Each week the Footballguys staff will get together and answer some FantasyScore specific questions to give you the edge when you set up your lineups. This week we're joined by Alex Miglio, Maurile Tremblay and Chad Parsons.
Because passing touchdowns are worth only 4 points, are you less likely to pay up for a top fantasy quarterback than you would be at other sites?
Maurile Tremblay: The fact that passing touchdowns are worth only 4 points means that QB scores will be a bit more closely bunched together than if they were 6 points. That means that QB salaries should also be a bit more closely bunched together if the pricing is efficient. If the top QBs are less expensive (compared to average QBs) than they are at other sites, I see no reason to avoid paying up for a top QB. But if the top QBs are substantially more expensive, they should be avoided; in that case, I'll make a value play at QB and pay up elsewhere. That's the kind of thing that can very from week to week, but in Week 1, it looks to me like indeed the top QBs are fetching too high a premium. I'm almost certainly going with a sub-$7,000 quarterback in most of my lineups this week.
Chad Parsons: Yes. I compare the format to streaming quarterbacks in a tempered redraft or dynasty format. The top quarterback come back to the pack some and rushing production is more impactful. Low-cost mobile quarterbacks like Tyrod Taylor, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Blake Bortles are good Week 1 examples of playing the format.
Alex Miglio: I give running quarterbacks a bit of a bump here, but not enough to swear off them entirely. Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck and the like are still going to be good cash game options, even if their scoring advantage is mitigated a bit.
Based on this week's pricing, from what position are you most likely to fill your flex spot?
MT: This is another thing that can vary from week to week based on pricing. But with full PPR scoring and no real discount for RBs, I'm most likely filling my flex spot with a WR this week. What I'm fairly certain of is that I won't fill it with a TE. Even the best values at TE pale in comparison to both WRs and RBs.
CP: Wide Receiver. For less than $4,000, receivers like Kendall Wright, Allen Robinson, Davante Adams, Eddie Royal stand out. Comparing that to similarly-priced running backs like Bishop Sankey, Isaiah Crowell, and a myriad as part-time players, I will take the pass-catchers at flex.
AM: Pricing is so clustered at the top that it's difficult to pick a chalk position here. Once the rest of my roster is filled, it seems I can find quality options at either running back or wide receiver. As Maurile said, the full-PPR scoring tilts things a bit towards receiver, but there are plenty of running backs with pass-catching ability. I'm less inclined to include a tight end, though.
The five highest-priced running backs are Eddie Lacy vs. Chicago ($7900), Jamaal Charles vs. Houston ($7700), Adrian Peterson vs. San Francisco ($7700), Marshawn Lynch vs. St. Louis ($7500) and Matt Forte vs. Green Bay ($7200). Of them, the worst matchup is Charles against a tough Texans defense. Do you take the risk? Why or why not?
CP: I would not simply by comparison. Adrian Peterson has a better projected matchup and a likely positive game script. Eddie Lacy is also a more preferred option on my board salting away a likely Green Bay victory against a leaky Chicago defense. Charles is unlikely to have any Week 1 exposure in my lineups.
AM: It's funny because none of these guys has a particularly good matchup. You could argue that Adrian Peterson is the best option, but his offensive line is in shambles. The St. Louis defensive front is just as tough as Houston's, and Matt Forte is a 30-year-old running back who lost Marc Trestman as an offensive coordinator. That said, going with Jamaal Charles is no automatic thing. His pass-catching ability probably puts him above the others, though—he may not rush for 100 yards, but he could catch 5-7 passes.
What is the best value play on the FantasyScore docket this week? What players might fantasy owners overlook that will have a huge impact?
MT: The Titans Defense is min-priced at $1,200 and they're facing a rookie quarterback in Jameis Winston who could struggle. The few thousand bucks you can save by using the Titans defense can mean an upgrade from, say, DeAndre Hopkins to Dez Bryant or Demaryius Thomas at WR. I don't know that the Titans Defense will have a huge impact in their own right -- although they could -- but the upgrade you can get elsewhere with the salary-cap space you save on them could have a huge impact.
For a moderately priced receiver who could have a big week, I'm looking at Keenan Allen. With a $5,800 price tag, he's had an outstanding training camp, and he will be Philip Rivers' security blanket with Antonio Gates sitting out. The Chargers-Lions game could be a high-scoring affair, and I think Allen is underpriced this week.
CP: The low-cost wide receivers like Davante Adams and Eddie Royal are outstanding values. Rostering both at WR2 and WR3 allows for a stud like Julio Jones in addition to two top running backs. Many times I begin building my lineups around the best values, gauging how much salary cap I have remaining to round out the roster with elite options.
AM: As is the case just about everywhere, Tyrod Taylor at $4,500 is practically a must-play. Leonard Hankerson at minimum value seems like a really nice option as well.
