This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
Quarterbacks
This is what I wrote before the news broke Friday that Taysom Hill and not Jameis Winston would be starting for the Saints this weekend:
When you're given the chance to use Jameis Winston ($7,200), you have to throw him in at least one GPP lineup. It's a fantastic matchup against the Falcons who have been shredded opposing offenses all season. The salary cap hit here isn't too great, and the value of Michael Thomas ($8,200) and Tre'Quan Smith ($5,300, concussion) should improve with Winston's willingness to go down the field.
Of course all of that is worthless now with Hill starting. He's listed as a tight end and is a "free square" this week at $4,500. He's a must-start in cash games and should be used in at least 75 percent of all tournament lineups.
Justin Herbert ($8,500) is coming off his worst fantasy game in his last six games and yet he still managed to score 21.48 fantasy points. He's got a juicy home matchup against the Jets as they've been 29th in the league against opposing quarterbacks. Herbert has at least two passing touchdowns in each of his last six contests and has been a pleasant surprise scrambling, running in three touchdowns this season. There's a good floor here, which is why Herbert is in play for cash.
Lamar Jackson ($8,400) has been something of a disappointment from a fantasy perspective and coupled with his salary, he should be an unpopular pick this week. He still has a tremendous amount of upside and he has a good home matchup against the Titans. Jackson has the upside to rush for 80 to 100 yards with a score or two leading to a 30-plus fantasy point day.
The long shot of the week to consider is the Cowboys' Andy Dalton ($6,900). While I don't have the utmost confidence in him from a talent perspective, this is about the elite talent he has at wide receiver. All three of his wideouts have the ability to turn a 10-yard slant into a 50-plus yard touchdown and inflate Dalton's stats. The Vikings rank in the middle of the league against the pass so they're not a matchup from which to shy away.
Running Backs
Dalvin Cook is a whopping $10,500 this week and why shouldn't he be considering he's averaging 25.78 fantasy points per game. He's at home with a great matchup against the Cowboys, a team that has avoided tackling this season as if it was the plague. Expect Cook to get his usual 25-plus touches and parlay them into at least 20 fantasy points.
This should be a big week for the Panthers' Mike Davis ($7,400), a good midrange option. He won't have to worry about Christian McCaffrey again, and the Lions are a team to target for running backs. Detroit has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs, surrendering more than 33 per game to the other team.
I didn't think I was going to be writing about him this season but here we are. Adrian Peterson ($5,100) is my favorite punt play this week. It looks like D'Andre Swift will miss this week's game with a concussion, so the workload will fall on Peterson's shoulders. It's a good matchup as well, with the Panthers ranking 31st against the running back position.
Wide Receivers
Coming off a big game on Monday Night Football, Adam Thielen ($7,900) has an even better matchup this week facing the Cowboys. The Cowboys rank 29th in fantasy points allowed to opposing wide receivers, so this is a prime matchup for Thielen. Another player to consider in the same price range is Keenan Allen ($8,000). Allen has a favorable matchup as well and has been a target monster with Herbert under center. Keenan has at least 10 targets in six of his eight games with Herbert.
Marquise Brown ($5,900) has been quiet as of late, but that's to be expected at times when you play in a run-heavy offense. On another team like the Chiefs, Chargers or Bills we would be talking about Brown being a top-20 player at the position on a weekly basis. The game narrative this week is favorable for Brown, as the Titans are a better team against the run than they are against the pass. This means the Ravens may look to throw more this week, and Brown could have a big game Sunday.
Last week might have been the coming out party for the Colts' Michael Pittman ($5,500). He finished with 15.5 fantasy points and didn't find the end zone, showing there's a higher ceiling here. It's also a positive sign that Pittman has seven and eight targets from Philip Rivers over his last two games. Fellow rookie Jalen Reagor ($5,600) is another player to use in GPPs and is in the same price range.
Tight Ends
As already stated, Taysom Hill is the play here. However, if you feel like taking a chance, both Hunter Henry ($5,500) and Hayden Hurst ($5,500) are the two guys I'd target. Henry get the Jets who are 30th against the position while Hurst gets the Saints who rank 25th. Both have a chance of topping Hill, but it'll take a season-best effort from each.
Defenses
The two teams to target this week are the Miami Dolphins ($4,800) and the Los Angeles Chargers ($4,400). Miami might be facing a Brett Rypien-led Broncos team who has struggled overall this season. The Chargers get the Jets at home, a team who will start Joe Flacco and has had trouble scoring points all season.
