This article is part of our Four-Down Duel series.
Welcome back for another season of weekly fantasy football from FanDuel.com! Each week this column will take a look at the different players on the site as well as the occasional tidbit of fantasy strategy advice.
Tip Of The Week
Don't be afraid to matchup your cheap wide receiver or tight end with the quarterback on the same team. One player I'm going to talk about this week that is going to be a bargain is Zach Sudfeld. His low price enables you to be able to match him up with an expensive Tom Brady, who gets a Bills team with a depleted secondary. There's a good chance these two will hook up for at least one touchdown and Brady shouldn't have any trouble picking apart Buffalo to earn his overall price. It's especially advantageous to do this with a cheaper player instead of blowing your budget on two players like Peyton Manning and Demaryius Thomas.
Bargains Of The Week
Here are some players whose price doesn't appear too low, making them a bargain to put into your lineup with your high priced studs. This could also be a player in the midst of a breakout season and the price still doesn't reflect what they've done, especially early in the season.
Running Back
Isaac Redman, $4600, PIT – Redman isn't the most attractive option at running back this week, but he's the cheapest starting running back on the board. That means you should have plenty of flexibility when it comes to constructing the rest of your roster. Redman should be penciled in for at least 15 touches and should get all of the goal line work. The home matchup against the Tennessee Titans makes Redman an even more appealing fantasy option.
Wide Receiver
T.Y. Hilton, $5800, IND – Hilton will continue to stretch the field for the Colts while Reggie Wayne and Darrius Heyward-Bey draw attention running short to intermediate routes. Andrew Luck should build on a successful rookie campaign, and it's a gift to get the Raiders at home to start the season. Look for Hilton to haul in at least one long touchdown Sunday.
Tight End
Zach Sudfeld, $4500, NE – It's great to see Rob Gronkowski back on the field practicing, but he won't be suiting up Sunday. Enter Sudfeld, who has looked great during the preseason and will likely be one of the top-3 receiving options for the Patriots. Tom Brady has leaned heavily on his tight ends in the red zone and the running game is potent enough to keep opposing defenses honest making for great play-action opportunities.
The Big Boys
Here are the expensive players who have favorable matchups and should be able to earn their price this week.
Quarterback
Michael Vick, $8100, PHI – Obviously, I love Tom Brady ($8800) this week for the reasons detailed above, but Vick is probably the top quarterback I'll consider strongly. Chip Kelly's offense could translate well to the NFL, and while Vick is healthy he easily has top-3 upside for the position. While there is different personnel and schemes, remember that Vick had one of the greatest fantasy games on a Monday night in Washington: 20-for-28, 333 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, 80 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. I'm sure Vick hasn't forgotten that game, meaning he should be brimming with confidence.
Wide Receiver
Dez Bryant, $8300, DAL – I've been more skeptical than most about the season-long prospects for Bryant but time will tell if his second half was legit last season. I'm not sold on the Giants secondary after they were torched repetitively last season and the other top wide receivers seem to have tough matchups. The Dallas offensive line is suspect, but Tony Romo is one of the better quarterbacks when it comes to improvising and turning nothing into a big play. Look for Bryant to have a big game Sunday night.
My tentative lineup for this week:
- Mike Vick $8100
- Adrian Peterson $9500
- Isaac Redman $4600
- Calvin Johnson $8800
- Dez Bryant $8300
- Desean Jackson $5700
- Zach Sudfeld $4500
- Kai Forbath $5000
- Indianapolis Defense $5000
FanDuel Promotions
RotoWire $500 Free Contest on FanDuel.com.
FanDuel allows you to build a new fantasy team every week of the NFL season and win real money. They offer a wide variety of entry fee levels ranging from $1 up to $535, with contest size ranging from 1 opponent to 10,000 opponents in their largest tournaments. In the tournaments, prize pools routinely pay out over $10,000 to the field, and over $50,000 in some of the mid and higher stakes games.
Our friends at FanDuel are offering RotoWire readers the opportunity to try out FanDuel for FREE with the chance to win a share of a cool $500.
Title – Rotowire $500 Kick Off Freeroll
Date - Sunday 8th September
Buy-in - $0
Prize pool - $500 (1st-$50, 2nd-$30, 3rd-$20 and many more)
1. Simply CLICK HERE to sign up for an account at FanDuel.
2. Pick you team within the $60k salary cap. Consisting of QB, 2xRB, 3xWR, TE, K and D.
3. Watch the live scoring on FanDuel during the games and see how your picks perform up against other RotoWire readers.
The contest is live and is open for registration today. CLICK HERE to sign up for your account and register for the $500 free contest now. Turn your FREE ENTRY into real cash.
CLICK HERE to sign up for your account and register for the RotoWire $500 freeroll on FanDuel.com.
Good Luck!