FanDuel Studs and Duds of Week 7
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Welcome to the seventh edition of Studs & Duds! You may be familiar with The Fantasy Footballers’ Studs and Duds segment. This will take a closer look at who shined and who disappointed specifically in pricing and scoring the week before. If you’re new to DFS all together, read the The Beginner’s Guide To FanDuel DFS. First, we’ll take a look at the Expensive Studs; guys who were worth the big bucks. Second, the Value Studs; guys you got at a decent price, good value. Third, I’ll highlight the Super Bargain Studs; guys who were studs in a big way at little cost to you. Then, last and least, we’ll look at the Duds; guys who really disappointed relative to their cost.
All prices and point totals are from FanDuel.
Expensive Studs
WR Mike Evans vs SF, $8000, 25.60 pts.
-8 receptions, 96 receiving yards, 2 TD
Not only has Evans already doubled his touchdown reception total from last year but he’s actually tied for the league lead with six. He’s also played one less game than Michael Crabtree, the receiver he’s tied with. Evans is performing how many thought he would after a stellar second season in terms of yards and receptions. The volume will without a doubt be there as he’s on pace for 200 targets. He’s rightly priced as the second highest receiver this week at $7900 against an awful Oakland Raider defense. The high price doesn’t scare me away from this stud.
RB Melvin Gordon vs ATL, $8000, 33.1 pts.
-6 receptions, 53 receiving yards, 68 rushing yards, 3 TD
Gordon sure is making up for lost time after failing to find the end zone in his rookie year. He now leads the league in touchdowns with 10 after scoring 3 against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. He’s scored in 6 of his first 7 games so far this season. Sure, the way he gets his touchdowns aren’t pretty but you don’t get style points in fantasy football. However, I am not spending the $7200 this week against the Denver Broncos on the road. I’m waiting until he gets the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins the following weeks.
QB Drew Brees vs KC, $8500, 25.68 pts.
-367 passing yards, 3 passing TD, 1 INT
Brees really is aging like fine wine. The future Hall of Famer captured his 100th 300-yard passing game on Sunday, becoming the first player ever to do so. With wide receivers Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead stepping up their game and the emergence of Michael Thomas, Brees has a plethora of weapons to throw to. He is currently the fourth highest fantasy scoring QB and the least pressured play caller in the NFL. He has a tough matchup this week with Seattle coming to town, but the league knows that he plays much better in the dome. At $8000 I will probably have Brees in one of my lineups, but that’s about it.
WR A.J. Green vs CLE, $8500, 26.9 pts.
-8 receptions, 169 receiving yards, 1 TD
RB DeMarco Murray vs IND, $8700, 20.2 pts.
-107 rushing yards, 3 receptions, 20 receiving yards, 1 TD
Value Studs
RB Jeremy Hill vs CLE, $6800, 26.2 pts.
-2 receptions, 24 receiving yards, 168 rushing yards, 1 TD
Good thing Cleveland has a World Series and NBA Championship to focus on because Hill just decimated the Cleveland Browns defense on Sunday. He gained most of his yards on two big plays, a 40-yard run, and a 74-yard third quarter touchdown. Hill was actually out-touched by Giovanni Bernard 18-11 but did suffer an injury late, causing him to miss some time. How I look at it, if Cincinnati is favored, I’d expect Hill to be the man over Bernard. If it looks like the team will have to play catch up, I’d shy away. He’ll be in London next week, but I’d love to use him against the New York Giants in Week 9.
WR Michael Thomas vs KC, $5700, 18 pts.
-10 receptions, 130 receiving yards
I hope you have been taking advantage of Thomas’ low price the last few weeks because he’s one more big game away from seeing his price sky-rocket. He’s clearly becoming a favorite of Brees as he’s led the team in targets in 3 of its last 4 games. Despite another impressive day from the rookie, his price stays the same against the vaunted Seattle Seahawks secondary. As I said with Brees, they’re a different team in the dome but I won’t be having him in many places.
QB Tyrod Taylor vs MIA, $7700, 24.34 pts.
-221 passing yards, 35 rushing yards, 1 passing TD, 1 rushing TD
With LeSean McCoy battling a hamstring issue, Taylor took the rushing attack upon himself and led the team with 35 rushing yards. A diamond in the rough last year for fantasy players, this is just Taylor’s second game over 20 fantasy points. With no Sammy Watkins and possibly no McCoy, the weapons look pretty bleak against New England this Sunday. His priced dropped $100 but I’d still rather play Jameis Winston at $7400 or Alex Smith at $6800 over Taylor this Week.
RB Jay Ajayi vs BUF, $6400, 28.1 pts.
-214 rushing yards, 1 receptions, 2 receiving yards, 1 TD
QB Jameis Winston vs SF, $7500, 20.66 pts.
-269 passing yards, 3 passing TDs, 1 INT
RB Matt Forte vs BAL, $6700, 27.4 pts.
-100 rushing yards, 4 receptions, 54 receiving yards, 2 TD
Super Bargain Studs
RB Chris Thompson vs DET, $4900, 14.8 pts.
-7 receptions, 40 receiving yards, 73 rushing yards
The Washington Redskins backfield was all Thompson against the Detroit Lions, touching the ball a team-high 19 times. It seemed the team was running with the hot hand and Thompson literally and metaphorically ran with the opportunity. Not a traditional running back, Thompson can be compared to a Darren Sproles or Danny Woodhead. After this type of the performance, the team will most certainly give him more opportunities, however, he’s not built to be a workhorse. With tough matchups on the horizon, we’ll see if can continue to stay hot.
WR Kenny Stills vs BUF, $5100, 18.5 pts.
-5 catches, 100 receiving yards, 1 TD
Stills did what he does best and that’s catching a deep ball for a touchdown. This time Ryan Tannehill found him for a 66-yard score with just over 2 minutes left in the game. He was also tied for the team lead in targets with 8, bringing his total this season to 32. Of those 32 targets, he’s hauled in only 16. With DeVante Parker still in the mix, Stills will remain a hail mary play in FanDuel, but I do like him a lot against the Jets coming off their bye next week.
TE Jack Doyle vs TEN, $4700, 18.3 pts.
-9 receptions, 78 receiving yards, 1 TD
Really the shining star of this section, Doyle had a huge day for the Colts as Andrew Luck had literally almost no one else to throw to. He was already having a very solid day before taking it over the top with a touchdown just after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter. He led the team in receptions and was second in targets. As long as Dwayne Allen and Donte Moncrief are sidelined, Doyle will be very hard to resist at $4900.
WR Marquise Woodson vs MIA, $5300, 17.3 pts.
-4 receptions, 93 receiving yards, 1 TD
TE Vernon Davis vs DET, $4500, 10.90 pts.
-6 receptions, 79 yards
Duds
TE Travis Kelce vs NO, $6300, 2.4 pts.
-2 receptions, 14 receiving yards
Kelce put up his second straight stinker against a great matchup after getting the 32nd ranked Oakland Raiders in Week 6, and the 29th ranked New Orleans Saints this past Sunday. His biggest enemy has been game flow. The way the Chiefs have been jumping out to early leads, there’s really no reason to throw the ball as they just control the clock with their defense and run game. Once again Kelce is gifted with the 28th ranked Indianapolis Colts and once again his $5700 will tease me all week long. His limited upside deters me from using him, especially with good alternative options.
QB Russell Wilson vs ARI, $8000, 9.7 pts.
-225 passing yards
This is not a list you want to find yourself in two weeks in a row but Wilson has seemed to do it. Through six games this season, Wilson has just one game over 15 fantasy points. Between his injury woes and a struggling offensive line, Wilson hasn’t been able to find his Super Bowl winning self. Even after a horrible Sunday night performance, he gets a $200 raise this week as he heads into New Orleans. As the great R. Kelly once said, “My mind is telling me, no, but my body, my body is telling me yes.” I really want to believe in Wilson this week but I could easily see Christine Michael running for a few scores in this game. I will listen to my mind and stay away from Wilson this week but won’t blame anyone who listens to their body.
RB Matt Jones vs DET, $6700, .7 pts.
-27 rushing yards, 1 FUM
On Sunday Jones was rumblin’, bumblin’, stumblin’, and unfortunately fumblin’. This is no new issue for the second year running back and coaches have seemed to have enough. After the game, head coach Jay Gruden stated that Jones’ could see his carries decrease due to his inability to hang onto the ball. He has had a couple of big games that came as a luxury at such a cheap price. However, he can no longer be trusted. Don’t drop the ball and play Jones’ anytime soon in your FanDuel lineups (yes, very much pun intended).
WR Stefon Diggs vs PHI, $7000, 2.8 pts.
-2 receptions, 18 receiving yards
WR Allen Robinson vs OAK, $8400, 1.9 pts.
-2 receptions, 9 receiving yards
WR Amari Cooper vs JAX, $7900, 4.9 pts.
-4 receptions, 29 receiving yards.
QB Russell Wilson vs ARI, $8000, 9.7 pts.
-225 passing yards
RB LeSean McCoy vs MIA, $9000, 1.1 pts.
-11 rushing yards
QB Blake Bortles vs OAK, $7400
-255 passing yards, 8 rushing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
The new prices are already out for Week 8!
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