Week 12 was basically two completely different weeks as the Thanksgiving
games had their own slate on FanDuel. That is exactly what we
did in this column as I posted a cash lineup for both the Thanksgiving
slate and weekend slate. I advocated the use of Matthew Stafford
and Calvin Johnson which I hope propelled you to at least making
it over the cash line in your 50/50’s, Double-ups, and head-to-head
contests. As a whole the “chalk” struggled a bit on
Sunday with many people rostering players like DeAndre Hopkins
and Julio Jones only to see them underperform. However, putting
faith into Stevie Johnson and Gary Barnidge was enough to put
you in the money in most cases last week.
Moving forward to Week 13, there are some clear value plays that
I will most definitely be taking advantage of. Below is my current
cash lineup as well as some detailed value plays. Be sure to check
back on Saturday/Sunday morning for an update.
David Johnson has been given the keys to the running game and
he participates in one of the best offenses in the league. With
both Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington hurt, the rookie should
see considerable volume in a plus matchup. Arizona is a home favorite
and the heavy volume alone makes him the clear value play of the
week at running back at FanDuel.
Scott Chandler is one of the cheapest options at tight end this
week and quite possibly one of the better red zone options left
in this offense. Chandler has eight red zone targets this season
and will be in line for more with Rob Gronkowski (knee) out of
action. FanDuel emphasizes touchdowns more than some other sites
and Chandler should have no problem meeting value in cash in Week
13.
If Big Ben suits up, Martavis Bryant could be the top play on
FanDuel this week at the WR position in regards to $/point. With
the Steelers high point total and Antonio Brown dealing with Vonte
Davis, Bryant is in line for a big game. He will be covered by
cornerback Greg Toler who has earned a 38/100 grade by PFF this
season. Advantage Bryant.
Rishard Matthews is out indefinitely with fractured ribs, plural.
Sounds like he will be out awhile and although the majority of
the fantasy value from last week’s game came in garbage
time, Parker’s price is just too good to ignore. This is
the kind of opportunity the talented rookie has been waiting for
and it comes in a great week against a Ravens team that ranks
in the bottom five in pass defense.
Decker has been killing it for fantasy owners this year. He has
scored a touchdown in eight of ten games this season and hasn’t
had less than 60 yards since Week 6. He has consistently been
a top red zone target in this offense and has a very high floor
for cash games at a very reasonable price. The Giants have one
of the worst defenses especially against tight ends and it just
so happens Decker runs a lot of the same routes in the slot. I
expect the defense to focus its efforts on Brandon Marshall after
his huge game last week, which will leave Decker matched up with
Trevin Wade. A very favorable matchup and price makes him a great
value play this week.
Jay Cutler has been surprisingly good this season and this week
will finally have his full array of weapons back. The San Francisco
defense has been terrible on the road this season and they don’t
have anyone that will be able to stop Alshon Jeffery. He should
be at full go after a long week of rest and in a plus matchup
could be a great value, even at $7700.
The knock on Jonathan Stewart is Cam Newton stealing his red
zone carries. What people don’t realize is that Newton normally
takes over inside the 10 but Stewart actually leads the NFL in
red zone carries inside the 20. Against a New Orleans defense
that bleeds yards to running backs he could easily break one of
these red zone carries into a touchdown. This week, the Panthers
are favored with a high team total (28.3). Stewart will have plenty
of opportunities to punch in a score and he has had 20-plus carries
in each of the last seven games. He is a top play in Week 13.
