Quarterbacks:

Two quarterbacks in play on Draftkings this week are Carson Palmer at $6700 and Derek Carr at $6300.  Both guys are priced outside the top 5 so they present value.  Palmer turned in another great performance but this time it was in Seattle which gives us great confidence in him moving forward.  He passed for 363 yards and 3 TDs last week so we like his chances to produce vs Cincinnati in Arizona.  This should be a close game as Vegas currently lists Arizona favorite by 3 with a team total of 25.25 points.  Carr is the top play in our opinion this week.  Oakland is on the road at Detroit and his salary is modest at best.  Vegas is projecting Oakland to score 24.75 points in this game with a 2 point spread so it should remain competitive.  Carr was 14 for 30 last week in the Raiders loss to Minnesota in tough weather with lots of wind.  We like Carr for a big bounce back game here and love the fact it’s in the dome.  He hit 10 different pass catchers’ vs Minnesota and makes us think playing a naked David Carr in cash is the way to go.  He especially likes his TEs in the red zone but moves the ball in the middle of the field with Cooper and Crabtree.  Detroit is the 3^rd worst fantasy defense overall and is giving up 20 points per game to QBs which is 5^th worst overall.

Running Backs:

A few RBs with good matchups include LeSean McCoy $5500, Charcandrick West $4500, Daren McFadden $5000, Lamar Miller $6200, Latavius Murray $5600, and Marshawn Lynch $6700.  Charcandrick West comes highly recommended vs San Diego.  This San Diego defense is the worst in the NFL vs RBs in giving up 24.5 fantasy points per game to the position.  West is effective both as a runner and receiver so play high with confidence at this price in both cash and GPPs.  LeSean McCoy is another cash or GPP play since he is also effective as a pass catcher.  McCoy plays New England this week and we can be sure that Buffalo wants to grind this game out and run the football.  If game flow moves in the direction of a few New England scores then McCoy will be used as a receiver and could see 10 targets out of the backfield which is very valuable in PPR formats. Darren McFadden is the top man in the Dallas Cowboys backfield and Tony Romo should be back this week.  McFadden can be very productive vs this Miami defense who is 2^nd worst in the NFL surrendering 22.9 fantasy points per game to RBs.

Wide Receiver:

The position has a few tough matchups as top priced WRs have the chance to be matched up with some of the best cover corners in the NFL.  Julio Jones $9300 seems to have a good matchup vs Indianapolis who are 7^th worst vs WRs but Vontae Davis could shadow Jones making a healthy Hankerson $3300 a great value play this week.  In New England on Monday night everyone gets to see if Brandon LaFell $4300 or Danny Amendola $4000 benefits most from the loss of Dion Lewis two weeks ago and Julian Edelman last weekend.  Both guys present great value and will see 6 to 8 targets a piece.  Two of our favorite plays of the week are Mike Evans $7300 and Stevie Johnson $3900.  Evans has seen 19 targets and 13 targets in consecutive weeks and has a good matchup with Philadelphia which is 5^th worst vs WRs.  San Diego has lost Keenan Allen and Malcolm Floyd the last two weeks so Stevie Johnson is the default #1 WR in a pass happy offense.

Tight End:

To Gronk or not to Gronk!  Gronk will cost $7700 this week and is a great value with those WRs missing because of injury.  A few others guys in great spots are Eric Ebron $3500, Jacob Tamme $3600, and Zach Ertz $3100.   Ebron gets the Oakland D who has started to cover TEs better lately but still has bad numbers overall.  Tamme has been targeted 9.3 times per game over the last 4 games but if Hankerson is back he may see less in the passing game.  Zach Ertz gets a matchup with Tampa Bay and a great price.  Philadelphia has been employing more 2 TE sets recently and the trend most likely will continue.  Ertz is seeing 8 targets per game over the last 4 games and got 10 targets last week in a game Mark Sanchez entered and finished.

Defense/Special Teams:

This week’s #1 Defense is Seattle and it’s going to be tough not to pay up for them at $4000.  The game is in Seattle so the 12^th man will be a factor and Vegas projects San Francisco for 13.5 points.  Paying up for this Seattle Defense and Lockett on Special Teams seems obvious and will most likely be highly owned for a cash play.  A few Defensive units in good spots include Denver, St. Louis, Carolina, Philadelphia and the New York Jets.  A solid GPP defense that could fly under the radar is the Baltimore Ravens at $2700.  Baltimore plays St Louis in Baltimore and Case Keenum is starting at QB so the Ravens can pressure him and take advantage of his inexperience.