Winning a weekly fantasy football league requires a little luck and some investigating for the best under-the-radar pick who won’t break the bank.
Our biggest play last week of Chris Ivory at $17, a running back outside of the top 20 for prices whototaled the third-most points among fantasy football running backs. We weren’t totally on the button, though, with Nelson Agholor netting only .5 points on our roster.
Here’s the best value options for your weekly fantasy football team.
Quarterback
Carson Palmer, $34
The Arizona Cardinals signal caller is cheaper in weekly fantasy leagues than rookie Marcus Mariota. That may make sense if Palmer was facing a tough pass defense, but Chicago is hardly that.
The Bears held Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to 189 yards passing, but Rodgers didn’t attempt many passes. He only threw 23 passes, and completed 18, good enough for a 10.5 average per pass completion. The Packers didn’t need to throw much against the Bears, but the Cardinals should open it up a bit more this week, especially with Andre Ellington out with injury.
There are 15 other quarterbacks more expensive than Palmer. Take the discount and count on the Cardinals moving the ball well against Chicago.
Running back
Chris Ivory, $24
We’re sticking with Ivory for another week.
He’s still cheaper than many options as the 18th most expensive running back in weekly fantasy. Ivory logged more than 20 carries in week 1, and we anticipate the New York Jets will stick with that strategy this week against the Indianapolis Colts.
To help slow down Andrew Luck, the Jets will likely try to slow down this game, and by feeding Ivory plenty of times, the Jets can keep the ball out of Luck’s hands.
The Buffalo Bills churned out 168 yards rushing against the Colts last week. Expect the Jets to employ the same strategy, which should give Ivory a good upside this week.
Wide receiver
Jarvis Landry, $24
The Miami Dolphins wide receiver easily emerged from week 1 as Ryan Tannehill’s primary target.
Against Jacksonville, the Dolphins will likely rely heavily on the pass again, as the Jaguars secondary is worse than the front seven. Miami didn’t attempt to run the ball much against Washington in week 1, and that trend is looking like it will continue into week 2.
Landry will be the biggest beneficiary of that mindset. Tannehill will air it out, and if last week is any indication of how this week will go, then Landry is in for another good week. Landry finished with 12 targets and found the endzone on a punt return. We expect him to score as a receiver in this game, and with 19 other receivers more expensive than him, he has great value.
Tight end
Tyler Eifert, $18
Cincinnati had a gameplan for Eifert in week 1 against Oakland. We understand it was only Oakland, but defenses must prepare for quality options outside, a strong running game with Jeremy Hill and a tight end capable of beating defenses.
That’s a lot to prepare for, and Eifert should notch a solid week against San Diego. The balance presented by the Bengals should help open up passing lanes to Eifert. And last week, the 2013 first round pick saw 12 targets. That’s a big number for a tight end, and we don’t expect that to stop this week.
Nine other tight ends are more expensive than Eifert in the weekly fantasy leagues.
Flex
Ameer Abdullah, $22
Sometimes the weekly fantasy leagues require a little luck, and with Abdullah, the only luck you need is for the coaching staff to figure out that he needs the ball more.
Abdullah registered the most touches among running backs for the Lions last week with 11, so we’re hoping the coaching staff gets the memo. Abdullah can tally up the points if he gets an opportunity, and with a road contest against Minnesota, the run game should be the biggest part of the gameplan.
The Vikings were horrendous against the run in week 1, allowing the more yards on the ground than any other NFL team. That could be a trend, and if Abdullah has the hot hand, he should get several touches.
There are 24 running backs who are more expensive than Abdullah.
Defense
New England, $11
With 11 teams more expensive than New England, this pick should give weekly fantasy owners value.
New England versus Buffalo should feature quite a bit of defense, and we expect Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to have a solid gameplan for Buffalo Bills starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
The Patriots didn’t do much defensively against Pittsburgh in week 1, but that offense is a much more high-octane unit than the Bills. With LeSean McCoy listed as questionable, Taylor may be on an island in week 2. That could prove to be beneficial for Patriots owners.
