Fantasy Football GPP Plays - Week 12
These fantasy football GPP plays give you viable alternatives to more popular plays!
Week 11 had some ups and downs, as you would expect with GPP plays. Kenny Britt absolutely exploded, posting a 4/128/1 line that was good for 22.80 FP. Preston Parker, on the other hand, faded back into the fog, catching just one ball for 9 yards. For as bad as he played, Robert Griffin III wasn’t terrible for DFS purposes, nearly hitting 2X value at 14.38 points. The same, however, can not be said for Matthew Stafford. He was nothing short of terrible, posting just 6.32 FP. Ryan Mathews totaled 75 yards from scrimmage, but failed to find the end zone. Let’s get back at it for Week 12! This week I will be highlighting some players who are the cheaper alternatives to their better known teammates at higher price points.
Disclaimer: First off, these plays are meant to be considered as tournament-only options. Second, these are boom-or-bust plays, who could end up putting up a complete dud of a game, or being the guy who explodes for 30 fantasy points and carries you to a GPP victory. Third, use these plays with caution, because they have do have inherent risk. Along with their high ceiling and point potential, there is also a low floor and lack of consistency. Alright, enough disclaimers! These are the players I believe can be the difference between your lineups minimum cashing in a GPP or winning the whole damn thing.
Quarterback
Brian Hoyer ($10,500) at Atlanta- Hoyer has hit the 300-yard mark in two of his past three games, with the lone exception being the Cincinnati game, where the Browns simply dominated on the ground. Did I mention that Josh Gordon comes back this week? Hoyer is in line for a great day against a Falcons defense that Football Outsiders (FO) has ranked as the worst in the NFL against the pass. Hoyer has huge upside with his dominant weapon returning, and I’m not buying the cooler talk about Gordon being on a proverbial “pitch count”. Hoyer is a great option this week.
Blake Bortles ($10,550) at Indianapolis- Bortles had a solid game in his first career start against this same Colts team, throwing for 223 yards and two scores, while running for another 30 yards. He did throw two interceptions, but I like him in this game for a few reasons. First, this game has one of the highest totals on the week (50.5), and Bortles has been slinging the ball all over the field, with at least 31 attempts in all seven starts since his debut. The Jaguars will be playing from behind, and Bortles will need to make plays. I love this play at a cheap price tag in a game that will see plenty of points.
Running Back
Daniel “Boom” Herron ($5,650) vs Jacksonville - With Ahmad Bradshaw sidelined for the rest of the year after breaking his ankle, somebody needs to step up in the Colts’ backfield. Herron is the guy I’m looking at. I anticipate that Trent Richardson will see more work in the passing game, because even at Ohio State, Herron wasn’t much of a pass catcher. What I think he will be is the complimentary back to T-Rich, and see 10-15 touches this week. If Richardson struggles (which he has done for most of his career), Herron could be a cheap play that pays huge dividends. This price tag is affordable enough that he won’t kill your lineups if he only posts 5-8 FP.
Steven Jackson ($7,150) vs Cleveland - Let me clarify this one by stating that I am not at all a fan of Steven Jackson. I think that his time as a starting running back in the NFL has passed, but the Falcons are still giving him a ton of touches (18,18,19 in the last 3 weeks). Any player who is getting this sort of volume as well as goal-line carries, is worth GPP consideration. He isn’t likely to break a long run, but he always sees looks inside the 5, and the Browns rank 29th in the NFL against the run, according to FO. I’ll be throwing him in a few GPPs at this price.
Wide Receiver
Jermaine Kearse ($4,950) vs Arizona- Call me crazy on this one if you’d like, but I would much rather invest in a cheap WR who sees multiple targets than a guy who may just catch one ball and score (See: Washington, Nate). Kearse has 13 targets over the past two games, and has hauled in 8 of those passes for 124 yards. In contrast, Doug Baldwin ($7,750) has just 10 catches for 76 yards over the past two weeks, although he does have a TD grab.The Seahawks know the importance of this game for their playoff chances, and I expect Russell Wilson will be throwing down the field as the ‘Hawks look to build a lead.
Chris Hogan ($5,400) vs New York Jets - I’m giving credit for this one to my comrade Josh Shepardson, as he first highlighted him in our Week 12 podcast. Now that the game has been moved to the friendly confines of Ford Field, he gets an even bigger boost for me. Hogan has 12 catches on 16 targets for 131 yards and a score over the past two weeks, and has emerged as a legitimate weapon for Kyle Orton and the Bills. His teammate, Sammy Watkins, has a price tag that is nearly twice as high ($10,200), and Hogan makes for a great swerve. A price tag near minimum makes him a great play, and he is even in consideration for cash games in small doses at this point, given his recent production.
Jarvis Landry ($6,850) at Denver - I generally only highlight two players at WR and RB, but this week, there were just too many options. Landry has become a favorite of Ryan Tannehill in the Dolphins offense, as evidenced by his recent production. (5/46/1, 7/53, 5/46/1 in his past 3 games). In a game where the Broncos will likely score some points, Landry and the Dolphins will need to keep up through the air. Landry comes at a discount of over $2,000 to teammate Mike Wallace, and the low ownership % is what we are looking for here.
Tight End
Jermaine Gresham ($7,100) at Houston - As a lifelong Bengals fan, Gresham is one of my least favorite players. Fortunately in DFS, names are nothing but stitching on the back of jerseys. What you are looking for is opportunity and cost. Gresham could return a nice investment this week given the matchup. When Andy Dalton sees pressure (and he will this week), he looks to check down to Gresham or Giovani Bernard (if healthy). Gresham is unlikely to have a huge stat line, but could easily see 5-6 catches for 50+ yards. If he gets some red zone looks as well, his tag could look like a discount come Sunday afternoon. He is certainly a risky play, but once JJ Watt enters the backfield, Dalton will be looking to his big tight end to bail him out.
As always, you can find me on Twitter @BigItaly42. I’d love to discuss these plays or any you are considering for this week!