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It was a frustrating Week 15 as the New England Patriots failed to come through for us. We’re back to the drawing board when it comes to quarterback Tom Brady and if he is someone we can have confidence in when the postseason begins.
Quarterbacks
Cash Game Option:
Dallas Cowboys Dak Prescott ($11,200) – As usual, there are a lot of different ways to go at quarterback, but the Cowboys signal caller stands out for a few reasons. Prescott takes on a Buccaneers defense that ranks 29th in pass defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders. The Cowboys are home as well which is significant as the Bucs defense allows 28 points on the road compared to 21.1 points at home and Prescott performs better in front of the home fans. The Cowboys have one of the highest implied team totals this week with 27.5 and Prescott will play a major role. If you can find the extra money, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is also in a good spot, but the discounted price along with the defensive woes of the Bucs puts Prescott firmly in cash game conversations.
Tournament Option:
New Orleans Saints Drew Brees ($12,300) – The Saints have not played at home since their Week 12 victory over the Falcons and it could not have come at a better time for Brees. The future Hall of Famer has always had to deal with the criticism that he struggles playing away from the Superdome and that reputation has continued as Brees failed to throw for multiple touchdowns in any of the last three games. The Saints are trying to lock up home field advantage throughout the playoffs and are hoping for some home cooking. Brees is the third highest quarterback this week, but could be less than 10 percent owned. The Saints have the highest team implied total with 29.5 and take on a Steelers defense that is ranked 21st in pass defensive DVOA. If Brees is getting overlooked this week, I will have a ton of the veteran in tournaments and stack him with Michael Thomas.
Tight Ends
Cash Game Option:
Philadelphia Eagles Zach Ertz ($11,000) – I wrote about the tight end position continuing to be a disaster last week and that trend hasn’t stopped as we head into Week 16. Paying up at the position has worked more times than not, so I still believe this is the strategy to use in cash games. I feel like we can find value at other positions, but banking on a cheap tight end to come through for us is extremely risky. Ertz has slowed down over the last couple of weeks which means his price has come down and we can get an elite player at a discount. The Texans are atrocious against tight ends as they rank 29th according to Football Outsiders. We know Ertz has a tremendous ceiling and still has enough of a high floor that his price is worth investing in.
Tournament Option:
Cleveland Browns David Njoku ($7,400) – In tournaments, we are hoping for huge upside and if it can come at a cheap price than that is the perfect scenario. Njoku hasn’t had a big performance yet this season, but the potential is there. The last time Njoku faced off against the Bengals, he caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals rank 16th against the tight end position according to Football Outsiders and Pro Football Focus has Njoku ranked second at his position in terms of top match-ups for the upcoming week. The Browns have one of the highest implied team totals this week and quarterback Baker Mayfield is in a prime spot to put up a ton of passing yards. If that is the case, Njoku could benefit big time.
Defenses
Minnesota Vikings ($5,900) – A nice mid-tier priced defense this week belongs to the Vikings and they can be used in cash games or tournaments. The Vikings take on a Lions offense that has a lowly implied team total of 18.5. The Vikings are coming off a nine sack performance against the Miami Dolphins and rank sixth in defensive DVOA according to Football Outsiders. It should also be noted that when the Vikings faced the Lions in Week 9, they were able to sack quarterback Matthew Stafford 10 times.