Week 8 FanDuel NFL Tournament Pivots

Running Back

Chalk

As with Dalton, the masses will likely be enamored with the Cincinnati Bengals' matchup against the Colts and look towards Joe Mixon at the running back position. There is reason for excitement here -- runners have scored four times on the Colts in the past two games -- but Mixon should be used with caution as head coach Marvin Lewis has shown his unique ability to avoid using his best back, even when he is running well.

Other chalky plays will likely come in high-priced players such as Ezekiel Elliott, LeSean McCoy, and Mark Ingram. Ingram should be especially popular given his relatively lower price ($2,200 less than Bell), high workload, and recent success.

Pivots

Melvin Gordon, $7,900 (at New England Patriots)

Melvin Gordon has consistently been underutilized by daily fantasy players this season. This week, he has a very favorable matchup against a Patriots defense that has given up the seventh-most points per game to opposing running backs, is a bottom-10 rush defense by our metrics, and will now be without one of their starting linebackers.

The Patriots are expected to win fairly handily this weekend. This would normally throw running backs out the window, but Gordon has excellent receiving ability and should be relied on heavily in the passing game as the Chargers try to stay in the game. Pass-catching running backs have excelled against New England; the Pats have given up 45 receptions to opposing backs, only one behind league-worst San Francisco. Though it's not likely that Gordon will return over four times value like he has on a couple of occasions, he should still have a solid game. We project him to finish as the fourth-highest scoring running back this weekend.

LeGarrette Blount, $6,100 (vs. San Francisco 49ers)

LeGarrette Blount's name should be screamed from the fantasy mountaintops this weekend. However, he has been somewhat overshadowed in the press despite a matchup against a 49ers team that is giving up nearly 30 FanDuel points per game to opposing running backs. Blount has seen consistent touches for the Eagles, and the game script should be excellent for his potential.

The Eagles as 13-point favorites with an implied total of 29.5, tops on the slate. Philadelphia is expected to build a big lead early, leaving Blount the second half to bowl over opponents and waste the clock. While the masses click on Joe Mixon's name over and over again, do yourself a favor and find an extra $200 to pivot to Blount in a few lineups.