FanDuel Tournament Pivots for Wild Card Weekend

Running Back

Chalk

There is no disputing who will be the two most popular running backs this weekend. Todd Gurley and Alvin Kamara, the FanDuel RB1 and RB3 for the regular season, will clearly be the first backs on people's minds when they go to put together a roster for the slate. It wouldn't be surprising to see people try to fit both on to a roster, despite their combined $19,100 price tag.

While that would leave fewer than $6,000 for each of the other seven players, it's by no means a bad strategy given that both can take any touch and go the distance for an 80-yard score. Gurley scored more than 30 points four times in the regular season, including an astonishing combined 88.1 FanDuel points in Weeks 15 and 16. Not surprisingly, we project the two stars as the top two scoring backs this week.

Pivot

Leonard Fournette, $8,100 (vs Buffalo Bills)

On any other wild card weekend, Leonard Fournette would probably be considered a sure thing to be a chalk play. However, with Gurley and Kamara's incendiary play of late, as well as the resurgence of league-leading rusher Kareem Hunt, Fournette could have lower ownership than he should.

Despite missing three games, Fournette finished the season as the FanDuel RB8, with 1,342 total yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. The preseason Rookie of the Year favorite was as good as advertised, though he may not even end up with a vote for the award, as Hunt and Kamara have been at a different level. He could end up having a better week than both of his contemporaries, though, as his matchup is ideal for a massive game.

The Bills have been kind to opposing running backs this season. In fact, they've been so kind that it's a wonder that they're in the playoffs at all. They rank dead last against the position this year, giving up 25.39 FanDuel points per week to opposing rushers, a whopping 1.68 points more than the second-worst Cincinnati Bengals. Over the past five weeks, they've given up 886 yards, 29 receptions, and 6 touchdowns to opposing backs. The Jaguars are 8.5-point favorites, which means that game flow should be on Fournette's side as well. It all points to a big week, yet he'll likely only be the third -- perhaps fourth or fifth -- highest owned back on a four-game slate.