This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
Week 1 is in the books, and what a great week it was. Congratulations to OhioState241 for winning the first qualifier for the FAFC.
Play again this week for your chance to be the next qualifier. Click here to see what you're playing for. (Hint: a chance to win a lot of money and get a free vacation)
If you do not have a Fantasy Aces account, be sure to sign up and receive up to $250 of your deposit matched just for signing up. It's free money, so sign up now.
Not sure how to play at Fantasy Aces? We are here to help. Each week, RotoWire will offer advice on who to start in a given week, and give you that extra edge in your pursuit of a seat in Fantasy Aces' Fantasy Football Championship.
Format
At Fantasy Aces, the starting lineup requires two quarterbacks, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, two FLEX (running back, wide receiver, or tight end) and a kicker and defense/special teams. You have a salary cap of $55,000 to create your team. Fantasy Aces understands that you may want to start Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, or Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski, and now you can. That's the beauty of playing daily fantasy football at Fantasy Aces - you can start the players you want.
The full scoring system can be found here, but essentially it is a standard scoring system for regular fantasy football with the only difference being half-point PPR (point per reception) and a different lineup format.
Strategy
Qualifying for a big tournament requires a bit of different strategy than in other cash games. What does that mean? Of course, we are all trying to get the most points possible, but in a GPP (guaranteed prize pool) where there are a lot of players you have to take some risks. If those risks hit, you are more likely to have a higher score than others, because these particular risks usually are players that are not owned by a lot of players. Our risks last week were Derek Carr, Carson Palmer, Zach Ertz, and Denarius Moore. Carr, Palmer and Ertz hit, and were good values at their price. Unfortunately, Moore was a bust despite receiving a lot of targets.
How can we strategize to win a GPP? There are many approaches, and with Fantasy Aces' deep starting lineups, there is a lot of variance, which helps you in GPPs.
A few strategies that could work include:
- Stacking: Starting more than two players from one team. This is usually used in NFL DFS with the Broncos, selecting Manning along with his receivers.
- Contrarian: Playing against the grain. For example, taking the Jaguars defense against the Eagles last week.
- Studs and scrubs: We will outline a studs-and-scrubs approach below. This strategy entails finding a few players at low salary that could be good values, then using the rest of the money for big-time players like Manning or Julius Thomas last week.
Without further ado, here are some suggested plays for Week 2. We will outline a stud and a scrub from each position that can help you get a seat at the FAFC.
Quarterback
Stud: Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles $7,000
To say Foles struggled last week would be an understatement. He missed wide-open receivers, held the ball too long and even threw an interception. Why did he struggle so much? Foles was constantly under pressure, as the Jaguars' front seven was able to get to him early and often. So, why would you start him this week? The Colts' best pass rusher is Robert Mathis, who will not play this week (or any week this season) because of an injury and suspension. Bjoern Werner is the Colts next pass rusher, and he was unable to get pressure on the Broncos in Week 1. Foles thrives when he has time, and the Colts are struggling to pressure the passer. This is a matchup made for daily fantasy football.
Scrub: Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans $6,300
Locker will be one of the higher volume plays this weekend against the Cowboys, who are one of the most favorable matchups in daily fantasy football. As detailed above, the contrarian approach would then say to avoid Locker. But the object of the game is to get the most points possible, and considering his price is $6,300, which is just above Ryan Tannehill, Eli Manning, Alex Smith, and Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Titans quarterback is a bargain. Last week he finished with 266 yards and two touchdowns against the Chiefs defense, and this week he faces a defense who allowed the run-first 49ers to pass all over the field.
Running Back
Stud: LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles $6,200
McCoy did not score a touchdown last week, but considering the Colts gave up a touchdown to Montee Ball and the allowed the Broncos to cruise into the red zone all game long, that is likely to change in Week 2. The Colts allowed over 2,000 yards rushing last year, and the Broncos ran for 102 yards last week. With McCoy receiving over 20 touches per game (27 in Week 1), he is one of the top running back options each and every week.
Scrub: Bobby Rainey, Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4,250
Be sure to keep an eye on Doug Martin's injury. If Martin sits, Rainey will receive the majority of the work in relief. Rainey averaged 3.9 yards per carry in Martin's absence last year, which was 0.3 yards more per carry than Martin pre-injury. Rainey scored a touchdown last week as well. For a featured running back, $4,250 is a huge bargain. Don't hesitate to roll with Rainey and his cheap contract if Martin is inactive.
Wide Receiver
Stud: DeSean Jackson, Washington Redskins $5,150
Jackson looks to be a beneficiary of Redskins head coach Jay Gruden's new offense. Last week, Jackson caught eight balls for 62 yards, which is a good day in a half-point PPR scoring system. This week, Washington will face the Jaguars who allowed a struggling Nick Foles to throw for over 300 yards, and allowed a long touchdown to Jeremy Maclin. Jackson is one of the fastest players in the NFL and he's always a deep threat., Meanwhile, the Jaguars struggled to cover the Eagles receivers down the field in Week 1.
Scrub: Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans $4,200
Hunter disappointed some fantasy footballers last week with a showing of just three catches for 63 yards. But, he also led the Titans with eight targets. This week, the Titans face the Cowboys, who are starting J.J. Wilcox and Barry Church at safety, both of whom struggle in coverage. Last week, Anquan Boldin had nine targets against the Cowboys, resulting in eight catches for 99 yards. Boldin's price on Fantasy Aces last week was higher than $4,200, so Hunter will be a value at this price.
Tight End
Stud: Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles $4,300
$4,300 counts as a stud? This week, it does. Ertz had a terrific week against the Jaguars with three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Can he do it again this week against the Colts? Last week, the Colts allowed seven catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns to Julius Thomas. While he's not as athletically gifted as Thomas, Ertz is still a great value against a defense that couldn't stop the tight end in Week 1.
Scrub: Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs $3,700
The Chiefs offense was wretched last week to say the least, but Kelce is a great value this week against the Broncos. Despite upgrading their defense with DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib, Denver struggled to stop the tight end yet again after allowing Dwayne Allen to score a touchdown. Last year, the Broncos allowed opposing tight ends to score 12.4 fantasy points per game, which was among the worst in the NFL.
Kicker
Kai Forbath, Washington Redskins $2,400
Defense/Special Teams
Stud: Denver Broncos $3,650
Scrub: Oakland Raiders $2,600
My Lineup
QB - Nick Foles $7,000
QB - Jake Locker $6,300
RB - LeSean McCoy $6,200
RB - Marshawn Lynch $5,950
WR - Demaryius Thomas $5,850
WR - Dez Bryant $5,850
TE - Travis Kelce $3,700
FLEX - Zach Ertz $4,300
FLEX – Justin Hunter $4,200
K - Kai Forbath $2,400
DST – Buccaneers $3,250
