Week 12 FanDuel Tournament Pivots

Running Back

Chalk:

Jay Ajayi draws this week's dream matchup against the San Francisco 49ers and could very well be the most popular back on the slate. If he suits up, LeSean McCoy should also be a very popular top-end option. If he's unable to go, look for replacement Mike Gillislee to gain some traction as a popular punt play. If healthy, Thomas Rawls should have the entire backfield to himself against a weak Tampa Bay Buccaneers run defense. Priced just below him, Rashad Jennings is coming off of back to back solid games and game script lines up beautifully for him against the Cleveland Browns.

Pivot:

Melvin Gordon, $8,200 (at Houston Texans): Melvin Gordon is priced in between Ajayi and McCoy and may go overlooked as people continue to overestimate the Houston Texans run defense. Houston has allowed the eighth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing backs this season, along with a middle-of-the-pack 4.1 yards per attempt allowed.

Gordon has played the role of a true workhorse for San Diego over their past five games, averaging an absurd 29.4 touches and 153 scrimmage yards during that stretch. He has been uniquely involved in the passing game as well, averaging 5.6 targets and reaching 7 targets in three of those five games. Coming off of their bye week, Gordon should be fresh and ready to see nearly 30 touches again in a game that should feature a lot of plays against a Houston team that pushes the tempo (top-10 in both pace and plays per game).

Given his league-leading usage in the red zone (first in carries from inside the 20, 10, and 5-yard line and the only back to account for 100 percent of his team's carries from inside the five), Gordon seems like a good bet to find the end zone in this one after only scoring once in the past three games. His path to success isn't quite as clear as that of Ajayi against the Niners, but his ownership won't be nearly as high, either. If looking to pivot off of the chalk and take a chance on variance, you want to do so with high-upside, touchdown-dependent players like Gordon.

LeGarrette Blount, $6,800 (at New York Jets): Speaking of high-upside, touchdown-dependent-players, let's talk LeGarrette Blount. Blount was all the rage last week and "disappointed" when he rushed for 124 yards (6.5 yards per attempt) and didn't find the end zone. After letting down the fantasy community as a whole, it seems unlikely he'll be a popular option against a tough New York Jets run defense, especially with Rawls and Jennings priced near him.

However, the Jets' defense has proven to not be quite so invincible over recent weeks, allowing 20.5 FanDuel points to Ajayi in Week 10, 27.9 combined to Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson in Week 9, and 33.3 to David Johnson in Week 7. Given New England's 28-point implied team total and the fact that they are listed as eight-point favorites, it's feasible that this could be a "Blount Week" in which they get up early and pound the rock as they run down the clock. Blount should have plenty of scoring opportunities given New England's slate-leading implied team total, and could very well end up crushing his salary at low ownership.