FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Strategy

Hi guys, my name is Zach, and I am going to be writing a post a week (except for this one), breaking down the best options per week for Daily Fantasy on Wednesdays for all of you out there that like to win that cash monies. But for now, let’s talk about why I’m here. I’m not very good at Daily Fantasy Baseball, so good thing that translates into being pretty good at Daily Fantasy Football. There’s apparently only room for one in my life… Regardless, I’ll be breaking down some strategy today, and how to approach Daily Fantasy Football. And the first topic we should cover, and most important thing regarding DFS NFL, is how it works…

New to Daily Fantasy Football? Try out this new free FanDuel’s contest, where half the league is guaranteed to win. (Played on FanDuel before? You can build a team for $5 for a chance of $100,000, part of a one million dollar prize pool!)

Scoring

Arguably the most important stat on this chart is that FanDuel awards 0.5 points per reception. This favors players that do well in a normal PPR system, rather than a standard system. This includes WR’s like Julian Edelman, Randall Cobb, and sleeper WR’s like Cole Beasley, Jermaine Kearse. It also favors pass-catching HB’s over normal HB’s like Matt Forte, Shane Vereen, and Giovani Bernard, instead of a normal HB like Jamaal Charles.

Another important stat is the value of 4 point per passing TD, while rushing and receiving TD’s are worth 6 points. This means that Aaron Rodgers isn’t all that. However, Calvin Johnson is. Keep that in mind before you invest $9,000+ in Andrew Luck or Peyton Manning.

Now let’s get to the position breakdown…

Quarterbacks

Quarterbacks are one of the most important positions in the NFL, and also one of the deepest. During some weeks, Jameis Winston will have 3.45 points more than Drew Brees, and that’s just life. The difference between the top QB and the tenth-best QB is only 6 points per game. So when weighing all of the options during the week, going with the players that have the easiest matchup is the way to go.

Carson Palmer – Palmer averaged 21.3 FPPG before he got hurt last year. When he was healthy he had great targets in Andre Ellington, Michael Floyd, John Brown and Larry Fitzgerald. This year, he is back and stronger than ever, and has most of his targets back (except for John Brown being injured for a month or two). Because of last year, he should be low-priced and low-owned.

Eli Manning – Eli Manning’s DFS value won’t necessary rely on Manning’s stats to be top-notch, but the signs all point to a good season. It’s his second year in the Ben McAdoo system, and now Manning has a healthy Victor Cruz, a star in Odell Beckham Jr., and a good target in Larry Donnell. Plus, that one guy that the Giants drafted from the U is pretty solid. The O-Lineman guy.

I forgot his name. Oh well. Better luck next time.

Tom Brady – A mad Tom Brady is a good Tom Brady. After what he had to endure over a 7 month period, he will be back, and he will be mad. During some weeks, he might do as well as Peyton Manning, and there might be some weeks where he will not put up that much points. However, his salary on FanDuel will always be lower than it should, because of Brees, Rodgers, Manning, Luck and Russell Wilson.

Running Backs

Running Backs are a different story than QB’s. The difference between the best back and the tenth best back is significant. However, you still have to roster three WR spots, so paying the $9,200 required to roster Adrian Peterson may not be the smartest move, especially because you only have a limited budget to roster seven other spots. With that being said, there are plenty of great options within the $7,900-$7,000 range, all that will make you very happy. Very happy. Children’s birth? No. Latavius Murray with 23/136/2? Yup.

Oh, and before I forget, Andre Ellington? Priced way too high.

Lamar Miller – So many things make me squeal with delight. Finding an M&M in the wrapper before you throw it away, a hot shower after a long day, and a running back who ran for 1,000+ yards with 9 touchdowns being priced the same as Tre Mason. Lamar Miller has everything going for him right now. He doesn’t have a backup HB who will take some carries away from him. He is in a good offense with a great defense behind him. And when he faces teams such as Tennessee, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and New York Giants, fire away.

Doug Martin – “Well Zach”, says you. “Don’t you like being a part of Razzball?” Well, I do, and trust me, this is a gutsy move. However, with that being said, let me prove my case for Doug Martin. First off, new OC Dirk Koetter loves the man. And who could blame him? Martin was apparently on the Trading Block, but Koetter loved what he saw, and now he is here. Also, he came into Bucs training camp 20 pounds lighter and in the best shape of his life. When all of these things happen, and you play defenses like Tennessee, New Orleans (Twice), Atlanta (Twice) and Chicago, I tend to like you. So hit me up on IG Doug, and maybe we can talk about how good you are over a lovely game of Croquet next Sunday. Oh, yeah, you tend to play football on the Lord’s Day. Selfish.

Wide Receivers

WR’s are arguably the most important position in DFS, because you roster three of them. My strategy that I like to employ is a 3-point strategy:

• Get a tier one type WR. For Week One, these players are
  • Julio Jones
  • Odell Beckham Jr.
  • Demaryius Thomas
  • Dez Bryant
  • Calvin Johnson
• Get a tier two type WR, not too cheap, with some upside over the other mid-range receivers. For Week One, these players include
  • DeSean Jackson
  • Amari Cooper
  • Jordan Matthews
• Sleeper WR. Heavy sleeper. WR that has the ceiling to have a 20+ point game. These players include
  • Charles Johnson
  • Kendall Wright
  • Devante Adams
  • Nelson Agholor

This way, have one WR that will most likely have a 20+ point game, one WR that might have a 20+ point game, and one WR that could have a 20+ point game. And that’s like 40 points you just made good sir.

Dez Bryant – If I could only have one Tier One player each week, I would want Dez Bryant. After a 88/1320/16 year, he has the upside to do repeat those numbers. Also, I highly doubt that Joseph Randle will run the ball 392 times like the ‘Boys did last year with one DeMarco Murray. So, like I just pointed out earlier, if I could have any WR (or any player), I will choose the man with a great QB, an iffy defense (if the Cowboys fall behind in a game, Romo will sling the ball), and who faces Washington and Philadelphia twice a year.

Jordan Matthews – Chip Kelly’s best friend is my best friend. And if Chip Kelly will give presents of 15+ targets, I will find some way to become a Philadelphia coordinator. But for the time being, I will have to put him on my roster. Matthews finished the year with 8 total touchdowns, and 872 yards on 103 total targets. AND HE WASN’T EVEN THE MAIN MAN LAST YEAR. Sorry for that outburst, my therapist says I should have one at least a day.

Tight Ends

Let’s face it. There’s Gronk and then everyone else. FanDuel knows that, and will abuse its power by pricing him in the $9,000+ range. So the key is to go with upside and playing the matchups right. It’s the same strategy with QB’s, except there aren’t that many options, per se. I’ll only list one player, because it really depends on the week-to-week matchup and price.

Jordan Cameron – He will get the targets he deserves. However, it is what he will do with them that will dictate how good he is this year. Plus, he faces Washington, New York Giants, Indianapolis, Dallas, New York Jets (Twice), and Jacksonville. I like him enough to roster him, especially with the $5,500 price. I like him, and you should too.

Kickers and Defense & Special Teams

Not much to say here. Just pick a Kicker based on the best offense of the week, and pick a defense who is facing the worst offense of the week.

Example:

Week 1 Kicker – Mason Crosby, K GB (Faces Chicago)

Week 1 D/ST – Cleveland Browns D/ST (Faces New York Jets)

So there we have it. I am very happy to be writing for Razzball, covering Daily Fantasy Football, and we’ll see how this year goes. I’m hoping for a good one. And if you’re wondering how I’m doing in Saturday’s DFS MLB Moonshot Contest, I chose Arizona Diamondback’s A.J. Pollock.

He went 0-4…

You Can Follow Zach On Twitter @ohuhave12.