Stacking The Chargers Can Earn You Super Bowl Tickets

Here’s the drill to win Super Bowl tickets: Each week, FantasyDraft is having a free daily Fantasy contest for the weekend games. The winners of the tournament from Week 1 to Week 16 will face off in Week 17. The winner of that contest gets the tickets to the Super Bowl. It’s as simple as that.

You know how DFS works, so I’m not going to bore you with that. Let’s get into what makes Fantasy Draft unique:

• There’s a $100,000 budget
• Two flex spots
• No kicker spot
• PPR scoring

Let’s set that ideal lineup for you for Week 8

Quarterback

Top 3 choices

1. Philip Rivers ($11,800) – Even though Matt Ryan failed to take advantage of them last week as much as we would have liked him to do so, the Patriots’ defense is still a matchup that has to be exploited each week. Unlike Ryan, Rivers will get the job done in what should be a high-scoring affair.
2. Andy Dalton ($10,700) – Only the Patriots have given up more yards through the air per game than the Colts have. Dalton can be volatile, but this matchup – and his price – is a slam dunk. Dalton and A.J. Green should be the top stack of the week.
3. Kirk Cousins ($11,700) – He’s playing at an MVP pace, but his price isn’t reflecting it. Despite disappointments in the receiving corps, Cousins continues to produce week after week. This week, he gets Dallas, who have tied for the fifth-most touchdowns allowed through the air.

Sleeper: The great schedule continues for Tyrod Taylor ($10,400), who continues to have a safe floor of about 20 points.

Running Back

Top 4 choices

1. Melvin Gordon ($14,100) – Expect Gordon to bounce back this week, especially given the matchup. What helps Gordon is how involved he is as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
2. Christian McCaffrey ($11,200) – McCaffrey hasn’t been the runner between the tackles that we envisioned him being in his rookie year, but his pass-catching ability has more than made up for it. He’s fourth in the league in receptions. No, not by running backs, but overall.
3. Joe Mixon ($9,900) – Mixon’s only hurdles is usage and whether or not the Bengals will give him the ball in the second half this week. The matchup is ripe for the picking.
4. Theo Riddick ($8,000) – He’s been underwhelming this year, but if Golden Tate misses this weekend’s contest against the Steelers, Riddick should take a lot of the short, intermediate routes in the Lions’ offense.

Sleeper: It should be an even split for the Raiders’ backfield this week, but I trust Jalen Richard ($8,900) and his big-play abilities more.

Wide Receivers

Top 4 choices

1. Devin Funchess ($11,100) – Funchess and Kelvin Benjamin are practically a coin flip this week, so I’ll take the player that’s $200 less.
2. Alshon Jeffery ($12,000) – It’s been brutal matchup after brutal matchup for Jeffery this year. This week, he finally gets a week off, as he gets to feast on a bad San Francisco defense that has given up the sixth-most yards through the air this year.
3. Josh Doctson ($7,400) – It’s clear that the training wheels are being taken off of Doctson, who started over Terrelle Pryor last week. Enjoy the price while it’s there, folks.
4. Ted Ginn ($1o,200) – Willie Snead coming back doesn’t hurt Ginn. Ginn is the No. 2 receiver in a Drew Brees-led offense.

Sleeper: I’m expecting better things from Jordan Matthews ($8,300) this week, as the opportunity to be the top pass catcher for the Bills is there for him to grab.

Tight End

Top 3 choices

1. Hunter Henry ($8,000) – It’s been 20 targets over the past three weeks for Henry. For a tight end, you’ll take that. Notice the success that the Chargers have had once they’ve gotten Henry more involved in the offense?
2. Zach Ertz ($12,600) – It’s a chalk play, but he gives you the safety that no other tight end does.
3. George Kittle ($6,800) – He was only targeted twice last week, but he had 17 combined targets the two weeks prior.

Sleeper: Tyler Kroft ($5,600) is probably my favorite value play of the week. Again, the Bengals are going to put up major points against the Colts. Get yourself a piece of this offense.

Defense

Top 3 choices

1. Cincinnati ($6,400) – The Bengals offense is going to score, and the defense will, too. They are the top option this week.
2. Philadelphia ($7,200) – I’m not afraid of C.J. Beathard … are you?
3. New Orleans ($6,300) – The Saints aren’t a “good” defense, but they have big-play capability. I think the Bears will have to throw at least 10 times this week, right?

Sleeper: The Jets actually aren’t horrible, but I still like Atlanta at $5,600.

My lineup: