Quarterback

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers, $7,900

Curtis Samuel is entering his third year and D.J. Moore is beginning his second. If they live up to their potential as college prospects this will be the best cohort of weapons Newton has ever played with. He’ll need them to keep up with the high-flying Rams offense in a game with a 50-point total. 

Newton accounted for 70% of all of the scores Carolina’s offense produced last season in the 14 games he played. This was while dealing with a shoulder injury that derailed his season and limited his ability to throw the deep ball: arguably his best attribute. 

Now, fully healthy, expect Newton to find paydirt multiple times in a barn-burner of a game.

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $7,500

Jameis Winston was priced in line with his redraft ADP but this isn’t a redraft game. His showdown with the 49ers has the second-highest total on the slate at 51 points. The total has also been rising, going up two points since it opened.

As a team, Tampa averaged 320 passing yards per game last year. Now they get Chris Godwin in his second season and O.J. Howard in a full-time role as opposed to Cameron Brate stealing targets. Tampa and Jameis are set up to lead the NFL in passing yards again, plus, he no longer faces the threat of getting benched with Ryan Fitzpatrick out of town.

Jameis will be popular but quarterback ownership generally stays pretty flat. Even if he’s the most popular passer, it won’t be by a lot. He’s worth owning even if the public likes him.

Running Back

Leonard Fournette, Jacksonville Jaguars, $7,200

Dalvin Cook and Nick Chubb sit just above Fournette on the pricing list which is a large advantage for the Jacksonville bruiser. He will be a popular play but Cook and Chubb are the absolute chalk at running back and come at a similar price. This will keep Fournette’s ownership in check and give his owners a major advantage if he outperforms Chubb and Cook.

Jacksonville hosts Kansas City in a game with a 51.5-point total, the highest mark on the slate. Given how much volume Fournette sees when healthy he is a strong tournament consideration. If the Jags are going to make any contribution t that total, it will be with Fournette. 

With T.J. Yeldon out of town and Alfred Blue on IR, there is no longer a single player Jacksonville can plan to take Fournette off the field for. He’ll be a three-down back in the friendliest game on the slate for fantasy points. 

Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks, $6,300

Carson should get the benefit of an immensely positive game-script as Seattle host Cincinnati. The Seahawks are double-digit favorites against the A.J. Green-less Bengals. 

Carson was seventh in the NFL last year with 247 carries reached top-five in rushing yards with 1,151.

Carson projects to be a chalky running back but playing in tournaments isn’t about rostering exclusively 1% owned players. Some chalk is good chalk and Carson is exactly that. He has the volume and the matchup to smash his measly cost of $6,600.

Wide Receiver

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, $6,900

Chris Godwin and Tyler Lockett are the two competitors for the title of “Chalk Mid-Cost WR” and it appears as though Lockette may have a slight edge. This lines up perfectly with our tournament strategy of stacking the Buccaneers receiving options with Jameis. 

Godwin already emerged as a name to know last year by making the most of a limited role. He averaged 2.2 yards per route run which was inside the top-30 for receivers. Now he’s entering a larger role because of the volume left by Adam Humphries and DeSean Jackson. The two left behind over 2,000 air yards and 174 targets for the remaining Bucs. 

Godwin is set up to crush his Week 1 matchup against the 49ers.

Brandin Cooks, Los Angeles Rams, $7,000

The return of Cooper Kupp muddies the waters for LA receivers. However, it should have a lesser impact on Brandin Cooks than it does Robert Woods. Kupp will move into a slot role primarily which kicks Robert Woods outside again. Cooks has always played outside and he plays that role well. 

Cooks led the Rams in air yards last year with 1,469. In a showdown with the Panthers that expects to have a lot of scoring, volume will be key. More volume in this game exponentially increases the odds of a player scoring. Cooks’ air yards are the best indicator we have of his volume and they say he has a slight edge as LA’s No. 1 wideout. 

If you’re playing multiple lineups (20+), it’s sharp to get exposure to all of the Rams pass-catcher, especially Cooks.

Tight End

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers, $7,300

Last season George Kittle set the record for receiving yards by a tight end and managed to score just five touchdowns. In the history of the NFL 24 tight ends have crested 1,100 yards in a season. Only two of them have scored fewer touchdowns than Kittle. Regression is coming for Kittle and it could probably come as early as Week 1. His high-scoring affair in Tampa will be conducive to red zone trips and scores. 

Fanduel also features more forgiving pricing than Draftkings. It is much more viable to pay up at tight end when you can pay up for more players throughout your roster. Running Jameis-Godwin stacks back with Kittle is the best way to get equity in this game.

Defense

Seattle Seahawks, $4,500

Seattle is priced up on Fanduel relative to other sites but this may end up being a major advantage for the Seahawks backers. They are in a similar range to Philadelphia and Baltimore, both of whom are getting a lot of love as the favorites at D/ST this week. Seattle may fly under the radar at a similar cost. They are also a great stacking option with Carson.