4 FanDuel NFL Studs to Target in Week 15

Spending your available salary in any DFS lineup on a stud can make or break your lineup. These high-salaried players will take up the majority of your budget, so it’s critical to carefully consider which ones you’ll want for each slate. Whether it’s trying to capture a safe floor in a cash game or chasing a huge game to help you win a tournament, nailing the expensive players is one of the keys to making winning NFL lineups on FanDuel.

(UPDATE: Since the publication of this piece, Sunday's games between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Football Team have been postponed. Those players will no longer be included on the main slate.)

We've got four games left for each team in the NFL and no more bye weeks. Let's see which studs make the most sense in Week 15

Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

FanDuel Salary: $8,800
Projected Points 23.7

For the second season in a row, an injury to Kyler Murray has ruined a hot start to the season. He started off with two games above 34 FanDuel points and looked like he could be a dominant fantasy quarterback all season. He slowed down a bit and then missed a few games due to injury, but he's back as one of the best fantasy options at quarterback.

Murray has had two games back under center for the Arizona Cardinals since the injury. He torched the Chicago Bears for 30.8 FanDuel points in his first game and then was able to get 19.0 points without a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams. The encouraging part is that he's back to running again, averaging 60 rushing yards in those two games and adding two rushing touchdowns. He's still the QB4 by points per game and is still a premium option at the position.

The Cardinals are on the road this week, but it's against the Detroit Lions. The Lions have struggled on the field in most areas, and pass defense might be the worst aspect of their team. They are 31st in schedule-adjusted pass defense, according to numberFire's metrics. They are also 30th in adjusted fantasy points allowed per drop back this season.

The loss of DeAndre Hopkins is a knock against Kyler, but it doesn't put him out of play. Hopkins hadn't seen the same kind of volume he was seeing last season, and the Cardinals have other weapons they can use. A rejuvenated A.J. Green has been a surprisingly effective player, and the acquisition of Zach Ertz has helped, as well. We also could see Murray run more to make up for the loss of Hopkins.

Murray has the highest salary at the position this week, which will likely make him less popular than quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and a few others. He has the upside to beat them all in this matchup, making for a fun tournament play.

Arizona currently has the highest implied team total on the slate by 2.5 points, which is another feather in the cap of those of us who want to roster Kyler this week.

Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

FanDuel Salary: $8,800
Projected Points: 15.9

This week lacks a lot of the typical stud running backs that we like to roster. We can look to Najee Harris to fill that void, though, as he is coming off his best game of the season. The rookie has provided what fantasy drafters had hoped for when taking a stab on him early in seasonal drafts, and he could continue it this week.

The case behind drafting Harris in fantasy was the expectation for volume. That has gone even better than most expected, as he leads the entire league in adjusted opportunities, which is carries plus 2x targets. He has seen at least 3 targets in every game this season and even got up to a massive 19 in Week 3. He also has seen at least 20 carries in seven of his last nine games, as he is relied on in most game scripts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Tennessee Titans in Week 15. It's not an easy matchup, as the Titans have been fairly good against running backs this season, but Harris still has a few things going in his favor.

Last week, the Steelers were down huge to the Minnesota Vikings, and yet Harris was still involved a lot and ended up with his biggest fantasy game this season. While the Titans are seventh in adjusted fantasy points allowed per carry to backs, they are 16th in adjusted fantasy points allowed per target to the position. If Harris can get involved in the passing game, that would be a more efficient way to get the ball in his hands.

With solid options in the $6,000-$7,000 salary range, roster construction may not make Harris too popular this week. He is projecting for the most points at the position, so he's a decent way to make a contrarian lineup build this week.

Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

FanDuel Salary: $8,500
Projected Points: 18.2

This season, it's been tough to decide between Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams when they are both on the main slate. We are going to take the $500 discount with Adams this week, even though both are standout plays.

Adams hasn't quite been as dominant as he was last season, but he hasn't been a disappointment by any means. The Green Bay Packers' offense took a bit of a hit earlier in the season when Adams missed a game and then Aaron Rodgers missed the next game, but they've gotten back on track of late. In the last three games, Adams has seen 30 targets and caught 25 of them for 340 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The volume he sees is what makes Adams elite. He sees a nearly 30% target share and a whopping 37% of his team's air yards. He's also seen 24 red zone targets, which is tied for the fourth-most in the league.

The Packers are on the road against the Baltimore Ravens this week. These aren't the same Ravens with a great defense that we are used to seeing. They rank 23rd in schedule-adjusted pass defense this season. They also are 13th in adjusted fantasy points per target allowed to receivers. That isn't too bad, but it is a point in Adams' favor over Kupp, who will face a Seattle Seahawks defense ranked a stellar third in the same metric.

The Ravens also lost solid cornerback Marlon Humphrey for the rest of the season, which is bad news for a team facing Adams.

Adams is projected for 0.3 points less than Kupp but comes at a better value with the salaries considered. While either is a good play, Adams has a slight nod in his direction this week.

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $7,800
Projected Points: 13.5

These past two weeks have been what we've dreamed about for George Kittle. He's one of the most efficient tight ends in football but doesn't always see the volume. When he does see it, he is capable of erupting like he has done in the last two games.

Kittle backed up a 35.1 FanDuel point outing with a 27.6 point game. He saw 15 targets, which was a season-high. Now with 28 targets in his past two games, the San Francisco 49ers seem to be prioritizing him in the passing game over any wide receivers, and he is giving them no reason to stop doing that. These performances are the stuff tournament players love at tight end because a lot of managers use tight end as a spot to save salary and will ignore someone with a high salary like Kittle.

The 49ers will face the Atlanta Falcons at home on Sunday. The matchup is great for Kittle, as Atlanta is 28th in adjusted fantasy points per target allowed to the tight end position. If San Francisco continues to feed him targets, this could be another eruption spot.

San Francisco's implied team total is the second-highest on the slate, at 27.5 points. They should be able to impose their will on a Falcons team that they are better than, and hopefully, they continue to utilize the mismatch that Kittle presents.

Kittle is projected for 13.5 points, nearly three more than any other tight end on the slate. With some value plays at other positions, you should be able to get him in lineups, and he could break the slate again this week.

Kittle did miss practice on Wednesday, but it sounds like it was just soreness and he should be available this week.

Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.