Week 7 NFL FanDuel Tournament Pivots

Running Back

Chalk:

With LeSean McCoy potentially out this week, DeMarco Murray figures to hog the ownership among the top running backs. Devonta Freeman should get a lot of attention with Atlanta projected for 30 points, while fill-in starters Jacquizz Rodgers and Mike Gillislee both appear likely to be chalky value plays.

Pivots:

Spencer Ware, $7,000 vs New Orleans Saints - With all the value opening up at running back, it appears likely that FanDuel players will go one of two ways. They'll either pair two cheap backs and spend up at the other positions, or they'll pair one cheap back with one elite back, such as Murray or Freeman. As a result, the backs in the mid-price range are likely to go overlooked this week.

Even with the "training wheels coming off" for Jamaal Charles last week, Spencer Ware once again dominated the work for the Kansas City Chiefs, out-snapping Charles 40 to 15. Ware also handled 65 percent of the running back touches, which resulted in a career-high 131 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Charles could certainly become more involved going forward, but as far as we can tell, Ware will continue to be a workhorse back this week in one of the best matchups available. Game script sets up very well for a big game from Ware, too, as the Chiefs are listed as six-point favorites and have the second-highest implied team total on the slate. The New Orleans Saints have given up a league-high 11 touchdowns to running backs in just five games, and it seems likely that Ware will have to be a big part of the Chiefs reaching their 28.25-point implied team total.

Matt Jones, $6,700 at Detroit Lions - Matt Jones is another mid-priced running back coming off of a huge game in a terrific matchup that is likely to go overlooked due to the uniqueness of roster construction this week. Often described as a sub-par talent heading into this season, Jones has done his best to convince people otherwise, ranking ninth among backs with at least 60 carries in yards per attempt (4.9), while ranking sixth among such backs in Success Rate. In his most recent game, Jones piled up 135 rushing yards and a score against what was considered a tough Philadelphia Eagles run defense.

This week, Jones will take on the Detroit Lions, who have the second-worst Adjusted Defensive Rushing NEP per play, allowing 4.7 (sixth-worst) yards per carry on the season. While the majority of the attention will be focused on Cap'n Kirk in this matchup (and for good reason), Jones also has big-time upside and can be had at much lower ownership.

Giovani Bernard, $6,300 vs Cleveland Browns - While the box score may not show it, Giovani Bernard clearly looked the part of the lead back in last week's game. Backfield mate Jeremy Hill didn't see a snap until deep into the first quarter, and he was out-snapped 45 to 21 on the day. Bernard also took the majority of the goal-line work from Hill, marking the second consecutive week he has handled the majority of the short-yardage work. He has handled 34 touches over the past two weeks as opposed to Hill's 18, which he has turned into 190 total yards.

This week, Bernard takes on the Cleveland Browns -- who have allowed the 11th-most FanDuel points per game to opposing running backs -- while also playing as 10-point favorites with the 3rd-highest implied team total on the slate. Similar to Jones, Bernard profiles as both a pivot off of the more popular running backs and a leverage play off of his quarterback, Andy Dalton, who figures to be one of the more popular quarterback plays on the slate.