(Doc’s Note: Hey y’all, sign up for our Week 4 FanDuel Freeroll. You can join the league for free for a chance to win $250 bucks (1st-$100, 2nd-$50, 3rd-$30, 4th-$25, 5th-$20, 6th-$15, 7th-$10) and if your team scores higher than my team you get 5 whole dollars. I sucked pretty bad last week so a whole bunch of you got 5 bucks. You are welcome by the way. Now give Gabe here a hearty Razzball welcome. He’s going to look at a few FanDuel bargains for this week.)
Batman and Robin, Thelma and Louise, Rosenhaus and contract holdouts. The age old proverb holds true; good things come in pairs. At least that’s what Tom Brady and Wes Welker have discovered this season. If you’ve chosen Brady and Welker each of the first 3 contests, chances are (and I mean William Perry sized chances) that you’ve done fairly well.
That’s not what this article series is going to be about though. You can use the bathroom without holding someone’s hand, tie your shoes without help, and put All-Day and Megatron in your lineup without an article telling you it’s a good idea. What I’d like to do is help you find value in the dark catacombs that are FanDuel’s bottom and middle tiers. One undercostedbreakout can often sway an entire match, leaving you free to invest more salary cap into known quantities. Remember, predicting value is never an exact science, articles like this are meant to be used as a resource, not a be all end all. Feel free to stop by my Twitter and ask any questions you might have.
Let’s get to the value!
Tampa Bay $5,200: The Bucs D had a coming out party against a turnover prone Matt Ryan to the tune of 4 sacks, an interception, and 2 forced fumble recoveries. with the Painter experiment rolling into town this weekend, there’s no reason to believe the Bucs will see any kind of drop-off. I could easily see 15 points happening.
Dan Bailey $5,200: As Romo, Bryant, and Jones led the M.A.S.H. unit down the field just far enough each drive, the real beneficiary emerged. With a host of injury questions still looming, and a similar defense in the Detroit Lions up next, Bailey could be in line for a repeat performance. He’s a great way to add depth to other positions by not overpaying for a kicker.
David Nelson $5,400: It amazes me when I look at the list of players above him on the WR list. He’s only 23 yards behind teammate Steve Johnson, ($7,900) and starts on the leagues most prolific offense. He’s been on most of my teams the last 2 weeks, and until he shows otherwise, that’s where he’ll stay. Don’t be scared of the matchup against a suprisingly good Bengals D, the stampede up north isn’t slowing down.
Nate Washington $6,400: You always feel bad when a guy goes out for the season, but Britt’s early exit has opened the door for Washington. He was posting stellar numbers to begin with, and now is in line for even more targets to come his way. Hasselbeck has clearly developed rapport with the young wideout and with the offensive line clearly one of the league’s best, the sky’s the limit.
Antonio Brown $5,000: If you watched the Colts Steelers game Sunday night, one thing stood out more than everything else; the Pitt offensive line is terrible. It was so bad that every facet of the offense was affected, from Mendenhall looking anemic, to Big Ben getting hit hard every other play. The Steelers were forced to go with quick passes to the slot receivers, and Brown has clearly separated himself from the rest of the pack in that regard. It’s worth noting that he had a team high 8 targets, which should only go up as the Steelers are forced to the passing game while trying to keep pace with the Texans.
Victor Cruz $5,000: This one’s a toughie, as he only had 3 receptions on 5 targets, 2 being for touchdowns. There’s always the bad Eli, good Eli potential to thwart a big day and once the other receivers are healthy, he loses most of his appeal. Still the Cardinals secondary is putrid enough to turn any receiver into a star, and Eli has shown he can shred a soft D to pieces. Keep and eye on Nicks and Manningham, if they can’t go, Cruz would make an interesting WR3 with home run potential.
Jason Campbell $7,100: Signal callers are the trickiest to evaluate, as they always carry a hefty price tag. This week, New England comes to Oakland, and bring with them a pass defense that has surrendered big games in 3 straight weeks. Jacoby Ford is hoping to return, and the Patriots will be forced to load the box all day to try and stop DFad. This should give the Raider’s wideouts, and Campbell’s big arm, 1 on 1 coverage.
Darren Sproles $6,400: I keep betting against this guy and he keeps proving me wrong. Normally the matchup with Jacksonville would pose a problem, but Sproles is so versatile that he’s essentially a wideout who gets a few carries as an added bonus. FanDuel gives .5 PPR so this can be a huge upside for your RB2 spot. Most of all, Brees trusts him, and it looks like the Saints have finally found the perfect back for their high flying offense.
Kendall Hunter $5,400: This one is tied to Gore’s availability, but if he can’t go, then Hunter moves into the realm of must buy territory. The Eagles have yet to show that they could stop a high school backfield, and the coaches in San Fran apparently love the work this kid has put in.  It’s all upside with this pick.
Tim Hightower $6,900: With lofty expectations of being a feature back, Hightower has more than delivered. This week he gets the porous St. Louis defense, and if wasn’t for Roy Helu stealing touches, he would be in the realm of RB1’s. At his current price tag, he remains a bargain.
Vernon Davis $6,000: This is probably the one that surprises me the most. Davis is a top 15 receiving option, and it looks like Coach Jim Harbaugh finally realized that turning your most explosive offensive weapon into a glorified lineman won’t get the job done. Unsurprisingly, he led the Niners in targets, yardage, and catches last weekend, as he lined up all over the formations. Against a woeful Philly defense that only looks good on paper, Davis should have a productive day.
Other Notables: Lance Moore $6,400 @ JAC, Denarious Moore $5,800 vs NE, Daniel Thomas $6,700 @ SD, Earnest Graham $5,600 vs IND, Greg Olsen $5,400 @ CHI, Matt Hasselbeck $7,300 @ CLE.
And there you have it folks, the best value that fake futbol money can buy. Any questions about the picks, feel free to shoot me a question on Twitter. Now go on out and get your thrift on.
Follow me on Twitter @CrazyGabey and check out my blog.
