In this space, we will look each week at players who have strong potential to outperform their price on FanDuel so we can invite them to come on down into our lineups. This is not a play all these picks column, but rather a place to uncover value to allow us to unlock massive upside in our lineups.

I can’t say that I have ever taken down a massive tournament. I have won some small, $100-$200 first place prizes, but never anything that’s significant or life-changing money. I am primarily a cash-game player, usually allocating about 90% of my weekly spend on 50/50 contests or double-ups.

That doesn’t stop me from wondering what winning a huge contest would be like. The way it is romanticized, publicized, and scrutinized across various platforms in this industry, it seems almost surreal and something where your life instantly becomes more glamorous and your DFS fortunes change forever. For example, at the FanDuel Football Fantasy Championship this weekend – some lucky guy or gal is going to take home a large cardboard check for $500,000 and get the football experience of a lifetime.

I mean don’t you want to be that guy? The reality, I imagine, is strikingly different.

Earlier this week I was captivated by this article, which interviews a contestant who won big money and prizes on The Price is Right (have to stay on brand) and what the days and months were like for her after this big win. As you can probably guess, you aren’t driving off that lot with your new car piled up with cash and a bunch of prizes. There are all sorts of legal hurdles to jump over and you have to pay taxes on your prizes as determined by the IRS before they will even release them to you.

It turns out a lot of Price is Right winners end up selling their prizes just so they can recoup what they had to pay out of pocket for what they won. I guess if you win a trip, you are stuck with it, even though not everything in that prize is paid for either.

Here is a short video about Andrea Schwartz’s experience.

I bet winning a six-figure prize is a bit like this for the every-man grinding through DFS each week. You could theoretically withdraw all your winnings the next day, wire it to your bank, and live like a king, but sometime in the next year the tax man will come calling and you will owe a cool 30% on that prize. Then there is the expectation to play larger amounts that inherently come with sharper players and professionals that are more skilled. I wonder how many people reinvest a significant portion back into DFS and try to grow their bankroll exponentially? So many questions and I’m sure there are so many headaches.

Ah, who am I kidding…I am going to keep trying to win it all.

Quarterback

Derek Carr ($6,800) – Alright, hear me out on this one. Carr is actually playing some of the best football of his career with arguably the worst collection of offensive weapons we have seen in quite some time. When the Raiders lost Marshawn Lynch and shipped Amari Cooper out of town, it was assumed that the Raiders offense – with Carr leading the way – would be a dumpster fire. Carr, however, has not thrown an interception since October 7 and has eight passing touchdowns in the last four games, for an average of 17.1 FD points – which includes a 9.8 game against the Ravens.

So far this season, the Bengals have given up the second-most FD points to opposing QBs, just a fraction of a point behind the Falcons. Cincinnati has given up nine passing touchdowns in their last five games and has just one interception since week 8. This game has the fourth-highest total on the main slate, despite the eye-gouging matchup between two teams that have given up on the season (and FYI you can get into this game for $15 a ticket if you are into torturing yourself). This might be one of those check the box score, not the game tape situations, but Carr couldn’t be in a better position to continue his recent successful run.

Running Back

Dalvin Cook ($6,200) – Marlon Mack, Doug Martin, Gus Edwards, and James White are all priced ahead of Dalvin Cook this week, and I would not take any of them ahead of Cook and his premier match-up at home against the Dolphins. He was able to salvage his putrid fantasy day last week with a late touchdown against the Seahawks, but that just sets up the Vikings for a get-right spot against the Dolphins with a new offensive coordinator and a playoff-motivated game script.

Over the past two weeks, there have been some extremely encouraging signs from Cook’s opportunity. In weeks 8-12, Cook saw between 10-15 rush attempts + targets per game. In the past two weeks, he has seen 19 and 20 rushes + targets as the team looks to feature the fully-healthy Cook more. He couldn’t ask more a much better spot than Miami, who have given up the 7^th most FD points to running backs this year, and who rank 17^th in rushing DVOA and 24^th against pass-catching running backs.

As seven-point home favorites on Sunday, the Vikings are set up to grab a lead and then feature Cook throughout the second half. If you are looking to be contrarian in the mid-range of RBs this week, Dalvin looks like he is about to cook.

I will show myself out.

Wide Receiver

Sterling Shepard ($5,200) – With news that Odell Beckham will officially sit out, it’s time to fire up Sterling Shepard this week. He has seen at least six targets in 10 of 13 games this season including six targets with a touchdown in just three quarters of work with OBJ out last week against the Redskins.

Back at home and facing a fading Titans defense, Shepard is set up to have all the volume that doesn’t go to Saquon Barkley. The Titans are the 22^nd ranked pass defense DVOA, but drop all the way to 30^th when considering just #1 wide receivers – according to Football Outsiders, Tennessee gives up 9 pass attempts and 81.3 yards per game to their opponent’s top wideout. With Beckham out, the potential is there for this to also be a game where Evan Engram is featured, but the Titans are extremely tough against the tight end position, ranking fifth in DVOA on the season.

Have confidence in Shepard this week, likely matched up with Malcolm Butler, who has allowed seven touchdowns this year as well as 13.4 fantasy points per game to his assignments.

Each week, we’ll dive into Fanduel’s main slate to highlight some of the juiciest matchups and situations to exploit. Whether it’s finding the low(er)-owned gems in a popular upcoming shootout or identifying an overlooked clash that DFSers can use to gain leverage over a tournament field, our aim is to provide you the individual plays and overall strategy to consider as you chase profitability in your DFS portfolio. Let’s jump in.

Dolphins at Vikings (-7.5, 44.5)
Through Week 14, the Vikings have been a very pass-heavy team, gaining 75.9 percent of their yardage through the air. However, they’ll introduce a new offensive coordinator and play-caller in Week 15 after canning John DeFilippo. We don’t know how the offensive balance will change under the guidance of Kevin Stefanski, but the uncertainty could favor those who play the odds that the Vikings will trend to a more run-heavy attack. Dalvin Cook ($6,200) has retaken hold of the lead backfield role and dominated snaps as he moves further away from the hamstring injury that hampered him earlier in the year, averaging 16 touches and 15.5 FanDuel points over his last three games. This week he takes aim at one of the game’s most porous run defenses in the Dolphins, who have given up the fourth most total yardage on the ground. Cook has the potential to be one of the most explosive value plays this week and maybe even at a reasonable ownership level.

Buccaneers at Ravens (-7.5, 46)
This Sunday pairing looks like a fantasy mismatch: The Bucs’ offensive strength is the strong suit of the Ravens and the Ravens’ offensive strength is the Bucs’ defensive forte, at least relative to their (in)ability to slow down the pass. What you’ll get by playing Jameis Winston ($7,000) is plenty of risk, but also plenty of potential reward if he’s able to elevate his game against a stout defense. Neither was on the road or against a unit as stingy as the Ravens, but he’s crossed the 20-point plateau in each of his last three contests. He’ll be underowned on Sunday, providing a chance to apply leverage over a large tournament field. If you want to stack him, Adam Humphries ($6,200) and Cameron Brate ($5,400) are intriguing options. Chris Godwin ($5,400) isn’t a terrible gamble either as he’s coming off a 10-target game in the absence of DeSean Jackson, who’s been ruled out for this contest, but the Ravens’ have funneled the limited amount of passing production gained against them to No. 3 receivers and tight ends.

On the other sideline, it’s all about the rushing yards and touchdowns we could see from Lamar Jackson ($7,700) and Kenneth Dixon ($5,700). The Bucs’ poor run defense has been overshadowed by their atrocious results against the pass, but it’ll be tested against a Ravens offense that has adopted an extreme ground-heavy attack, rushing the ball 1.93 times per pass attempt. Jackson has scored at least 16.5 FD points since taking over as starter and averaged 83 rushing yards over that four-game span. He won’t be the only one dashing through running lanes though. Dixon has seen his snap percentage climb from 21 percent to 32 percent since rejoining the backfield and could be in line for an uptick on the nine touches he’s seen in each of his last two contests. Considering the modest volume he’s seen thus far, consider him a promising “punt play”.

Raiders at Bengals (-3, 45.5)
Welcome to Week 15’s “Charmin Bowl”, where both teams aim to play the softest defense. Both the Bengals and Raiders rank in the top five in yards allowed, setting the stage for gobs of fantasy points. Players on both sides warrant looks as underowned value plays. From Derek Carr ($6,800) and Jeff Driskel ($6,400) to Joe Mixon ($7,800), Doug Martin ($6,300), Tyler Boyd ($6,700) and Jared Cook ($6,300), there is a lot of value — and upside — to be sought in this matchup. In terms of the way the Raiders and Bengals attack and get attacked, both teams are reasonably balanced relative to one another, so this looks like a matchup where any and everything could be on the menu.