This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
Week 7 is in the books, and it turned out to be another great week of fantasy football. Congratulations to McJester for winning the seventh 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 8. We will outline a stud and a scrub from each position that can help you get a seat at the FAFC.
Quarterback
Stud: Tony Romo - $6,900
Romo has been a model of consistency in the last five games. He has thrown for at least two touchdowns and has accrued over 18 fantasy points in each contest. Romo will face Washington this weekend, a team that has allowed 17 total touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks this year, including 13 touchdown passes in the last five games alone. With Deangelo Hall is out, the Redskins' top two corners are David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland. Those two have allowed 52 catches on 70 targets so far this year. Look for Romo to take advantage of the pair.
Scrub: Teddy Bridgewater - $5,650
Bridgewater struggled mightily in his last two games, throwing five interceptions to just one touchdown. But he faced the Bills and Lions, two of the top passing defenses in the NFL. Those two teams have combined for only 19 passing touchdowns against them this season. In comparison, the Vikings face the Buccaneers this weekend who have allowed 15 passing touchdowns in just six games. The only team who has allowed more passing touchdowns than Tampa Bay this season is the Jets. Bridgewater has an excellent matchup and he's the third-lowest price for a starting quarterback.
Running Back
Stud: Joique Bell - $4,850
It's a weekly trend to start a running back against the Falcons, and this week is no exception. Bell is priced as the 16th-highest running back, but he has the top matchup in terms of fantasy points allowed at the position. The Falcons have given up a dozen touchdowns and over 1,200 total yards to opposing backs. Bell is clearly the top option for the Lions in the backfield, as Reggie Bush is almost exclusively being used in the passing game. With Calvin Johnson (ankle) returning, Bell will see more running lanes.
Scrub: Bryce Brown - $3,800
Keep an eye on the Bills' inactives list, and monitor what Buffalo is doing at practice. But early indications are that Brown will receive a serious role in the Bills' offense this week. At the price of $3,800, there is little risk (if he is active) despite the presence of Anthony Dixon. Dixon has never received more than 14 carries in a game, and he has 20 carries for 74 yards in his last two games with the Bills. Meanwhile, Brown has shown the ability to be a feature back in the NFL, after rushing for 347 yards and four touchdowns in a two-game stretch with the Eagles in 2012. In his career, Brown has 211 touches for 1,018 total yards and six touchdowns. Brown could be given another chance to carry the ball 15 times or more this weekend, and if he receives that sort of workload, he becomes a serious value at $3,800 on Fantasy Aces. While the Jets do have one of the NFL's best run defenses, but they have allowed solid performances to Branden Oliver, Ronnie Hillman, and Shane Vereen in three straight weeks, making the matchup less imposing.
Wide Receiver
Stud: Jordy Nelson - $6,200
With the Packers facing the Saints this weekend, an opportunity for a Packers' stack will be in order across many lineups on Fantasy Aces. The Saints are allowing the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, and Nelson has just under half of the total receiving yards and one-third of the touchdowns for the Packers this season. Nelson has been targeted 73 times this year, which is third in the NFL. In addition, Nelson has scored in four straight games and accrued over 65 yards in each of those contests. Nelson will have every opportunity to reach value on Fantasy Aces.
Scrub: Doug Baldwin - $4,800
With the trade of Percy Harvin to the Jets, Baldwin becomes the primary receiver for the Seahawks. He saw 11 targets and caught seven balls for 123 yards and a touchdown in his first game as the No. 1 receiver. Baldwin ran 39 routes last week, and was targeted on 11 of them, as aforementioned. That's an excellent ratio, and it sure backs up the claim that he is the top option in Seattle's passing attack going forward. Having a top option in your daily fantasy lineup is good practice, especially when his salary is at $4,800. The Panthers have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers this season, partially because their top two corners have combined to allow 61 catches on 80 targets for 852 yards and eight touchdowns.
Tight End
Stud: Greg Olsen - $5,000
Olsen has been incredible this season, catching 41 balls for 493 yards and five touchdowns. He has been the Panthers primary target (aside from Kelvin Benjamin) and has been targeted 59 times. Olsen faces the Seahawks defense this week, which will scare some casual daily fantasy players away, but dig deeper and Seattle isn't a scary option. Seattle has allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends, including eight touchdowns. Not only does Olsen have a great matchup, but he may also be a low-ownership option, which always bodes well in GPP formats.
Kicker
Blair Walsh - $2,850
Defense/Special Teams
Minnesota Vikings - $2,700
It's the third week in a row where the Vikings defense is vastly underpriced, and until the price escalates, they remain the go-to for cheap defense on Fantasy Aces. In Week 7, the Vikings accrued six sacks, three fumble recoveries and an interception for 15 fantasy points. Minnesota has 10 sacks in the last two games, as the rushers are finally translating pressures into sacks. The Vikings face the Bucs, who allow the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing defenses.
My Fantasy Aces Lineup (GPP)
QB – Tony Romo - $6,900
QB – Teddy Bridgewater - $5,650
RB – Joique Bell - $4,850
RB – Bryce Brown - $3,800
WR – Jordy Nelson - $6,200
WR – Doug Baldwin - $4,800
TE – Stud: Greg Olsen - $5,000
FLEX – Dez Bryant - $6,100
FLEX – Antonio Brown - $6,150
K – Blair Walsh - $2,850
DST – Minnesota Vikings - $2,700
