Week 15 FanDuel NFL Tournament Pivots

Quarterback

Chalk

Chalk this week should be both obvious and pricey. Tom Brady leads the way, despite his $8,800 price tag. After a humiliating loss against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, the narrative will suggest that Brady is angry and will want to rebound in a big way. Angry Brady is to be feared, as Josh McDaniels knows all too well. On a less subjective level, Brady has dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in recent matches, and home field advantage in the playoffs could rest on the outcome of this game. DFS players will have no trouble identifying this narrative, likely leading to high ownership numbers.

The other big narrative this week is the return of Aaron Rodgers, who has a juicy matchup against a Carolina Panthers passing defense that has inexplicably allowed multiple scores to quarterbacks in eight games this season and in four of their past five, including a 307-yard, 3-touchdown game against Josh McCown. Rodgers can take advantage of the matchup, whether he's at 100% or not. The ownership for these two could leave Cam Newton with lower ownership than he would otherwise garner, but the Green Bay Packers have been so poor against the pass that he should still be another relatively chalky play.

Pivots

Ben Roethlisberger, $8,000 (vs. New England)

One easy way to pivot from Brady is to roster his opponent, Ben Roethlisberger at $8,000. The Patriots rank just 18th against the pass by our adjusted metrics this season, and Roethlisberger has produced at least 18.94 FanDuel points in five straight games. The case for Roethlisberger is an easy one to make.

Jimmy Garoppolo, $7,300 (vs. Tennessee Titans)

Garoppolo has operated as the most efficient quarterback in football based on our metrics during his brief time as a starter, suggesting that touchdowns could start to pile up for him soon. This week, the San Francisco 49ers host the Titans, who are 26th against the pass this season based on our adjusted metrics.

Nick Foles, $6,000 (at New York Giants)

One indirect way to pivot from the popular high-priced quarterbacks is to spend all the way down on Foles, who would normally be in a position to have very high ownership this week. He's a seasoned NFL quarterback priced at a rock-bottom salary of $6,000, and he has a high-powered arsenal at his disposal. There are just so many solid high-end options this week at quarterback that his ownership levels should be somewhat depressed.

Foles is well suited for cash games this week, as his $6,000 salary requires little to return two times value; a 200-yard, 1-touchdown effort would be enough to get to the 12-point threshold. However, he has a lot more in store against a Giants defense that has held only one quarterback (Alex Smith in Week 11) below that 12-point threshold. They rank dead last in FanDuel points against opposing passers, allowing six three-score fantasy performances since Week 4. While three touchdowns may be a lot to ask, Foles is certainly in position to take advantage of their futility.

If you are looking to build a tournament lineup with two or three top-tier players at other positions, Foles is the perfect complement. We project him with 14.3 points this week.