DraftKings/Fuzzy’s

Since the pick-your-studs competition with Fuzzy's and the salary cap game of DraftKings essentially use the same PPR scoring (six points for passing touchdowns with Fuzzy's versus four fantasy points with DraftKings; three bonus points for 300 yards passing or 100 yards rushing/receiving versus no such bonus with Fuzzy's being the biggest differences), I'm going to essentially combine the two again this postseason.

Below you will find my position-by-position projections. Please note I have included DraftKings' dollar value for each player, followed by their projected point total in that format (DraftKings and then Fuzzy's). Each position is sorted by my DraftKings' projected point total.

Key for quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends:
P Yds - Passing Yards
P TD - Passing Touchdowns
INT - Interceptions
Ru Yds - Rushing Yards
Ru TD - Rushing Touchdowns
Rec Yds - Receiving Yards
Rec TD - Receiving Touchdowns
Rec - Receptions

Obviously, it's hard to say anything bad about a quarterback who just broke his own completion percentage record, but the chasm between Brees' home and road splits returned in 2018 after taking a year off. As is typically the case with quarterbacks, the blame for such a thing typically belongs on as much on how the play-caller changes up his home/road attack and how the supporting cast plays away from home just as much as it does on the quarterback. That's one of several reasons why it was important for the Saints to land home-field advantage from a fantasy perspective, as the fast track in the Superdome caters to the speed of players such as Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre'Quan Smith. Philadelphia's secondary play has been much better since the Eagles were routed in The Big Easy in Week 11, but tracking the likes of Michael Thomas, Ginn and Smith with Brees throwing it around the yard figures to be a much more difficult task on turf than Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller on grass with Mitch Trubisky in the pocket last week. Brady's 2018 season doesn't look much different than most of his others this decade, but his finish - or the degree to which the running game took precedence - makes him little more than a contrarian play this week. Making matters worse is a Chargers' defense that hasn't allowed a quarterback to throw for 300 yards or more than two touchdowns since Week 3.

Of the remaining four quarterbacks, Foles is probably the best bet to creep into the top four. Saints-Eagles should not be a blowout this time around, but the combination of his quality supporting cast and likely negative game script at some point should give him the volume he needs to enjoy a solid fantasy performance. Prescott has a favorable enough matchup to beat my projection for him, but his road production this season has been uninspiring, especially when we consider half of the touchdown passes he threw outside of Dallas this year came in Week 17. Working in his favor is the fact Rams DC Wade Phillips prefers using man coverage. (Let's just say Prescott hasn't been nearly as good against zone defense this year.) Goff's low projection is a reflection of his somewhat poor second half of the season as it is a feeling Los Angeles will rely heavily on Todd Gurley and limit how often the Cowboys have a chance to run Elliott at a rush defense that prioritizes rushing the quarterback over stopping the run.

Mack belongs in the next tier because he doesn't possess the same capacity for production in the passing game as the first three players. However, the Colts are featuring him for the most part on early downs and have been able to gouge some good run defenses of late. The only concern with him this week (besides injury, of course) is whether or not Indianapolis' zone defense can have success against an offense that really hasn't been stopped at any point this season, thereby allowing Mack & Co. to stick with the ground attack. If the Colts can keep this game within one score, Mack has 150-yard, two-score upside. Damien Williams and James White are also quite capable of thriving in DFS this week. Both players could (and probably should) finish with at least five catches and have the capacity for many more should their teams fall behind. Kansas City has yet to give Williams more than 13 carries, so it's tough to get overly excited about him when his rushing workload is capped and his touchdown rate since the release of Kareem Hunt (one per every 11.2 touches) is unsustainable. The looming return of Spencer Ware also threatens his upside. As for White, his days as a consistent fantasy RB1 always figured to be short-lived, especially once Rex Burkhead returned from injury. For White to be good in fantasy, he usually needs his opponent to be good at stopping the run, a very good individual matchup (such as a run-down linebacker) and/or negative game script. The Chargers aren't a force against the run and showed last week they are willing to play safeties at linebackers if necessary. Los Angeles could force the Patriots into negative game script, however, so he's a worthwhile gamble in DFS.

Gordon is overpriced on DraftKings at $6,200 this week. Not only has he been held in check since returning from his Week 12 knee injury, but the Patriots have allowed only six rushing touchdowns to running backs all season long - two of which came against Derrick Henry (Week 10) and two of which came versus Brandon Bolden (Week 14). It's hard imagining him beating my projection by much this week unless he sees much more usage in the passing game than he has recently. Michel is probably the one back on the list I have the best chance of being wrong about. The Chargers have been decent against the run but far from great. The problem with the rookie is he is not involved in the passing game (no catches in the last four games) and has visited the end zone only once in the last five contests (and only twice since Week 6). In the off-chance it is reported that Gurley will be limited this weekend, then Anderson obviously becomes a solid option. That seems unlikely, however.

In case you hadn't noticed, games don't always go like player rankings say they should. In no way am I recommending Patterson as a DFS staple. However, the Chargers' secondary is good enough to slow Edelman and lock up Hogan, so a wild-card like Patterson could easily pay off. Zone versus man coverage doesn't mean a great deal to Hill, who has obviously emerged as a fine route-runner in addition to possessing world-class speed. I'll probably play him ahead of Hilton in my most important leagues, but I also think Indianapolis will make him its top defensive priority. It is rare for Edelman to see fewer than 10 targets or catch fewer than seven passes, so that usually needs to be the baseline for projecting him. While he can probably beat just about any corner in the slot, Desmond King may be the stiffest challenge he'll face this season. Despite his recent production, Edelman does not see heavy usage in the red zone, so it's better not to expect him to score a touchdown in King's coverage.

Woods, Cooper and Mike Williams all possess a huge ceiling and could easily crack the top five fantasy performers at receiver this week. In Woods' case, I believe Cooks' style makes him a better bet against a big Dallas secondary. Cooper should see a ton of Aqib Talib across from him, plus he hasn't been exempt from the Cowboys' aforementioned passing game struggles on the road. As for Williams, the Chargers have a good enough defense to play conservatively if they want, and it's not as if New England is all that vulnerable in the secondary. Moreover, Allen is the first option and Hunter Henry's expected return throws one more name into the hat that Philip Rivers must choose from when he drops back.

My favorite DFS lower-cost options at receiver might be Ginn and Tate. Very few people are going to be in on Ginn since he only played one game (Week 16) after returning from a long layoff due to a knee injury. His speed on the Superdome track is always intriguing, and he should be theoretically playing the role of Smith this week. (For those that may not remember, Smith erupted for 10-157-1 against Philly in Week 11.) Tate is interesting because the Eagles actively got him involved last week. He also possesses the best WR-CB matchup (P.J. Williams) in the Saints-Eagles game this weekend.

About the only other option I'd be willing to consider is Ertz. His hurdles are not insurmountable but substantial: 1) Nick Foles doesn't rely on him the same way Carson Wentz does and 2) it took a strong finish from opponents to bump New Orleans from the stingiest defense versus tight ends to the fifth-toughest. Ertz's worst game of the season came versus the Saints, and that was when Wentz was still playing. It's just as likely "his" targets go to someone like Nelson Agholor or Tate.

Key for kickers and defense/special teams units:
XP - Extra point
FG - Field goal
PA - Points allowed
TD - Defensive/return touchdowns
TO - Total turnovers
Bonus - Points allowed bonus