Daily Fantasy Football: Best FanDuel, DraftKings 2015 Divisional Lineup Advice

Following a limited Wild Card Weekend, NFL's top stars come out to play for the divisional round, expanding the choices for daily fantasy football gamers.

Last week, everyone essentially had seven teams to choose from. Losing a bet or accepting a dare were the only justifiable reasons for touching the Arizona Cardinals offense last Saturday.

After feasting on the wounded birds during the first round, the Carolina Panthers now become the team to avoid, although not as direly. Still, why bother with other elite offenses taking the field?

Several players deserve a look on FanDuel and DraftKings, but some divergent price tags beget some alterations on each side.

FanDuel

Position	Player	Opponent	Price
QB	Russell Wilson	vs. CAR	$8,200
RB	C.J. Anderson	vs. IND	$8,700
RB	Daniel Herron	at DEN	$6,100
WR	Jordy Nelson	vs. DAL	$9,000
WR	Brandon LaFell	vs. BAL	$6,800
WR	Doug Baldwin	va. CAR	$5,900
TE	Julius Thomas	vs. IND	$5,500
K	Dan Bailey	at GB	$4,600
D/ST	Seattle Seahawks	vs. CAR	$5,200

Out of the eight quarterbacks standing, only Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck have scored more FanDuel points per game than Russell Wilson. Yet he's the sixth-priciest passer this weekend, safely behind the top five at $8,200.

Coming off Carolina's matchup with Ryan Lindley, Wilson might as well be Dan Marino. Even if he doesn't light up the box score through the air, the third-year pro makes up for a lacking deep game with 53 rushing yards per contest.

Taking over as the Denver Broncos' top running back, C.J. Anderson tallied 1,057 total yards and 10 touchdowns over the final eight games. The 23-year-old received 24 touches per contest during that stretch, and the Indianapolis Colts ranked No. 18 in rushing defense over the season.

On the other side, Daniel Herron makes a riskier play. On one hand, he usurped Trent Richardson as the full-time running back, gaining 141 total yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. ESPN Stats & Info captured the enormity of that performance.

He also, however, fumbled twice, getting pulled for Zurlon Tipton to close out last Sunday's victory. That could cost Herron some work, but he's Indianapolis' most skilled back by a massive margin. With so few mid- or low-level options, give Herron a shot.

A lot is made about Rodgers' home-field dominance, and that extends to his favorite wide receiver. (Sorry, Randall Cobb, he likes you too.) This season, Jordy Nelson amassed 901 receiving yards and nine touchdowns at Lambeau Field.

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Keep an eye on Brandon LaFell's status before Saturday, but assuming he plays, the emerging wideout makes a stout No. 2 play given a golden matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, who allowed a league-high 237 receptions to opposing wide receivers all season, per ESPN.com.

Hardly the most exciting choice, Doug Baldwin has averaged 54.5 receiving yards per game since Seattle traded Percy Harvin to the New York Jets. Go any lower than Baldwin's cost on FanDuel, and nothing but high-risk, seldom-targeted gambles infest the waters.

When Denver and Indianapolis kicked off the season against one another, Julius Thomas registered 104 yards and three scores. Yet he vanished in December, closing out 2014 with five catches for 66 yards through four games. 

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

The tight end told ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold that the bye week has helped him repair an ankle injury that hampered his breakout campaign:

"

It was a big week for me. It was good to get some rest. Every doctor will tell you the most important thing is rest, but it’s tough to do in the middle of the season. So I got a little bit of time to stay off it and get some treatment on it. It went well. 

"

Seattle's defense costs the most, but not by enough to eschew the weekend's best option. Ranked No. 1 against the pass and No. 3 against the run, the dominant unit went four of the final six games without allowing a single touchdown.

Cam Newton's offense gutted the NFC South's terrible defenses to get here, but the fun ends against the Legion of Boom.

DraftKings

Position	Player	Opponent	Price
QB	Tom Brady	vs. BAL	$7,800
RB	C.J. Anderson	vs. IND	$7,600
RB	Justin Forsett	at NE	$5,400
WR	Jordy Nelson	vs. DAL	$8,300
WR	Brandon LaFell	vs. BAL	$6,000
WR	Doug Baldwin	vs. CAR	$4,500
TE	Coby Fleener	at DEN	$4,600
FLEX	Hakeem Nicks	at DEN	$3,100
D/ST	Carolina Panthers	at SEA	$2,700

From one Super Bowl champion to another, Tom Brady gets the nod over Wilson on DraftKings, where the two quarterbacks are evenly priced despite New England's passer costing $900 more on FanDuel.

Even in a successful day for Baltimore's secondary, Ben Roethlisberger compiled 334 passing yards. The Ravens surrendered a 64.2 completion percentage during the season, and Brady won't receive pass-protection and running support from someone signed earlier in the week.

After a disappointing September, Brady threw 29 touchdowns in the past 12 games, barely playing in the season finale against the Buffalo Bills. Don't read too much into Brady's past playoff struggles against Baltimore, as what happened against Ray Lewis and Ed Reed is moot regarding this weekend's battle.

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Justin Forsett let down owners last week, registering just 47 total yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The 29-year-old has notched just 297 rushing yards through his last five games, and he fumbled for the first time since 2009 on Wild Card Weekend.

But he's cheap. When someone who averaged 5.4 yards per carry is priced as a No. 2 running back, take a shot and hope for a better result. He would have produced a fine fantasy outing if Bernard Pierce didn't vulture a goal-line touchdown.

Coby Fleener flopped against the Bengals, picking up just one 18-yard catch. Since he costs considerably less than Thomas and Greg Olsen, give him a second chance as well. During the season, Denver surrendered 95 receptions to tight ends, per ESPN.com. 

Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images

Over the second half of the season, Fleener received 7.25 targets per game. He and Dwayne Allen—another interesting play at $3,600—should get heavily involved on Sunday, but Fleener is the more regular contributor with higher upside.

Hakeem Nicks is a total roll of the dice, but he has quietly averaged 5.5 targets, 4.25 catches and 55.3 yards over the past four games. Hitting last month's mean would give him 9.5 DraftKings points, enough for a lottery flex play.

Seattle's defense is the preferable choice, but shelling out $3,700 for the premier unit will hurt the rest of the roster. Cut one grand from that cost and take its rolling opponent. ESPN Stats & Info monitored Carolina's recent roll.

The Panthers won't win, but the defense won't allow too many points. Facing Wilson at least beats opposing the other quarterbacks standing.