Week 16 FanDuel NFL Tournament Pivots

Running Back

Chalk

Chalk this week at running back will likely be heavily concentrated at the high end of the pricing spectrum. After massive Week 15's, both Todd Gurley ($9,100) and Kareem Hunt ($8,300) will both be very popular plays in matchups against the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins, respectively. Also at the high end, there should be a lot of excitement for Ezekiel Elliott ($8,300) as he comes back for a home matchup against a Seattle Seahawks defense that just allowed Gurley to slash them apart for 43.5 FanDuel points. On the lower end, the absence of Rex Burkhead should make Dion Lewis a very popular play, especially as he's going up against a Buffalo Bills defense that is the most generous to opposing running backs this season.

Pivots

Leonard Fournette, $8,100 (at San Francisco 49ers)

Lost in the hoopla of all the other high end running back assets is Leonard Fournette of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was out last week as the Jags romped to victory over the Houston Texans, but he'll suit up this week against the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers were everybody's favorite team to stream rushers against, but since they started Jimmy Garoppolo and now have an offense, they've been able to keep the rushing yards down and, amazingly, rank first against the run in the past three weeks.

However, if they run into a team like Jacksonville that has an impenetrable defense and often overpowering offense, then the rushing game can still be an effective tool against them. The Jags are four-point favorites here, indicating that the run game should be a feasible option all game long. Expect the Jags to use the former LSU man early and often. Don't fully pivot away from the other big names this week, but if you have multiple entries into a tournament, Fournette makes a great play.

Joe Mixon, $6,100 (vs Detroit Lions)

Joe Mixon is on track to play again this week after sitting two games due to a concussion. Giovani Bernard has filled in nicely in the interim and actually has better overall averages on the season than Mixon, but the majority of touches should go Mixon's way this week as the Cincinnati Bengals look to next year.

The Detroit Lions have been anything by stout against the run since losing Haloti Ngata, giving up 12 touchdowns to backs in the subsequent nine games. They rank just 29th against the run in terms of FanDuel points per game to backs on the season, and 8 of those aforementioned 12 touchdowns have come on the road. It's easy for people to forget about players who have been on the shelf for a couple weeks. Count this as a reminder that Mixon is still a viable option and doesn't need to do a ton this week to hit value.