Danny Woodhead is the new king of garbage time.
The little engine that could in the Chargers backfield put up ridiculous numbers in the final few minutes in Week 7, when the game was already in hand and there was no chance of San Diego coming back to win. He finished with 11 catches for 75 yards and two TDs and has become a valuable fantasy commodity despite just 188 rushing yards on the season.
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Woodhead also has to be the inspiration for Weird Al's spectacular postgame presser parody, right?
As we enter into the world of Week 8 daily fantasy games, Woodhead is just too enticing for some of us to pass up.
John "The Professor" Paschall
I'm all about the Big Blue connection this week between Manning and OBJ, who is making his return to New Orleans after becoming a star with LSU. This game could end up being a shootout with OBJ going off and Manning throwing it almost 40 times.
NFL
Everyone, and I mean everyone, will be playing Gurley (rightfully so with that matchup) so either join the club or be a hipster and go against the flow. Woodhead is one of my favorite plays of the week because of how much the Chargers love to throw the football. They'll do it again on Sunday against the Ravens who are horrible against the pass and not too shabby against the run.
Because I went cheap with Wright (slightly riskier play with Mariota out but still the team's top target) and the Titans D (seriously, they are second in the NFL in passing yards per game) I was able to get Antonio Brown who should return to his monster ways with Big Ben back.
Scott Krinch
You can't put a price on greatness and in my mind that's what the future holds for St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley. The rookie is already drawing comparisons to Pro Football Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson and Marshall Faulk after just four NFL games. With at least 159 total yards in each of his last three games, Gurley needs to be in your FanDuel lineup each week. It should be smooth-sailing for the former Georgia Bulldog when he goes up against a putrid 49ers run defense in Week 8. While his price tag has grown to $8100, he is still worth every penny.
Gurley isn't the only rookie who was a must-own for me this week. Vikings speedster Stefon Diggs (19 receptions and 324 yards in his last three games) is going up against a Bears secondary which hasn't stopped too many receivers this season. For a reasonable price of $6700 you shouldn't think twice about using Diggs in all of your lineups this weekend.
By using Ronnie Hillman ($6100) as my second running back I was able to splurge on both Julio Jones and Keenan Allen as my final two wide receivers. The pair of No. 1 wideouts should help push my lineup into the green. Eli Manning and his $7300 price against the Saints, the second-most generous defense to opposing quarterbacks, is a no-brainer. Finally, look for Ladarius Green to easily out-perform his low price with Antonio Gates likely sidelined against the Ravens.
Mike Smith
Well, the San Diego Chargers made us look pretty smart last week, and I see no reason to do much different this week. The Bolts play in the game with largest over/under total, making both the Chargers and Ravens good plays this week. From San Diego I have Phillip Rivers, Danny Woodhead and Ladarius Green in my lineup. Antonio Gates hasn’t practiced in over two weeks now, and when he didn’t play last week Woodhead and Green combined for 15 catches and all 3 of Phillip Rivers’ touchdown passes. On the other side of the ball, the Chargers have allowed the 2nd most rushing yards in the NFL and are 15th in total yards allowed. At only $6,900 and $6,700 respectively, Justin Forsett and Steve Smith Sr. are two of the best values on the board.
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Rounding out my lineup I love the matchups both Julio Jones and Alshon Jeffery have going. There are very few players in the league capable of covering Julio Jones and none of them play for the Buccaneers. Jeffery is coming off his first 100 yard receiving game of the year before the bye week, and now gets to square off against Xavier Rhodes who has really struggled for the Vikings this year. The Vikings haven’t won in Chicago since 2007, and if that trend is going to continue it will be because of Jeffery, Matt Forte and Jay Cutler.
Tony Andracki
True to my word, I have both Antonio Brown and Tavon Austin in my lineup this week. Austin is exactly the kind of boom-or-bust guy that can help you in contests, as his $5,300 price tag is awfully cheap when he's capable of breaking big plays and putting up a huge day at any point. Brown has been over $9,000 most of this year, but with his performance lacking while Ben Roethlisberger has been hurt, Brown's price tag has dropped. Make sure you hop on that this week, with Roethlisberger now listed as probable.
Bridgewater has a nice matchup against a Bears secondary that hasn't intercepted a ball all year and the second-year Vikings QB is a completely different player now that Stefon Diggs is in the lineup. Plus, the money I saved there helped me get two top-flight receivers, adding Jones to Brown in what should be a big week with the Falcons going up against the Bucs.
Justin Forsett is facing the worst run defense in the league right now and I'm going all-in on Lacy returning from the Bye healthy and free for the first time since Week 1. Tyler Eifert has become a stud (and weekly option in DFS leagues, regardless of matchup) while Hauschka and the Jets D/ST are always solid choices at their respective positions. I don't spend much time looking for bargains at kicker or D/ST. The price disparity isn't high and it's just not worth passing up on the top options to save only a few bucks.