This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
Week 10 is in the books, and it turned out to be another great week of fantasy football. Congratulations to Bonuscash and Gladiator for winning the 10th 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
Stud: Philip Rivers $7,300
The Chargers are coming off a much needed bye week, as the team is dealing with injuries on both side of the ball while also coming off a devastating Week 9 loss to the Dolphins. Rivers had his worst outing of the season in Miami, finishing with –3 fantasy points in some formats. Luckily, the Chargers quarterback should be able to turn things around this week with a cushy matchup against the Raiders, who just allowed 340 yards and five touchdowns to Peyton Manning. The Raiders defense has allowed 11 passing touchdowns in the last five games, and that includes an anomaly to the Seahawks, who threw for zero touchdowns. The Raiders' starting corners have given up 63 catches on 81 targets combined for just under 700 yards. In addition, Rivers has a high floor since Oakland has allowed at least one passing touchdown in all but one game this season. In the teams' first meeting, Rivers threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns.
Running Back
Scrub: Bishop Sankey $4,300
Last week, Shonn Greene carried the ball on the goal line. In the same game, Leon Washington caught a shovel pass, also on the goal line. Those two plays are the reason why Sankey's price is low. Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt is notorious for using "other" running backs on the goal line, but Sankey is still a value this week at just $4,300. Sankey has 13 or more touches in the last four games while totaling 56 or more yards in each outing. Sankey will try to breakout against the Steelers, who have allowed 12 or more fantasy points to running backs in nine of 11 games entering Week 10. Against the Jets, the Steelers allowed 150 rushing yards on 26 carries.
Wide Receiver
Stud: Jordy Nelson $6,100
Nelson and Aaron Rodgers have proven to be one of the top stack options each week on Fantasy Aces. If you can fit the two into your lineups, you'll likely be rewarded. Even if you opt to avoid Rodger's high price tag this weekend, Nelson should still be a focal point of your lineup, given his matchup against the Eagles. Nelson lines up as the "Z" receiver (strong side of the field), meaning Bradley Fletcher will oppose him. Fletcher has struggled this season, allowing the 17th-most yards per cover snap in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. That number is even more significant, because only three corners on that list have more snaps than Fletcher. Nelson currently ranks fifth in the league in receiving yards, and he's had a deep always a threat to go deep. Not to mention his ability to score touchdowns, which Fletcher has allowed four of this season (entering Monday night)
Tight End
Stud: Rob Gronkowski $5,800
Gronkowski seems like an obvious choice, but nothing is obvious in daily fantasy, which is why it's so crucial to do the research. It would be obvious to start Gronkowski in regular leagues, but this is a different world. Gronk is valued at the same price as Julius Thomas, who is coming off a big week and leads the NFL with 12 receiving touchdowns. Meanwhile, Gronk has 36 catches for over 500 yards and five touchdowns in his last five games. Gronkowski has proven to be a good start regardless of the opponent, but he actually has a matchup that works in his favor this weekend. The Patriots face the Colts, who have allowed some huge games to opposing tight ends, including Julius Thomas (eight catches, 112 yards and three touchdowns), Delanie Walker (five catches, 81 yards, one touchdown) and Heath Miller (seven catches, 112 yards, one touchdown).
My Fantasy Aces Lineup (GPP)
QB – Philip Rivers $7,300
QB – Kyle Orton $5,600
RB – Bishop Sankey $4,300
RB – Jerick McKinnon $4,800
WR – Keenan Allen $4,900
WR – Reggie Wayne $4,500
TE – Rob Gronkowski $5,800
FLEX – Jordy Nelson $6,100
FLEX – Jeremy Maclin $5,900
K – Matt Prater $2,850
DST – Vikings $2,850
*Keep an eye on the NFL inactive list. With the injury report changing all the time, a lot could happen before Sunday.
