This article is part of our FantasyAces Football series.
Week 5 is in the books, and it turned out to be another great week of fantasy football. Congratulations to Kevin Adams (MagicSportsGuy) for winning the fifth 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 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), 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).
Strategy
Qualifying for a big tournament requires a different strategy than in other cash games. Of course, we are all still trying to get the most points possible, but in a GPP (guaranteed prize pool) 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 owned by a small amount of entrants.
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 to consider:
- Stacking: Starting more than two players from one team. This is usually used in daily fantasy football with the Broncos by selecting Peyton Manning along with his receivers/tight end. Bye weeks are underway, so be sure to keep an eye on that.
- Contrarian: Playing against the grain. For example, taking Isaiah Crowell last week despite him being the backup running back on the official depth chart.
- Studs and scrubs: We'll outline this strategy below. Going the studs-and-scrubs route 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 Jimmy Graham.
Without further ado, here are some suggested plays for Week 6. We will outline a stud and a scrub from each position that can help you get a seat at the FAFC.
Quarterback
Stud: Eli Manning $6,650
Manning faces an Eagles defense that has allowed 13 touchdown passes, which ranks last in the NFL. Manning has thrown two or more touchdowns in the last four games, including four against the Redskins in Week 4. Meanwhile, the Eagles have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. In addition, the Giants lost their starting running back last week to injury, and the Eagles rushing defense has only allowed two rushing touchdowns. The Giants will need to score through the air, and that comes directly from Manning.
Scrub: Jake Locker ($6,200), Charlie Whitehurst ($5,700), or Zach Mettenberger $5,000
It is not often that three options could potentially start for one team just five days before the game, but that is the case in Tennesee. Locker is battling injuries, Whitehurst has been a career backup, and Mettenberger is a rookie with a big-time arm that Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt has raved about. Whoever is named the starter for the Titans this week becomes a target on Fantasy Aces.
The Titans face the Jaguars, who have allowed a league-worst 1,544 yards through the air to go along with 12 touchdown passes. No matter who starts for the Titans, he will be one of the cheapest options on Fantasy Aces. Pair that against the league's worst passing defense and it makes for a great value this weekend. Keep in mind, if Mettenberger starts, he will be set at the minimum price for quarterbacks.
Running Back
Stud: Matt Forte $6,300
Forte is the most expensive skill player available on Fantasy Aces this weekend and for good reason. He leads all running backs with 36 catches and 299 receiving yards on 42 targets. With a half-point PPR scoring system, that is an added bonus to a top-tier running back. Unfortunately, Forte only has 319 rushing yards and no touchdowns on the ground, but that could change this week against the Falcons, as Atlanta has allowed the most fantasy points in the league to running backs. In total, the Falcons have allowed 738 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground in five games, which is an average of 146 yards and two touchdowns allowed per game. With Forte receiving 82 of the Bears' 119 carries, he will be due for the bulk of that production.
Scrub: Branden Oliver $4,600
The old adage is a player can't lose their job due to injury. Donald Brown left last week's game with a stinger before Oliver came in. The issue is, Oliver was clearly more effective, as he totaled 182 yards and two touchdowns against a Jets rushing defense that was allowing around three yards per carry. Oliver has 47 more yards than Brown on 33 fewer touches, and the undrafted rookie has clearly been the better back. Even if Brown plays this weekend, Oliver will receive plenty of work against the Raiders, who have allowed 633 yards rushing in four games.
Wide Receiver
Stud: Jeremy Maclin $5,300
Maclin is tied with Julio Jones for the most targets in the NFL so far this season with 57. The Eagles top wideout has more targets than Antonio Brown, Jordy Nelson or Dez Bryant. Maclin is also averaging 16.2 fantasy points per game on Fantasy Aces, which is good for fifth at the position. His price is the 13th highest among receivers, which makes him a value of eight slots better than his price.
The Giants pass defense has been solid overall, but multiple No. 1 receivers have posted big games against Big Blue this season: Julio Jones caught 11 passes for 105 yards in Week 5, DeAndre Hopkins caught six balls for 116 yards in Week 4, and Calvin Johnson caught seven passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. Add Maclin to the mix, especially considering his low price on Fantasy Aces.
Scrub: Odell Beckham Jr. $4,250
The former Louisiana State Tiger scored in his first NFL game last week, finishing with four catches for 44 yards in addition to the score. This week, Beckham takes on an Eagles defense that has allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers. The two Eagles corners, Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams, have allowed a combined 46 catches for 631 yards and six touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus. Beckham lined up outside for all but one route last week, so he will see either Williams or Fletcher this week. The same could be said for Rueben Randle, but his salary is higher than Beckham's, so "ODB" is the better value based on price.
Tight End
Stud: Larry Donnell $4,750
With the Saints and Graham on a bye week, the daily fantasy world will have to turn to other options at tight end this week. He's coming off a zero-catch game, but Donnell is one of few values on Fantasy Aces at the position. Donnell will face the Eagles, who could be without their two starting inside linebackers, DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks. That brings Casey Matthews to the field, where he has allowed four catches on five targets for 40 yards and a touchdown, according to PFF.
Kicker
Josh Brown $2,750
Defense/Special Teams
Stud: Denver Broncos $3,300
Scrub: Philadelphia Eagles $2,750
My Fantasy Aces Football Championship Lineup (GPP)
QB – Peyton Manning $7,800
QB – Eli Manning $6,650
RB – Matt Forte $6,300
RB – Branden Oliver $4,600
WR – Jeremy Maclin $5,300
WR – Odell Beckham Jr. $4,250
TE – Larry Donnell $4,750
FLEX – Emmanuel Sanders $5,200
FLEX – Rueben Randle $4,550
K – Josh Brown $2,750
DST – Philadelphia Eagles $2,750
My Cash Games Lineup (H2H and 50/50)
QB – Russell Wilson $6,850
QB – Eli Manning $6,650
RB – Matt Forte $6,300
RB – Andre Williams $4,550
WR – Jeremy Maclin $5,300
WR – Kelvin Benjamin $4,850
TE – Jordan Reed $4,600
FLEX – Justin Hunter $4,400
FLEX – DeAndre Hopkins $4,900
K – Shaun Suisham $3,300
DST – Denver Broncos $3,300
