The best FanDuel rosters a week ago had a nice mix at running back. They had DeMarco Murray, with a $9,000 price tag, paired with Dan Herron, at $5,400.
Fantasy football advice, Divisional round: FanDuel running backs
The running back field this week is four huge names, and then the rest.Click here to get a 100% deposit bonus on FanDuel
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This week, I'm pretty intrigued to see how the mix shakes out. There are four running backs priced in the $8,000s, none in the $7,000s and three in the $6,000s, with the rest all below. I feel like the best rosters basically have to have at least one of that top tier, and one of my lineups this week has two. But unless you save a lot somewhere else, you'll have to dive deep. Maybe Herron again, maybe Jonathan Stewart at Seattle, maybe some guy who is actually a backup.
I feel, though, like there’s such a gap -- both in talent and in situation -- between the top four running backs and the unwashed masses at the position that, this weekend, you’ll be best served trying to target two guys from that top group. And I’ve ranked them accordingly.
As a reminder, each week I’m ranking the players at each position, taking their respective FanDuel salaries into account. Because in this sort of game, salary matters almost as much as production -- you’ll take one fewer fantasy point if a guy goes for $2,000 fewer dollars, because you can use that money elsewhere.
First, the players. Then, the reasons:
Running backs
| Rank | Player | Team | Opponent | Salary |
| 1 | Eddie Lacy | GB | DAL | $8,400 |
| 2 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | IND | $8,700 |
| 3 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | CAR | $8,900 |
| 4 | DeMarco Murray | DAL | @GB | $8,900 |
| 5 | Shane Vereen | NE | BAL | $5,200 |
| 6 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | @SEA | $6,500 |
| 7 | Dan Herron | IND | @DEN | $6,100 |
| 8 | Ronnie Hillman | DEN | IND | $5,700 |
| 9 | James Starks | GB | DAL | $4,500 |
| 10 | Lance Dunbar | DAL | @GB | $4,500 |
| 11 | DeAngelo Williams | CAR | @SEA | $4,700 |
| 12 | Bernard Pierce | BAL | @NE | $4,800 |
| 13 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | BAL | $5,700 |
| 14 | Kyle Juszczyk | BAL | @NE | $4,600 |
| 15 | Justin Forsett | BAL | @NE | $6,800 |
| 16 | Zurlon Tipton | IND | @DEN | $4,900 |
| 17 | Joseph Randle | DAL | @GB | $4,600 |
| 18 | Jonas Gray | NE | BAL | $5,300 |
| 19 | Fitzgerald Toussaint | BAL | @NE | $4,500 |
| 20 | John Kuhn | GB | DAL | $4,500 |
| 21 | Robert Turbin | SEA | CAR | $4,500 |
| 22 | Juwan Thompson | DEN | IND | $4,700 |
| 23 | Fozzy Whittaker | CAR | @SEA | $4,800 |
| 24 | Brandon Bolden | NE | BAL | $4,500 |
| 25 | Christine Michael | SEA | CAR | $4,500 |
| 26 | Mike Tolbert | CAR | @SEA | $4,700 |
| 27 | Trent Richardson | IND | @DEN | $4,500 |
- With Aaron Rodgers banged up to some extent or another, I expect Lacy to get heavy play against the Cowboys. As the cheapest member of his tier, he makes a lot of sense.
- Anderson is cheaper than the top two at the position, and Lynch goes against a Carolina defense without Star Lotulelei. So I like Murray, but for me he's definitely the worst option of the top group.
- I explained why I like Vereen in Friday's piece, but I'll go again here. The Ravens have an elite run defense, and a defensive line that caused a lot of problems for Pittsburgh last week. To me, that means bad things for Blount, Gray and the like, but great things for Vereen, who should be the beneficiary of Tom Brady's dump-off passes when he's pressured. And he's cheap.
- I am done with Forsett. He's had three awful games in his last four, with the one good one coming against a Cleveland team that was falling apart at the seams. Take out Week 17, and Forsett has 42 carries for 107 yards and a lost fumble in three games. If he was $4,800 or something? Sure, maybe I'd take a shot. But at $6,800, I wouldn't even touch him.
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