The FanDuel RotoWire championship battles continue to heat up as we head into Week 4. And as a surprise member of the Top 10 rankings, I've been asked to write this week's advice column -- an extremely prestigious honor. This is a crummy week for free agents in season-long leagues, but the beauty of weekly FanDuel contests is you can draft under performing big names who are due for a Week 4 statistical explosion. All players are available!
Let's explore some players that I am targeting in this week's RotoWire & FanDuel Football Championship.
If you are unfamiliar with the competition, here are the basics:
– 10-week competition hosted on FanDuel
– $10 entry
– Compete against other users and three FanDuel experts (Jeff Erickson, Derek VanRiper, Kevin Payne)
– Finish above the experts and win an entry in the Week 11 Freeroll with over $4,000 in prizes and RotoWire subscriptions up for grabs
– Each qualifying week acts as a double-up with the top 150 doubling up their cash
– This is not a continuous competition, so you can enter every week, and you don't have to have participated in Weeks 1 or 2 to enter this week's competition
– You can sign up for this week's competition here:
There is a separate expert tournament that runs in conjunction with the public one so that we don't miss out on all the fun. I had the top score in Week 1, a decent showing in Week 2 and a middle-of the road effort in Week 3. It's time to get back on track!
Here is how the top-10 shakes out through two weeks (full standings can be viewed here):
- Mike Doria (mikeinlalaland) 363.40
- Jason Brown (modano9) 360.54
- Tyler Markel (tfmarkel) 353.70
- Chris Smith (smithca28) 353.18
- Logan Larson (lxlarson) 347.64
- James Anderson (realjranderson) 344.84
- Dave Hunter (therolypolyboy) 344.54
- Benjamin Donabedian (jd0505) 344.52
- Ken Crites (kencrw) 341.34 (I gotta enjoy this while I can!)
- Andrew Parr (aparr013) 337.54
Value Plays
Excluded teams: CHI, GB, NO, MIA, WAS and KC
QB Russell Wilson, Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks
FanDuel price: $7,900
This suggestion is as much an indictment against the Indy pass defense as it is acknowledgement of a surprise improvement by the Seattle offensive line. Amazingly, Wilson was sacked only once last week versus the Titans. The Colts have given up the 6th most points to QB's, despite facing the pedestrian offenses of the Rams, Cardinals and Browns. This has the chance to get ugly for Colts fans. Snag Wilson and enjoy the Sunday Night prime time game.
RB C.J. Anderson, Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
FanDuel Price: $6,900
Last week, did you watch the Redskins dominate the time of possession 38:06 to 21.54 versus the Raiders? I'm sure the Broncos did. Expect the Raider D to continue facing lots of running plays and short passes, supporting Anderson's case for excellent value this week. Anderson isn't as quick as Chris Thompson, but I still expect to see plenty of screen passes to Anderson until the Raiders prove they can stop it. It's also an excellent method for nullifying Khalil Mack's pass rush.
WR Stefon Diggs, Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
FanDuel Price: $7,200
What does Case Keenum need to do to gain some respect? How about a 369 yards, three TD, no interceptions win over the Buccaneers? Yep, that will do it. At this point it seems 50/50 whether or not we'll see Keenum or Sam Bradford on Sunday. Either way, I'm not trusting the allegedly improved Lions pass defense, especially on the road. Digg's 20.5 fantasy points per game are just too good to argue with at this nice value salary.
High Risk/High Reward
TE Jimmy Graham, Indianapolis Colts at Seattle Seahawks
FanDuel Price: $6,200
I know, I know, Jimmy Graham burned you in Week 1 and then again in Week 2. I hear you. And he keeps showing up on the injury report. But he really turned a corner last week with a surprising 72 receiving yards in the loss to the Titans. More importantly, he finally saw a much deserved 11 targets. Improved play from the battered SEA O-Line means more routes for Graham. Plus with Doug Baldwin possibly out (groin injury, missing Wednesday's practice), Graham has the clear opportunity to be target #1 versus a weak Indy pass defense. I really like the idea of a Wilson-Graham stack this week.
Steer Clear
QB Matt Ryan, Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons
FanDuel Price: $8,000
To me, an $8,000 price tag is just too high for a team battling a legit Buffalo Bills defense. The Bills have given up the 3rd fewest fantasy points to QBs this year. And the Falcons are running very well in the red zone, leaning on Devonta Freeman to pound the rock. The Bills have given up 12, nine and 16 points this season (versus NYJ, CAR and DEN). I thought the first two games were a fluke, but the strong defensive showing versus Denver proved the Bills D is for real. Look elsewhere for QB help.
You can tweet your hate or praise to Ken K-Train Crites via @KenCrites . CHOO-CHOO!