We are quickly losing our grip on the NFL season and this time
of year many season long players will be looking to dip their
toe into the world of Daily Fantasy for the first time. We welcome
these new players and see this also as an opportunity to finish
the season strong.
Moving forward to Week 15, 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.
Teddy Bridgewater had just 20 attempts last week but was extremely
impressive after Adrian Peterson went down early with an ankle
injury. He scored a rushing touchdown and added four through the
air with zero interceptions. He carried this Vikings offense and
will face in Week 16 arguably the worst defense in the NFL in
the New York Giants. They are allowing 30 fantasy points per game
to quarterbacks in the last four weeks and Bridgewater’s price
($6600) makes him a clear value in Week 16.
The second value quarterback I like is Alex Smith. He consistently
has a safe floor, which is exactly what you are looking for in
cash games. The Chiefs should control this game against the Browns
so volume may be an issue but his price ($6800) gives him a good
chance to hit value before that happens. Smith was efficient last
week with just four incompletions thrown and relied heavily on
Travis Kelce and Jeremy Maclin. The Browns have been giving out
passing scores at an extremely high rate and this game should
be no different.
Yes, David Johnson is still a value at $7300. He has more rushing
yards in December than 24 NFL teams since being given the reigns
as the bell cow back in this offense. Green bay is giving up nearly
16 points per game to opposing running backs and this game has
one of the highest point totals of the week. The Cardinals are
a home favorite which is always a sound strategy when choosing
a running back, especially in cash games. Johnson did have a knee
injury scare but was able to return to the game in Week 15 and
posted career best numbers. With his involvement in the passing
game and amount of red zone opportunities in this offense, Johnson
continues is a top option on the entire Week 16 slate.
Williams has been battling back from a shoulder injury and did
not handle a full load in his first game back in Week 15. He will
most likely share carries with Mike Gilleslee but Williams has
the touchdown upside to be a great value play at $5400. The Cowboys
defense is now one to target at the running back position as they
are now averaging over 100 yards per game allowed on the ground.
The past four weeks running backs are averaging just over 20 fantasy
points per game. Rex Ryan is never shy about running the ball
and at home against the Cowboys will be a great volume play in
cash.
People that have continued to ride Michael Floyd have been making
some money the past four weeks or so. He is still underpriced
for the targets and red-zone involvement at $6300 so I will not
be moving off him in cash games. The Cardinals were not forced
to throw much with David Johnson going off for three touchdowns
but expect Carson Palmer to air it out if they want to keep up
with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Floyd led the team in receiving
last week and the Packers are giving it up through the air. Floyd
is actually a touchdown regression candidate with just one touchdown
in his past five games. A clear value play if you want to go cheaper
at wide receiver and load up at other positions.
Odell Beckham Jr. will be out of this game against Minnesota
after his antics with Josh Norman last week but let me be clear,
I am not a fan of Rueben Randle’s talent. I however am a fan of
opportunity and Randle will get a significant bump in targets
against a banged up defense with Beckham on the sidelines. In
the past four weeks the Vikings are giving up 25 fantasy points
per game to wide receivers. On volume alone, Randle has to be
considered in cash games this week.
Diggs stepped up last week for two touchdowns on just four targets
in Week 15. When Adrian Peterson went down early with an ankle
injury the Vikings were forced to rely on Bridgewater who didn’t
disappoint. Diggs had not scored in six games and even though
he had just four targets he tied for the team lead in that category.
The Giants can’t stop anyone and at just $6000, Diggs will
have no problem hitting value in cash. The Giants are giving up
30 points per game to opposing wide receivers and Diggs is always
a factor after the catch to rack up big yardage totals even with
limited targets.
Maclin continues to be targeted heavily in the Chiefs offense
including last week where he had seven catches on ten targets
for 50 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs do play conservatively
at times so that may be part of the reason for Maclin’s
consistently low price, but against the Browns I still am betting
on him in regards to $/point value as a great play in Week 16.
The Browns have been one of the worst teams against the pass the
past few weeks and Maclin will be able to take advantage off of
high percentage throws and screen passes all day.
