1. Down to four quarterbacks —- is there one of the four you trust more than the others (it's pretty clear Manning is the shakiest option)?
Maurile Tremblay: Cam Newton is pretty clearly the best play. He's essentially the same price as Brady or Palmer, but the Panthers' offense is expected to score the most points, and Newton, with his rushing ability, is a bigger part of his team's offense than the other guys.
Chad Parsons: I agree Peyton Manning is the shaky option of the quartet. On the flip side, I trust Tom Brady, maybe not as the highest possible upside remaining, but as the best combination of floor and ceiling.
Andrew Garda: I agree with Maurile that Newton has the best upside, and Chad that Brady likely is the safest play. Newton only had 161 yards and a touchdown last weekend and he was well contained on the ground. But we know what he can do which makes him very attractive to me.
I trust Brady the most, but I like Newton’s upside a lot more.
2. What's your favorite combination of running backs? Do you put all your money into the full-carry backs -- David Johnson and Jonathan Stewart? Or are you taking a flier on someone like Ronnie Hillman or Steven Jackson? Or should contestants mix and match?
Tremblay: Johnson and Stewart are the clear favorites to score the most points. The question is whether some other running back is discounted steeply enough to present comparable or better value. The answer is no. In cash games, Johnson and Stewart are the best plays. There's always room to vary things up in GPPS, and a high-upside play like James White or C.J. Anderson certainly may be worth a shot.
At first blush, Branden Bolden appears to be a decent value because of his low $3,100 salary. But that's only true if you can find something productive to do with the salary cap space you save. With so few premium players to choose from this week, you may not have trouble fitting under the cap even if you splurge on the highest-priced RBs. It's something to play around with in the Interactive Value Charts. If you like the premium players at all the other positions this week, Bolden can make a decent punt at RB. But if you find yourself with $1,000 or more left over, part of the discount you're getting on someone like Bolden becomes illusory.
Parsons: I would much rather pay up at running back - considering the dropoff in floor usage - and go for higher variance at wide receiver. Johnson and Stewart are auto-plays in cash lineups with minimal exposure leaks for one of the AFC backs in tournament lineup portfolios.
Garda: I’m with Chad – I am paying up for Stewart and Johnson. I might take CJ Anderson for a GPP flier though as I think we’ll see a lot of him.
3. Demaryius Thomas is really hit-or-miss and has been dropping way too many balls. Will you pay $8,100 for him when for $200 more you can get super-hot Larry Fitzgerald or, for the same price, Julian Edelman?
Tremblay: As difficult as it is to count on Peyton Manning as a passer, Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders both have terrific upside potential in any given game. The fact that salary cap space is not as precious this week as it normally is (because there aren't as many premium players in action to spend it on) makes Demaryius Thomas a perfectly good option if you like his situation and matchup. Even spending $8,100 on him, it's not difficult to fill in the rest of your roster with good players (given what's available).
Garda: I think Thomas is a nice upside play but he worries me and I like Fitzgerald and Edelman better. That said, as Maurile points out, given your overall options, you can take a shot with Thomas and still have some other strong plays elsewhere to mitigate the risk.
4. If you're not playing Rob Gronkowski or Greg Olsen, who are you looking at as a value play at tight end? Or are there none?
Tremblay: Owen Daniels is worth considering. Gronkowski and Olsen are the class of this week's tight ends, but Daniels is several thousand dollars cheaper. Even though salary cap space is not at a premium this week, you still can't go with the top players at every position. You need to pay down a bit somewhere, and doing so with Daniels at tight end isn't a bad option.
Parsons: I think the answer is none of the rest. The floor is realistically a doughnut or single catch for all of the other options. Despite the bargain basement salaries, they are not worth the cap relief.
Garda: It all depends on where you want to dump your money. Tight end, like quarterback, is a limited pool so you have to pay up to be safe. That said, if you are willing to take a flier, I do like the suggestion of Owen Daniels as we have seen him get a lot of use (such as in Week 16 against Cincinnati). The downside, as Chad alludes to, is a donut though, which is essentially what you have had the last two weeks.
If I can swing it, I will try to snag Olsen (saving a teeny bit of money) and make some harder choices at receiver.
