Daily bargain hunters may like Bradford's
price tag. His mathcup against the Falcons is a tasty one.
The exponential growth in the daily fantasy sports marketplace and
subsequent increase in competition between Fanduel, Draftkings,
and relative newcomers Yahoo and USA Today, has created an excellent
opportunity for fantasy owners looking for an edge in Week 1 play.
Not to be outdone by their competition, all of the major players
released Week 1 values early in the preseason in hopes of drumming
up early activity in lucrative large guaranteed prize pool games.
The early valuation of players creates an opportunity for savvy
owners to identify undervalued players who are currently priced
at a discount due to injuries and roster changes that occur during
training camp and preseason games.
One obvious player who’s value increased dramatically due
to injury is wide receiver Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers,
as Adams will be thrust into a primary role now that Jordy Nelson
is out for the year with a torn ACL in his knee.
Considering the fact that Nelson was ranked as the fifth-most
expensive wide receiver at a salary of $8600 prior to his unfortunate
injury, Adam’s meager price of $5500 makes him a bargain
play that all owners should consider.
Using similar principles to identify early valuation players,
the following is a list of targets who are currently undervalued
based off of their early season price tags. The first few names
on this list are well known players that will be owned on a high
percentage of rosters, while the last three are upside picks currently
valued at the minimum salary.
A quarterback competition with Mark Sanchez and uncertainty surrounding
whether or not he would be ready Week 1 after suffering a second
season-ending knee injury caused Sam Bradford to be seriously
undervalued for his Week 1 matchup against the Falcons.
His $7,500 Fanduel price tag is less than risky picks like Colin
Kaepernick ($7,900) and Jay Cutler ($7,900), yet his matchup against
a poor Falcons defense in what could be a high scoring game makes
him very attractive as a high-upside, low-cost quarterback. Add
in the fact that he and the Eagles offense appears to be clicking
at all cylinders, and you have an excellent value play for opening
weekend.
A severe groin injury to starter Arian Foster in the preseason
has opened the door for Alfred Blue to assume the starting role
for the Texans as they take on the Chiefs in Houston. The Chiefs
are a decent defense and Blue is nowhere near the talent of Foster,
however, his $5800 salary based on the fact that he is a backup
makes him a nice No.2 running back play for owners who spend heavy
on the quarterback and wide receiver position.
A former player under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan in
Washington, Hankerson has impressed the coaching staff on the
Falcons this preseason while Roddy White has been limited with
an elbow and knee injuries.
Harry Douglas has moved on and an aging Devin Hester is not a
big red zone threat like the 6’2 Hankerson. If White is
still limited by injury, Hankerson at the bargain bottom price
of $4,500 could be a nice early season play in what has the makings
of a shootout between the Falcons and the Eagles.
Jones missed all of 2014 with an injury after posting an impressive
51-712-10 line in 2013 opposite of A.J. Green. The former Cal
Bear has played well in preseason and looks to have passed Mohamad
Sanu on the depth chart. He will be active in three WR sets in
what appears to be a solid matchup against the Raiders.
With an early valuation of the minimum salary of $4,500 based
on missing last season, Jones is a nice third WR option for owners
looking for TD upside from a player who has proven in the past
to be a red zone threat for Andy Dalton.
The void left by Jimmy Graham in the New Orleans passing game
was thought to be filled by Josh Hill. After failing to impress
in minicamp and preseason games this summer, Hill appears to have
failed to secure the starting role despite having a hefty $5,200
price tag.
Veteran tight end Ben Watson, a favorite of Drew Brees and an
accomplished run blocking tight end, won the starting role at
the start of the season. At the minimum salary of $4,500, Watson
is an excellent value as the Saints take on the Cardinals - a
defense that gave up the most yards (1,085) to tight ends last
season.
