Man, is this an ugly pair of games for a short slate or what? OK, so the Patriots/Dolphins game looks like it could be fun for DFS purposes, but it's got all the earmarks of turning into a blowout which basically means the Pats chew up the clock late while Jay Cutler continuously chucks the ball downfield in the hope of a long touchdown. But Broncos/Colts on Thursday? Yuck!

Again, for these short slates we like to focus on GPP tournaments to avoid all the overlap and higher paylines in cash games, so we're going to have to try and find ways to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the herd. Only problem is, we're likely to see a lot of Tom Brady, Brandin Cooks and Chris Hogan in lineups and we're probably going to have to follow suit just to keep pace. As a result, I'm likely to throw these lineups into both cash games and tournaments so that if they don't cash in the tourneys, I know they will in the 50/50s and cover my entry fees.

One thing I will say about my RB selections is this: For the Monday game, I'm going with Rex Burkhead over Dion Lewis because, while Lewis may see more touches and get more yards, I think he's still the guy who will see the goal-line work and should find his way into the end zone. For the Thursday night selections, I opted to go with Devontae Booker and then, for the flex on Draft Kings, Marlon Mack. With what we've seen from Thursday night running backs, the short week following a heavier than usual workload doesn't seem to pan out. C.J. Anderson saw 60-percent of the snaps against the Jets which resulted in 23 carries, the most Anderson has seen since Week 2. Frank Gore carried the ball 36 times during Snowmageddon Part II and rumbled on for 130 yards. On the short week, I think both teams lean a little heavier on the back-ups who didn't see nearly as many touches. I may be leaving a lot of money on the table in the DK lineup, but I don't really think that's a concern given how I think these games should go.

So with that, here's a look at what I'll be entering, but remember...

Keep in mind, and I cannot stress this enough -- Don't be lazy. These lineups are not intended for you to just take and plug in as your own. These should serve as templates as I work off the Playbook. If you have other plays you prefer, then use them. Weave them in to these, if you can. There's nothing worse than hearing someone come back to say they took your lineup, plugged into some contest they probably shouldn't have entered and then complain about it afterewards. We are about teaching the process, not lineup selling.

 Fanduel Example GPP     Draft Kings Example GPP   
           
PosPlayerTeamOppSalary PosPlayerTeamOppSalary
QBTom BradyNEMIA$9,700 QBTom BradyNEMIA$7,800
RBRex BurkheadNEMIA$7,100 RBRex BurkheadNEMIA$6,400
RBC.J. AndersonDENIND$6,300 RBDevontae BookerDENIND$4,100
WRChris HoganNEMIA$7,500 WRChris HoganNEMIA$5,700
WRDemaryius ThomasDENIND$6,900 WRDemaryius ThomasDENIND$5,600
WRKenny StillsMIANE$6,400 WRKenny StillsMIANE$5,100
TEJack DoyleINDDEN$6,100 TEJack DoyleINDDEN$5,200
KAdam VinatieriINDDEN$4,600 FlexMarlon MackINDDEN$4,000
DEFNew England PatriotsNEMIA$5,200 DEFNew England PatriotsNEMIA$3,400
           
   Remaining:$200    Remaining:$2,700