How to Handle Week 1's High-Ownership Daily Fantasy Football Assets

James White, New England Patriots

Any time you get major injury news like that which we got with Dion Lewis, it's going to lead to some serious shifts in ownership. James White's only $4,900 for the opening weekend, and you can bet that puppy will be near the front of everyone's minds.

If Tom Brady were playing, you could make the argument that LeGarrette Blount would be the more popular option. However, the New England Patriots are 5.5-point underdogs against the Arizona Cardinals. When you're deciding between the two Patriots running backs in a situation like that -- where the passing game will be active -- it's pretty clear that White will come out on top.

This brings you to the dilemma of how you handle White under the assumption that he'll be a popular play. Given that he should have a solid receiving floor, his viability for cash games is obvious. But for a tournaments, it may be best to just steer clear.

With a tournament play -- no matter how cheap -- you do want to put heavy weight on the implied team total of the player's offense. As premium members can see on our heat map for Week 1, the Patriots' implied team total of 21.25 is in the bottom half for the slate. Additionally, White's touchdown upside is limited because if the team does get into the red zone, Blount would be the more likely back to see volume. Some investment is fine, but this is likely a slot where you'll want less exposure than the field.

If you're looking for a back similar to White who can save you some cash, turn Theo Riddick's direction. He's only a bit more expensive than White at $5,100, the Detroit Lions have a higher implied team total, and the Indianapolis Colts' defense is not as stout as the Cardinals'. It's easy to see why White would be popular, but that doesn't mean we should be going hard on him for our tournament rosters.