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FanDuel NFL: Picks and Pivots for Week 6 Monday -Thursday

By Brian Tulloch

Sep 25, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson celebrates his touchdown with Randall Cobb and Lane Taylor in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers/The Post-Crescent via USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson celebrates his touchdown with Randall Cobb and Lane Taylor in the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Dan Powers/The Post-Crescent via USA TODAY Sports /
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FanDuel NFL: Picks and Pivots for Week 6 (Monday Night – Thursday Night)

Welcome to the NFL edition of Picks and Pivots, a fantasy football column focused on helping you find the best FanDuel NFL lineup! The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

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In Week 3, FanDuel has changed the game for us as we can no longer get exposure to the Monday night game through the Main Sunday slate but that does not mean we cannot play this game.

Fellow Fantasy CPR Expert, Matt Rogers introduced me to this Monday Night- Thursday Night two game slate last week and it is quickly becoming a favorite play for me.

Typically playing the Monday/Thursday night games became more of a strategic decision in how to weight ownership as the nationally televised games tended to be more heavily owned. As a result these became strategic fades for me most times, but by isolating these two games into one slate we get to enjoy these games and get some added fantasy football time!

So let’s get started on this two game slate and dig into the top FanDuel NFL plays from the Jets-Cardinals and Bears-Packers.

Aaron Rodgers ($8,800) On a short slate, locking in the clear top quarterback sets you up to stay above the cash line and with questionable options for the other three teams, I am locking in the Packers star in cash game formats. Rodgers is averaging 21.6 FanDuel points per game and he has not dipped below 17.9 points which allows you to build a relatively safe floor while capturing the highest upside arm on the slate.

If you are looking to pivot in tournaments, dropping down to Brian Hoyer ($7,000) allows you to roll the dice on a player with a far more tenuous floor but similar upside. Over the last three weeks as the starter, Hoyer has put up 62.44 FanDuel points which is on par with the 62.68 FanDuel points Rodgers has put up in the same time frame.

The best way to attack the Packers is through the air as they are 24th in the league against the pass so there is merit to fading Rodgers and pivoting to Hoyer in tournaments and using the salary savings to pay up at WR/RB.

Matt Forte ($6,800) The question at running back will be whether you should pay over $9k for David Johnson against the Jets. Honestly, for a player who needed until Week 5 to get over 100 yards and is now facing the 2nd rated rushing defense, this feels like a spot to fade and spend down at running back.

The Jets offense has been a hot mess the last few weeks as they have abandoned the running game and allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to throw an interception party. In the first two weeks they focused on feeding Matt Forte the ball, as he rushed for 196 yards over 52 carries and was targeted 10 times in the passing game. The best way to attack the Arizona defense is through the ground game and if the Jets make a focused effort on the running game, Forte could easily exceed value at this price point.

Jordan Howard ($7,700) Although the match up with the Packers rushing defense is tough, Howard has proven he has an elite skill set, racking up back to back 100+ yard rushing games since taking over as the Bears starter.

Howard is averaging an absurd 4.8 yards per carry and the Bears offense has centered around not only feeding him the ball as a running back but also getting him involved in the passing attack. In the last two weeks Howard has 6 catches for 60 yards and a touchdown which has allowed him to average 19.25 FanDuel points per week as the starting running back in Chicago.

Jordy Nelson ($8,300) & Randall Cobb ($7,000) If you are rolling with A-Aron as your quarterback, than stacking him with his two prolific wide receivers will allow you to maximize your points in the game I intend to target the most.

Nelson is averaging 10 targets per game and has not had a single game with single digit fantasy points this season. That kind of consistent production makes him a great foundation play to build your lineups around and you can choose to pivot in other spots.

Cobb is certainly more of a wild card due to his performance and health concerns. Cobb finally busted out last week with 9 catches on 11 targets for 108 yards receiving but also left with an injury. It appears Cobb will be back on the field Sunday and there are rumors the Packers may look to use Cobb as a running back as well. This is a great spot to stack the Packers offense as they have the most upside and with Eddie Lacy nursing an injury, this could be a spot where the Packers come out in a pass heavy attack!

John Brown ($6,600) Brown is coming off a rough game last week without Carson Palmer but with his QB back for this Monday night showdown, I am looking for Brown to go back to his high level of production. In the two weeks prior with Palmer at the helm, Brown racked up 16 catches for 214 yards over a whopping 27 targets. The best way to beat the Jets (besides intercepting Fitzpatrick 14 times…yes I am a bitter Jets fan), is through the air and Brown is a great value play with GPP winning upside.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($4,800) Tight end is gross on this slate frankly, but I am intrigued by what ASJ  may bring to the Jets passing game. Under Chan Gailey, the Jets have not utilized a tight end at all in the passing game but bringing in a talent like ASJ may allow them to ease some of the burden that losing Eric Decker put on the rest of the offense. With Patrick Peterson blanketing Brandon Marshall, I expect the Jets passing attack to be centered around quick passes involving the tight end and the running backs in order to counter balance the Cardinals pass rush. With no slam dunk plays on the slate, I will take the best pure talent and hope this is the week the Jets utilize a tight end as something more than another offensive lineman!

Next: Fantasy Football Rankings

Best of luck in Week 6 and enjoy the start of Week 7 in the NFL!