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Week 8 was a great week for the FanDuel Bargain Buys with 70% of the picks hitting value. Brandon Lafell (WR4) and Heath Miller (TE2) led a group of players that nearly all hit 2x value. The one real stinker of the group was the Jets defense. I still think Kyle Orton has a reality check coming up, but this Jets defense is not one to bet on...we learned that. Week 9 gets us into the heavy bye season, which makes this all the more interesting. Once again we're using the projections of David Dodds for our Value Play selection and my personal research for the Bargain Buys. You clearly don't want to fill out a roster full of these guys, but once you've selected the studs you want, fill your roster with a couple of these players for profit.
Quarterback
Value Play
Teddy Bridgewater ($5900) vs. Washington- Bridgewater has been slower developing than I expected but the Redskins secondary minus DeAngelo Hall could be just what the doctor ordered. He was serviceable last week against Tampa Bay, throwing for 241-1-0. As long as he stays within himself he has an excellent chance to meet value.
FanDuel Bargain Buy
Ryan Fitzpatrick ($6400) vs. Philadelphia- The Eagles will put the Texans in a position where they have to throw in the second half, which should be good for Fitzpatrick's volume. Four times this year Fitzpatrick has been asked to throw at least 30 passes in a game and he's averaged 19 fantasy points in those games. He's not an efficient quarterback or one that's particularly good at protecting the football. But if he throws enough he generally produces.
Running Back
Value Play
Jeremy Hill ($5200) vs. Jacksonville- I touched on Hill in the DraftKings article as well, but with Giovani Bernard out he's a near must-play. The only downside to Hill is that in GPPs he's likely to be highly owned so you'll have to find your uniqueness somewhere else. This is a rare opportunity where you could get a top ten performance out of a near basement priced back.
FanDuel Bargain Buy
Trent Richardson ($5900) vs. New York Giants- Yes I know that Bradshaw is the most talented back in Indianapolis right now. The Colts know that as well. What they also know is that if they treat Bradshaw like a feature back he won't likely be available when they need him most; in the playoffs. Richardson should continue to get plenty of touches when he's healthy and that makes his price tag a great value.
Wide Receiver
Value Play
Rueben Randle ($6400) vs. Indianapolis- The Giants made a big deal about getting more aggressive in the passing game over the bye week and their eyes had to light up when they watched what the Steelers did to the Colts in Week 8. Randle is the number one option in New York now, but he's not being priced like it. He should be a high volume guy against a pass defense that's on roller skates right now.
FanDuel Bargain Buy
James Jones ($5600) vs. Seattle- This may seem like a strange pick. Okay, I'll admit....it definitely looks like a strange pick. Here's the question you have to ask yourself. Will there be a lot of garbage time in this one? Yes? Well, James Jones loves garbage times. In fact, he's dominated garbage time this year. Jones will be highly targeted, just don't panic if he's nowhere close to value when the 4th quarter starts. He'll get there.
Tight End
Value Play
Larry Donnell ($5400) vs. Indianapolis- I told you last week all about the Colts struggles with tight ends and boy did Heath Miller make me look smart. Donnell has every bit as much potential in this one to put up a monster game. The Colts have been making average tight ends look like superstars for most of the year, so why not bet on them doing it again with Donnell?
FanDuel Bargain Buy
Charles Clay ($4900) vs. San Diego- To say Clay has had an uneven year would be putting it nicely. He's coming off his worst game of the year and gets to face a banged up secondary in the Chargers. The last time I suggested Clay he put up his best game of the year against the Bears. I think he tops that this week.
Kicker
Randy Bullock ($4800) vs. Philadelphia- Bullock's selection here is very similar to Fitzpatrick's, opportunity. I expect a high scoring game with Bullock getting multiple field goal attempts. Bullock has been a solid 15/17 so far this year, so attempts generally translate to points for him.
Defense
Houston Texans ($4800) vs. Philadelphia- It may seem strange to expect a high scoring game and pick one of the defenses from that game. The thing is, I'm still not sold that Nick Foles is much more than a product of his system. J.J. Watt should have no trouble getting pressure against this line, and when Foles is pressured he makes mistakes. He still has a lot of regressing to do from his incredibly low interception total in 2013.
