hang 142 all-purpose yards on them. Feel confident in West and plug him in for cash game lineups and GPPs.
Wide Receivers
Michael Crabtree (OAK, $29)
Crabtree has become a staple in cash game lineups and has earned the recognition. Last week, he managed just four receptions for 55 scoreless yards against tough Vikings' corners, but scooped up 273 yards and four touchdowns in his previous three games -- an average of 20.4 fantasy points. With rising Lions' RCB Darius Slay likely to face off with Amari Cooper for most of Sunday's snaps, the revitalized and healthy Crabtree should tango with the beatable Nevin Lawson. Crabtree's price has risen the last few weeks (11th priciest wideout), but he should be worth the money in what may well be the highest scoring game of Week 11.
Mike Evans (TB, $25)
A broken record here, but it's all about volume. You may not get more bang for your buck than a fairly priced Evans against the Eagles this week. Vincent Jackson is expected to miss yet another game. Despite the extra attention Evans receives, he has totaled 276 yards over his last two games and averaged more than 13 targets per game in his last four. Cornerback Byron Maxwell has been a weak spot in the Eagles' secondary for most of the season. If the Eagles build a lead Sunday as projected, the matchup may bode well for plenty of garbage time for the Bucs' big boy. Although "positive touchdown regression" is commonly overstated, keep in mind that Evans has just one touchdown this year and likely won't be stuck at that number. Evans has been targeted in the red zone 11 times in his past six games, and he will eventually have some breaks his way.
Danny Amendola (NE, $16)
Despite the buzz this week that Keshawn Martin will get extra looks, expect Amendola to be the primary beneficiary of Tom Brady's targets in the absence of Julian Edelman. Well, second to Gronk that is. This is likely the last week that the 30-year-old Amendola will be priced for less than 20 bucks. He caught 10 of 11 targets for 79 yards last week. Amendola also had solid back-to-back performances in Weeks 6 and 7, totaling 191 yards on 15 receptions and a touchdown. A Brady-Amendola-Gronk stack is very much doable, and it could be a monster trio that brings home the loot in a Monday night matchup against the Bills.
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski (NE, $28)
With pricing reduced as a whole this week, Gronk suddenly becomes a bargain at a mere $28. His Week 11 stat line (5-113-1) was saved by a 76-yard touchdown against the Giants last week as he heads into the MNF matchup against the Bills with 806 yards and eight TDs. With Julian Edelman likely out the rest of the regular season, the need to rely on Gronkowski increases and makes for an even more fearsome situation for opposing defenses. Gronk's only multi-touchdown effort occurred in Week 1, and he's about due for another. Perhaps this week? Building around Gronk and Freeman in cash games is a safe proposition.
Defense/Special Teams
Seattle Seahawks ($15)
The Seahawks will be a chalky option, but it's a hard one to pass. They line up as the biggest favorites (13) on the board this week with the lowest projected point total (40) and face a Niners team that features Blaine Gabbert and Shaun Draughn as their starting quarterback and running back, respectively. The Seahawks have allowed 13 total points to San Francisco in their last three matchups dating to last season. The Eagles ($16), Patriots ($14), Chiefs ($14) and Panthers ($14) are viable alternatives, though it will be difficult to fade the obvious, high-percentage play when it stares us in the face.
Honorable Mentions:
QB: Cam Newton (CAR, $34)
RB: Darren McFadden (DAL, $29), LeGarrette Blount (NE, $22)
WR: Brandon Marshall (NYJ, $31), Jordan Matthews (PHI, $24), Ted Ginn (CAR, $16)
TE: Eric Ebron (DET, $16)
DEF: Arizona Cardinals ($12)
