For the uninitiated, playing daily games on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings can be an enjoyable experience, but equally sobering is the fact that season-long knowledge does not always translate to success in the daily space. FootballGuys will bring you a series of value- and strategic-based selections from a number of seasoned daily veterans throughout the NFL season. Herein is another edition of “tipandpick’s Tips and Picks,” where we will examine the salaries of the RBs and TEs on both FanDuel and DraftKings for Sunday and Monday.
Below you will find a list of recommended players for either GPPs or cash games (sometimes both). GPP players generally have high-upside, but are too risky for cash games; cash game players are consistent with high fantasy floors. In some instances, the value (based on salary) for a player is so strong, he may fall into both categories…let’s have a look.
GPP TIGHT Ends
Delanie Walker (GPP only; FD: $5000, DK: $3700). Rostering offensive players going against the Dallas Cowboys worked well last year and, after Week #1, appears to be headed in the same direction this year. Walker only caught 3 balls on 4 targets last week, but the Titans built an early lead and did not need to pass the ball in the second half; this week, they will likely need to keep pace with the Cowboys’ offense (assuming Romo turns around his Week #1 performance). Walker is a big target in the redzone and has nice upside against a poor Cowboys’ defense.
Kyle Rudolph (GPP only; FD: $5500, DK: $3900). Rudolph, like Delanie Walker, had minimal Week #1 output because his team built an early lead. This week, the Vikings will face the Patriots, who assuredly will be able to keep the game in check, which should raise Rudolph’s usage. Tight ends in Norv Turner’s offenses have done very well historically, so it would not be surprising to see Rudolph with a finishing stat line of 6-70-1.
Julius Thomas (Primarily GPP; FD: $8100, DK: $7100). In this very column last week, I listed Julius Thomas as a GPP play and he rewarded those of you who took that advice with a 3-touchdown performance; however, there are still people who believe that Orange Julius is a cash game player—I am not one of those people. As long as Denver has Peyton Manning, ball distribution will be unknown from week to week. Last week, Julius scored 32 fantasy points on FD (38 on DK); this week, he might do it again…but he might finish with 10 fantasy points, too. GPP only.
Martellus Bennett (Primarily GPP; FD: $6100, DK: $5600). The “Black Unicorn” was heavily used last week against the Bills after Alshon Jeffrey left the game with a hamstring injury; Bennett finished the day with a statline of 8-70-1, which most certainly paid off his DFS salary across all sites. This week, the Bears travel to San Francisco and will face the decimated Niners’ defense; if Jeffrey is out again this week, Bennett could have another very big week at a fair salary.
CASH GAME TIGHT ENDS
Rob Gronkowski (Cash and GPP format; FD: $7900, DK: $6000). Gronk played only 38/86 plays (44.2%) last week against the Dolphins, but was targeted on 11 of those 38 plays (29%). In other words, Gronk remains, by a good margin, Tom Brady’s favorite target; there is no reason to believe that will change against the Vikings this weekend. Cash game players have high floors due to opportunity and Gronk should get even more opportunities this week, as he is a week further removed from his injuries.
Jimmy Graham (Cash and GPP format; FD: $8000, DK: $7100). No need to rationalize Jimmy Graham as a good cash game play; he is the best TE in the league on an offense where he is used like a WR1. Play him with confidence.
Larry Donnell (GPP & Cash format; FD: $4500, DK: $3000). If you don’t have the salary space to roster either of the big salary guys listed above (Gronk/Graham), you might want to consider the guy you did not know prior to last week: Larry Donnell. Donnell played the vast majority of the Giants’ snaps (54/62) last week and was targeted on 8 different occasions. If Eli continues to struggle to pick up the Giants’ new offensive scheme, expect Eli to dump off multiple passes to Donnell, who will also pick up the occasional touchdown due to his huge 6’6” frame.
GPP RUNNING BACKS
Toby Gerhart (GPP Only; FD: $5800, DK: $5000). The Jags are committed to getting the ball into Gerhart’s hands; last week, Gerhart took a nasty turn on his ankle and he still managed to play the vast majority of snaps. He has said that he was playing through pain, which could explain his modest production. This week, the Jags travel to D.C. to play the Redskins, who gave up 100+ yards to Arian Foster in Week #1. If the Jags continue to give the ball to Gerhart 20+ times per game, he could provide significant upside for GPP tournaments.
Shane Vereen (GPP Only; FD: $6800, DK: $5900). Surprising stat of the week for the Patriots? Shane Vereen nearly tripled Steven Ridley’s snaps! If that trend continues, Vereen provides huge upside for tournaments, particularly on DK, where every reception is a point; this week, the Pats are projected to score nearly 4 TD’s, so it is not illogical to think that Vereen has one (or two?) in store, given his usage by the offense.
Frank Gore (Primarily GPP; FD: $7400, DK: $4900). Gore is an attractive GPP selection this week because people will be disappointed in his output from Week #1 against the Cowboys and his ownership will be fairly low. If you watched the Niners/Cowboys game, you would have noticed that it was a strange game, in that Romo’s interceptions and the special teams’ touchdown severely limited Gore’s upside; furthermore, he saw 42 of the team’s 58 snaps compared to Carlos Hyde’s 15 snaps. Gore is still the guy in San Francisco until those numbers trend closer to 50/50.
Matt Asiata (Primarily GPP format; FD: $4500, DK: $3000). Adrian Peterson was inactivated on Friday after reports surfaced that he scolded his 4-year old son with a ‘switch,’ thereby opening the door for his backup, Matt Asiata to start in his place against the Pats in Minnesota’s home opener. Asiata has seen limited action in his short career, starting only 2 games; in the first game, he averaged only 1.7 YPC, but scored 3 touchdowns…in the second game, he averaged 8.2 YPC without scoring. On Sunday, he’ll get an opportunity, but it is difficult to know which Asiata will show up to play.
Terrence West (Primarily GPP format; FD: $5300, DK: $4600). With Ben Tate injured, Terrence West will get his first opportunity to supplant Tate as the lead running back in Cleveland. Last week, West impressed with 16 carries for 100 yards against the Steelers; this week, he matches up against the Saints, whose defense was stymied last week in Atlanta. If the Browns can stay within a touchdown of New Orleans, look for West to get a lot of action on Sunday.
CASH GAME RUNNING BACKS
Arian Foster (Cash & GPP format; FD: $8300, DK: $7000). Foster looked very good in his home opener against Washington, where he rushed for 103 yards on 27 carries. With Foster seeing 59 of the team’s 61 snaps last week, there is no reason to believe he will not see a similar workload in Week #2 against the lackluster Oakland Raiders’ defense. This would appear to be a great cash game play given the opportunity, gamescript, and Vegas total.
Lesean McCoy (Cash & GPP format; FD: $9200, DK: $8200). Lesean McCoy disappointed in Week #1 with an uncharacteristically bad day, primarily due to the Eagles falling to an early lead and having to lean heavily on the passing game in the second half. This week, the Eagles play the Colts on Monday Night Football, where the game total is projected to be 54 points between these teams. McCoy will likely be more involved than he was last week and always has a high floor and brings good upside with it.
Monte Ball (Cash & GPP format; FD: $8100, DK: $6800). Last week, Julius Thomas scored 3 touchdowns in the Broncos’ offense; this week, it could very well by Montee Ball’s turn to do the scoring. The Broncos are 2 TD favorites against the Chiefs and, for that reason, should be running the ball in the second half to protect a lead; if Vegas is correct about this mismatch, there is no reason Ball cannot finish this game with 100 yards rushing and 2 TD’s.
Shonn Greene (Cash & GPP format; FD: $5000, DK: $3300). With the Titans slated to score nearly 4 touchdowns on Sunday, it is reasonable to expect that their running game will garner at least one of those. Last week, Greene got the lion’s share of carries in the Titans’ backfield (3x Sankey’s carries), including the goalline work. If Green gets 15+ carries in Week #2, it is difficult to imagine a scenario whereby he does not pay off his miniscule salary.
Giovani Bernard (Cash format; FD: $7800, DK: $6300). Bernard gets the matchup of the week against a Falcons team that allowed 3 rushing touchdowns to the Saints a week ago. Gio was on the field for 58 snaps last week (versus Jeremy Hill’s 10 snaps) and is an integral part of the Bengals’ passing game, as evidenced by his team-leading 10 targets last week. Bernard is an almost ‘must play’ on DK due to their PPR pricing, but he also is very attractive on FD for cash games.
For last-minute advice, player decisions, and injury news on Sunday morning, tune into the “NFL Gameday” webcast at 11:30 AM (EST) on RotoGrinders Live, where John “tipandpick” Lee, Al “Al_Smizzle” Zeidenfeld, and Dan “DB730” Back will analyze all NFL Week #1 games. You can find the webcast at: https://rotogrinders.com/live. All other daily fantasy questions can be directed to John’s Twitter page at: https://twitter.com/tipandpick
