Welcome to my weekly daily fantasy article where I plan to take you step by step through some strategies to put together a winning line up.
The Stack
The first stateegy I will talk about is pretty basic, its called The Stack. The idea is to seek out a team that is playing a weak defense and use a combo of 2 or more of their players in hopes to maximize your points against the weak defense. The first rule I use when looking for a good stack is a QB/WR combo where both players don't bust your bank for the other 7 players you will need to complete your roster.
For Week 1 there are a few stacks that stand out to me.
1. Brock Osweiler $7100, DeAndre Hopkins at $8400 vs the Bears. I like this one because Houston is the home team and their is no doubt Bill O'Brien will want to bring one of his new toys (Osweiler) out for a spin. The only possible negative I see is if he wants to play with new toy RB Lamar Miller more.
2. Russell Wilson $8500, Tyler Lockett $6200 vs Dolphins. This one stands out to me for a few reasons... Wilson can get you some points with his legs as well as his arm and I am a big believer in Lockett. Lockett in my opinion was the difference maker in the Seahawks offense last season even though Baldwin gets more of the notoriety. A Wilson stack could also work well using Baldwin at $6700 if you like him more than Lockett.
Value plays to consider
Nothing is ore important in Daily fantasy then finding some good value players. A value player is someone who has potential to put up big numbers at a reasonable dollar value. I usually try to find 2 to put in my lineup to allow me to spend a little more on big name players.Here are a few of my favorite value plays at each position.
Quaterback: Pick of the Week: Brock Osweiler
• Dak Prescott $5000. A bit risky week 1 but a QB at $5000 with this O-line and big players at the skill positions is worth a play. I will caution this.. at this price I expect a lot of people to be using him which is not ideal.
• Brock Osweiler $7100. Like I said earlier, I think the Texans want to show off their new toy. I think this is a nice match up to do just that.
• Mathew Stafford $7400. Colts Defense may have improved a little but I think it has a long way to go. Stafford to Jones (another nice stack)
• Derek Carr $7700. I have a rule about the Saints Defense. I will always pick against them until they prove me wrong.
Running Back: Pick of the Week: Eddie Lacy
• Latavius Murray $6600. Match up pick against the Saints.
• Eddie Lacy $7100. I think Lacy is in for a bounce back year. Although I like the way the Jags have revamped their Defense, I think it may be a few games before the gel.
• Lamar Miller $7600. Same reason I like Osweiler. However I would not play the two together.
Wide Reciever: Pick of the Week: Tyler Lockett
• Justin Hardy $4900. I know what your thinking.. who? I really like Hardy in Atlanta's 3 wide set. Jones and Sanu will get most of the attention giving Hardy super sleeper potential.
• Quincy Enunwa $5000. Similar to Hardy, with Defenses focusing on Marshall and Decker I think Quincy could shine.
• Marvin Jones Jr. $5500. This is a pick against the Colts Defense as much as it is for Jones. I think he will be targeted often.
• Tyler Lockett $6200. Good value for a guy who should see plenty of targets.
• Donte Moncrief $6200. A healthy Luck = a breakout year for Donte.
Tight End: Pick of the Week: Martellus Bennett
• Martellus Bennett $5100. I don't view Bennet as a back up TE. I view him as a WR2 in an offense that is sure to sling it. I see him having a big year.
• Jared Cook $5300. Here is a guy who has never played with a quality QB. I think Aaron Rodgers will fall in love with Cook like he once did with Jermichael Finley
• Coby Fleener $5400. Fleener (worst avatar on Fanduel) finds himself in an offense he can put up major numbers. Brees loves his TE's
Kicker: Pick of the Week: Steven Hauschka
• Steven Hauschka $4800. I love kickers on high powered offenses at home. Seattle should be able to move the ball well vs Miami.
• Cairo Santos $4800. Again, a kicker at home in an offense that can put up some points against the Chargers Defense.
Defense: Pick of the Week: Jets
• Rams $4500. Potential game breaking KR and a Defense that can get some sacks. I also like that its the Monday night game.
• Jets $4500. Dare I say that I liked what I saw from the Jets return game? Also, a team that can get after the QB and force turnovers.
• Texans $4900. A solid Defense and a nice match up against a INT machine in Jay Cutler.
Any questions or comments? Twitter handle @JohnHazelet475