This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
"Join me in congratulating the 2014 Fantasy Aces Fantasy Football Champion, and winner of the first place share of $100,000: [Your name here]"
How does that sound? Daily fantasy players salivate at the notion of winning a top prize in a live event tournament. We've seen players take home hundreds of thousands of dollars; we've seen people make a living off of daily fantasy. But the most thrilling part is winning a live championship.
Fantasy Aces can do that for you. You can be the first FAFC champion, and your name will be forever embedded in the minds of daily fantasy players everywhere.
As you can see here, Fantasy Aces has an excellent tournament lined up for November 22nd-23rd in Newport Beach, California. Be sure to view the link for details, but here are some of the perks:
- Two-Night Stay at the Balboa Bay Resort (flight and hotel included)
- Pre-Game Kickoff Yacht Party on Saturday night
- Include a plus one! Fantasy Aces ensures you will not be going alone
- $100,000 Main Event Championship Party hosted by American Junkie
How can you get to this extravagant party and win prizes? Earn your seat as one of the qualifiers, and there are many ways to do so. Fantasy Aces has various satellites in order to earn a qualifying ticket. These satellites can be won with just a $22 entry. After winning a satellite, you can use that ticket for the big qualifying contest.
Another way to qualify is to directly participate in one of Fantasy Aces qualifiers each week during the NFL season. The first contest starts this week, so enter your team here. More than one entry gives you two, or three times the chance to win so enter early and enter often. The more you play, the higher the chance to go to Newport Beach.
If you do not have a Fantasy Aces account, be sure to sign up and receive up to $250 of your deposit matched just for signing up. It's free money, so sign up now.
Not sure how to play at Fantasy Aces? We are here to help. The full scoring system can be found here, but essentially it is a standard scoring system for regular fantasy football with the only difference being half-point PPR (point per reception) and a different lineup format.
At Fantasy Aces, the starting lineup requires two quarterbacks, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, two FLEX (running back, wide receiver, or tight end), a kicker and defense/special teams. You have a salary cap of $55,000 to create your team. Fantasy Aces understands that you may want to start Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, or Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, and now you can. That's the beauty of playing daily fantasy football at Fantasy Aces, you can start the players you want.
Each week, RotoWire will offer advice on who to start in a given week, and give you that extra edge in your pursuit of a seat in Fantasy Aces' Fantasy Football Championship. Without further ado, here are some suggested plays for Week 1. We will outline a stud and a scrub from each position that can help you get a seat at the FAFC.
Quarterback
Stud: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts, $6,900
There are a lot of options at quarterback for the first week of the season. Since it's a new slate, there aren't many "locks" as we don't know which defenses are good or not. Luck and the Colts take on Broncos in Denver in a prime-time matchup. There's no question that the Broncos will score points again this season, but the Colts offense is nothing to discount. Luck will have a healthy Reggie Wayne and Dwayne Allen to go with Hakeem Nicks and T.Y. Hilton in what will be one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL. In games where Wayne plays, Luck averages more yards on fewer attempts in his career. In addition, Luck's numbers when Allen plays are much better than the contrary. With both healthy, Luck is a top-tier fantasy option.
Scrub: Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders $5,350
The term "scrub" is not the literal meaning that these players are not good. Instead, Carr and the other scrubs listed below are low-salary players you'll want to consider for your Fantasy Aces' lineup. Carr was just named as the Raiders starting quarterback after an excellent preseason. He's the cheapest starting quarterback available, and he will take on a Jets team whose best defensive back in Dee Milliner is doubtful with an ankle injury. Don't expect Carr to outplay any of the top options, but at almost $2,000 cheaper, he is worth a look in Fantasy Aces' two-quarterback format.
Running Back
Stud: LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles $6,150
Last year's rushing title went to McCoy, and he is chasing that crown again under second-year head coach Chip Kelly. The Jaguars will surely be keying on the Eagles star, but with one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in front of him, McCoy should be in line for another great season starting this week. Why is that? Last year when Nick Foles played, McCoy averaged 19.3 fantasy points per game, including 3.6 catches per contest. Foles is the starter, and McCoy is ready to repeat that fantasy production.
Scrub: Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons $3,650
Freeman is not listed as the starter in Atlanta, but at the cheap price of $3,650, he is one of the most affordable options at any position that will receive playing time. Freeman had a great preseason and will be pressing for the starting job at some point in the season. Will it start this week? That's unlikely, but considering Freeman's excells in pass protection, he will see his fair share of snaps against the Saints. At his price, Freeman makes an excellent punt option.
Wide Receiver
Stud: Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys $5,900
To win in daily fantasy sports, the contrarian strategy seems to work for some top players. If you have a player that performs well and not many others have him, that player has more value. What does this have to do with Bryant? The Cowboys take on the 49ers this week, so some may fade Bryant due to the matchup. The reality is, Bryant is nearly matchup-proof and San Francisco's secondary is not nearly as talented as the rest of their defense. Expect Bryant to be the feature of the Cowboys passing game, which is well worth his price.
Scrub: Denarius Moore, Oakland Raiders $4,250
In the preseason, Moore was a heavily targeted player at times. Those times were when newly named starter Derek Carr was at the helm. Moore is one of the cheapest options at wide receiver, but he could catch a touchdown against the Jets secondary that lacks experience without Milliner. Moore caught two touchdowns from Carr in the preseason finale against the Seahawks, so look for them to continue the chemistry in the regular season opener.
Tight End
Stud: Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos $5,400
At tight end, the obvious choices have been Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski for a few seasons. But with more teams using the tight end as a weapon than ever before, it's time to start considering other options. Of course, Thomas was one of the best tight ends with 12 touchdowns last season, but his value is higher this season with the loss of Eric Decker via free agency and Wes Welker currently sidelined with a concussion. At $5,400, Thomas has the same price as some of the top-20 wide receivers, but considering he is a threat to catch a touchdown each week (he caught a touchdown in 10 games last year) that is a bargain for his production. The Broncos face the Colts who have no one on defense who can match up with Thomas.
Scrub: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles $3,900
Ertz is priced under $4,000, but after seeing the Eagles offense in the preseason and the progress the former Stanford star has made, it seems that that price will surely rise over the next few months. Ertz will play a larger role in the Eagles offense this year after parting with DeSean Jackson. Jacksonville's defense is built on speed, but with Ertz's size, he should be routinely targeted in the red zone. In 12 games with Foles, Ertz averaged seven fantasy points per game,
Kicker
Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons $2,800
Defense/Special Teams
Stud: Kansas City Chiefs $3,600
My Lineup
QB - Derek Carr $5,350
QB - Carson Palmer $6,100
RB - LeSean McCoy $6,150
RB - Matt Forte $5,900
WR - Demaryius Thomas $6,000
WR - Calvin Johnson $6,250
TE - Zach Ertz $3,900
FLEX - Michael Floyd $4,700
FLEX - Denarius Moore $4,250
K - Matt Bryant $2,800
DST – Chiefs $3,600
