Welcome to Fanduel Value-Play Rankings!
Each week we ask 10 staff members to rank their top players at each Fanduel position. These rankings are based on what our DFS staff believe are the best players at each position with respect to total points they will receive compared to the dollars that they cost. These rankings can be used to help you round out your cash game and GPP lineups, or just provide a guideline for what the Footballguys.com staff believe are the best value-plays to target
If staffers submitted comments, they are included below the tables as well.
Each staffer was asked to rank 8 QBs, 12 RBs, 12 WRs, 8 TEs, 5 PKs, and 5 Defenses. For the purposes of calculating an average rank, if a player was not ranked by a particular staffer, they received a weight that was 1 point higher than the players they ranked. For example. if only 2 staffers ranked a particular quarterback, the other 8 staffers were weighted as giving that quarterback a '9' for average calculation purposes.
FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 19: QUARTERBACKS
| Player | Matchup | Price | Garda | Haseley | Brimacombe | Hindery | Knotts | Grant | Alexander | Howe | Mamula | Feery | Avg |
| Dak Prescott | GB@DAL | 7700 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2.1 |
| Aaron Rodgers | GB@DAL | 8800 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3.1 |
| Matt Ryan | SEA@ATL | 8300 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3.4 |
| Russell Wilson | SEA@ATL | 8200 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3.8 |
| Alex Smith | PIT@KC | 6800 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Tom Brady | HOU@NE | 8600 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4.7 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | PIT@KC | 8100 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6.5 |
| Brock Osweiler | HOU@NE | 7000 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8.0 |
Dak Prescott tops this week's Value QB list with good reason. Prescott came into the playoffs hot, posting 491 yards passing and 3 TDs with no INTs and another 55 yards rushing and a TD in his last two full games. He played a couple snaps in week 17 but he's essentially coming off two weeks of rest and he facing a Packer defense that has been vulnerable to the pass. Even in last week's big win against the Giants, the Packers allowed Eli Manning to throw for almost 300 yards. This week against the Cowboys on the road, you can expect that Prescott will be looking to come out swinging to put the Packers down early and ride Ezekiel Elliott in the 4th quarter. Prescott's 7700 pricetag doesn't hurt lineups that may have salary cap issues this week.
On the flip side, Aaron Rodgers is the most expensive QB on the slate this week, but he's been on such a hot streak. He has over 1000 yards passing, almost 60 yards rushing, 12 passing TDs and a rushing TD over his last three games. He hasn't thrown an interception since week 10, and he's the main reason that the Packers are the hottest team in football right now. This week he travels to Dallas where the rushing defense was the best in the league during the regular season and most of the starters are on almost two weeks of rest. The Dallas secondary has looked vulnerable at times this season though, and they've given up big games to Kirk Cousins (813 yards passing, 4 TDs and 1 Int over two games) and Ben Roethlisberger (408 yards passing, 3 TDs and no Ints). The Packers were a different team back in week 6, but Rodgers put almost 300 yards on them in that game as well. Even without Jordy Nelson, Rodgers is set to have a decent game this week.
Alex Smith is an interesting play this week. As Phil Alexander points out, at 6800, Smith is cheaper than Brock Osweiler, a QB who nobody will be on this week in DFS. The challenge with Smith is that his ceiling is pretty low. His 2 passing TDs in week 17 was only his 4th game with more than 1 this season and his first since week seven against the Saints. He has three rushing TDs over his last three games and he has only 8 INTs on the season with no more than 1 in any game. He's facing a tough Steeler defense that looked good against the Dolphins last week, but they still surrendered 289 passing yards to Matt Moore, a big chunk of which was in garbage time when they were down by 24 in the 4th quarter. Smith has a low ceiling this week, but his pricetag is bargain basement and he's playing at home with a week of rest.
Alexander
Dak Prescott: The Packers are a dream matchup for quarterbacks. Prescott has a 25 point ceiling and will be a forgotten man with all the star quarterbacks on this slate.
Alex Smith: How is Smith cheaper than Brock Osweiler?
Aaron Rodgers: Over 300 yards with four touchdowns in three straight games. He's the highest priced quarterback for a reason.
Mamula
Dak Prescott: Great matchup vs. the Packers secondary
Feery
Dak Prescott: The Packers secondary can be had, and the rookie signal caller should be able to exploit it.
Hindery
Matt Ryan: The reputation of the Seattle defense will keep Ryan's ownership lower than it should be. Vegas loves Atlanta's offense this week, giving the Falcons an implied team total of over 28 points.
Howe
Dak Prescott: Prescott brings a ton of value as a low-cost option facing an abhorrent secondary.
Alex Smith: Smith can dink and dunk with efficiency, which most QBs (like Matt Moore) find success with against the Steelers. With his tiny salary, he could be the week's top value.
FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 19: RUNNING BACKS
| Player | Matchup | Price | Garda | Haseley | Brimacombe | Hindery | Knotts | Grant | Alexander | Howe | Mamula | Feery | Avg |
| Ezekiel Elliott | GB@DAL | 8500 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.3 |
| Devonta Freeman | SEA@ATL | 7600 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3.6 |
| LeVeon Bell | PIT@KC | 9900 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Spencer Ware | PIT@KC | 6900 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 4.2 |
| LeGarrette Blount | HOU@NE | 7300 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.9 |
| Thomas Rawls | SEA@ATL | 7500 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6.6 |
| Ty Montgomery | GB@DAL | 6000 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7.4 |
| Lamar Miller | HOU@NE | 7000 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8.4 |
| Tevin Coleman | SEA@ATL | 5900 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 8.5 |
| Dion Lewis | HOU@NE | 5400 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8.7 |
| James White | HOU@NE | 4500 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 10.5 |
| Christine Michael | GB@DAL | 5300 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11.5 |
| DeAngelo Williams | PIT@KC | 4500 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 12.7 |
| Charcandrick West | PIT@KC | 5200 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12.9 |
Ezekiel Elliott is coming off essentially two weeks rest, and he's playing in his first playoff game at home against a team that has been relatively stout against the run, but is vulnerable to RBs that catch the ball well like Elliott does. The Packers held the Giants in check last week, but Paul Perkins still had 67 yards from scrimmage on 13 touches. The week before Zach Zenner tagged them for 110 yards and a TD despite the Lions being down for most of the game. The week before that almost 150 yards from scrimmage to Mike Asiata and Jerrick McKinnon. Elliott has been the hammer that the Cowboys use to beat their opponents into submission. After a terrible 2015 season, their storybook run in 2016 gave them a first round bye and home field advantage. The expectations are high in Dallas, and Elliott is the instrument that will help them deliver. Expect him to see a lot of touches this week against a Green Bay team that has been on a run of their own. It should be a great game.
Knotts
Ezekiel Elliott: A rested Ezekiel Elliott taking on a team that he dominated earlier in the season
Feery
Ezekiel Elliott: The Cowboys will look to avoid a shootout with the Packers in a perfect world, and we can expect Elliott to receive a healthy workload.
Hindery
Devonta Freeman: With a team-leading 17 red zone targets, Freeman is a contrarian stacking option with Matt Ryan.
James White: Houston's excellent cornerbacks should funnel targets towards the running backs. White has seen at least 4 targets in 11-of-12 games. He's also seen 8+ targets in 2 of the past 5, so there is enough upside to make him a strong bargain option in GPPs.
Howe
Ezekiel Elliott: Elliott should run (and produce) as much as LeVeon Bell, if only on the ground. His massive discount makes up for much of that.
DeAngelo Williams: At his low price point, Williams could pay big dividends in the event of another Steelers blowout.
Mamula
LeVeon Bell: Steelers offense goes through LeVeon Bell
LeGarrette Blount: Positive game script for the NFL's rushing TD leader
Alexander
Ezekiel Elliott: Torched Green Bay for 157 yards in Lambeau back in Week 6. The only game plan that makes sense for Dallas is to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field with a healthy dose of Elliott.
Devonta Freeman: Priced well in comparison to Elliott and Bell. Eight touchdowns in his last four home games.
LeVeon Bell: Kansas City has the 26th ranked rush defense (DVOA). The Steelers offense may not be in great spot collectively, but Bell is immune to negative game script.
LeGarrette Blount: If ever there were an implied Vegas script that pointed to a Blount game...
Lamar Miller: The strength of New England's defense is the rush, Miller has been mostly inefficient this season, and he's likely to face the worst possible game script for a running back.
Thomas Rawls: Rawls' monster wild card game is reflected in his price, but the Falcons are a great matchup. If you believe Seattle wins in Atlanta, Rawls is a must-play.
Christine Michael: Looked like the Packers best running back in the Wild Card round. Possible he gets more carries with Ty Montgomery banged up.
FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 19: WIDE RECEIVERS
| Player | Matchup | Price | Garda | Haseley | Brimacombe | Hindery | Knotts | Grant | Alexander | Howe | Mamula | Feery | Avg |
| Davante Adams | GB@DAL | 7400 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Antonio Brown | PIT@KC | 8800 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3.1 |
| Julio Jones | SEA@ATL | 8300 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4.0 |
| Dez Bryant | GB@DAL | 7600 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 5.1 |
| Doug Baldwin | SEA@ATL | 7900 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5.2 |
| Randall Cobb | GB@DAL | 6500 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 6.2 |
| Julian Edelman | HOU@NE | 7000 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 6.3 |
| Jeremy Maclin | PIT@KC | 5500 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8.6 |
| Tyreek Hill | PIT@KC | 6600 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 9.6 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | HOU@NE | 7100 | 8 | 7 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 9.7 |
| Paul Richardson Jr | SEA@ATL | 4700 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11.5 |
| Taylor Gabriel | SEA@ATL | 5500 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 11.6 |
| Terrance Williams | GB@DAL | 4500 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11.7 |
| Geronimo Allison | GB@DAL | 5300 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 12.0 |
| Will Fuller | HOU@NE | 5000 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12.1 |
| Eli Rogers | PIT@KC | 5000 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 12.3 |
| Chris Hogan | HOU@NE | 5200 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12.6 |
| Malcolm Mitchell | HOU@NE | 5600 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12.9 |
| Mohamed Sanu | SEA@ATL | 4700 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12.9 |
With Jordy Nelson most likely not going to play this weekend against the Cowboys, Davante Adams becomes the guy that everyone is going to pivot to when it comes to hot WRs. Adams stepped in when Nelson was out last week, and posted 125 receiving yards and a TD against one of the toughest pass defenses in the league. Adams has 4 receiving TDs over his last three games, and he has almost 30 targets over that span as well. Dallas doesn't particularly give up a lot of yards to opposing WRs, but they have looked vulnerable at times and Aaron Rodgers is blazing hot right now. Randall Cobb has been dinged up, but he came alive last week as well with 116 yards receiving and 3 TDs on 5 receptions. If Nelson can't go this week, Adams and Cobb will both be highly owned, but our staffers feel Adams is the better play. Geronimo Allison had 8 receptions over the final two games of the season but didn't see much action last week against the Giants. He'll be the favorite sneaky play at just 5300, but approach with caution.
Mamula
Davante Adams: With Jordy Nelson likely out, Adams will be a "target hog." 12 targets last week
Dez Bryant: Will throw the "X" up at least once this Sunday when he finds the end zone
Tyreek Hill: The Steelers defense will struggle to contain Hill's quickness
Howe
Davante Adams: Adams' exact role sans-Jordy Nelson is a bit unsure, but we know he'll be the top option outside the hashes, in a game that could well see Aaron Rodgers throwing 40-45 passes. With his matchup and dynamism, Adams has a very real path to value.
Dez Bryant: This is the cheapest Bryant has been in quite some time, so it makes sense to invest something. Given the magnitude of the game, he could obliterate his value markers.
Feery
Davante Adams: Adams will be heavily targeted and he should have little trouble returning a nice value.
Alexander
Randall Cobb: Jordy Nelson is almost assuredly out, which means more targets for Cobb. Expecting another three touchdown game would be foolish, but Cobb is cheap and Dallas has struggled to defend slot receivers this year (including Cobb who went 7-53-1 against them in Week 6).
Julian Edelman: Edelman will lead the division round in targets and it won't be close.
Davante Adams: Gets a bump with Jordy sidelined -- high touchdown probability.
Dez Bryant: Dez is a solid bet to abuse Green Bay's depleted secondary.
Julio Jones: I'd rather pay up to Jones than Antonio Brown by the slightest of margins.
Taylor Gabriel: Fits the profile of wide receivers that have historically given the Seahawks trouble.
Hindery
Jeremy Maclin: The extra week off with the bye should serve Maclin well. He's the strongest sub-$6k option and there is real GPP upside as we've seen him get as many as 15 targets in a game this season.
Knotts
Chris Hogan: Leading the receiving corp in snaps since week 12
FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 19: TIGHT ENDS
| Player | Matchup | Price | Garda | Haseley | Brimacombe | Hindery | Knotts | Grant | Alexander | Howe | Mamula | Feery | Avg |
| Travis Kelce | PIT@KC | 7100 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2.0 |
| Jason Witten | GB@DAL | 4900 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2.1 |
| Jared Cook | GB@DAL | 5400 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3.8 |
| Jimmy Graham | SEA@ATL | 6800 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4.0 |
| Martellus Bennett | HOU@NE | 5900 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4.3 |
| C.J. Fiedorowicz | HOU@NE | 5200 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5.4 |
| Austin Hooper | SEA@ATL | 4500 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7.8 |
| Jesse James | PIT@KC | 4500 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7.9 |
| Ladarius Green | PIT@KC | 5700 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8.5 |
| Ryan Griffin | HOU@NE | 4500 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8.5 |
Jason Witten looks like the guy to target this week if you're looking to save salary cap at the TE position. His salary is just 4900, but he could very easily be a guy who sees double-digit targets this week. The Dallas veteran TE had 10 receptions just a couple weeks ago, but has just three receptions over his last 2 games. The key for Witten this week is that the Packers don't defend the position well, and they gave up 66 yards to Will Tye last week, 61 to Eric Ebron the week before and 53 to Kyle Rudolph the week before that. With the Cowboys expected to score more than 28 points this week, there is a reasonable chance that Witten will see plenty of action and might even make it into the end zone. At just his Fanduel Salary, he's a great guy to target for 3x value.
Travis Kelce is ranked pretty high when it comes to TEs this week, simply because he's such a big part of the Kansas City offense. He has six games with more than 100 yards receiving, and he had a streak of 4 consecutive games with over 100 yards down the stretch this year. Against the Steelers back in week 5, Kelce had 5 receptions for 23 receptions and a TD. The Steelers have looked vulnerable to opposing TDs as of late, giving up five receptions for 34 yards to Dion Sims last week, six receptions for 52 yards and 2 TDs the week before to Gary Barnidge and Seth DeValve, and 8 receptions for 75 yards to Dennis Pitta the week before. The Combo of Kelce's involvement in the offense, Pittsburgh's vulnerability and the Chiefs having a full two weeks to prepare make Kelce one of the top choices at TE this week.
Howe
Jared Cook: Cook seems as likely as almost any Packer to benefit from Jordy Nelson's absence. Aaron Rodgers should throw plentifully, which could afford Cook a cheap 4-6 catches and some touchdown opportunity.
Mamula
Travis Kelce: The top option at TE and it's not close.
Alexander
Travis Kelce: This year's cumulative TE1 is well worth paying up for in a plus home matchup.
Jason Witten: Another undervalued piece of the Dallas passing game, Witten easily has 3x in his range of outcomes.
Jared Cook: Dallas was eviscerated by tight ends over the last five weeks of the season, giving up 335% more fantasy points per game to the position than the league average.
Feery
Jason Witten: The high-end tight ends are too pricey on this short slate, and Witten offers a nice value opportunity at his low price.
FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 19: KICKERS
| Player | Matchup | Price | Garda | Haseley | Brimacombe | Hindery | Knotts | Grant | Alexander | Howe | Mamula | Feery | Avg |
| Stephen Gostkowski | HOU@NE | 4900 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.7 |
| Matt Bryant | SEA@ATL | 5200 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2.8 |
| Dan Bailey | GB@DAL | 4800 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2.9 |
| Mason Crosby | GB@DAL | 4700 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Cairo Santos | PIT@KC | 4600 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4.6 |
| Steve Hauschka | SEA@ATL | 4800 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5.3 |
| Chris Boswell | PIT@KC | 4500 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5.7 |
The Patriots are favored by more than 2 TDS and are expected to score 30 points or more in this game. Stephen Gostkowski is just 4900 this week, so you are almost expected to start him this week. There's no reason to pass up this easy pick.
Your only other consideration might be Matt Bryant who is more expensive, but has been about as consistent as they come and he too will be kicking at home as a strong favorite. With an expected team total of more tha 28 points, Bryant is a reasonable alternative if you want to get away from the crowd.
Feery
Stephen Gostkowski: The Patriots will put plenty of points on the board, so I'll look towards Gostkowski for safety and upside.
Howe
Stephen Gostkowski: Follow Vegas: the Patriots project to a weekend-high 30.25 points. That makes their kicker exceptionally valuable, and Gostkowski checks in cheaply.
FANDUEL CONSENSUS RANKINGS, WEEK 19: DEFENSES
| Player | Matchup | Price | Garda | Haseley | Brimacombe | Hindery | Knotts | Grant | Alexander | Howe | Mamula | Feery | Avg |
| New England | HOU@NE | 5100 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.1 |
| Kansas City | PIT@KC | 4800 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2.9 |
| Pittsburgh | PIT@KC | 4500 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3.3 |
| Atlanta | SEA@ATL | 4300 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Dallas | GB@DAL | 4500 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4.6 |
| Seattle | SEA@ATL | 4700 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5.5 |
New England could be an 18 point favorite by the time the game starts. The Texans have a strong defense, but their offense goes through Brock Osweiler who has struggled all season. With an implied team total of just over 14 points, Vegas expects the Texans to struggle in this game. At 5100, the Patriots are 'expensive' for a defense, but well worth it.
Feery
New England Patriots: There is zero reason to look elsewhere on defense. A well-rested Patriots club will have its way with the Texans.
Mamula
New England Patriots: The chalk defense this week. Positive game script as Houston will be playing from behind.
Good luck this weekend!
