This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
While this is the Championship Week in most season-long leagues, the fact of the matter is most of us are not playing in those leagues. This makes for the perfect opportunity to dabble in the weekly leagues offered on FanDuel. Let's see who we should consider this week.
QUARTERBACKS
The quarterback conversation starts with Lamar Jackson ($9,300) as it should. The Ravens are 10-point favorites on the road in Cleveland against a defense that has been hit by injuries and won't have Myles Garrett. Jackson's floor in this one should be 20 fantasy points with a much higher ceiling. If you want to force Drew Brees ($8,200) into your lineup, only do so in GPPs. Here are his fantasy performances on the road this season: 11.26, 21.12 and 0.52 (injured). Historically he's been much better at home but will be on the road against the Titans this week. Philip Rivers ($7,400) is another great play besides Jackson to use for cash given his home matchup against the Raiders. Oakland has given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season. The top team for allowing the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks? It's the Arizona Cardinals who will be on the road in Seattle putting Russell Wilson ($8,300) in play for all formats. Do not use him for cash games, but I'll throw at least one lineup in Sunday with the Panther's Will Grier ($6,000). He's the cheapest starting quarterback this week and it's never been easier to play the position. Grier has the Christian McCaffrey advantage working in his favor and his ownership should be at a very low level.
RUNNING BACKS
Christian McCaffrey's price ($10,300) seems a bit ridiculous, but then you have to realize he's averaging almost 10 more fantasy points per game than Ezekiel Elliott ($8,700) who has the second-highest FPPG mark. If you're not using Russell Wilson at quarterback, it makes a lot of sense to roll with Chris Carson ($8,200) at running back. Carson has hit double-digit fantasy points in six of his last seven games and had 16.5 fantasy points the first time around when these two teams played. Marlon Mack ($7,300) will probably go overlooked after failing to hit double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games and he's coming off 1.9 fantasy points last week. This will keep his ownership levels down, and he has the best matchup at home this week against the Panthers. This makes him a great tournament option. DeAndre Washington ($5,600) likely will be a chalky pick with the Raiders ruling out Josh Jacobs earlier this week. Washington had a game of 18.6 fantasy points in the only game Jacobs missed this season, and he's ridiculously cheap. At the very least he's flex-worthy in cash this week.
WIDE RECEIVERS
This position is a ton of fun this week. Let me start with the most intriguing game for fantasy purposes at the position, Cincinnati at Miami. Weather could be a concern here, but I really like DeVante Parker ($6,900) and Tyler Boyd ($6,300). Both are reasonably priced and have a very high ceiling. If the weather holds off, both could have huge games. Amari Cooper ($7,700) should fly under the radar this week after scoring only 2.4 fantasy points last week. It's a much better matchup for Cooper this week facing an Eagles defense that allows the third-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Staying within that game, Greg Ward ($5,700) is a great target for tournaments being the top Eagles' wide receiver. Alshon Jeffery is done for the season, and it sounds like Nelson Agholor might get shut down as well. That leaves Ward as the last man standing, and he had 15.6 fantasy points last week in this same role.
TIGHT ENDS
With the narrow receiving tree in Philadelphia, it's hard to pass on Zach Ertz ($6,900) this week. He's had more than 20 fantasy points in three of his last six games, and Dallas has allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. Darren Waller ($6,500) and Hunter Henry ($6,100) face off, and both are in play this week and each are averaging double-digit fantasy points per game this season. Jacob Hollister ($5,700) will have to deal with the return of Luke Willson ($4,100!) but gets the prime matchup against the Arizona Cardinals and is at home.
DEFENSE
While Will Grier was mentioned above as a tournament play, there's a likely game narrative that he struggles on the road in his first professional start. That means the Colts defense/special teams ($4,800) is an interesting option. They have 10, 10 and 11 fantasy points in three of their last five games setting a decent floor for them. The Denver Broncos ($5,000) are at home against David Blough and the Lions are another solid matchup if the money is there to spend on a defense. If the weather ends up being messy in Miami, both the Dolphins ($4,000) and the Bengals ($3,800) are firmly in play. Both quarterbacks are capable of multiple turnovers, and it's not like either offense is a juggernaut.
