This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
Week 9 is in the books, and it turned out to be another great week of fantasy football. Congratulations to Scorpio71 for winning the ninth qualifier for the FAFC.
Play again this week for your chance to be the next qualifier. Click here to see what you're playing for. (Hint: a chance to win a lot of money and a free vacation)
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. 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.
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.
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).
Strategy
Qualifying for a big tournament requires a different strategy than in other cash games. Of course, we are all still trying to get the most points possible, but in a GPP (guaranteed prize pool) you have to take some risks. If those risks hit, you are more likely to have a higher score than others, because these particular risks usually are players that are owned by a small amount of entrants.
How can we strategize to win a GPP? There are many approaches, and with Fantasy Aces' deep starting lineups, there is a lot of variance, which helps you in GPPs.
A few strategies to consider:
- Stacking: Starting more than two players from one team. This is usually used in daily fantasy football with the Broncos by selecting Peyton Manning along with his receivers/tight end. Bye weeks are underway, so be sure to keep an eye on that.
- Contrarian: Playing against the grain. For example, taking Isaiah Crowell last week despite him being the backup running back on the official depth chart.
- Studs and scrubs: We'll outline this strategy below. Going the studs-and-scrubs route entails finding a few players at low salary that could be good values, then using the rest of the money for big-time players like Manning or Jimmy Graham.
Without further ado, here are some suggested plays for Week 10. We will outline a stud and/or a scrub from each position that can help you get a seat at the FAFC.
And don't forget to tune in to RotoWire's Fantasy Sports Today on Sirius XM each Saturday at 4:15pm Eastern, as I will be on to discuss upcoming contests on Fantasy Aces.
Quarterback
Scrub: Mark Sanchez - $5,700
Sanchez will be the talk of the fantasy football world this week as the heir to Philadelphia's offense. Whether or not you believe in Sanchez's ability to play quarterback, he is the signal-caller for one of the most explosive offenses in football. At just $5,700, he will be a target for many daily fantasy players and is a good choice for cash games, especially with a high floor as the Eagles quarterback. Against the Panthers, Sanchez will face a defense that has given up 19 total touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks, including two or more in seven of nine games.
Running Back
Scrub: Jeremy Hill $4,950
With the Bengals playing on Thursday night, the chances of Giovani Bernard (hip) playing are slim. Assuming Bernard does sit, Hill becomes an excellent value again this week. Last week, Hill finished as the top running back in nearly every format with 154 yards rushing and two touchdowns against Jacksonville. Next on the Bengals schedule is the Browns, who have given up over 1,200 total yards and seven touchdowns to opposing running backs in eight games.
Wide Receiver
Scrub: Eric Decker - $4,850
With Geno Smith struggling, Decker was thought to be a lost cause in New York, but he has promise with Michael Vick now under center. Vick was not spectacular in his first start, but he targeted Decker 12 times and the two connected for a red zone touchdown. Decker will likely line up against Marcus Cooper if Sean Smith is out, which is a great matchup for the Jets wideout, as Cooper has given up 24 catches for 403 yards and five touchdowns on just 39 targets.
Tight End
Stud: Greg Olsen $4,750
Olsen may be the best play at tight end this weekend for a few reasons. At $4,750, Olsen's price is low enough that he won't strap your lineup for cap space. I also like his matchup, even if it appears to be a tough.at first glance The Eagles have only given up 31 catches for 310 yards and a touchdown in eight games. Making Philly the third-best team at limiting fantasy points to tight ends. But read between the lines and the matchup isn't nearly as fierce as expected, just look at the list of tight ends Philadelphia has faced this season:
Marcedes Lewis
Coby Fleener
Niles Paul
Vance McDonald
Jared Cook
Larry Donnell
John Carlson
Garrett Graham
Not exactly a murders' row. In addition, DeMeco Ryans is out, which brings Casey Matthews to the starting lineup. In limited snaps, Matthews has given up six catches on seven targets for 67 yards and a touchdown.
Dud: Jared Cook - $4,300
Cook is fifth among tight ends in targets with 53, but he has only caught 29 of them for 343 yards. Couple that stat with Lance Kendricks catching four touchdowns, and it's easy to see why Cook's price has dropped to $4,300, which is just low enough for a value play this week on Fantasy Aces. Cook faces the Arizona Cardinals, who have allowed 13 catches for 118 yards in the last two weeks to opposing tight ends, including six catches on just seven targets to Jason Witten in Week 9. While the Cardinals have been great against tight ends overall this season, the Rams have targeted their tight ends 76 times this season, and with Larry Foote struggling in coverage, Cook is a sneaky play as a target-hog.
My Fantasy Aces Lineup (GPP)
QB – Michael Vick - $5,500
QB – Mark Sanchez - $5,700
RB – DeMarco Murray - $6,400
RB – Matt Forte - $6,300
WR – Antonio Brown - $6,300
WR – Kelvin Benjamin - $4,900
TE – Jared Cook - $4,300
FLEX – *Jeremy Hill $4,950
FLEX – Eric Decker - $4,850
K – Steven Hauschka - $2,900
DST – Buffalo Bills - $2,900
My Fantasy Aces Lineup (Cash Games)
QB – Cam Newton $6,550
QB – Mark Sanchez - $5,700
RB – DeMarco Murray - $6,400
RB – *Jeremy Hill $4,950
WR – Antonio Brown - $6,300
WR – Kelvin Benjamin - $4,900
TE – Greg Olsen $4,750
FLEX – Denard Robinson $4,800
FLEX – Eric Decker - $4,850
K – Steven Hauschka - $2,900
DST – Buffalo Bills - $2,900
*Keep an eye on the Bengals' inactive list. If Bernard is out, Hill is an excellent play. If Bernard plays, downgrade Hill and look at other options at that price.
