This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
Cash Games
In 50/50s, double-ups or heads-up contests, always aim for a lineup that has a higher floor rather than a higher ceiling. In 50/50 contests, the top half of all entries finish in the money, which means you don't have to pick a high-ceiling lineup that shoots for the moon. Rather, build these lineups with safe players who can be counted on for production.
QB: Matt Ryan, ATL vs. NO ($7,600): Ryan will be a popular pick this week as most owners will continues targeting the New Orleans pass defense. That strategy has worked almost every week outside of a clunker by Jameis Winston, with Blake Bortles scoring over 31 fantasy points just last Sunday. Ryan has always played better at home, and facing Drew Brees should equal a high-scoring game by both teams.
RB: Karlos Williams, BUF vs. NYJ ($5,800): Williams has made two starts this season and has over 14 fantasy points in each. A matchup with the Jets isn't ideal but Williams will be at home and will surpass 15 touches. He's no stranger to the end zone this season, scoring six touchdowns in only 10 games. Don't worry about the matchup, this is too good of a price to pass up.
RB: Rashad Jennings, NYG vs. PHI ($5,800): The Giants have finally scrapped their RBBC and made Jennings their featured back. He's responded with 14.6, 15.2 and 11.2 fantasy points in his last three games, respectively, and averaged 17.3 carries per game over that time span. This week he gets a favorable home matchup against the Eagles, a team with nothing to play for and who just lost their head coach.
WR: Julio Jones, ATL vs. NO ($9,300): Pairing Jones up with Ryan is a good idea here and Jacksonville's No.1 wide receiver, Allen Robinson, just burned the Saints' defense. Jones is coming off a monster game with nine catches for 178 yards and a score, and he has 28.3 and 22.3 fantasy points in his last two, respectively. His matchup gives him the edge over the other elite receivers this week.
WR: Antonio Brown, PIT at CLE ($9,100): Recency bias will have a lot of owners off Brown this week but after his dud against the Seahawks, he rebounded with a 33.8-fantasy-point day. The setup against a Joe Haden-less Browns is ideal, and Brown has at least 32 fantasy points in four of his last seven contests. Look for Brown to have a big day with the Steelers in a must-win situation.
WR: Brandon Marshall, NYJ at BUF ($8,600): There's a strong argument that over the last five games there hasn't been a more consistent fantasy receiver than Marshall. The passing game really has only two passing targets in Marshall and Eric Decker, and that means plenty of targets for the two of them. Marshall has scored 27.5, 9.4, 21.5, 25.1 and 29.6 fantasy points over the last five games, respectively, and he has a decent matchup this week. The Bills' best corner, Stephon Gilmore, is out and the pass rush for the Bills has been lacking.
TE: Ben Watson, NO at ATL ($5,300): Watson had his worst fantasy game of the season last week, scoring a whopping one fantasy point. Before that game, though, he had double-digit points in three straight. Again, this should be a high-scoring game and getting a piece of the Saints' passing attack is a good idea. While it seems like forever ago, Watson had two games with at least 20 fantasy points back in October, showing how high his ceiling can be.
K: Dan Bailey, DAL vs. WAS ($4,500): This is setting up to be a very ugly game that could feature backups on both sides of the ball because Washington has nothing to play for. The advantage with Bailey is he's home, indoors, at the minimum price and is still one of the most accurate kickers in the NFL.
DEF/ST: Baltimore Ravens at CIN ($4,000): There's some finagling that can be done here to upgrade to the Colts or Titans defense for $100 or $200 more. To do that will require downgrading at another position, perhaps going to Will Tye or Kyle Rudolph at tight end. The Ravens have been a decent fantasy squad lately, with at least seven fantasy points in five of their last seven.
Tournaments
For tournament lineups, you have to look at upside and use some "outside-the-box" picks if you want to cash. Don't use this type of lineup completely, as there is a lower floor with a lot of players. A mix of studs with a few of the cheaper options could net the top overall prize.
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, ARI vs. SEA ($7,400): It's been a while since Fitzgerald had a big game and a quick glance at the matchup against Seattle seems unfavorable. However, the Seahawks' defense is not as good on the road, and they still seem a bit overrated. It's hard to ascertain where Richard Sherman will play, but right now the receiver to shut down on the Cardinals is Michael Floyd. The ownership is going to be extremely low and there's still a lot of upside with Fitz.
RB: DeMarco Murray, PHI at NYG ($5,900): Ok, this really seems like a long shot. Murray did have a rushing touchdown last week and the coaching change can do nothing but help his fantasy value. The Giants have been a terrible defense over the second half of the season, so the matchup is good. If word comes down from ownership to use their $40 million player (if for nothing else than to boost his trade value), Murray could end up with a lot of touches.
