Week 1 FanDuel Tournament Plays

FanDuel: SB Nation One Day Fantasy Leagues

Many of you play in season-long fantasy football leagues, while more and more of you are playing one day fantasy leagues. If you like the action of the one day leagues, make sure you join the FanDuel/SB Nation one day fantasy football leagues. All you need to do is click on the link below and join a league.

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FanDuel/SB Nation Fantasy Football League: Week 1

Quarterbacks

Sam Bradford $7,500

Bradford had a solid preseason and appears to fit right into this Chip Kelly offense. He's priced as the 17th most expensive quarterback, but has potential to finish as a top 10 quarterback in Week 1. The Eagles head to Atlanta to take on the Falcons defense who struggled to contain opposing quarterbacks last season. The Falcons surrendered the most passing yards per game (280) and the most passing yards for the season (4,478). The Eagles are a fast paced offense and intend to run around 80 or more offensive plays per game which will create more opportunities for Bradford to potentially score. Another thing that stands out is the fact that this game has the highest over/under of the week at 55 points. It actually opened at 53.5, but moved up a point and a half, which implies they expect plenty of points to be scored. Bradford has a good matchup, only takes up 12 percent of your salary, and plays in the game with the highest over/under and close spread. There's not much to dislike from him Week 1.

Tony Romo $8,700

One of my favorite things about Romo is that he isn't being talked about a lot, and that usually equates to low ownership. This is somewhat surprising because Romo played extremely well against the Giants last season and actually has a good history against them. Last year he threw for 554 yards and seven touchdowns against the Giants. Keep in mind that this was a run first team last year and this season there's a lot of question marks surrounding their run game and they could rely a tad more on Romo's arm. Romo averages two touchdowns per game vs. the Giants for his career, but has actually thrown three or more touchdowns in four of his last meetings against them. This is a Giants defense that allowed the seventh most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks last season, so Romo can be in for another solid outing. Much like the Eagles & Falcons game, this game has a high over/under at 51.5, which also moved up 1.5 points from what it opened at. He could be low owned and put you in a good situation to make big leaps in the standings every time he scores points.

Others to consider: Ryan Tannenhill $8,000 and Matt Ryan $8,800

Running Backs

Latavius Murray $7,400

When you you're thinking of tournament plays you want a good mix of high volume plus big play potential along with low ownership. Murray could very well fit all three of those descriptions. On the surface, this may appear like a tough matchup for Murray, but it's really not. Last season, the Bengals surrendered the fifth most fantasy points per game (19.4) to opposing backs and the fourth most rushing touchdowns (16). They also allowed opposing backs to catch 93 passes for 826 yards and two touchdowns against them. Needless to say, they struggled to keep backs out of the end zone. Murray is unproven, but showed some big play potential in a small sample size last season. I usually don't like to take underdog backs, but this is a 3 point line and could be a close one. Murray's ownership is likely going to be low which is also an incentive. If you're looking for a semi contrarian play that offers a high ceiling and a stable floor, he's your guy.

Doug Martin $6,100

It's tough to skip on Martin this week because of how economical his price is. He takes on a Titans defense that struggled immensely against the run last season. Their defense surrendered the second most rushing yards (2,195) and allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing backs (21.2) last year. Not to mention the third most rushing touchdowns (17).  You also have to consider that the Bucs could rely on the run game to keep the pressure off of their rookie quarterback in his first NFL game. Martin looked good in the preseason and has run away with the starting gig. He should receive more than 18 carries and also be involved in the passing game as Winston could dump off some passes to him. His price allows you to pay up for other elite players and makes it easier for him to hit value.

Others to consider: Justin Forsett $7,800, Rashad Jennings $6,600, Chris Ivory $6,400 and Ameer Abdullah $5,900

Wide Receivers

Davante Adams $5,500

While the ownership will likely be very high for Adams, it's difficult to pass up on such a great value. While I wouldn't suggest you use him in 100 percent of your tournaments, I would recommend that you sprinkle him in there. The Packers take on the Bears who are not that good defensively. They surrendered the third most receiving yards (4,458), second most receiving touchdowns (34), and 22.6 fantasy points per game to opposing receivers last season. The Packers scored 10 receiving touchdowns against the Bears last season in two games. With Jordy Nelson on the shelf, Adams has become the number two receiver on this high powered offense that can score some points. He should see a good amount of targets and be efficient against one of the worst defenses in the league. Value is attainable at his price and rostering him allows you to add some elite players across your lineup.

John Brown $6,000

Brown had a solid rookie campaign in 2014. He hauled in 48 catches for 696 yards and five touchdowns. Brown scored all his touchdowns when Carson Palmer was under center which is a good sign that they have good chemistry. Michael Floyd suffered a hand injury and missed a good amount of time this preseason. That has opened the door for Brown to get more reps in with the starting unit. Even if Floyd plays, Brown remains a solid play. He displayed his good hands, speed, and ability to make big plays last season. In Week 1, he faces the Saints who surrendered the sixth most fantasy points per game against receivers last year. They allowed 262.9 receiving yards per game and 26 touchdowns. Brown should have no trouble getting behind this secondary and making a big play on Sunday. With an aging Larry Fitzgerald and a hurt one trick pony in Michael Floyd, Brown's role should continue to increase as the season goes and he could be a big part of this offense this season.

Others to consider: Demaryius Thomas $8,800, Dez Bryant $8,700, Brandin Cooks $7,400, and Jarvis Landry $6,900

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen $5,900

This is certainly a chalk play, but in such a volatile position, there are few tight ends who can be counted on. Greg Olsen is one of those tight ends. The Panthers are extremely thin at the wide receiver position and could turn to Olsen as there go-to guy in the passing game. Olsen is one of the more consistent tight ends in the game. He caught five or more passes in 11 games last season. The Jaguars surrendered seven touchdowns to opposing tight ends last season and allowed 7.1 fantasy points per game. He's the fourth most expensive tight end for this slate, but offers the most stability. If you're willing to pay up for the tight end position, go with the surest thing.

Richard Rodgers $4,900

If I don't pay up for a tight end, I usually look for the cheapest one that is in a good situation and has a good matchup. Rodgers qualifies in both areas. The Bears were the worst last season against opposing tight ends. They surrender the most fantasy points per game (9.6), the second most touchdowns (13), and nearly 1,000 yards. As I mentioned above, last season Rodgers torched this defense and he could very well do it again. With Nelson sidelined, Rodgers could see a bigger role in this offense. He makes for a big red zone target and at almost the minimum price, he is very well worth the risk. This is a good spot to plug him in. His ownership is likely going to be below five percent in most tournaments.