Cracking FanDuel Wildcard

Quarterback

Rank

Player

Projection

Salary

Comment

1

Dak Prescott

21.4

$8,000

Dak Prescott has thrown 12 touchdowns over his last three games. The Cowboys are unlikely to be able to run the ball against the vaunted 49ers defense, so expect a pass heavy approach from Dallas. Prescott has thrown for 3 or more touchdowns in 8 games this season.

2

Matthew Stafford

19.5

$7,600

Stafford has hit a rough patch over the course of the last 3 weeks as he has thrown 7 interceptions over the last 3 games. Stafford has also thrown for less than 250 yard in 3 of their last 4 games. When this offense is clicking, $7,600 is a complete steal, but there is some significant risk with how poorly Stafford has been playing as of late.

3

Jalen Hurts

21.6

$7,700

Hurts is the boom or bust player on this slate as at $7,700 he has significant upside based on his rushing ability. The problem is that the Buccaneers have a very strong run defense, but Josh Allen was able to run for over 100 yards against Tampa Bay earlier this season.

4

Patrick Mahomes II

23.1

$8,700

Mahomes has tremendous upside, but surprisingly has topped 300 yards just three times since Week 3. The matchup is a much better rushing matchup than a passing matchup, but the Chiefs are the highest projected scoring team on this slate

Running Back

Rank

Player

Projection

Salary

Comment

1

Leonard Fournette

15.5

$7,300

The big question this week is the health of Leonard Fournette, but assuming that he is healthy enough to play, he immediately jumps to the top of the board this week. Fournette checks all the boxes this week as he is a great receiving back averaging 6.5 receptions over his last 6 games, his team is more than a touchdown favorite, and the Buccaneers are missing two of their top receivers which should mean more of the game plan goes through Fournette.

2

Eli Mitchell

14.2

$7,400

When healthy, Eli Mitchell has been a volume workhorse as he has 21 or more carries in each of his last five games while averaging 99 yards rushing per game. Mitchell is one of the few running backs on this slate that should be able to see over 20 carries. The matchup is less than ideal as the Cowboys have only allowed two 100-yard rushers this season.

3

Darrel Williams

13.6

$6,600

Williams could not be in a better matchup this week as the Steelers run defense has been absolutely abysmal showcased by allowing 150 rushing yards to Latavius Murray last week. The Steelers are allowing 122 yards rushing per game and with Clyde Edwards-Helaire being out, Darrel Williams should see a significant amount of work in a game that they are big favorites at home.

4

Devin Singletary

13.1

$6,900

Devin Singletary has been on fire as of late. Singletary has scored six touchdowns over his last four games as he has taken full reign of this rushing attack. New England's run defense has struggled since Week 12 as they have allowed 4 100-yard rushers in that time period. The only reason that Singletary is not higher on this list is that the Patriots have shut down the Bills twice this season already on the ground.

5

Damien Harris

10.6

$7,500

Damien Harris is in a unique position as most of his value has come from his touchdown efficiency as he has scored 8 touchdowns over his last 4 games. In his two games against the Bills this season, Harris has ran for over 100 yards in each of the two games and has four rushing touchdowns. The only concerns with Harris is that his floor if he doesn't score a touchdown is fairly low as evidenced by his last two games where he is averaging just 10 carries for 36 yards rushing.

6

Joe Mixon

16.8

$8,500

The problem with Joe Mixon is the price this week as at $8,500, he is just a little too expensive. Mixon has had an up and down season this year, but he had a massive game against the Raiders earlier this year which will likely spark some interest as he ran for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns which was one of his two 100-yard rushing performances on the season.

Wide Receiver

Rank

Player

Projection

Salary

Comment

1

Christian Kirk

10.9

$6,100

Christian Kirk struggled last week which may cause some people to come off of him this week, but the Rams secondary is extremely banged up as they signed Eric Weddle who has been retired for two seasons filling in for Jordan Fuller. Making matters worse the other safety Taylor Rapp is dealing with a concussion and has not yet been cleared. The Rams are coming off of a game in which three opposing receivers topped 90 yards.

2

Cooper Kupp

21.2

$10,000

At $10,000, Kupp is a difficult decision this week. What you get with Kupp that no other player on this slate can provide is a level of security. Kupp has the highest touchdown probability on this slate, has the highest yardage projections, and should lead this slate in receptions. The only question when deciding on Kupp is determining the opportunity cost of the player you have to pay up to get. Deebo Samuel, Ja'Marr Chase, and Tyreek Hill all have ceilings similar to Kupp, but their floor is much lower than what Kupp's floor is on this slate.

3

Tee Higgins

13.2

$6,900

Higgins should be in a good spot in this game as Ja'Marr Chase is facing the much more difficult matchup in this game as he will see Casey Hayward for most of the day. Higgins will face Brandon Facyson who has been one of the worst cornerbacks in the NFL this season. The Bengals had a low output passing due to a game script and having a big lead. Higgins has topped 100 yards in four of his last six games.

4

Zay Jones

8.9

$5,200

There aren't many salary relief plays on this slate, but Zay Jones is certainly one of them. At just $5,200, Jones has caught 5 or more passes in each of their last 5 games. The Bengals passing defense has been up and down throughout the season allowing 300+ passing yards to quarterbacks six times this season including to Josh Johnson, Mike White, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Justin Herbert

5

CeeDee Lamb

13.1

$7,300

Lamb is going to be popular on this slate, but I'm not sure that he should be with all of the options that are available. Lamb has not been a player that has been worth $7,300 as he has not scored a touchdown in each of his last seven games and is averaging just 53 yards per game. The matchup could be a good one, and Lamb is a solid GPP play as the 49ers have struggled against top tier wide receivers, but there just is not enough consistent production from Lamb to justify him this week.

6

Tyreek Hill

14.2

$8,000

Tyreek Hill is an interesting case study as he has top end potential any time that he takes the field, but he has struggled over the last three games as he is averaging just 3 receptions for 20.3 yards per game. Hill is going to be somewhat popular as he is a great stacking opportunity with Patrick Mahomes II, but at $8,000 the price is too high considering how low his floor is this week.

Tight End

Rank