This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
Last week saw multiple players score more than 30 fantasy points each, resulting in some crazy high scores, even in cash games. Let's take a look at who to target, and just because a player went off last week doesn't mean he necessarily should be targeted this week.
QUARTERBACKS
The discussion for choosing a cash game quarterback starts with the Cardinals' Kyler Murray ($7,700). He's had at least 16.36 fantasy points in every game this season and has a season-high of 25.42 last week showing he has a good floor and ceiling. He'll be at home and has a good matchup against the Atlanta Falcons who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks on the season. Of course, it's obviously fine to use Patrick Mahomes ($9,200) if the money fits into a lineup. He's something of a contrarian play considering the price and that he's only scored 18 fantasy points in each of the last two weeks. However, he should get back Tyreek Hill and is a 4.5-point favorite in the game with the biggest over/under of the week (55). The beautiful part here is the Texans are capable of keeping pace with the Chiefs, so we could see Mahomes still throwing the ball late in the game. My favorite contrarian play of the week is the Browns' Baker Mayfield ($7,400). After his slew of turnovers on Monday night football his ownership in GPPs will easily be below five percent. The Seahawks are only league average when it comes to giving up fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and don't have the advantage of home field in this game. Using a stack of Mayfield, Odell Beckham ($7,600) and Jarvis Landry ($6,700) won't break the bank and has a lot of upside.
RUNNING BACKS
There's no Christian McCaffrey on the main slate with the Panthers playing the early game Sunday morning in London, so this might be a week to look for value at the position. A lot can change come Sunday, as starters David Johnson, Todd Gurley and Chris Carson are all battling injuries. If any of them were to sit, backups Chase Edmonds ($5,200), Malcolm Brown ($4,800) and Rashaad Penny ($5,400) would all become very chalky for cash games. Adrian Peterson ($5,300) hasn't hit double-digit fantasy points since Week 1 but that should change this week. New head coach Bill Callahan has made it known he plans to run the ball more, and the Redskins face the worst team in the league as far as points to opposing running backs. The game should stay close, and Peterson should easily eclipse double-digit carries. Other than him, Mark Ingram ($7,500) seems like a good play against a bad Bengals defense at home, and with a running quarterback. It's not a bad idea to go with Lamar Jackson ($8,200), Ingram and Marquise Brown ($5,800). Keep an eye on the status of these running backs heading into the weekend.
WIDE RECEIVERS
One of the more interesting situations to keep an eye on Sunday will be the availability of the Chiefs' wide receivers. It looks as if Sammy Watkins will be sidelined once again and Tyreek Hill ($7,400) is considered a game-time decision. If both end up being out Mecole Hardman ($6,400), Demarcus Robinson ($6,700) and Byron Pringle ($4,500) would all be in play. Using a stack of two of them plus Mahomes, while obvious, is affordable and has a ton of upside. While it sounds crazy, the Redskins have been terrible against the pass, so for GPPs both DeVante Parker ($5,400) and Preston Williams ($5,600) are options. Using both with Josh Rosen ($6,400) is a very contrarian play, and this is probably the only week they're worth considering. Finally, the last receiver to consider for tournaments is the Vikings' Stefon Diggs ($5,800). The Eagles haven't done a good job of stopping the pass and will likely key in on Adam Thielen ($7,200) who has had big games in two of his last three. This should lead to softer coverage for Diggs who will have minimal ownership based on his production thus far.
TIGHT ENDS
How barren is the tight end spot? After the top seven-ish spots do you trust anyone? George Kittle ($6,500) sits at a nice price and delivered last week. He's a great option for cash games. The other good option for cash games is the Falcons' Austin Hooper ($6,400). He gets the best matchup for a tight end against the Cardinals who barely missed giving up a score to Tyler Eifert last week. Hooper is having an outstanding season with double-digit fantasy points in four of his five games. It's a feasible strategy to use both Kittle and Hooper in the same lineup this week as a contrarian play.
DEFENSE
While a Miami stack was suggested for GPPs, using the Washington defense/special team ($4,200) might be chalky in cash games. The Dolphins have allowed opposing defenses double-digit fantasy points in all four of their games to start the season. The crazy, longshot play of the week here has to be the New York Jets ($3,100). They're the cheapest team on the board, they've had an extra week to prepare for this game, and had 16 and 18 fantasy points in two of their four games.
