Week 2 of the NFL has arrived, and much like last week, a lot of this is still educated guesswork although we at least have the data from Week 1 to draw from . As always though, nobody really has any clue what is going to go down with this 12-game main slate on Sunday.
It’s safe to say I won’t recommend Cam Akers until further notice and that maybe I was a little over zealous on that whole idea of Aaron Jones being Green Bay’s leading receiver (what if it was actually Davante Adams who won those last two MVP trophies sitting on Aaron Rodgers‘ mantle?). I’ll pump the brakes on Dameon Pierce as well until we see him in something more than a complimentary role to Rex Burkhead.
This week we’ll have our eyes on a few games: Arizona travels to Las Vegas for what is currently the highest Vegas-totaled game of the week (51.5), while Washington heads to Detroit (48.5), and Atlanta heads out to Los Angeles to face the Rams (47).
If you are looking for a data scientist to present hard-to-understand charts with little waves and fancy colors, you have come to the wrong spot. Most of this comes from my gut and watching and studying lots of football. The players below are the ones I’m considering for cash games on both the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates:
Quarterbacks
DraftKings
Derek Carr (QB – Raiders): $6,200 vs. Cardinals
Playing at home in the only game on the slate with a total currently higher than 50, Carr sets up well to pay off his modest $6,200 salary. Carr attempted 37 passes last week for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but three interceptions hurt his DraftKings box score. It’s only a one-game sample, but it’s worth pointing out that Arizona allowed the most DK points to QBs last week (37.9) per Pro Football Reference.
Daniel Jones (QB – Giants): $5,100 vs. Panthers
At $5,100 this week, it’s very difficult to ignore Danny Dimes, even in a game with a pedestrian total of 43.5. In his first game with new head coach Brian Daboll – the chubby bald man who created the fantasy monster known as Josh Allen – Jones connected on 81 percent of his pass attempts and two touchdowns while adding 25 rushing yards. Priced just $100 above the QB minimum, I’ll take that production to the bank.
Other interesting plays: Lamar Jackson ($7,400) playing against Miami is super intriguing. With both Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts not on the main slate, Jackson has the safest floor and highest ceiling of the QB position, in my opinion.
FanDuel
Russell Wilson (QB – Broncos): $7,500 vs. Houston
Most people will remember the weird ending and Nathaniel running out the clock (?) to attempt a game-winning 64-yard field goal, but Russ did cook up a modestly successful fantasy game last week with 340 yards passing and one TD with zero INT. You’d have to think that after the Monday Nightmare in Seattle, Denver coaches make it a point to not only #LetRussCook but #LetRussEAT, and with a $7,500 FanDuel salary, Wilson is quite affordable.
Other interesting plays: All the QBs mentioned in the DraftKings section above other than Daniel Jones, whose salary on FD is not comparable to his DK salary this week.
Running Backs
DraftKings
Christian McCaffrey (RB – Panthers): $8,900 at Giants
As I mentioned in this space last week: In 2019, before the injury bug bit CMC, he was routinely priced between $10,000 and $10,500 on DK, where the full point per reception format makes a healthy McCaffrey an other-worldly fantasy asset. While the usage last week (10 carries and 4 targets) was not enough, I expect Carolina to make a concerted effort to get McCaffrey the rock early and often in this one. He’s still too cheap, priced under $9,000 on DK.
Saquon Barkley (RB – Giants): $7,300 vs. Panthers
Good lord, did the 2022 version of Saquon look healthy or what? That burst he showed last week was nothing like the run-down version we saw play for the Giants last season. Barkley rushed for 164 yards and 1 TD last week while hauling in 6 of 7 targets for another 30 yards. Carolina allowed the fifth-most DK points to RBs in Week 1 (41.3).
Darrell Henderson Jr. (RB – Rams): $5,700 vs. Falcons
Henderson was clearly the top-dog for the Rams last week, playing more than 80 percent of the snaps, but he’s still priced like a back-up. This week, he’s a double-digit Vegas favorite, playing at home, with the highest implied team total (28.8) on the slate. That, my friends, is a recipe for fantasy running back deliciousness.
Other interesting plays: James Conner ($6,900) is playing in the highest totaled game of the week at Las Vegas, and he was targeted 6 times last week… Uncle Lenny ($6,700) looked very fresh last week for Tampa Bay, and I expect him to get more than two targets this week, especially with Chris Godwin out.
FanDuel
Joe Mixon (RB – Bengals): $8,300 at Cowboys
Mixon carried the ball 27 times last week and was targeted a massive nine times. While he didn’t find the endzone, that kind of opportunity can’t be ignored. Dallas could be shell-shocked from the Dak injury, and the Bengals might roll in this one. They’re currently 7-point road favorites.
Other interesting plays: Darrell Henderson Jr. $6,200), James Conner ($7,600), and Christian McCaffrey ($9,000), all previously mentioned in the DK section.
Wide Receivers
DraftKings
Davante Adams (WR – Raiders): $8,600 vs. Arizona
Adams was targeted a mouth-watering 17 times last week, which the stud receiver turned into 10 catches, 141 yards, and 1 TD. I expect QB Derek Carr to continue to force-feed Adams targets and Davante to continue putting up massive fantasy numbers. The Cardinals will have their hands full with Adams: Arizona’s cornerbacks — Byron Murphy Jr. and Marco Wilson — are currently ranked 53rd and 82nd at their position by Pro Football Focus.
Brandin Cooks (WR – Texans): $6,600 at Denver
The guy you really don’t want to play produces every week. In Week 1, Cooks commanded 12 targets and logged 7 catches for 82 yards. As noted in this space last week, Texans QB Davis Mills loves him some Brandin Cooks, and this week Houston gets a Denver pass defense that just made Geno Smith look like an All-Pro. As 10-point underdogs, the potential game script should have the Texans chucking the rock all over the yard.
Jerry Jeudy (WR – Broncos): $5,600 vs. Texans
In that same game, I’m also targeting Broncos pass catchers since I expect Russ to cook against a Texans pass defense that allowed 50 DK points to WRs last week (sixth most in the NFL). Jeudy’s modest $5,600 salary looks too cheap for a player that looked extremely explosive on Monday night, turning 7 targets into 4 catches for 102 yards and a TD.
Other interesting plays: Deebo Samuel ($7,800) should take on an expanded role catching and running with Elijah Mitchell out for the 49ers… The unrelated Curtis Samuel ($4,600) and his 11 targets from last week were not properly logged in the DK pricing algorithm — he’s too cheap.
FanDuel
Julio Jones (WR – Buccaneers): $5,700 at Saints
Jones has been held out of practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, so you’ll need to watch his injury status on gameday, but if he plays, I absolutely love him at this salary on FD. Tom Brady loves veteran receivers, Chris Godwin is likely out, and Julio looked like he was 22 years old again on Sunday night.
Other interesting plays: Marvin Jones Jr. loves scoring TDs which is perfect on TD-heavy FD. Adams, Jeudy, and Samuel are great plays on FD as well.
Tight Ends
DraftKings
Darren Waller (TE – Raiders): $5,600
Obviously, his opportunity is cut down with Davante in the lineup, but he was still targeted six times last week and caught four balls for 79 yards. The Cardinals’ defense allowed a league-high 38.2 DK points to TEs in Week 1.
Other interesting plays: Big Albert O ($3,700) seems to be a Russell Wilson favorite… Hunter Henry ($3,600), assuming his best buddy Mac Jones plays.
FanDuel
Kyle Pitts (TE – Falcons): $5,900 at Rams
Pitts is very cheap on FD again — $2,500 less than Mark Andrews this week — and the Falcons are 10-point underdogs, so they should be throwing a ton to keep up with the Rams. Pitts had trouble turning his opportunities into points last week, but he was targeted 7 times, and I expect that type of volume to continue week in and week out.
Other interesting plays: Tyler Higbee ($5,300) in the same game if you need a bit of savings.
Defense/Special Teams
Defense and special teams are the most volatile positions in fantasy, so I avoid paying up for DST as often as I can.
DraftKings
Bengals DST: $2,200 at Cowboys
A near minimum-priced team against a broken Dallas team rolling out Cooper Rush at QB? Yes, please.
Other interesting plays: Dolphins DST ($2,300) looked fast and opportunistic against New England this week.
FanDuel
Jaguars DST: $3,000 vs. Colts
Jacksonville generated 2 interceptions, a sack, and a fumble recovery on the road last week, and they get a divisional opponent at home this week. The Jags always play the Colts tough, and they scored 14 FD points against them at home last season.
Other interesting plays: Bengals DST ($3,900) for reasons mentioned above, and Patriots DST ($3,700) if you #BelieveInBelichick.
