This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
Week 11 is in the books, and it turned out to be another great week of fantasy football. Congratulations to The_Glove for winning the final qualifier for the FAFC.
This is the week - the Fantasy Aces Football Championship is here. Thirteen of the best daily fantasy players on the planet will battle in Newport Beach, California for the grand prize of $40,000. Keep an eye on this contest, as it promises to be a great one.
Fantasy Aces will have plenty of other contests, so be sure to get your lineups in for this weekend in daily fantasy football.
Without further ado, here are some suggested plays for Week 12. We will outline a stud and/or a scrub from each position that can help you win cash on Fantasy Aces.
Quarterback
Stud: Andrew Luck $7,800
Luck is the most expensive player on Fantasy Aces, and for good reason. He has the most fantasy points per game amongst all players at 28.28, and he has an excellent matchup this weekend against the Jaguars. In the first meeting between these two AFC South foes, Luck threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns.
Luck has thrown the ball 43.2 times per game this season, including over 39 times in each of his last eight games. In games where the Jaguars defense sees 39 passing attempts or more, they have allowed nine touchdowns through the air in four games. That includes one matchup where Brian Hoyer threw 41 times for zero touchdowns.
If you remove that anomaly against a subpar quarterback, the Jaguars defense has allowed 1,089 yards and nine touchdowns in three games when seeing 39 passing attempts or more. Considering the Colts' consistency in the passing game and the loss of Ahmad Bradshaw to an ankle injury, Indianapolis could throw the ball even more against Jacksonville, which will likely lead to a big day for the former Stanford star.
Running Back
Scrub: Isaiah Crowell $4,400
The Browns rushing attack will reportedly be evaluated on a "week-to-week" basis, according to beat writers. That is not ideal in fantasy football, but we can go with what we do know. Last week, Crowell led the Browns in snaps, carries, and rushing production. Crowell played 51 snaps, compared to Ben Tate's 17 and Terrence West's 10. What's so interesting is the fact that the Browns did not bench Crowell after a lost fumble, which is not usually the case in a running-back-by-committee scenario.
Crowell faces the Falcons this weekend, a team coming off a dominant performance against the Panthers' rushing attack. But, prior to that game, the Falcons had allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs, including 17 fantasy points or more in seven of nine games. With the Browns' seventh-rated run blocking unit (according to Pro Football Focus) and the Falcons sixth-worst rush defense, Crowell is a value at $4,400 on Aces this weekend.
Wide Receiver
Scrub: Jordan Matthews $4,600
Matthews' price has risen on many sites this weekend, but not on Aces, where he is still a value play at wide receiver. In 11 quarters with Mark Sanchez under center, Matthews has caught 15 balls for just under 300 yards and four touchdowns. While it is a small sample size, it's also evident that Sanchez and Matthews have chemistry.
Matthews has been targeted 17 times in the last two games, and he has caught four or more passes in all but one of his last eight games. With Sanchez at the helm, Matthews is averaging 5.5 catches for 104 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per game.
Matthews will line up opposite of Coty Sensabaugh in the slot, who has allowed 12 catches in 16 targets for 95 yards in the slot this season. Matthews is second in the NFL in targets from the slot, so Sensabaugh will have his work cut out for him, and Matthews is likely to have another productive day.
Tight End
Scrub: Larry Donnell $4,600
Donnell faces the Cowboys in a divisional battle on Sunday Night, which bodes well for the big tight end. Dallas has allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season. Of late, the Cowboys defense has limited opposing tight ends to just 16 fantasy points in three weeks, but that was against the Jaguars, Cardinals, and Redskins, who were all missing their starting tight end for the contest. The Cowboys have allowed opposing tight ends to score in six games this season, and catch double-digit passes in four. With some of the top tight ends having unfavorable matchups (Rob Gronkowski vs. Detroit, Jimmy Graham against the Ravens) and Julius Thomas (ankle) day-to-day, Donnell is the perfect value with a plus matchup.
My Fantasy Aces Lineup
QB – Andrew Luck $7,800
QB – Kyle Orton $5,400
RB – Demarco Murray $6,350
RB – Isaiah Crowell $4,400
WR – T.Y. Hilton $5,700
WR – Alshon Jeffery $5,500
TE – Larry Donnell $4,600
FLEX – Jordan Matthews $4,600
FLEX – Justin Hunter $4,350
K – Adam Vinatieri $3,200
DST – Buffalo Bills $3,100
*Keep an eye on the NFL inactive list. With the injury report changing all the time, a lot could happen before Sunday.
