3 NFL FanDuel Tournament Pivots for Week 18

If you've played daily fantasy sports for a while, you realize by now the importance of being contrarian, especially in large-field tournaments. Being able to recognize which players are going to be owned by the majority of the field -- and to find players who you think have a similar point projection but will come at much lower ownership -- can help separate you from your opponents.

The purpose of this article will be to identify some players who will be the chalk at each position and how you can pivot off of them with high-upside options that could go overlooked.

Let's take a look at pivot options for Week 18.

Taysom Hill, QB, New Orleans Saints ($7,700)

The New Orleans Saints are still alive when it comes to the NFC playoff picture, making them a good team to target this week.

It's the last week of the regular season, and motivation for teams is a huge factor in determining who you should be targeting this week. The Saints are still in the fight, so looking to Taysom Hill is a strong option to begin with and should make a nice pivot away from Matthew Stafford ($7,400), who is expected to be more popular and has plenty of play for.

Hill has an amazing matchup versus the Atlanta Falcons, who are allowing 20.2 FanDuel points per game to quarterbacks (second-worst in the league). Hill has shown strong fantasy upside with his dual-threat ability, giving him plenty of viability in tournaments.

Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers ($8,500)

The Pittsburgh Steelers are another team still in the mix for the playoffs -- even if they need some help.

If the Steelers want to make the playoffs, they need to win and then have a few different teams lose. Regardless of the help they need, starting off with a win against the Baltimore Ravens is a necessity. At the running back position this week, we should be seeing Jonathan Taylor ($10,200) as the most popular running back, and with Najee Harris near him in at the top-tier, Harris likely won't be popular.

While Harris can be inefficient at times running the ball, the overall volume he has is undeniable. He has seen 23 total touches or more in four of the past five weeks, and he's gone for over 90 rushing yards three times. The potential for a running back who sees over 20 total touches that won't be popular is very enticing.

Michael Pittman, WR, Indianapolis Colts ($6,600)

Michael Pittman Jr. ($6,600) makes a good pivot for multiple reasons this week.

For starters, the aforementioned Indianapolis Colts running back Taylor is going to be one of the most popular players on the entire slate regardless of position. It's no surprise; his matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars is one you should be looking to attack. However, we still see the Colts coming in with a slate-high 29.75 implied team total -- a good indication they will be doing plenty of scoring overall. So why not also look to their pass-catching options as well?

The Jaguars are allowing 30.5 FanDuel points per game to wide receivers, which is the seventh-worst in the league. The Colts have to be pushing the pace on offense since they are also in a spot where they need to win to get into the playoffs. It also helps that Christian Kirk ($6,200) and Tyler Lockett ($6,900) are expected to be very popular this week, so Pittman is set to go overlooked in the mid-range despite having a great matchup.