NFL DFS: GPP strategy for FanDuel and Draftkings

NFL DFS: Players Types to Target

So what does make a player someone who you should consider for GPPs and but is perhaps not “safe enough for cash games?” Well, let’s work backward here and start with what usually makes a player appealing for cash. We usually target workhorse running backs and receivers with high target shares because we know they are likely guaranteed a large number of touches.

However, in GPPs, we have to think a little differently. Those chalkier cash game plays are certainly still viable in GPPs, but they also come with high ownership and are also being identified by opposing defenses as the players that they must stop each week if they want to beat that team. One of my favorite things to do is to target highly owned players teammates. If an offense is expected to perform well against their opponent, then why not roster some of the lower-owned pieces of that offense with the hope that these secondary options end up having big games.

A classic example of this last year was targeting Calvin Ridley for Atlanta instead of Julio Jones when the Falcons had a matchup with a poor passing defense. Ridley is the type of player who I want to target in GPPs for a few reasons. He was a pivot off the higher owned Julio, who has a much safer floor, and he had a number of long receptions that went for touchdowns. I want playmakers who have the ability to catch a deep ball or take a screen pass to the house in my GPP lineups.

John Brown is another guy who is always an excellent GPP play. He is a deep threat in the vertical passing game and if he catches a 50+ yard touchdown pass he’s going to pay off his salary easily. As far as running backs are concerned, we can usually look to pass-catching backs or “third-down backs” as pivots off the primary ball carriers on each team. If their team ends up in a pass-heavy game script, these guys can end up having big games while the team’s primary ball carrier ends up losing touches.

At the end of the day it can be hard to click on a player’s name if they don’t have a defined role in their team’s running or passing game, but these low-floor, high ceiling type players are the kind of players who can win you GPPs when they have big games.