Week 13 was rougher than usual for our optimized lineups. No, it's not as though they performed poorly, it was just that a few outlier performances really skewed the results of daily leagues everywhere.
| Player | Lineup Slot | Projected FP | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Ryan | QB | 19.80 | $6,900 |
| LeSean McCoy | RB | 21.44 | $7,900 |
| Chris Ogbonnaya | RB | 11.82 | $3,200 |
| Dez Bryant | WR | 24.36 | $8,100 |
| DeSean Jackson | WR | 19.85 | $7,000 |
| Vincent Jackson | FLEX | 17.57 | $6,500 |
| Antonio Gates | TE | 12.23 | $4,600 |
| New York Jets | D/ST | 8.78 | $2,400 |
| Mike Nugent | K | 8.78 | $3,200 |
DraftStreet Optimized Lineup
| Player | Lineup Slot | Projected FP | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peyton Manning | QB | 23.80 | $15,111 |
| Joe Flacco | QB | 19.24 | $9,725 |
| Jamaal Charles | RB | 20.32 | $13,762 |
| LeSean McCoy | RB | 19.44 | $11,639 |
| DeSean Jackson | WR | 16.76 | $10,945 |
| Demaryius Thomas | WR | 17.71 | $11,124 |
| Tony Gonzalez | TE | 11.88 | $7,841 |
| Adrian Peterson | FLEX | 18.05 | $12,542 |
| Chris Ogbonnaya | FLEX | 10.49 | $4,363 |
| Washington Redskins | D/ST | 6.28 | $1,301 |
Lineup has been altered to remove Thursday Night Football participants.
FanDuel Optimized Lineup
| Player | Lineup Slot | Projected FP | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Ryan | QB | 19.67 | $7,700 |
| Jamaal Charles | RB | 20.26 | $9,600 |
| Matt Forte | RB | 18.57 | $8,600 |
| Torrey Smith | WR | 14.54 | $6,600 |
| DeSean Jackson | WR | 16.70 | $7,000 |
| Julian Edelman | WR | 11.78 | $4,900 |
| Tony Gonzalez | TE | 11.86 | $5,400 |
| New England Patriots | D/ST | 11.64 | $5,200 |
| Mike Nugent | K | 9.22 | $5,000 |
Lineup has been altered to remove Thursday Night Football participants.
Fantasy Feud Optimized Lineup
| Player | Lineup Slot | Projected FP | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Ryan | QB | 18.81 | $123,600 |
| Joe Flacco | QB | 18.26 | $119,400 |
| Jamaal Charles | RB | 20.26 | $152,600 |
| Matt Forte | RB | 18.57 | $135,600 |
| DeSean Jackson | WR | 16.70 | $126,900 |
| Golden Tate | WR | 11.41 | $73,900 |
| Tony Gonzalez | TE | 11.86 | $78,900 |
| Ray Rice | FLEX | 13.38 | $84,300 |
| Chris Ogbonnaya | FLEX | 10.38 | $32,400 |
| New England Patriots | D/ST | 12.12 | $69,200 |
Lineup has been altered to remove Thursday Night Football participants.
StarStreet Optimized Lineup
| Player | Lineup Slot | Projected FP | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Ryan | QB | 18.83 | $11,200 |
| Ryan Fitzpatrick | QB | 14.89 | $10,800 |
| Jamaal Charles | RB | 22.87 | $13,900 |
| LeSean McCoy | RB | 21.18 | $12,900 |
| Dez Bryant | WR | 21.34 | $12,700 |
| Demaryius Thomas | WR | 20.63 | $12,400 |
| Tony Gonzalez | TE | 14.21 | $9,300 |
| DeSean Jackson | FLEX | 19.79 | $11,800 |
| Andrew Hawkins | FLEX | 9.23 | $5,000 |
Lineup has been altered to remove Thursday Night Football participants.
Week 14 Trends
Let's first discuss the elephant in the room: LeSean McCoy vs. the Detroit Lions' rush defense. I get it, Detroit hasn't allowed 40 rushing yards to an opposing running back over their last four games, and they haven't given up a rushing touchdown since Week 4. But McCoy's cost on these daily sites dropped a tad due to the matchup, and our algorithms still think that he can be a top-5 back this week. As solid as the Lions have been, Shady and the Eagles offense has been just as good.
If you're not willing to play him, which is a reasonable thought, his cost will at least allow you to choose nearly any other running back.
Our lineups love Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan this week, which makes sense given their matchups. Ryan will face a Green Bay secondary that, when adjusted for strength of schedule, are a bottom-of-the-barrel team against the pass. Joe Flacco, despite playing average to below-average all season long, gets the Vikings defense. Minnesota has surrendered the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season, and rank only ahead of Atlanta in Adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points.
The wide receiver and tight end position was fairly consistent throughout, showing Andre Johnson, DeSean Jackson throughout. Johnson will face Jacksonville on Thursday Night Football, a squad that just let Josh Gordon do whatever he wanted against them. D-Jax has slowed his pace over his last two games, but will face a Detroit secondary that's allowed the third-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. Jackson could be in for a huge game.
Keep in mind that players like Chris Ogbonnaya and Andrew Hawkins are in a couple of these lineups simply because they allow you to use studs elsewhere. Their cheap costs are nice in order to get an additional top-tier player in your lineup.
Remember, if you're entering a daily game on Thursday, you may want to shy away from choosing injury risks. Use our projections to help sort that out, or ask in the questions area of the site. And, as always, check back Sunday for updated rosters.