Staff Thursday Cash Plays - Week 16

Merry Christmas Eve! Our present to you is…well exactly the same thing we give you every Thursday—our insight into FanDuel’s Thursday Night Cash games.

You can check the full lineups here, while we break down a few interesting things we’ve noticed.

Staff Trends

David Johnson…again

Once again the staff is all in on Arizona rookie David Johnson. Well, all but Mark Wimer. Still, it’s impressive that we mostly are on board with him despite a rising price tag. The Packers still have issues stopping the run, so Johnson is a good bet to match value.

Lower Tier Quarterbacks

While we have Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton sightings, Blake Bortles, Alex Smith, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr also got nods. Interestingly, Carr, tight end Antonio Gates and Danny Woodhead are the only players from Thursday night who are getting starts, including Amari Cooper.

Carr should be a good play against a weak San Diego defense, and Blake Bortles gets the start in the hopes that the New Orleans Saints defense continues to be solid for opposing fantasy quarterbacks. 

With Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson catching balls for Bortles, we think it will be. Alex Smith sees a weak Cleveland defense and is generally underrated by fantasy GMs this year. Finally, Teddy Bridgewater faces a bad Giants defense, but is my least favorite of the starts as his value can depend on what Norv Turner does with the gameplan. I don’t expect four passing touchdowns like last week and no more than perhaps 250 yards at most. The price is OK though, and he has upside.

What can (Antonio) Brown do for you?

Brown is in all the lineups but mine. For me it wasn’t so much about avoiding him as it was chasing value elsewhere. And I really like DeAndre Hopkins this week. It’s hard to do both players.

The Steelers offense is on fire, and if Brown’s $9300 price tag seems high, consider that he has been over 30 points in four of the last six games on FanDuel, as pointed out by Chad Parsons in the FanDuel Value article.

Diamonds in the Rough

Aside from the quarternack values, we have a few interesting other plays to look at. Danny Woodhead ($5900) is coming off a huge game and should be a big factor Thursday night, though prior to last week he hadn’t been doing much lately.

Christine Michael ($5500) had a great game last week against the Cleveland Browns, but faces a tougher match against the St. Louis Rams. He’s a long shot play but he might be owned by a very low percentage of people as well.

Mike Gillislee ($5300) could share Karlos Williams’ carries if Williams is still banged up Sunday. The problem is how uninspiring Gillislee has been since he hit the NFL. He has had two touchdowns in the last two weeks and broke a super-long run last week, but there’s risk if he can’t find the end zone.

A couple of staff members are chasing Rueben Randle ($5700) as Odell Beckham Jr is suspended for the game against Minnesota. Randle is underwhelming though he has had two straight games where he scored a touchdown. You’re dependent on that though as he has just five games over 54 yards and none over 70, plus just six touchdowns. He’ll have chances this weekend, but he may do his usual thing and drop them.

Staff Thursday Cash Plays - Week 15

Once again we had a week where the loss of players—Andy Dalton, Greg Olsen, LeGarrette Blount, Thomas Rawls and Jonathan Stewart in particular—sank some lineups. Week 15 is here, so there is no time for the wicked to rest—the staff is back at work and has entered some lineups for your Thursday night perusal.

You can see all the staff picks here but I’ve cherry picked some of the selections I thought were interesting to discuss.

Staff Trends

Three Weeks with David Johnson

Johnson is in the majority of Thursday lineups again this week, even with the price up to $6500. The matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles is a good one with the Eagles giving fantasy running backs an average of 29.3 points per week during the last three games. As Chad Parsons points out in this week’s Value Article: “Johnson's price looks like a misprint for Week 15, a clear starting running back - with plenty of pass-catching upside - on a quality offense for cheap RB2 prices. 15 touches or more is his floor with multiple touchdown potential. Plugging Johnson into lineups this week is the easiest decision out there.” Until the price goes up, expect the staff to keep riding him.

Maximum Maclin

All six staff members have Jeremy Maclin in their lineups, and at $6700 against the woeful Baltimore Ravens pass defense, it’s no surprise. Alex Smith may not be Drew Brees when it comes to passing yards, but he does enough and Maclin should easily beat his somewhat disappointing numbers from last week. 80-100 yards and a touchdown on half a dozen or so catches would not be out of the question—solid production for a bargain price.

Megatron!

We know the Saints (normally) give up a lot of points and yards, while also scoring them. It’s a self-fulfilling circle of life—score a lot, get scored on a lot. Which means that the Lions are in a good place to score a ton of points this week and if they are scoring, Calvin Johnson is catching. The $8000 is a little steep, coming off two below-average games but that might also mean people will pass him by. It could be a good way to get points others will not be looking at. Deep threats get over on this defense—Calvin Johnson should add to that this week.

Diamonds in the Rough

Brandon Bolden ($5500) should get most of the work between the tackles against the Titans and while it’s actually not an easy matchup on the ground, he did well in limited snaps last week against Houston. 

At $7800, Matt Stafford might not seem a value until you remember how bad the Saints defense is. I love guys like Cam Newton, Russell Wilson and Tom Brady but you save yourself a thousand or so going with Stafford or Ryan Fitzpatrick ($7800). Stafford has the prime matchup, but Fitz has been on a tear and is a worthy player with two weapons (Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker) who could be over 1,000 yards by the end of the year. Both Stafford and Fitzpatrick are quality starters who could be top fantasy quarterbacks this week.

Exposed: Week 14

Check out this week's Exposed, where Aaron Rudnicki and I take a look at some of the best and worst matchups for receivers and tight ends. Here is a sampling of the goods:

GOOD MATCHUPS 

A.J. Green, WR, CIN vs. PIT ($8,500)Marvin Jones, WR, CIN vs. PIT ($6,200) 

Miglio: The Pittsburgh Steelers cannot stop the pass, at least not against quality opponents. The last time A.J. Green faced this defense he posted 11 receptions for 118 yards and a touchdown. He makes for an excellent cash game option, whileMarvin Jones can be a sneaky good GPP play. 

Rudnicki: The Steelers improved their pass defense by benching struggling corner Antwon Blake, but it wasn’t just one player causing all their problems so they are certainly still vulnerable. Despite a strong game against the Colts last week, they were also torched for 5 pass TDs to Seahawks WRs a week prior. With a Vegas total of 50 points, this game should be high scoring so it’s probably not a bad idea to target several WRs in this matchup and Green and Jones are both strong threats to find the endzone. 

BAD MATCHUPS  

Charles Clay, TE, BUF @ PHI ($5,100) 

Miglio: The Eagles gave up a touchdown to Scott Chandler last week, but those have come few and far between for opposing tight ends. Charles Clay isn’t exactly the most consistent tight end in the league, either. 

Rudnicki: The Eagles have proven to be a tough defense against opposing tight ends this year, despite significant struggles elsewhere. Clay has shown flashes of his ability with some big games, but he has also had an inconsistent role in the Bills offense. The Eagles pass rush seemed to heat up last week, and Clay could be kept in to block quite a bit given some key injuries to the Bills offensive line.

Week 12 Wideouts: A Choice in Luxury Options

Wide receivers are expensive at FanDuel for a reason -- they're usually pretty good. Case in point, the four most expensive guys this week are DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Odell Beckham Jr, and Antonio Brown.

Each of them has unique appeal for Week 12 contests. So which one(s) do you choose for your lineup? Here's my thought process for each receiver heading into Sunday contests.


DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Houston Texans ($9,400) vs. New Orleans

This is as chalk as they get. Hopkins was nearly 50 percent owned in Thursday contests, and that number is only going to go up for the Sunday slate with fewer games to choose from.

Hopkins will be in many of my lineups this week by virtue of that ridiculously good matchup against New Orleans -- the Saints have given up 10 touchdowns to receivers in their past four games, and Hopkins has dominated far better competition as of late. I have avoided inserting him into too many lineups, though, minding exposure not to mention his ownership percentage.

Hopkins is a must-start in cash games, however -- ride or die with everyone else.


Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons ($9,300) vs. Minnesota

I wasn't terribly interested in rostering Julio Jones earlier in the week. For starters, you could have Hopkins in a great matchup for just $100 more. The Falcons offense has sputtered recently, Devonta Freeman is out with a concussion -- which could stall the offense if Tevin Coleman can't get things going -- and Minnesota has a pretty good defense.

News broke earlier this morning that safety Harrison Smith would miss the game for the Vikings, however, which piqued my interest. Suddenly that matchup wasn't so tough. Jones made his way into a few of my lineups after that, both to fade Hopkins a bit and pivot from Antonio Brown if you have some money to spare. More on that in a minute.

Odell Beckham Jr, WR, New York Giants ($9,100) @ Washington

There isn't much to say here, really.

Washington's defense has been its usual generous self this season, including 79 yards and a score to Odell Beckham Jr earlier this season. He is an excellent cash game option that will save you a few bucks over Hopkins and Jones, but his ownership percentage will probably be pretty high as well.

Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers ($9,000) @ Seattle

Will Richard Sherman shadow Antonio Brown? That is the big question for potential fantasy owners as speculation that will be the case runs rampant.

The Seahawks have actually given up a ton of fantasy points to opposing receivers, and the Steelers can move Brown around to get him the ball. He was an excellent pivot from Hopkins for me. But the latest rumors of Sherman shadowing Brown, though, has me nervous. I took him out of a couple of lineups -- though still rolling with him in a few others -- and looked to Martavis Bryant for a GPP bump elsewhere.

Having trouble finding more than one spot for an expensive wideout? There is plenty of room for two if you play your cards right. In fact, here is a GPP lineup with three of them.

Good luck this week!

Exposed: Week 12

Here is a snippet from this week's Exposed, which can be found on FBG main:

GOOD MATCHUPS Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA @ NYJ ($7,000) 

Miglio: The Dolphins offense isn’t very good right now, and the Jets defense is great. One of those statements is false. 

The latter statement was true as of a few weeks ago, but injuries and decline have hammered New York as of late. Darrelle Revis was smoked by Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins before being concussed, and Revis Island might be closed for repairs over the next week or two. 

Rudnicki: Revis spent some time shadowing Landry in their earlier matchup, but he’s in danger of missing this matchup due to a concussion. That would really leave a huge hole in the Jets secondary as Buster Skrine is playing through an injury, and Antonio Cromartie is struggling a bit. Even if Revis were able to play, he hasn’t looked very impressive the past several weeks, so there is certainly an opportunity for Landry to post a big game here. 

BAD MATCHUPS 

Stefon Diggs, WR, MIN @ ATL ($6,600) 

Miglio: Desmond Trufant has been excellent this season for the Falcons, a big reason why Atlanta has allowed just three touchdowns to opposing receivers. Stefon Diggs is next in Trufant’s sights. 

Rudnicki: Although Atlanta seems to be slipping overall, their pass defense has been surprisingly strong. Over the past five games, they have only allowed one touchdown to an opposing receiver and none have gone over five catches and 50 yards in the same game. Diggs has also cooled off the past few weeks as the Vikings passing game has remained generally unimpressive.

Week 11 Exposed

Check out this week's Exposed, where we look at good and bad matchups for wide receivers and tight ends. An excerpt:

GOOD MATCHUPS 

Calvin Johnson, WR, DET vs. OAK ($8,100)Golden Tate, WR, DET vs. OAK ($6,200)Eric Ebron, TE, DET vs. OAK ($5,400) 

Miglio: It’s cherries jubilee for the Detroit passing offense. About the only issue here is the fact there will only be so many targets to go around. Unless Matthew Stafford throws 62 passes, anyway. 

Rudnicki: The Raiders got a small boost to their secondary when they activated CB T.J. Carrie off IR and sent David Amerson back to the bench, but this is still one of the worst pass defenses in the league. The Vikings didn’t really test them last week as they had plenty of success with the run game, but the Lions can’t run on anybody. This is a great matchup for the Lions passing game with the only real concern being the Raiders pass rush not giving Matthew Stafford much time in the pocket. 

BAD MATCHUPS 

T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND @ ATL ($7,200) 

Miglio: Josh Norman has gotten all the new-generation hype at cornerback this season, but Desmond Trufant has quietly become one of the better corners in the league, too. He figures to shadow T.Y.  Hilton, who has Matt Hasselbeck throwing passes to him for the foreseeable future. 

Rudnicki: Hilton figures to see a lot of Desmond Trufant this week, who hasn’t given up much to anybody all year. The change at QB to Matt Hasselbeck also suggests a bigger focus on the short and intermediate passing game, which likely helps Andre Johnson and hurts Hilton.

Medical Check

This week there are some key injuries to watch including to Antonio Gates, John Brown, and Jordan Reed. Should you be plugging these guys into your lineups or are their some great pivots due to these injuries? Find out here.

Exposed: Week 7

This week's Exposed piece is out. Check out who Aaron Rudnicki and I think have the best and worst matchups for Week 7. Here is a sampling of this week's goodness.

GOOD MATCHUPS  

John Brown, WR, ARI vs. BAL ($6,700)Michael Floyd, WR, ARI vs. BAL ($4,900) 

Miglio: Despite throwing for 414 yards last week, Carson Palmer and the Cardinals could only muster 13 points. That is only the second time in NFL history a quarterback has thrown for 400-plus yards and scored so few points. Though it was a disappointing day, his receivers did alright. Michael Floyd had the game’s only touchdown, though, and it could have been a sign of things to come for the big wideout. He was targeted eight times -- often in the red zone -- and wound up being a great GPP play. This week he gets an atrocious Baltimore defense at home, as does the rest of that wide receiver corps. While Floyd is strictly a GPP option, John Brown is a nice addition to any cash or GPP lineup. 

Rudnicki: The Ravens secondary is a disaster this year. Jimmy Smith can’t seem to cover anybody, and Lardarius Webbsat out last week with a hamstring injury so he may not be 100% here. Brown finally blew up last week with a huge game vs the Steelers (10 catches, 196 yards), and Floyd is coming off his best game of the year as well. Everybody loves Larry Fitzgerald, but these players look like better values.

BAD MATCHUPS  

Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI @ CAR ($6,600) 

Miglio: Not that you should have a terrible amount of confidence in Jordan “Crisco Hands” Matthews these days, but don’t look for a huge game from him against the Carolina Panthers. He has been unable to produce in far better matchups, and cornerback Josh Norman and Co. will make life more difficult for him in Carolina. 

Rudnicki: Matthews works primarily out of the slot for the Eagles so that may help him avoid facing off against the best corner in the league this year in Josh Norman. However, the Panthers defense has only given up five passing touchdowns on the season and figure to make things very difficult for Sam Bradford here. 

Exposed: Week 6

Check out this week's Exposed, where Aaron Rudnicki and I cover good and bad matchups for wide receivers and tight ends. Here is an excerpt:

GOOD MATCHUPS 

Mike Wallace, WR, MIN vs. KC ($5,400)Adam Thielen, WR, MIN vs. KC ($4,500) 

Miglio: The Kansas City Chiefs have not been very good on defense. That is especially true for that secondary, one that has allowed the most fantasy PPG to opposing receivers. Having faced a gauntlet that includes DeAndre Hopkins, Demaryius Thomas, Randall Cobb, and A.J. Green hasn’t helped matters, but guys like Marquess Wilson and Brandon Tate have also scored on the unit. That’s where low-priced options like Adam Thielen come into the picture -- he actually got more snaps than rookie counterpart Stefon Diggs last week. Of course, if Charles Johnson and Mike Wallace make it back from injury, Thielen's appeal disappears. Wallace looks to be on track to play, which makes him a rather enticing option at that price.  

Rudnicki: The Chiefs have surprisingly been the most generous matchup for receivers this year with 11 touchdowns allowed. Things have improved since Sean Smith returned from suspension, but they still had trouble with the Bears last week who were without their top two wideouts. The Vikings could also be without two or three of their top receivers this week, which should create a lot of opportunity for players further down the depth chart. Both Wallace and Thielen productive against a much tougher Broncos secondary in their last game, and you have to think they will find things even easier here. 

BAD MATCHUPS  

Travis Benjamin, WR, CLE vs. DEN ($6,300) 

Miglio: The Cleveland Browns offense is clicking like a metronome set at 140 BPM thus far this season. But a rendezvous with the NFL’s best defense could bring the beat to a halt. 

Rudnicki: Josh McCown is on a roll, but it should all come crashing to a halt this week when the Broncos pay a visit. Chris Harris and Aqib Talib make things difficult for almost every receiver they face, and have combined to allow just one touchdown to an opposing receivers all season.

Exposed: Week 5

Check out this week's Exposed article for the best and worst matchups for wide receivers and tight ends. Enjoy a sampling below.

GOOD MATCHUPS  

Willie Snead, WR, NO @ PHI ($5,300) 

Miglio: There is certainly some hype surrounding Willie Snead, so he might have a rather significant ownership percentage. Good thing he has a solid matchup this week in a game that could be high scoring. Of course, the last surefire barnburner Philadelphia was involved in turned out to be a defensive stinker, so take that with a grain of salt. 

Rudnicki: The Eagles haven’t really been able to slow anybody down this year and now they are expected to be without one of their starting corners in Byron Maxwell. Snead appears to have surpassed Brandon Coleman for a starting spot in the Saints offense, and Drew Brees is coming off his best game of the season. If this game becomes a shootout as expected, Snead looks like the best Saints player to own. 

BAD MATCHUPS  

Miglio: Seattle’s defense got off to a slow start this season, but the past couple of weeks it has rounded into form. Kam Chancellor ending his holdout may have had something to do with that, but so was the fact the Seahawks were home andCary Williams emerged as a solid No. 2 cornerback. 

It’s not a home game, but that defense figures to make things tough on A.J. Green and the Cincinnati passing offense. 

Rudnicki: Apart from Randall Cobb, no other WR has really had any success against the Seattle defense thus this year. You can likely expect A.J. Green to see plenty of Richard Sherman, but Cary Williams is playing great and Earl Thomas will be there to protect against the deep throws that Green is known for.

Exposed: Week 4

Here is an excerpt from this week's Exposed article at Footballguys, where all the FanDuel content is free for Week 4!

GOOD MATCHUPS 

 Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI @ WAS ($4,900) 

Miglio: It might be best to fade the entire Philadelphia-Washington tilt with Hurricane Joaquin threatening the mid-Atlantic coast, but you never know what value you might find if the game is indeed played as scheduled. The Philadelphia Eagles got off the schneid last week, but that doesn’t mean the passing game got on track. Washington’s secondary should help get Sam Bradford and Co. firing on all cylinders. That includes Nelson Agholor, who has been a ghost on offense thus far this season after plenty of preseason hype.

Rudnicki: Agholor has not looked comfortable yet, but he’s not alone when it comes to the struggles of the Eagles passing attack. He was shut out last week while matched up primarily against Darrelle Revis, but gets a much more favorable matchup this week (if the weather holds up). Washington’s starting LCB DeAngelo Hall is out and will likely be replaced byBashaud Breeland, who gave up 8 catches and two touchdowns on just 10 targets last week.

BAD MATCHUPS 

Mike Evans, WR, TB vs. CAR ($7,500) 

Miglio: Has Josh Norman begun construction on his island yet? Carolina's cornerback has quickly climbed the ranks, and he has become a nightmare for opposing wide receivers. Evans might be a target hog, but lining up against Norman is bad news for fantasy business. 

Rudnicki: Evans struggled a bit against Johnathan Joseph last week, but overall had a solid outing with seven catches on an amazing 17 targets. If Tampa keeps throwing to him that often, he almost has to put up good numbers again, but I’d be wary of him lining up across from Josh Norman this week. Also, the Panthers offense is the type that will try to grind out the clock and control the ball, which would also limit the chances for Evans. There are only a handful of corners in the league you want to avoid going up against, and Norman is probably in that group. 

Hurricane Warning: Fade Philadelphia vs. Washington

In non-football news that affects football, it seems we may be in for our first major weather event of the year. Hurricane Joaquin is currently bearing down on the middle Atlantic coast, and it could wreak havoc on Sunday.

The storm track as of Wednesday evening.

Word broke today that the Philadelphia-Washington game scheduled in the nation's capital may actually be postponed due to the storm. Fortunately for the NFL, both teams actually have a Week 8 bye they can fall back to if necessary.

Storm tracks are cone-like for a reason -- there is a reason meteorologists don't constantly win the lottery -- so it's quite possible the storm will stay out at sea without making any sort of landfall or hit North Carolina well before it gets to Washington D.C. But the threat of postponement coupled with the likelihood of nasty weather regardless of landfall means you should probably fade Washington and Philadelphia players in Thursday contests. Without the ability to late-swap, you could be stuck with goose eggs in your lineup.

UPDATE: The NOAA thinks Joaquin may not be close to Washington D.C. until Monday, now.

The storm track as of Thursday morning.

If Joaquin continues to slow or stays on this track, the game might actually be safe. Keep an eye on it through this evening, but it might still be best to fade the contest in Thursday night slates. You never know if it might speed up and slam Virginia on Sunday.

FanDuel Survivor - Just $5 and a TON of fun

https://www.fanduel.com/nfl-survivor

FanDuel rolled out their first NFL Survivor tournament this week and I couldn't be happier.  The premise is easy.  Each week they will cut the pool by 25-50%.  Make the cut and compete for another week.  It's a $5 GPP with 57,471 people in it.  But you don't need to beat all of them this week.  You just need to stay ahead of those cutlines.

Make 5 cuts and you start cashing.

Get to the final 2,000 and you will participate in a GPP with all those still standing for awesome prizes.  The Top 5 go to Vegas and take part in their Championship Weekend.

Joe Bryant and I will be in Las Vegas (as guests of FanDuel for this weekend).  Hoping a FBG or two or five can secure a seat and party with us.

A Counter Strategy I Use in Cash Games

I have been perfecting this over the last few seasons and yesterday it showcased why I like the strategy so well.

It starts with what I perceive as this myth:  "Don't Stack your QB/WR in cash games".

I have always scratched my head with that one.  That's exactly what you do when you would like to score the most points and win a GPP.  And when a matchup is great and We expect a QB to shred it, why wouldn't we double up on that situation if the WR was reasonably priced as well.

Not only do I stack in nearly all of my cash game submits, I also look to get the best WR or TE on the opposing team in my lineup (sometimes there is not someone I like enough to warrant this).  In my cash games this week, I started with these pairings:

Cam Newton / Olsen Olsen stack only
Carson Palmer / Larry Fitzgerald stack only
Andrew Luck / T.Y. Hilton stack and Kendall Wright
Tom Brady / Julian Edelman stack and Allen Hurns
Tom Brady / Rob Gronkowski stack and Allen Hurns
Russell Wilson / Jimmy Graham stack only
Marcus Mariota / Kendall Wright stack and T.Y. Hilton
Eli Manning / Odell Beckham Jr, stack and Jordan Reed (Thu)
Matt Ryan / Julio Jones stack only
Ben Roethlisberger / Antonio Brown stack and Kenny Britt
Nick Foles / Kenny Britt stack and Antonio Brown
Blake Bortles / Allen Hurns and Julian Edelman
Aaron Rodgers / Randall Cobb stack and Travis Kelce
Alex Smith / Travis Kelce stack and Randall Cobb

I am set to win heavily with 12 of these 14 this week.  But forget the results for awhile.  I will tell you why I favor this approach:

- When your quarterback is awful (or gets hurt), your lineup is in deep trouble anyway.  Suffice it to say the Ben Roethlisberger roster above is not going to win.  But would any Roethlisberger roster you created this week have won?  If so it did it with everyone else.  

- By starting with different bases of 2-3 players, you end up with a wider range of dollars left.  This forces you into choosing slightly different players and limiting being over-exposed to any one guy.

- These same lineups can be used in 2X, 3X, 5X, and smaller GPPs.  They are high variance plays that can get way above the cutline when all three parts of the stack work. In fact this is what I like the most about this particular strategy).  Let's say you are going to allocate $100 to a 3 part stacked lineup.

I would allocate it like this:

$50 (50%) in 2X and 50/50s

$30 (30%) in 3X

$20 (20%) in 5X and smaller GPP

You get the benefit of a major hit when it all goes well.   

I realize that 14 starting stack combos can be a bit extreme for people (me included). In most weeks, I am looking to play 4-6 such combos.  This week had a lot of games where I thought a shoot was definitely possible and wanted these extra lineups in play to minimize variance on the players I really liked.  

Week 2: Last-Minute Injury Reactions

Here are some last-minute thoughts on last-minute injury news for Week 2.

Delanie Walker, TE, Tennessee Titans (out)

I was already fading the Tennessee offense this week. Until we see more, last week's explosion was more aberration than norm—the Bucs are terrible. Having said that, Walker's absence boosts receiver Kendall Wright ($6,100) a bit, and tight end Anthony Fasano ($4,600) becomes a GPP dart at near-minimum salary.

C.J. Spiller, RB, New Orleans Saints (active)

This was coming, but Spiller was officially made active this morning. There is little reason to stick him in lineups at $6,100 given his likely limited usage.

LeSean McCoy is active for the #Bills, but expect he’ll be less than 100 percent. For #Saints, CJ Spiller to be used in red zone & 3rd down

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2015

This does ding Mark Ingram ($8,100), but the matchup is so strong that you shouldn't be scrambling to make changes there. Khiry Robinson ($4,900) is a fade at this point, even at that price.

Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears (out)

A week after coming back from a calf issue, Alshon Jeffery was ruled out with a hamstring injury this week. This is a huge blow to to the Bears offense -- Marquess Wilson ($4,500) and Eddie Royal ($4,800) are now the starters.

You will note those are some pretty nice prices. The question is who will Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson cover? He shut down Saints receiver Brandin Cooks last week, and it's quite possible he'll be on more-prolific Royal. Wilson is a better physical specimen, though, and Peterson could be tasked with keeping him in check.

Both of them are good GPP plays, but Martellus Bennett becomes an even better cash option this week. Even at $6,100, Bennett could see double-digit targets from quarterback Jay Cutler.

Tre Mason, RB, St. Louis Rams (active)
Todd Gurley, RB, St. Louis Rams (out)

Both of these situations make sense -- Gurley should be held out as long as possible coming back from that torn ACL, though it looks like he's on track to make his Week 3 debut.

Mason's activation means bad news for Benny Cunningham ($5,800). A Week 1 sleeper, Cunningham is no longer minimum-priced. Washington's defense, meanwhile, held down a good Dolphins offense last week. The run defense has been surprisingly good since last season.

Meanwhile, Mason is way too expensive at $7,200 to even consider.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (active)

By many accounts, Mike Evans could have played last week. The Buccaneers kept him out to avoid aggravating his injury, which could be good news for his Week 2 output.

At $8,100, however, it's tough to trust the second-year wideout this week. The game script says the Buccaneers will be passing the ball a ton in the second half, but his lack of rapport with quarterback Jameis Winston combined with the threat of injury aggravation just makes him a fade. (Note: that is polar opposite of what the great Dr. Jene Bramel told you. Probably better to listen to him.)

His return may or may not impact fellow receiver Vincent Jackson ($7,200), who had a relatively quiet Week 1 despite a favorable game script and matchup. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is still a minimum-priced tight end worth having at $4,500 in all formats. Winston looked his way plenty, and Evans could draw additional defensive attention.

Follow @AlexMiglio

Exposed: Week 2

Check out this week's Exposed, highlighting some of the best and worst matchups of the week for FanDuel contests, courtesy of IDP guru Aaron Rudnicki. The whole thing is free this week, but here is an excerpt:

---

GOOD MATCHUPS

Steve Smith, WR, BAL @ OAK ($6,700)

Miglio: The Raiders looked like the worst team in the league at home last week, and they lost both starting safeties to injury. The only issue here is that the Baltimore Ravens offense looked positively pitiful against the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Big bounce-back week coming for Steve Smith in a much better matchup?

Rudnicki: The Raiders secondary is really bad, and corner D.J. Hayden has really struggled in coverage. With both starting safeties going down with injuries, Hayden may not get much help against Smith this week and I think Flacco will be able to take full advantage. 

Torrey Smith, WR, SF @ PIT ($5,900)

Miglio: It was a poor matchup for Steve Smith’s former teammate against the Minnesota Vikings last week, though the 49ers moved the ball without him at will at times. This week is the opposite -- the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to pose little defensive threat, and a guy like Torrey Smith might cash in with a huge game.

Rudnicki: The Steelers pass defense is such a mess that New England didn’t show any interest in running the ball against them. The 49ers passing attack is a big step down from the Patriots, but they also have a run game that could result in plenty of stacked fronts. If so, Smith should see plenty of single coverage and have a shot at a huge game. Boldin andVernon Davis probably aren’t bad options here either.

BAD MATCHUPS

Alshon Jeffery, WR, CHI vs. ARI ($8,100)

Miglio: Patrick Peterson has gotten his butt handed to him by top receivers on a few occasions, but he started the 2015 season off on the right foot by clamping down on Brandin Cooks. Of course, Cooks isn’t a prototypical No. 1 like Alshon Jeffery, but this doesn’t seem like a great matchup for a guy who still might be affected by a balky calf.

Rudnicki: Jeffery figures to see a lot of Patrick Peterson in this matchup, and I think that’s a matchup to avoid. The Bears will likely rely heavily on the run game and short passing game with Matt Forte and Martellus Bennett. 

Allen Robinson, WR, JAX vs. MIA ($5,700)

Miglio: Preseason hype failure! Allen Robinson and the entire Jacksonville offense was a dud in Week 1. More of the same could be coming in Week 2 against Miami.

Rudnicki: Robinson could only manage one catch on six targets against Carolina last week with several drops, and I imagine Brent Grimes will be matched up with him quite a bit. The Dolphins weakness seems to be over the middle rather than outside, and I expect a lot more from their pass rush this week.

Sweet, New FanDuel Contests

In case you missed it, there are a couple of new FanDuel contests that were just announced this week.

First came a chance to win a sweet ride.

Side note: one of those things is not like the others.

Getting into the contest for one of these babies is pretty easy—all you have to do is enter paid contests in at least two weeks before Week 5 to get a chance at the Mini Cooper. If you play a paid contest in all four weeks, you'll get a shot at all three cars. 

That's a fun contest, but nothing compared to FanDuel's World Fantasy Football Championships (WFFC). 

The massive event is back, and bigger than ever—FanDuel is offering $12 million in payouts this year, up from $7 million a year ago and $3 million in 2013.

Competition will be fierce to win qualifiers, but they offer the chance of a lifetime. You can enter five different Week 1 qualifiers ranging from $2 to $300, and there will be new opportunities each week until the contest fills with its 120 participants.

Happy hunting!

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