Contrarian means opposing or rejecting popular opinion, going against the current practice. Being a contrarian in fantasy football is difficult because it's not chalk as the DFS kids would call it today. Risk is involved, but it could be a league-winning selection. Contrarian is where the big money is made within DFS, especially in large tournaments, because you'll submit more unique lineups than your competitors.
Do mix in one or two of these players within a lineup to maximize individuality.
Do not create your entire lineup based on the contrarian picks below.
Key for charts:
- Player = recommended contrarian play
- Opponent = Home or away and the opponent
- FD Roster % = This week's FanDuel roster percentages
- FD Salary = FanDuel salary to roster the player
- DK Roster % = This week's DraftKings roster percentages
- DK Salary = DraftKings salary to roster the player
CONTRARIAN QUARTERBACKS
Coming off a season-high four TD passes last week, Matt Stafford's confidence is high heading into a tough matchup against Cleveland. However, the Browns will be without Denzel Ward for this game. Star DE Myles Garrett returned to practice on Friday and intends to play. After Garrett was not able to lift his arm for multiple days, it's in the range of outcomes for him to not be 100% when playing the Rams. The timing for Stafford is excellent against a less than 100% Browns defense.
Despite Detroit not playing well the last three weeks, Jared Goff is still producing at a high level by averaging 300 passing yards and two TDs each game. Goff will be playing a Saints team coming off a two-game losing streak and hasn't faced a good quarterback since week 7 of the NFL season, contributing to their ninth-ranked defense. However, the Saints will be without S Marcus Maye and LB Pete Werner, with DE Cameron Jordan questionable after not practicing all week. It's rare to have Goff available in a contrarian lineup, so I'm going to capitalize.
The Steelers' offense saw a large boost in production after they moved on from offensive coordinator Matt Canada. Kenny Pickett threw for a season-high 278 passing yards, which was a breath of fresh air because he averaged 116 passing yards in his previous four games. The Steelers face Arizona this week in a juicy matchup because the Cardinals are last in the NFL in overall defense. Last week, Arizona allowed Stafford to throw for four TDs, and the previous week, C.J. Stroud lit them up for 336 passing yards and two TDs. To convince you further of this juicy matchup, the Cardinals will be without both starting CBs, and two of their strong safeties are questionable. Trusting Pickett isn't easy, but he's low-rostered, has a cheap salary, and has the best matchup this week.
This Eagles defense isn't the same as last year, they have allowed more than 330 passing yards in three of their last four games. Philadelphia ranks 27th in the NFL in opposing QB passer rating at 94.8 and allows the third most fantasy points to opposing QBs. Brock Purdy leads the NFL in passer rating, and he's among the top ten in most passing categories. Last week, Purdy had a down game, but he averaged over 330 passing yards and two touchdowns over the previous three games. The Eagles defense will be without starting LB Zach Cunningham, and DT Fletcher Cox is also questionable.
CONTRARIAN RUNNING BACKS
I expected a bigger game last week from Derrick Henry, but it was the first game he scored multiple TDs all season and was more efficient than his previous two games. The good news is the Indianapolis defense is allowing the third-most fantasy points to RBs, which is a weaker matchup than Henry faced last week. As I highlighted last week, Henry has rushed for 100 yards in over 70% of his games over the last few seasons when it gets late in the season. Even though Henry isn't involved in the passing game, this is still a great matchup for him to thrive.
Coach Mike McDaniel indicated De'Von Achane will play this week, which has scared off people playing Raheem Mostert. Achane tweaked his knee injury when he returned in week 11 and hasn't played significantly since week 5. The Dolphins have playoff aspirations, which doesn't lead me to believe they will lean heavily on a rookie RB in his first game back after injuring his knee multiple times. Mostert has received double-digit touches in every game this season, and he's coming off of two games with a minimum of 20 touches each. Mostert will be playing a Washington defense, allowing the fourth most fantasy points to RBs this season.
Early in the game last week, Jaylen Warren lost a fumble, and the Pittsburgh coaching staff leaned more on Najee Harris, who responded with 99 rushing yards at 6.6 YPC. Harris has averaged over 16 touches per game over the last four weeks, even with splitting touches with Warren. No matter who starts this week, they will be heavily involved against a Cardinals team, allowing the most fantasy points to RBs this season.
Kyren Williams wasn't slowly worked back into the Rams offense last week after missing the previous five weeks due to an injury. Williams earned 204 total yards on 22 touches with a 61% snap share. Three of the last four games Williams has played for the Rams have resulted in over 100 rushing yards and 20 total touches. Despite facing a strong Browns run defense, Williams deserves consideration in your lineup with his massive usage.
Bijan Robinson is quietly turning into the RB most people envisioned for this season. Over the last two weeks, he's averaged 21 touches for 115 yards and scored three total TDs. Atlanta will face a vulnerable Jets defense this week, which is allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to RBs this season. The Jets have allowed the last three opponents to rush for at least 130 yards. It's surprising to see Robinson low-rostered in a juicy matchup, but it could be due to frustration from his early season struggles, which have disappeared.
CONTRARIAN WIDE RECEIVERS
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