FanDuel Salary Changes: Week 16

Tom Savage, QB, Houston Texans

FanDuel Price: $6,300
Salary Change: Up $1,300

It finally happened. Despite Brock Osweiler’s massive offseason contract, he was benched in Week 15 after throwing two interceptions against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Third-year man Tom Savage will be the starter for the foreseeable future after revitalizing the offense in relief last Sunday. While he didn’t throw any touchdowns, he did complete 23 of 36 passes for 260 yards with no turnovers.

Part of the reason for Savage’s success was his understanding that it’s necessary to get the ball to your best players. Unlike Osweiler, Savage peppered DeAndre Hopkins with opportunities last week, resulting in a season-high 17 targets for Nuk.

Since being named the starter, Savage no longer has a minimum-priced salary -- it’s jumped to $6,300 for Saturday’s matchup with Cincinnati. In the last three years when a min-price quarterback has this big of a salary increase, they’ve actually reached cash game value 62 percent of the time and tournament value 24 percent of the time.

Savage will be playing in one of the lowest Vegas totals of the week (41.5), as Houston is a one-point home favorite over Cincinnati. The biggest uptick to Savage’s fantasy outlook may be the availability of running back Lamar Miller. If Miller, who is questionable with an ankle injury, can't suit up, more of the offensive burden will fall on the shoulders of Savage.

Savage likely doesn’t have enough upside to help win a GPP in this matchup, but he’s a great bet to hit cash game value at his meager salary.