Studs with sizable salaries are frequently an integral part of winning money in daily fantasy football at FanDuel. However, to fit them under the salary cap, it's imperative to locate underpriced players who over-deliver.
A good place to start when attempting to unearth undervalued players is our projections tool. The tool offers a value option for sorting, showcasing who offers the most bang for your buck. In addition to matchups impacting projections, injuries do as well. On that note, players replacing injured starters are often among the top values. So, staying abreast of injury news and inactives until the start of games is a must with that in mind.
With the tone set for this piece, let's move on. The following quintet of players is among my favorite cap-friendly options in Week 18.
D'Onta Foreman, RB, Tennessee Titans ($6,900)
First, navigating Week 18 is akin to navigating a minefield. However, this playoff picture summary from Vinnie Iyer is a helpful tool that I'll use to make informed lineup decisions for FanDuel's main slate on Sunday. One team that has an incentive to play their starters from start to finish in a quest to sew up the top seed and a Wild Card bye is the Tennessee Titans. As a result, they're massive 10.5-point favorites against the Houston Texans.
So, the game script should be good for feeding D'Onta Foreman. Since Week 12, when the Titans led by six points or more, they have attempted 60 passes and 84 rushes. Moreover, Foreman's accounted for more than half of those rush attempts, running 43 times for 192 yards and a touchdown. During that same period, Foreman has rushed for over 100 yards three times, scoring a touchdown in the two games he fell short of that threshold.
I like his odds of rumbling against Houston's mid-pack rush defense, per our power rankings. Thus, he's a rock-solid option in all game types.
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills ($6,700)
The Buffalo Bills will win the AFC East if they defeat the New York Jets this week. So, they have something to play for. However, as 16.5-point favorites with the highest implied total (30.00) on FanDuel's main slate against a lowly opponent, they might not need to lean on all-world quarterback Josh Allen, namely as a runner. Instead, I expect them to lean heavily on their emerging feature back, Devin Singletary.
The third-year back has been checking every box lately. First, according to our snap counts, he has a 70.72% snap share in his last five games and a 76.89% snap share in his last three. Second, according to Pro Football Focus, since Week 13, Singletary has run 120 routes versus only 13 for Zack Moss. Third, he's surpassed 75 scrimmage yards in four straight games.
Therefore, he's playing like a bell-cow back and has a mouthwatering matchup on the docket. Gang Green is the fourth-worst rush defense in our power rankings. Additionally, according to Pro Football Reference, they allow the most FanDuel points per game to running backs by a head-turning margin of 3.8 points. As a result, Singletary projects well in the numberFire projection model, earning the seventh-highest value score -- a measure of points per one-thousand dollars of salary -- among running backs.
Laquon Treadwell, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars ($5,300)
I'll raise my hand as someone who is surprised by Laquon Treadwell resurrecting his career after five horrific seasons.
Since Week 12, Treadwell has been second on the team in routes (205), tied for first in targets (39), and led the way in receptions (28) and receiving yards (381). During that six-game stretch, Treadwell has caught at least four passes with at least 53 receiving yards in each game.
Treadwell should be busy and doesn't face the trickiest matchup. First, the Jags are 15.5-point underdogs and will almost certainly have to pass a ton to keep pace. Second, the Indianapolis Colts are the 11th-worst pass defense in our power rankings, yielding the 14th-most FanDuel points per game to wide receivers. Treadwell overcame a challenging matchup with the New England Patriots. So, I expect him to outproduce his modest salary this week as well.
Gerald Everett, TE, Seattle Seahawks ($4,900)
Simply, Gerald Everett's salary is too low in a probable up-tempo game as a meaningful member of the Seattle Seahawks' passing attack. According to Football Outsiders, Seattle plays at the 10th-fastest situation neutral pace, and they might be forced to play faster since the Arizona Cardinals play at the seventh-fastest situation neutral pace.
Unfortunately, Seattle's offense hasn't been consistent this year. Nonetheless, they scored a season-high 51 points against the Detroit Lions. Further, they have scored 30 or more points in three of their last five games.
Everett only had a minor hand in last week's offensive outburst, hauling in three of five targets for 36 scoreless yards. However, in the three previous games, Everett reached at least 60 receiving yards twice and scored a touchdown in two games, checking both boxes in Week 16. Since Week 14, among tight ends, Everett has been tied for 13th in receptions (13), 10th in receiving yards (179), and tied for fourth in touchdown receptions (2). Thus, he's a steal for gamers punting at the tight end position.
Detroit Lions, DEF, Detroit Lions ($3,200)
The Lions are the third-cheapest defense and would normally be a defense to avoid using against the Green Bay Packers. However, the Packers wrapped up the top seed in the NFC last week. As a result, Aaron Rodgers will probably only play a few series to attempt to avoid rust that could accompany a multi-week layoff from game action. Thus, Jordan Love will presumably play the majority of the game.
Love made a start in Week 9, leading the team to only 301 total yards and seven points against the Kansas City Chiefs. The second-year quarterback took a sack, fumbled, and threw an interception. Love did a better-than-average job getting the ball out quickly. However, according to Pro Football Focus, out of 59 quarterbacks with at least 30 dropbacks, Love has had the second-highest turnover-worthy-play percentage (7.4 percent), putting 4 of his 45 attempts in harm's way.
The Packers are only 2.5-point favorites with a yawn-inducing implied total of 22.75 points. The betting market doesn't have lofty expectations for Green Bay's offense this week, suffice to say. As a result, the Lions are a lock-button punt in cash games and a stellar GPP selection, too.
Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.