X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

How to Win on Fanduel Football - Advice for Weekly Fantasy Gamers (Part 3)

As you probably have already heard, Rotoballer has partnered with Fanduel to bring you the finest weekly league fantasy football action. In this strategy series, we're going to bring you some tips on how to play and win Fanduel leagues!

To play these weekly games and take advantage of an exclusive offer, you can register on Fanduel through this link and you will be given a 100% bonus on your first deposit!   After you've registered, sign up for Fanduel's Friends Of FanDuel League. It's a cheap $5 entry tournament with over $2500 in prizes awarded!

 

How to Win on Fanduel Football - Advice for Weekly Fantasy Gamers (Part 3)

In our second installment last week, we began drilling down into how more seasoned fantasy football salary cap league players make the tough choices at the Quarterback slot.  We covered the "Going with the Ace" vs. the "Going with the Sleeper" approach, and hopefully that gave you a good understanding of how things work at the signal-calling position.  If you happened to miss that, check it out.  In this week's edition, we are going to try to tackle (no pun intended) the daunting task of picking the right options for your running back slots.

How to Select a Running Back

One of the worst possible things you can do every week is just to go on name recognition for a specific back and slot him in without doing your due diligence-- it takes a lot of research to make the toughest choices.  For example, we know that so far in 2013, Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles and the Shady McCoy types are essentially the best RB options week-in and week-out, both in real football and in the fantasy game.  The issue, however, is allocating a price tag that will let you differentiate among the high-end talents that are available to you on any given Sunday.  Doing that slightly cumbersome research is what separates the big boys from the ones who just make a lot of noise.  Ultimately, you'll prpobably want to employ a stars-and-scrubs approach to your two running backs, but in doing so you want to identify a few key points for each pricing plateau that will set those players apart from the rest of the pack for that particular week.

Option 1: Going with the Star

It's not really the hardest task in the world to have a gander at the options available to you with your full bankroll and feel good about splurging on a #1 RB.  Sure, we all do it, but when we do, it is important to measure up the best of the best, to separate the cream of the crop, if we are going to break the bank for that luxury item.  To do that, we have to take a good hard look at opposing defenses and travel schedules.  Those two factors generally have the largest impact on a running game's potential for success.  Get your favorite NFL team rankings website handy and make sure you're looking at Run Defense and not just Overall Defense when researching your potential victims.  Additionally, travel schedules have a huge impact on team offenses and player availabilities.  For example, if Seattle is traveling east to play a 1:00 PM game on Sunday, that should raise an immediate red flag that Marshawn Lynch might be a slightly weaker play, given the time zone differences.  Keep in mind that these athletes are all finely tuned machines, so we have to try to find the slightest of edges to help us make our salary cap league decisions (even if they might seem a bit trivial or of marginal importance).

Option 2: Going with the Scrub

Once you go ahead and blow a hefty percentage of your wad on your RB1 (and your high-end QB), the fun part begins, as you now must penny-pinch your way through the rest of your decision making.  These are the decisions that will set you apart from your competitors. Generally, the upper tier of RB1s drops off around the $8K mark, and somewhere around $7K and below is where you can start seeking out some hidden undervalued gems.  To find that supreme value, you will need to target injury fill-in players and guys who may have underperformed to this point, but who can still pop off a huge game with the right matchup.  This week (Week 5) for example, we are eyeing a supremely cheap Rashad Jennings at our RB2.  Let's use this exercise to explain why (and give you some valuable free advice at the same time).  Normally, that name would mean a pile of fecal matter, but because we are seeking value plays, our research has shown a Raiders team that will likely be without Run DMC and best of all, will be facing the WORST-ranked defense in the NFL (San Diego, 32nd overall).  For just $5,200, we are saving a ton of money, but also giving ourselves a nice chance to score big from a value play position.  This is the kind of analysis you need to do for your RB2 position to try to maximize the return on a minimal investment-- getting a solid game out of a guy that very few of your competitors will have targeted, and getting it at a minimal price, will separate you from the field and give you a better shot at finishing in the money.

The fun for this week has already begun and we saw some nice running back performances out of both C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson on Thursday night!

Now that you've got the basics down, are you ready for the real thing?

This  week, Fanduel is hosting an exclusive partners-only tournament.  It's an inexpensive $5 entry tournament with over $2500 in prizes awarded. And remember, our experts are hanging around in our chatrooms all day to answer any type of lineup questions you might have!

(If you are a first-time Fanduel user, you can register through RotoBaller and get a very nice 100% deposit bonus).

That's it for this week fellow RotoBallers!  Stay tuned for our next installment and don't forget to sign up for a Fanduel contest this week to start experiencing all the fun and instant fantasy football gratification that has been missing in your life!




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

KaVontae Turpin

Arrested on Two Charges
Cole Ragans

to Begin Throwing on Monday
Theo Johnson

Prioritizing his Health this Offseason
Andrés Giménez

Andres Gimenez Hits 10-Day Injured List
Jermaine Burton

Continues to Show Growth
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Austin Cindric

Remains an Overrated Road Racer
Brad Keselowski

Likely to Brush Past Chicago Street Course to Focus on Daytona
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek One of the Best Underdog Options After Strong Runs at Mexico City and Last Year
Cole Custer

Strong Mexico City Run and Xfinity Series Chicago Win Make Him a Solid DFS Option
Erik Jones

Likely Not Good Enough on Road Courses for DFS Consideration Despite Poor Qualifying Result
Noah Gragson

May Be Better Than Other Cheap DFS Options
Riley Herbst

Despite Decent Mexico City Run, Don't Expect Riley Herbst to Contend at Chicago
Cody Ware

Is a Road Course Veteran, but It's Rarely Helped Him in NASCAR
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Is The Heavy Favorite to Win at Chicago Street Course
Christopher Bell

Should Be Strong Despite Practice Struggles at Chicago Street Course
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade may not Happen Until "August, September"
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Houston Rockets

Jock Landale Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Orlando Magic

Moritz Wagner, Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
James Wood

Goes Yard in Five-Hit Night
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Los Angeles Lakers

Jaxson Hayes Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Max Muncy

Out at Least Six Weeks
Clarke Schmidt

Leaves Start with Forearm Tightness
Colson Montgomery

Promoted to the Major Leagues
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
Max Muncy

Goes on Injured List With Knee Bruise
Max Muncy

Out of Thursday's Lineup
James Wood

Joining Home Run Derby
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
Ace Bailey

Inks Rookie Contract With Jazz
Divine Deablo

Could be the Quarterback of the Defense
Isaiah Rodgers

a Likely Starter for the Vikings
Boston Celtics

Josh Minott Inks Deal With Celtics
Sandro Mamukelashvili

Heading to Toronto
Jared McCain

Not on 76ers Summer League Roster
Dylan Harper

Unavailable for California Classic
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Cleveland Cavaliers

Larry Nance Jr. Headed Back to Cavaliers
Eric Gordon

Remaining with 76ers
Los Angeles Lakers

Deandre Ayton Joining Lakers
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
NJ

Evgenii Dadonov Joins Devils on One-Year Deal
BUF

Sabres Snap Up Alex Lyon on Two-Year Contract
Dallas Mavericks

Dante Exum Returning to Dallas
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Has Surgery to Repair a Turf Toe Injury
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
Jackson Suber

Staying Below 70 is Key to Success for Jackson Suber
Kevin Roy

Playing Better Heading into John Deere Classic
Justin Lower

Hoping for Something Positive in Illinois
Ben Kohles

a Long Shot at John Deere Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Attempts to Stop Roller-Coaster Ride
Beau Hossler

Needs a Challenge in Illinois
Harry Higgs

Has Potential at John Deere Classic
Nick Dunlap

Keeps Plugging Through Tough 2025 Season
Kevin Yu

a Near Must-Play at TPC Deere Run
PGA

J.T. Poston Returns to John Deere Classic Looking for Another High Finish
Thriston Lawrence

a Decent Fit For John Deere Classic
Tom Kim

Not Finding Much to be Happy About Ahead of John Deere Classic
Si Woo Kim

is a Prohibitive Fade at John Deere Classic
Ben Griffin

is the Appropriate Favorite at TPC Deere Run
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF