Week 10 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football

Welcome to the Game Scripts to Target article for the 2021 season. Each week, we'll be taking a look at specific games to target for daily fantasy tournaments. Stacking games has always been a popular option in GPPs, as it allows you to reach for upside with the back-and-forth scoring.

Dissecting game scripts should be a huge part of your process when building lineups in NFL daily fantasy.

How will the game play out? Will it be high-paced with lots of potential for fantasy points to be scored? Does it set up well for one team, both teams, or neither? A running back could go from a lock one week as a home favorite to a complete avoid the next as a double-digit road underdog because the expected game scripts in these contests are completely different.

Projecting these outcomes can be extremely difficult for one person. We can use the lines and totals to see what oddsmakers think and go from there. A great resource is numberFire's Daily Fantasy Matchup Heat Map, which provides betting-related numbers -- implied totals, over/unders, and spreads -- as well as custom metrics that show how the teams will match up against each other. This gives us a much better handle on how games are likely to play out, and we can take advantage of that in our lineups.

Let's look at some game scripts to target for this week.

Atlanta Falcons at Dallas Cowboys

A slate-high 55.0-point over/under is a great spot to target for a game stack.

The Dallas Cowboys are hosting the Atlanta Falcons in what could be the best DFS game of the slate. There are strong offensive options on both sides, and both defenses have shown to be shaky at times this year, giving upside to all players involved.

Both teams are in the top 13 of the league in the fastest average seconds per play overall, and both teams are in the top 10 for fastest average seconds per play while in situation-neutral game scripts. This is truly one of the best spots to attack this week, so let's jump in.

The Falcons are 9.0-point road underdogs, which should put them in a passing game script and opens up plenty of stacking options. The Falcons are averaging 80.4 rushing yards per game, which is the fourth-lowest in the league. Combine that with the fact the Cowboys are allowing the 10th-fewest (19.0) FanDuel points per game to running backs, we're not missing out on much. We want to focus on the Falcons' pass catchers.

Matt Ryan ($7,300) got off to a slow start this season but has turned that around recently with 18 or more FanDuel points in four of his last five games and 21-plus in three of those five. The Cowboys are allowing the sixth-most (21.0) FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks, putting Ryan in a great spot to continue his resurgence. I would expect Ryan to be the less popular of the two quarterbacks in this game.

Even with Calvin Ridley away from the team, there are several options to stack with Ryan or to use as the bring-back piece in Dallas stacks.

Cordarrelle Patterson ($7,800) continues to produce fantasy points on a weekly basis despite playing only 48.0% of the snaps and running a route on 42.1% of passing plays. His snap volume isn't massive, but the Falcons are focused on getting him the ball when he is on the field.

When we look at rookie tight end Kyle Pitts ($6,900), he is holding a 19.2% target market share overall this season, but that jumps up to a 22.5% target share in the weeks when Ridley did not play. That target share is strong for a tight end, and despite underperforming in the past two weeks, Pitts still garnered 13 targets in that time. Pitts could be in for a huge game since the Cowboys are allowing the 12th-most (11.5) FanDuel points per game to tight ends.

The Cowboys not only struggle against tight ends but also against wide receivers -- allowing the eighth-most (32.8) FanDuel points per game. This puts the Falcons' receivers in a great spot, but it also presents us with the main issue when stacking this game. Which Falcons' receiver do we want?

If we look at the weeks when Ridley did not play, Russell Gage ($6,000) had a 14.0% target share, which was the highest on the team outside of Patterson and Pitts. He played on 75.7% of the snaps and ran a route 79.0% of the time, indicating he has a solid role in the passing game.

Olamide Zaccheaus ($5,500) managed to catch two touchdowns last week on three targets, but he holds only a 7.8% target share in the passing game during the sample when Ridley has been out. I'd prefer to go with Tajae Sharpe ($5,200), who has an 11.8% target share, which is the second-highest among the wide receivers in the split sans Ridley.

The Falcons have several options for stacking, and if you are starting with a Ryan stack, the combo of Ryan/Patterson/Pitts offers plenty of exposure to their passing and rushing offense while not being a massive hit to your total salary.

For the Cowboys, while they looked average last week, Dak Prescott ($8,100) still managed to post 19.88 FanDuel points, a level he should almost certainly exceed this week. The Falcons surrender the fifth-most (21.2) FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks and have allowed them to throw for 17 touchdowns this season, the third-most.

The Cowboys have a few injury notes to monitor, Ezekiel Elliott ($8,000) saw only 13 total touches last week while playing on 52.6% of the snaps. He was dealing with a knee issue in that game and was limited in practice on Wednesday.

If Elliott ends up being out, it would present Tony Pollard ($6,500) as a great option in all formats. Pollard is already playing on 32.3% of the snaps, and with the Falcons allowing the eighth-most (24.2) FanDuel points per game to running backs, he is a plug-and-play option if Zeke sits.

Michael Gallup ($5,500) is expected to return from injured reserve after being out since Week 1. We need final confirmation that Gallup will in fact be activated or if he will be on any kind of snap count. Those are important notes -- not only for his role but for how it could impact CeeDee Lamb ($7,700) and Amari Cooper ($7,300).

The Cowboys play out of three-receiver or four-receiver sets 60% of the time, presenting plenty of playing time for whatever combination of receivers are out there.

Lamb (22.6%) and Cooper (20.5%) pace Dallas in target share, making them the clear top options. However, if you cannot jam in both of them and Gallup gets confirmed back, taking the savings with Gallup is a viable option. Last season, Gallup held a 17.9% target share and showed plenty of fantasy upside.

With all that said, this trio of receivers is in a great spot since the Falcons are allowing 30.0 FanDuel points per game to wide receivers, which is the 13th-most in the league. It really comes down to how much salary you have available for Dallas.

Dalton Schultz ($6,000) could also be considered as an option with his 16.8% target share, which has allowed him to pile up five or more targets in seven of eight games this season.

A stack starting with the Cowboys could be Prescott plus either Elliott (if he plays) or Pollard, plus one of Lamb or Cooper. It's also viable to lean fully on the passing attack with Prescott and then two of Lamb, Cooper or Gallup, which should give you enough salary to use Pitts as the bring-back option.

Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers

With a strong 53.0-point over/under, the Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers game has plenty of options to consider.

This is setting up to be one of the best games on the slate. Both teams are in the top six of the league for the fastest average time per play and in the top four in the fastest average time per play while trailing by seven points or more. This has led to both teams in the top 11 of the league for the most plays run per game.

The Vikings have an offense that is essentially centered around three players -- Dalvin Cook ($8,500), Justin Jefferson ($7,500), and Adam Thielen ($7,000).

When Cook is healthy, it's his backfield. In the two weeks since Cook returned, he has out-touched Alexander Mattison ($6,100) 38 to 9. The Chargers are allowing the fourth-most (25.3) FanDuel points per game to running backs, making this an amazing matchup. Play Cook. End of discussion.

Jefferson and Thielen combine to account for 46.2% of the Vikings' target share. The rest of the target share is divided among Tyler Conklin ($5,300) at 15.2%, K.J. Osborn ($5,300) at 13.8%, and Cook at 10.4%.

While Conklin is in a great spot with the Chargers allowing the fifth-most (13.7) FanDuel points per game to tight ends, he is a secondary option in the offense. I have an interest in rostering him in game stacks, but it comes down to how many lineups you are making. If you are making just a few lineups, stick with the Vikes' main options (Cook, Jefferson, and Thielen). If you are expanding the number of lineups you make, you can take some shots with Conklin and Osborn.

When it comes to Kirk Cousins ($7,600) this week, he figures to be a little off the radar, yet he is in a game with a 53.0-point over/under. He has multi-touchdown upside in most weeks and makes for an awesome tournament option.

As for the Chargers, they are very similar to the Vikings in terms of their offense being centered around a few players. This makes creating a game stack a bit easier since you can narrow down the player pool for each team.

Justin Herbert ($8,000) is expected to be a popular option overall. He's coming off a fantastic 31-FanDuel-point performance, which is the third time this season he has posted more than 30 FanDuel points. Herbert's upside comes from the fact he is averaging 39 passing attempts per game. That volume grants him immense upside, especially in a game with a 53.0-point total.

The Vikings are allowing the 11th-most (22.7) FanDuel points per game to running backs, putting Austin Ekeler ($8,600) in a great spot. He accounts for 61% of the team's rushing attempts and 65% of the red zone rushing attempts -- both of which are the highest on the team. He also has a 14.5% target share, which is the third-highest on the Chargers. He checks a lot of boxes.

At wideout we have Keenan Allen ($7,200) and Mike Williams ($6,900). Allen holds a team-high 26.5% target share, with Williams not far behind at a 21.3% target share.

Next up is Jared Cook ($5,200), the owner of a 13.5% target share as well as 8 red-zone targets this season, which is the third-most on the team. Cook is the same a Conklin -- he is a fine option considering the overall game environment but is not a priority in this offense.

Pairing Herbert with Ekeler and one of Allen or Williams should be a chalky combination for this game stack. Looking to add in Jefferson or Thielen is doable and leaves you with about $5,800 per player remaining for the rest of your lineup. Putting both running backs in a game stack is generally not the route most DFS players take, so using both Ekeler and Cook gives you a chance to be different in tournaments.