Week 9 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Over/Under: 54.50
Panthers Implied Team Total: 30.75
Buccaneers Implied Team Total: 23.75
Hocus pocus -- it's time for more Fitzmagic. This game doesn't scream high over/under as much as the previous one, yet it has the second-largest total on the main slate. With Ryan Fitzpatrick back in the saddle, there is potential for an exciting divisional game here.
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers
FanDuel Price: $6,400
Despite operating as the lead receiver in an efficient offense, Devin Funchess' price has hovered in the low-$6K range throughout the season. His red zone role is strong as ever, with three more targets inside the 20 and inside the 10 than anyone else on the Carolina Panthers offense. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to hemorrhage points to receivers, allowing the second-most FanDuel points per game to the position. Funchess is simply too cheap given his touchdown equity and target share on a high-totaled offense.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
FanDuel Price: $7,100
We simply have to keep rolling with whichever Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback is in the starting lineup. Per Ray Summerlin of Rotoworld, the Tampa two-headed quarterback monster is the QB2 on the season. And yet Fitzpatrick is priced as the QB16 on this week's main slate. The Panthers are not a great matchup on paper, but the unit's numbers are inflated by facing Dak Prescott, Eli Manning, Alex Smith and Joe Flacco already this season. Chucking it down the field and aiding his line with rushing, Fitz has a legitimate top-3 ceiling every week. The only caveat is the possibility of yet another in-game benching, leaving him a tougher sell in cash games.
Others to Consider
Fitzpatrick is the better point-per-dollar value, but Cam Newton ($8,600) deserves strong cash game consideration in this plum matchup. The Bucs have allowed the most points per game to quarterbacks and also the 13th-most rushing yards to the position. Cam's floor and ceiling are raised by averaging 8.8 rushing attempts per game. Throughout his career, Cam averages four more fantasy points per game when facing a pass defense ranked in the bottom-10, as he is this week.
Even more so than normal, tight end is a disaster on the main slate this week. That makes Greg Olsen ($6,200) an option, though he still doesn't have the target share we'd prefer at this price. Still, he's scored in consecutive games since returning from injury and has the best-possible tight end matchup in the league.
The Buccaneers do grade strongly in run defense, ranking ninth per numberFire's Net Expected Points model, but that doesn't mean you have to fade Christian McCaffrey. The reason I'm not clamoring to play him is his rushing totals are down and Cam is pinching his red zone usage. If you're looking for something to hang your hat on, Tampa has allowed the 13th-most receiving yards to running backs.
We now have a 10-game sample of Mike Evans ($7,900) averaging 3.2 more points per game when Fitzpatrick is his quarterback. This may be his last week priced below $8,000. Meanwhile, Chris Godwin ($5,900) continues to see red zone work and his price is nice, but his floor is too low if he doesn't hit pay dirt. DeSean Jackson ($6,600) meanwhile, is averaging seven more points per game this year when Fitz plays. He's an exciting GPP option at his price.
O.J. Howard ($6,000) is also an option given the barren tight end landscape. His production takes a slight dip with Fitzpatrick in, but he still saw eight targets in Fitzpatrick's last full game played. He's in the mix.
