Daily Fantasy Football: FanDuel, DraftKings Optimal Lineups for 2015 Wild Card

Fantasy football season is over, but that doesn't mean you can't still play the game while earning money.  Daily fantasy leagues from FanDuel and DraftKings provide the opportunity for jilted year-long fantasy owners to redeem themselves in the postseason or for league winners to continue adding to their spoils.

In the postseason, however, rarely are there extremely porous matchups that represent great value.  Owners won't get to exploit the Jacksonville Jaguars offense or the Atlanta Falcons defense any more.  Therefore, to gain a leg up over the competition, you're going to need to examine the minutiae relating to scheme and matchups in order to figure out where players might gain an edge.

Fortunately, this is your one-stop shop for advice on setting those daily league lineups.  Diving deeper into this four-game slate, let's take a look at the optimal lineups for each format on Wild Card Weekend.  

FanDuel

Position	Player	Salary
QB	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	$8,500
RB	Jeremy Hill, CIN	$7,400
RB	Jonathan Stewart, CAR	$6,500
WR	Antonio Brown, PIT	$9,200
WR	T.Y. Hilton, IND	$8,600
WR	Markus Wheaton, PIT	$4,900
TE	Owen Daniels, BAL	$5,000
DEF	Carolina DEF	$5,300
K	Mike Nugent, CIN	$4,600

This represents a more balanced lineup built around the Pittsburgh Steelers' star duo of Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown.  There's no more bankable connection in the league, as the two have combined for at least seven catches and 90 yards in all but two games this season.

Moreover, if likely All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell misses the game, the Steelers will be forced to rely upon Roethlisberger's arm more than ever before.  Bell avoided a long-term injury with a hyperextension, but on a short week, it seems doubtful that he'll suit up against the Baltimore Ravens:

"

'Doesn't look good' for Le'Veon Bell to play vs. Ravens http://t.co/j8ASBkcUGi #NFL

— Dr. Tim Kirk (@Khantimur) December 29, 2014"

That's just fine for the purposes of this lineup, as Bell missing the game would make Martavis Bryant an even more appealing sleeper option.  

Roethlisberger tossed six touchdowns the last time these two teams met, and since then, the Ravens' crumbling secondary has placed four more defensive backs on injured reserve.  Bryant's league-leading 21.1 yards per catch (min. 20 catches) makes him a highly appealing option in an offense that figures to air things out against a vulnerable secondary.

Saving some dollars on Bryant should allow you to utilize a balanced running back corps with Jeremy Hill and Jonathan Stewart.  

Hill and Stewart get to face a pair of crumbling run defenses in the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.  The Cards have allowed 5.6 yards per carry since Week 12, the highest mark in the league during that span, while the Colts rank a mediocre 19th against the run based on Football Outsiders' opponent-adjusted DVOA metric.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Another nice value play comes at tight end, where Owen Daniels represents an underrated scoring threat.  Though Torrey and Steve Smith get most of the attention in the Ravens' passing game, Daniels has proven just as prominent in the red zone this season.

Pittsburgh allowed 11 touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season, tied for the third-highest total in the league, making Daniels a very strong threat to reach the end zone once again.  Tight end is extremely scarce this week, as Greg Olsen is the best option, but his disproportionate price to the rest of the position makes him a poor value.  Still, the veteran Daniels represents a nice option to round out your lineup.

DraftKings 

Position	Player	Salary
QB	Andrew Luck, IND	$8,800
RB	DeMarco Murray, DAL	$8,800
RB	Joique Bell, DET	$5,500
WR	Kelvin Benjamin, CAR	$5,900
WR	Torrey Smith, BAL	$5,400
WR	Martavis Bryant, PIT	$4,100
TE	Jermaine Gresham, CIN	$3,700
FLEX	Dan "Boom" Herron, IND	$4,700
DEF	Colts DEF	$3,100

DraftKings presents a lower budget and requires a flex spot, which makes a stars-and-scrubs approach more conducive.  While there is inherently higher risk in this approach, you can minimize your variance by selecting the stars with the highest floors and the sleepers with the highest ceilings. 

Just as he was in the regular season, DeMarco Murray is the safest fantasy option in this postseason round.  Even a surgically repaired hand didn't stop Murray from racking up 158 yards and two touchdowns the last two weeks.  Now against a Detroit Lions defense without a suspended Ndamukong Suh, Murray is poised to exploit a defense missing the pillar that props it up:

Similarly, Kelvin Benjamin was the league's sixth-most targeted receiver, as Carolina quarterbacks looked the rookie's way an astounding 145 times this season.  Moreover, while Patrick Peterson carries an All-Pro reputation with him, he has been relatively mediocre this season, ranking 69th among cornerbacks in Pro Football Focus' coverage grades this season (subscription required). 

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

With both Murray and Benjamin likely to receive an abundance of looks, both are solid pillars to build your foundation around alongside Andrew Luck.  However, it's Luck's teammates, Boom Herron and the defense, that have the potential to put this lineup over the top.

The Cincinnati Bengals defense ranked 28th in run defense DVOA this season in part because it allowed 15 rushing touchdowns, third-most in the league.  Although Herron has not reached the end zone in his past four games, he has accrued a steady stream of yardage in that time while continuing to wrest away touches from the woeful Trent Richardson:

Indy's defense is not nearly as palatable an option based on its season-long track record, but it dominated the regular-season meeting against Cincy, as the Bengals accumulated a meager 135 total yards while conceding four sacks.  Considering Andy Dalton's scattershot accuracy, the Colts could also add a turnover or two to that ledger, something they actually failed to do the first time.