This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Before jumping in headfirst into the whirlwind of fun that is Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football, be sure to differentiate from the variety of games offered. Since Head-to-Heads, 50/50s and Double Ups pay nearly half of entrants, your best bet to cashing is to target players with higher floors. Think heavily targeted No. 1 WRs, RBs who get the bulk of a team's carries and upper-echelon QBs in matchups with a tight Vegas point spread and a high total.
Tournaments/Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) require a bit more of your inner contrarian -- target offensive players with higher ceilings in advantageous matchups. Huge point totals can come from the most unpredictable of places -- the most obvious plays are not always the right ones. Although previous week's performances should be noted, each new week of action should be considered its own season. Don't chase last week's stats.
TOURNAMENTS (GPP - GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
Quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick (NYJ, $31)
If we're being honest, there are a plethora of viable quarterback options that have plus matchups this week. Fitzpatrick may be the cheapest of that group as there are 15 signal callers with equal or greater price tags. Fitzpatrick has been surprisingly solid all season, throwing two touchdowns or more in all but three contests and has six in his last two games while averaging 333.5 yards. The Titans defense, meanwhile, has played a bit of a bend but don't break style, allowing a modest 233 yards a game. The problem is they are breaking, giving up 25 touchdown passes, the third highest total in the league. Eight of those scores have come in the last two weeks, seemingly giving Fitzpatrick a higher floor than many want to recognize.
Running Back
David Johnson (AZ, $22)
Johnson could be a popular pick given his pricetag and last week's workload. Coach Bruce Arians has hinted that Johnson will see a solid 25 or so touches Thursday against the Vikings, but this pick is just as much about the Vikings defense as it is Johnson's opportunity. Minnesota's defense is simply a shambles. Tackle Linval Joseph and linebacker Anthony Barr are out, giving Johnson plenty of space at the line, and the Vikings secondary is equally as banged up, possibly missing three safeties. Thursday night games have seen some pretty bad football, but the Cardinals have a matchup worth exploiting both in their run and passing games. Johnson's price makes him a solid choice.
Wide Receiver
Golden Tate (DET, $19)
Tate is far from a sexy option, as he's scored only twice all season, is averaging 9.2 yards per catch and has topped 75 yards only once this year. So why roll the dice? Tate has seen his volume increase the last three weeks, catching seven or eight passes in each game on 29 total targets. Those catches help keep his bust potential low, and at some point, you have to figure he's due for a big play. The Rams have been decent against the pass but have allowed five touchdowns in the last two weeks while two Cardinals topped 100 yards last Sunday.
Other Against-the-Grainers:
QB: Johnny Manziel (CLE, $22)
RB: James White (NE, $10), Ronnie Hillman (DEN, $17), Shaun Draughn (SF, $19),
WR: Brandon Marshall (NYJ, $29), Jeremy Maclin (KC, $22), Randall Cobb (GB, $20)
TE: Zach Miller (CH, $10)
DEF: Green Bay Packers ($11)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger (PIT, $34)
Roethlisberger has four consecutive 300-yard games, totaling 10 touchdowns in that span. It all started after a matchup with the Bengals in Week 8 when Roethlisberger threw three interceptions in his first game back from injury. We're willing to chalk that game up to a little rust even for the veteran, and expect Sunday's contest to be much higher scoring than the team's earlier 16-10 meeting. Nine quarterbacks are more expensive than Roethlisberger, which gives your roster a little bit of flexibility while still providing plenty of potential.
Running Back
Doug Martin (TB, $32)
Martin enters the week as the league's second-leading rusher, trailing only Adrian Peterson ($36), but checks in as the fourth-most expensive back. Martin has at least 25 carries in two of his last three and faces the league's worst rushing defense in the Saints, who allow 137.8 yards per game. The only minor concern is the Saints equally woeful pass defense, which could lead to a busy early game from Jameis Winston ($35), and fewer carries for Martin.
Jonathan Stewart (CAR, $26)
Stewart has become a near weekly play, as his price doesn't seem to alter much due to his low ceiling. But there's plenty to be said for plugging in a running back who's guaranteed 20 carries a game. The Falcons have given up 4.69 yards per carry in their last two games and have allowed 15 rushing touchdowns on the year, the second-highest total in the league. Stewart has the opportunity to do more this Sunday with his 20 carries than in other weeks.
Wide Receiver
Allen Robinson (JAX, $31)
The Colts were the last team to hold Robinson to less than 100 yards or without a touchdown back in Week 4, so a bit of revenge could be on Robinson's mind. Robinson has at least seven targets in every game this season and is likely to fare better against a defense that is allowing 280 yards passing and 24 touchdowns.
Doug Baldwin (SEA, $25)
Baldwin has been white hot lately, scoring five times in his last two games and going for at least 94 yards in three of his last four. I'm willing to overlook the Ravens' shutdown of Ryan Tannehill last week and expect to see a defense that allowed the likes of Josh McCown and Austin Davis to throw for 275 yards. The Seahawks have scored at least 29 points in four straight, and Baldwin should snag his piece of the pie Sunday.
John Brown (ARZ, $20)
Despite inconsistent looks, Brown has been a reliable option, posting at least 12.3 fantasy points in eight of his last nine games. He's gone for 212 total yards in his last two games and gets a reeling Vikings defense that is missing important pieces at all levels. In addition to missing parts among the front seven, safety Antone Exum landed on IR on Tuesday, Harrison Smith will not play and Andrew Sendejo and Robert Blanton are no locks to suit up. It's led the Vikings to use Terence Newman at safety on occasion, depleting their cover skills, while also moving undrafted rookie Anthony Harris up from the practice squad and signing free-agent Shaun Prater. The Cardinals, the league's top offense, should be able to pick their poison on Thursday.
Tight End
Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB, $12)
Let's face it, the Saints' defense can't do much of anything. The Saints are terrible at defending both the pass and the run, and part of that comes from an inability to defend opposing tight ends. The Saints have given up a league-high 35 passing touchdowns, 10 of which have gone to tight ends, including six in the last five weeks. Seferian-Jenkins may be worth the gamble in GPP contests too given his low price. He could be overlooked given that he just returned from injury, but saw six targets in last week's outing.
Defense/Special Teams
Detroit Lions ($10)
If it's not broken ... The Rams have scored 10 total points in their last two games and are averaging 10.8 points during their five-game losing streak. The Lions, meanwhile, had held three straight opponents to less than 20 points before last Thursday's hail mary and rank seventh in the league in sacks with 33. The only downside to the Lions is an apparent lack of big upside, as they have only five interceptions all season, making them the perfect cash-game target.
Honorable Mentions:
QB: Cam Newton (CAR, $35), Russell Wilson (SEA, $36)
RB: LeSean McCoy (BUF, $33), Thomas Rawls ($26)
WR: Antonio Brown ($34), Michael Floyd (ARZ, $20),
TE: Scott Chandler (NE, $14), Julius Thomas (JAX, $16)
DEF: New England Patriots ($13)
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