Strategies
The countdown to the final weeks of the NFL regular season has begun leaving fantasy owners just a few more weeks to cash in on all of that action. That includes this weekend during week 13 of the 2015 NFL Season. This weekend’s lineup includes a few potential high scoring contests including a New England Patriots matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles slated between 49-52 points.
The other key game to keep an eye on is the Carolina Panthers heading to New Orleans to take on the Saints. This contest is currently slated for the highest over/under line of the weekend as the Panthers take on a Saints team that has consistently struggled on the defensive side of the ball.
That one piece of information makes quarterback Cam Newton the top fantasy option among all of the quarterbacks taking the field this weekend. Entering this weekend the Saints defense has yielded 3,286 passing yards and a league high 30 passing touchdowns through their first 11 games of 2015.
Looking a little deeper into the Saints struggles over the past few weeks supports the case for Newton. The Saints have allowed fewer then 28 fantasy points in just one of their last four weeks and that was to Brian Hoyer for the Houston Texans. In the other three games, Marcus Mariota finished with 33.34, Kirk Cousins with 28.96 and Eli Manning with 38 points.
Here is our NFL FanDuel Lineup for Week 13 kicking off on Sunday.
Quarterback – Cam Newton ($9,000): We could have gone a few different directions at the quarterback position including Tom Brady who we expect some fantasy owners to shy away from. In the end Newton has the best fantasy matchup of the weeknd. Other top options also include Marcus Mariota for the Tennessee Titans and Ryan Tannehill for the Miami Dolphins.
Other top NFL FanDuel Quarterback Options include Tom Brady, Ryan Tannehill and Marcus Mariota.
Running Back – Javorius Allen ($6,800): Allen broke out with a 16 point fantasy performance in his first start since Justin Forsett went down with the injury. While some experts predict that Terrance West could take some carries this weekend we like Allen against a Miami Dolphins team that has surrendered a league high 1,324 yards to opposing running backs this season.
Running Back – Doug Martin ($7,600): We tossed and turned on whether or not to use Martin or Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams. In the end you could go with either one we elected to go with Martin who gets to face off against an Atlanta Falcons team that has surrendered a league high 12 rushing touchdowns.
Other top NFL FanDuel Running Back Options include David Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, C.J. Anderson and Matt Forte.
Wide Receiver – Brandon LaFell ($6,600): Tom Brady will need to find a weapon this weekend with Rob Gronkowski out of the lineup. Add in the uncertainty with Danny Amendola and LaFell could become that guy. We expect Brady and company to put up some points against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Wide Receiver – Martavis Bryant ($6,900): We have a few options we could go with Williams at the running back position to team him up with Antonio Brown or go with Bryant. In the end we elected to go with Bryant free up some additional cap space to upgrade at the receiver position for someone like Brown if you would like.
Wide Receiver – Corey Brown ($4,700): Brown is our fantasy sleeper of the week as he is slated to play for the Panthers. You could also go with Ted Ginn as well as neither of these receivers cost more than $6k. Prior to missing two games, Brown had caught touchdowns in two of three games.
Other top NFL FanDuel Wide Receiver Options include Alshon Jeffery, Jarvis Landry, Donte Moncrief, A.J. Green, Dez Bryant, Kamar Aiken and Larry Fitzgerald.
Tight End – Greg Olsen ($6,600): Outside of Olsen there is no real clear cut top tight end option this weekend. Olsen and the Panthers are one of only two teams that face off against an opposing defense that has allowed double digit touchdowns.
Other top NFL FanDuel Tight End Options include Travis Kelce, Kyle Rudolph and Julius Thomas.
Kicker – Graham Gano ($5,000): We debated on using Gano as well as Justin Tucker for the Baltimore Ravens. In the end it is just hard to pass on Gano who has five straight games with double digit fantasy points including four of those games with at least 14.
Other top NFL FanDuel Kicker Options include Brandon McManus, Chandler Catanzaro and Justin Tucker.
Defense – Cincinnati Bengals ($5,100): The Bengals have the best matchup this weekend against a very bad Cleveland Browns team. Another solid fantasy option among defenses this weekend is the Washington Redskins who are taking on the Dallas Cowboys.
Other top NFL Defense Options include Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots.