High-Cost Option: Arizona Cardinals $3,400
The Arizona Cardinals defense trails only Denver in fantasy points after bullying Bad Comedian Eli Manning" will show up. Against this ruthless front-seven of the Bills, my money is on the latter. Buffalo has forced the third-most turnovers this season (8) and faces Manning who has yet to throw an interception this season. Something's gotta give, and with Buffalo's playmakers getting to the quarterback at an above average rate (two sacks each game), they could force some pressure on the Giants offensive line, causing Manning to make bad decisions. The Bills have given up only 14 points a game to teams not named the Patriots.
Low-Cost Option: Green Bay Packers $2,700
Last week the Cardinals defense picked off Kaepernick four times, recorded two sacks, a safety, and two defensive touchdowns. Whew. Now the 49ers are set to face a Green Bay defense coming off a seven-sack performance. Green Bay is a terrific low-cost defense that looks underpriced at first glance. If the Packers can get out to an early lead and force the 49ers into a one-dimensional offensive attack, they could take advantage and create some turnovers with their playmakers.
GPP Wildcard: Cincinnati Bengals $2,800
Home against the Kansas City Chiefs this week, the Cincinnati Bengals make for an interesting mid-cost GPP option when targeting defenses. Stout against the run (fifth-best according to our metrics), they'll likely force Alex Smith to take the reigns of this offense in his hands. The Bengals have averaged 8.0 fantasy points per game this season, but could see that number spike after seeing an anemic Kansas City offensive line allow seven sacks last week. Likely a low-owned option, the Bengals defense could hit value this week against the Chiefs.