FanDuel: Running through the week’s good, bad matchups

Obviously, a player's matchup isn't everything. Nate Washington this weekend gets a game against the weak Dallas defense, while Calvin Johnson faces a stout Carolina one, yet we all know who the better play is.

You know all this stuff; I'm not breaking the mold. But when it comes to FanDuel, it's a little different. See, 90 percent of the time, your season-long roster is tiered, especially if your draft was snake. Yes, maybe Doug Martin falls down in esteem, or Rashad Jennings climbs, or DeMarco Murray gets hurt, but in general, you can guess your season-long lineup in Week 14 by Week 2, and no "he faces Washington" will change that; you won't change your roster based on that.

• Nick Foles ($8,300) didn't look great in Week 1 - at least not in the first half. But the Indianapolis defense looks like it could be pretty terrible, and Monday night's game promises a lot of points.
• We'll all run this into the ground, but Jake Locker ($7,400) has performed well as long as he's been healthy the last two years, and now he's going against that aforementioned Dallas defense. Good times.
• Odds are great that you aren't looking this deep, but if you break the bank elsewhere, Chad Henne ($6,000) against Washington could be a handy sleeper play.

• I guess I'll point out the quarterback facing Seattle each week, which might be redundant, but ... just don't use Philip Rivers ($8,100), okay?
• Jay Cutler ($8,100) didn't look great in Week 1, and with both Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery on the banged-up side, he's a clear stay-away.

• The Broncos are clear favorites over the Chiefs, which could lead to heavy usage for Montee Ball ($8,100) in a run-the-clock-out situation.
• Marshawn Lynch ran all over the Packers in Week 1; Chris Johnson ($7,000) could do a lot of the same Sunday.
• Not much thought here, but with Ben Tate out, Terrance West ($5,300) will get the majority of the carries for Cleveland. Even against the Saints, that's a nice place to grab savings.

• I'm still in on Eddie Lacy ($8,200) long-term, but he's coming off injury and facing a New York Jets' defense that has been tremendous against running backs. This isn't the right week for him.
• The Panthers' defense is stout, and could hold the Lions in check. Between that and competition from Joique Bell, Reggie Bush ($7,800) seems like a bad investment.

• With Adrian Peterson out and not much else among the team's running backs, it's definitely possible the Vikings give even more carries/touches to Cordarrelle Patterson ($7,100) against New England.
• The Lions have a poor pass defense, and Kelvin Benjamin ($6,600) is Carolina's only real weapon for deep plays. He could see heavy usage.
• If the Broncos do pull away from the Chiefs, and Dwayne Bowe isn't really back in the swing of things, Donnie Avery ($5,000) could be the option Alex Smith resorts to.

• The Titans were great against wide receivers a year ago; only the Seahawks allowed fewer fantasy points to the position. This might not be the week to use Dez Bryant ($8,200).
• Honestly, I think he'll be fine, and I'm using him in multiple regular leagues with no worries, but after last year's veritable no-show, Michael Crabtree ($6,500) might be the sort of guy you want to see it from before you invest.

• This will always be true - as long as Rob Gronkowski ($7,900) is healthy and active, he's a good weekly fantasy option.
• It might have been a one-week fluke, but Larry Donnell ($4,500) had a huge Week 1, and the Giants take on an Arizona team that has regularly struggled against the tight end. This could be a spot for savings.

• I'm giving him another week on the real fantasy rosters where I have him, but in weekly, there were enough bad signs out of Charles Clay ($5,300) that I want to look elsewhere.

• Many of us were a little down on the Cardinals' defense ($5,300) entering the season, but the unit looked good Monday, and takes on the turnover machine that is the New York Giants' offense this week.
• Even with Jadeveon Clowney sidelined, I'm very in on the Houston defense ($5,400) against Oakland this week.

• You know this by now, but the Chiefs' defense ($4,900) looked bad in Week 1, lost some key players to injury and takes on Denver. Yuck.