This article is part of our Four-Down Duel series.
50/50 or Heads Up
In 50/50 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, meaning you don't have to pick a high-ceiling lineup that shoots for the moon. Build these lineups with the players who are essential to winning regardless of their price.
Mark Sanchez, $7,500 - Outside of a tough game against the Seahawks last week, Sanchez has been solid since taking over as the starting quarterback. He's scored 14-21 fantasy points over his first four starts before last week and has a nice matchup against the Cowboys this week. Sanchez already had success against Dallas on Thanksgiving and only threw 29 passes that game when he's typically thrown about 40. To put in perspective what a good value Sanchez is this week, he's the 19th-highest priced quarterback on the board.
Le'Veon Bell, $9,600 - Bell is the highest priced running back or wide receiver on the board, and there's a good reason why. He's been unstoppable the last three games and put together fantasy days of 44.5, 35.4 and 29.2 points. The key to Bell's success is his ability to find the end zone and rack up plenty of receiving yards. His ability to rack up yards from scrimmage plus a nice matchup against the Falcons' bad defense are reason enough to pay up for Bell this week.
Latavius Murray, $6,500 - Murray has clearly taken over as the primary back for the Raiders after logging 25 touches for the Raiders last week. Murray showed his explosive ability against the Chiefs a few weeks back with 112 rushing yards and two scores. Kansas City continues to be the worst team against the run this season, giving up over 4.9 yards per carry, and Murray should be in line for a similar workload as he had last week.
Jordan Matthews, $7,000 - As always, pairing your quarterback with one of his wide receivers is a good idea, especially if they're at a decent price. Matthews has been great since Sanchez took over under center, and he's surprisingly $1,000 cheaper than teammate Jeremy Maclin. This game has the highest over/under of the week, so there should be plenty of fantasy production out of Chip Kelly's Eagles.
Alshon Jeffery, $8400 - Another game with a big over/under this week is the Bears and Saints and puts Jeffery in a great spot this week. Jeffery has touchdowns in four straight games and should see a ridiculous amount of targets with Brandon Marshall out for the season. The Saints defense has been awful this season and has allowed 7.9 yards per pass attempt, good for the fifth worst mark in the league. In GPPs take a chance on Marquess Wilson ($4,500), who should be lining up in Marshall's spot across from Jeffery this week.
Eric Decker, $6,000 - Since Geno Smith has retaken the starting quarterback he seems to be looking Decker's way with 20 targets the last three games. Decker is coming off a season-high 89 receiving yards, and three of his four touchdowns were thrown by Geno. This week the Jets get the Titans who have recently given up huge receiving days to Odell Beckham Jr. and DeAndre Hopkins, boding well for Decker's fantasy prospects.
Delanie Walker, $5,300 - The Titans receiving corps has been decimated by injuries lately, leaving Walker as one of the top receiving options. Walker has been up and down this season and should have had a good game last week but came up short. Still, he had nine targets last week and 11 targets three weeks week ago. The Jets have been terrible against the pass this season, and Walker should turn in a more productive week with plenty of targets.
Cairo Santos, $4,700 - Santos is one of the hotter kickers in the NFL these days, nailing his last 14 field-goal attempts. This week, he'll be at home and should put up points as the Chiefs' offense faces the Raiders.
Chiefs D/ST, $4,900 - The Chiefs' defense gets a juicy home matchup this week against the Raiders and Derek Carr. Kansas City has scored 16 and 19 points in its last two games at home and overall played much better in the friendly confines of Arrowhead Stadium this season.
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 lineup completely as there is a lower floor here with a lot of players. A mix of studs with a few of the cheaper options listed below could net the top overall prize.
Johnny Manziel, $6,700 - Finally, Johnny Manziel will get the start for the Browns this weekend and that opens up a lot of discussion about his immediate fantasy value. Manziel has the benefit of having months to learn the offense and is a dual-threat quarterback who can score fantasy points through the air or with his legs. He has the advantage of making his first start at home and has his receivers practically healthy with Jordan Cameron and Josh Gordon back. Pairing either one of those or even both with Manziel this weekend would make for a GPP play with a lot of upside.
Roddy White, $7,000 - White is in play this weekend whether or not Julio Jones plays. If Jones is out, White should have plenty of targets, and Harry Douglas comes onto the radar as a punt play as well. However, even if Jones takes the field this week his recent success should draw a ton of attention and leave Roddy in one-on-one situations. This game has the makings of a shootout, pitting two hot quarterbacks against each other who both play with bad defenses.
