4 NFL FanDuel Value Plays to Target in Week 10

Studs with sizable salaries are frequently an integral part of winning money in daily fantasy football on FanDuel. However, to fit them under the salary cap, it's imperative to locate low-salary players who deliver.

A good place to start when attempting to unearth undervalued players is our projections, where you can sort players by their point-per-dollar value. In addition to matchups impacting projections, injuries do, as well. Players replacing injured starters are often among the top values, so staying abreast of injury news and inactives is a must.

With the tone set for this piece, let's move on. The following four players are among my favorite value options in Week 10.

Carson Wentz, QB, Colts ($7,500)

Admittedly, it's tough to go away from the high-upside options at the top of the quarterback player pool, but there are some high-end running backs in smash spots, too, so one place to save a little salary is with your signal-caller.

Carson Wentz has a delightful home matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Indy is a 10.5-point favorite and holds a 29.00-point implied total, the fourth-highest on the slate.

Wentz has played pretty well in his first year with the Colts, and he's taken advantage of good matchups like this one, scoring 24.18 FanDuel points versus the New York Jets last time out. He's posted at least 20.0 FanDuel points in four of his last five games, tossing 12 touchdowns in that five-game span.

The Jags are surrendering the 12th-most FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks (19.8), and we project Wentz for 19.4 points,

D'Ernest Johnson, RB, Browns ($5,400)

D'Ernest Johnson is going to be the slate's chalk value play.

With the Cleveland Browns' running backs depleted by COVID, Johnson is the last man standing in the backfield and should be in line for a lot of volume.

Johnson served as a lead back once this year and detonated on the Denver Broncos to the tune of 22 carries for 146 yards and a score in addition to 2 catches for 22 yards -- good for 23.8 FanDuel points.

The matchup with the New England Patriots isn't an easy one, but it's not a stay-away spot, either, as the Pats are giving up 21.1 FanDuel points per game to running backs, which is a middle-of-the-road clip. Plus, volume can trump matchup at running back.

Our model forecasts Johnson for 14.8 FanDuel points and ranks him as the best point-per-dollar play at running back.

Russell Gage, WR, Falcons ($6,000)

Russell Gage is a low-salary way to get exposure to what should be a shootout between the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys. The game features a slate-leading 54.5-point total and is going to be a go-to spot on Sunday.

Gage won't be one of the chalky plays from the game, and he checks a few boxes.

Calvin Ridley has missed three games this year, and Gage has played in two of those games, logging snap rates of 68% and 81% in them while accounting for a 13% target share and 14% air yards share. Gage hauled in 7 of 8 targets last week for 64 yards.

Dallas is permitting the eighth-most FanDuel points per game to receivers (32.8), and on a slate where I want to save some salary at wideout so I can spend big at running back, Gage is a player I'll have on my radar. You can say the same for his teammate, Tajae Sharpe ($5,200).

Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers ($5,100)

Pat Freiermuth is emerging, and there are a lot of signs pointing to him being a good play Sunday.

The matchup is there as the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Detroit Lions in a game in which Pittsburgh has a solid 25.50-point implied total.

Freiermuth has become a key cog sans Eric Ebron in the last two weeks. He's played 78% and 71% of the snaps in that stretch, which are his two highest single-game snap rates of the campaign, and he's accounted for a 19% target share. He's turned that volume into production, catching 9 of 13 targets for 87 yards and 3 tuds.

This week, Chase Claypool is out, so that opens up even more volume for the rookie tight end, and the salary is very handy.

We project Freiermuth for 8.3 FanDuel points and rate him as the third-best point-per-dollar option at tight end.