This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
With three games already in the books, there's a slightly smaller selection to choose from this week. FanDuel is running another Sunday $1.5 Million with $300,000 going to first place. Let's see what looks good this week.
QUARTERBACK
Looking at the top options this week, Tom Brady ($8,200) sticks out in his road matchup in Indianapolis. Brady leads the slate in fantasy points per game (24.21) and faces a Colts defense that is 29th defending opposing quarterbacks. Brady has a healthy Rob Gronkowski, and there's an outside chance Antonio Brown is back this week.
The middle tiered option I like is Kirk Cousins ($7,500). He's averaging more than 20 fantasy points per game (more than Aaron Rodgers) and has a plus-matchup playing the 49ers this week. Cousins has one of the more solid duos of wide receivers in Justin Jefferson ($8,100) and Adam Thielen ($7,200), and if you've stacked those three every game (hint, hint) I'm guessing they've made you a nice profit.
The most economical quarterback I like this week is the Giant's Daniel Jones ($7,000). He's going to be low-rostered after his abysmal performance against Tampa but has a great home matchup against the Eagles. The switch from Jason Garrett to Freddie Kitchens might help (it can't hurt at this point), and if he gets Sterling Shepard back, this will be the healthiest group of receivers he's had in a while.
RUNNING BACK
It's kind of a "fish" move to go with Jonathan Taylor ($9,800) this week based his on his big performance last week. He has a terrible matchup against the Buccaneers this week who have been very good against the run. Instead, I can be on board for using Christian McCaffrey ($9,700) who has a much easier matchup in Miami. The Dolphins rank 21st against the position, and McCaffrey has looked like his old self with 18 and 23 touches over the last two weeks leading to more than 21 fantasy points in each game.
There aren't a lot of great mid-to-lower priced players this weekend:
AJ Dillon ($6,900): This all depends on if Aaron Jones suits up and returns to the lineup. Dillon has a role no matter what, but I'd only consider him if Jones is out, even against the Rams.
Leonard Fournette ($7,100): Fournette has clearly established himself as Tampa's top running back and he has double-digit fantasy points in six of his last seven contests. While the Colts aren't the best matchup, Fournette should get double-digit carries as well as a handful of targets (5.7 over his last seven) in the passing game.
Miles Sanders ($6,100): There should be no Jordan Howard this week, leaving Sanders as the likely lead running back for the Eagles as they take on the Giants. This is a great matchup for Sanders who had 16 carries last week. It's been tough to read the running back usage of the Eagles all season, so I'd only use Sanders in tournaments.
Melvin Gordon ($6,300): I really, badly wanted to write about Javonte Williams here, but the fact is Gordon has been better for fantasy purposes as of late. He's scored touchdowns in four straight games, including a two-touchdown performance. The Chargers are 28th against the position and Denver is playing at home.
WIDE RECEIVER
Crazy as it sounds, I'm going to pass on Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams and Justin Jefferson this week, and look at the next tier of elite options. Starting with Deebo Samuel ($8,000), he's home with a good matchup, and the offense makes a concerted effort to give him the ball. He has 14.6 or more fantasy points in six of his last seven games including three performances of more than 20 fantasy points. Ja'Marr Chase ($7,700) will be a low-rostered player considering his "modest" performances lately, with 11.7 fantasy points or fewer in four of his last five. He's got a great home matchup and burned the Steelers for 20.5 fantasy points last time out. Both Chris Godwin ($7,600) and Mike Evans ($7,500) are solid options, and a stack of those two with Brady might actually be contrarian given the matchup.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ($5,700) peaks my interest with Julio Jones, Marcus Johnson are out and A.J. Brown is likely out. This leaves NWI as the top receiver, which in turn suggests he'll get the most targets. He went 8-7-107 (14.2 fantasy points) last week, but realize there's also a very low floor here.
If there was ever a week for Robby Anderson ($5,400) to hit a long touchdown, it's this one. Miami is 31st against the position, and with McCaffrey back, the defense should be focused on stopping him. He's my favorite long-shot of the week.
TIGHT END
Among the top options this week, Rob Gronkowski (6,500) stands out as arguably the top option. Teams seem to have figured out Kyle Pitts ($6,600), and George Kittle ($6,700) doesn't have nearly as good of a matchup (Minnesota is 13th) as Gronkowski has against the Colts (29th). It seems like you should have at least one Tampa Bay player in your lineup this week, so if you don't use any of their options at running back and wide receiver, using Gronk makes sense.
I can't believe I'm writing this, but I'm recommending Evan Engram ($5,500) for GPPs this weekend. He's been something of Daniel Jones' safety blanket over the last few weeks, and the drops that have plagued him during his time with the Giants have gotten much better. The Eagles are dead last against the position, which is the key for looking Engram's way.
DEFENSE
The Atlanta Falcons offense may actually be broken, and they look like they've given up on offense. Atlanta has only three points in their last two games, and therefore the Jacksonville Jaguars ($4,500) should be on everyone's radar.
Sticking with this game, the Atlanta Falcons ($3,800) are in play considering their matchup as well. The Jaguars are not some offensive buzz saw and could be without James Robinson. Despite their low fantasy output this season, the Falcons could have the same value as the Jaguars given the savings.
