This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
QUARTERBACK
Nick Foles, PHI at NO ($7,300): Philip Rivers for $100 less is also attractive option in what could turn into a shootout in New England, but Foles gets the edge this weekend. The Saints gave up the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, and their 8.1 YPA allowed was the fourth highest mark in the league. Game flow suggests the Eagles should be playing from behind in the game, which means Foles will likely attempt a large number of passes. He has eight touchdown passes over his last three games and has a complete set of receivers at his disposal. All three running backs are capable of catching passes out of the backfield, and the Saints allowed five receiving touchdowns to opposing running backs this season.
RUNNING BACK
Spencer Ware, KC vs. IND ($6,500): Ware is a great GPP play this weekend given that Damien Williams ($6,100, viable in cash) will likely have the higher ownership of the two. Williams is not only cheaper, but the perception of most will be that he'll get the majority of the touches between the two. However, the last two games in which both players were healthy and played, Ware had 29 carries to Williams' 13. This game has the highest total of the weekend, and the Colts finished in the middle of the league as far as giving up fantasy points to opposing running backs.
Marlon Mack, IND at KC ($7,400): Mack is an excellent cash game play who has gotten stronger as the season has progressed, with a rushing touchdown in five straight games. He's ran for more than 100 yards in three of his last four against good defenses – Houston, Tennessee and Dallas. This weekend, it'll be an elite matchup with the Chiefs who gave up the third-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. The point spread (5.5) suggests a close game, so there's no reason for the Colts to abandon the run and turn into a throwing offense. Look for Mack to get around 25 carries once again as Indianapolis looks to control the clock and keep the Chiefs off the field.
WIDE RECEIVER
Ted Ginn, NO vs. PHI ($4,500): For starters, the Eagles are awful against the pass, so the Saints passing game should put up some video game-like numbers. Ginn is minimum priced on FanDuel this weekend likely due to his long absence on IR and being inactive for Week 17. Being inactive was merely a precaution and he's set to complement Michael Thomas and stretch the field. Three weeks ago, in his first game off IR, Ginn finished with a 8-5-74 line good for 9.9 fantasy points. To put that in perspective, Michael Thomas at $8,400 would have to finish with 18.5 fantasy points to have more value than Ginn. That's something he's accomplished only once in his last seven games.
Julian Edelman, NE vs. SD ($7,600): Edelman is an excellent choice for cash games given how consistent he's been for fantasy purposes. In 10 of his last 11 games, he's scored at least 12 fantasy points, and he's getting just under 10 targets over his last four contests. While the Chargers have been solid against opposing wide receivers, the Patriots have been arguably the best team in the league this season at home, going undefeated and beating good teams like Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Green Bay, Minnesota and Buffalo.
TIGHT END
Travis Kelce, KC vs. IND ($7,500): While it's not hard to pick the player who's the most expensive at any given position, Kelce looks like a value here. He has scored almost double the fantasy points of Rob Gronkowski ($6,200) on a per week basis, so spending the extra $1,300 makes sense. The Saints were very good against the tight end this season, so that crosses off Zach Ertz who is $100 less than Kelce. Finally, the Colts were bad against tight ends this season, surrendering the third most fantasy points to the position.
FLEX
Eric Ebron, IND at KC ($6,600): This is a great week to employ the, "using a tight end at flex" strategy given this matchup. As just stated, the Colts gave up the third most fantasy points to opposing tight ends, but the Chiefs were worse than that, giving up the most fantasy points in the league. Ebron has been a red zone monster this season with 14 touchdowns resulting in 12 games with double-digit fantasy points. While each may carry a decent ownership number in GPPs, the number of lineups with both players in them will be minimal.
DEFENSE
New England Patriots D/ST, vs. SD ($4,700): As already mentioned, the Patriots have been a dominant team at home this season and are a four-point favorite. They now get to face a West Coast team playing its second game in as many weeks at 1 p.m. on the East Coast, which helps as well. Stephon Gilmore has been a shutdown corner this season, and the return of safety Devin McCourty bolsters the defense as well. This game has the lowest over/under of the weekend suggesting the defenses should make an impact.
