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NFL DFS Week 2 is almost complete. Let’s take a look at the biggest takeaways from all of Sunday’s Week 2 DFS action. I have compiled 12 major observations from the games played on Sunday. We also look ahead to Week 3.
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Lamar Jackson…Does It With His Legs
First of all, you need to play Lamar Jackson ($6,700) in DFS. For the reason that DraftKings only increased his price to $7,000 for Week 3. With the upside he has shown as a passer combined with the floor as a rusher, he is going to be worth paying up for consistently. Jackson rushed for 120 yards and threw for 272 yards with two touchdowns in Week 2. In Week 3 the Ravens match up against the Chiefs. In terms of his weapons, there were concerns of target market share, but it seems like it is going to be consistent with Mark Andrews ($3,800) and Marquise Brown ($5,000). Andrews had nine targets and Brown had 13 targets. As a result, no other Raven had more than three.
People continue to sleep on Jackson as well. Hence, for ownership, he was less than 11% owned in both the NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP and NFL $500K SLANT contests on DraftKings. Andrews was less than 9% owned in each contest and Brown was less than 4% owned. For Week 3, Andrews’ price is up to $4,600 and Brown’s is up to $5,900.
Arizona Cardinals Receivers Continue To Be Value Plays
Seems like the game flow for the Cardinals is going to be the same every week. They fall behind early and then completely just air the ball out in the second half. Both Larry Fitzgerald ($4,600) and Christian Kirk ($4,500), both went over 100 yards receiving. But for the second week in a row, there were at least three wide receivers on the Cardinals to notch at least seven targets. The Cardinals will continue to be underutilized as users are unsure which to play, but in reality, the receivers have nice floors. Keep in mind Kyler Murray attempted 54 passes (14 more than last week despite that being an overtime game).
Certainly, this is a passing game to buy against the Panthers in Week 3. For Week 3, Murray is at $5,800, along with Fitzgerald at $5,100 and Kirk at $5,000. In the DFS Week 2 NFL, $500K SLANT contest Fitzgerald was under 7% owned and Kirk was under 5%. In the NFL MASSIVE, $50 DOUBLE UP Kirk was less than 2% owned and Fitzgerald less than 6% owned.
The Gold Of Running Backs Resides In San Francisco
Three San Francisco running backs scored 14 or more fantasy points in DFS Week 2. Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, and Matt Breida all were productive against the Bengals. Mostert led the team in carries (13) and receiving production with three receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown. But it was Breida dominating on the ground with 121 rushing yards. This is going to be a tough backfield to dissect from a week to week. In the NFL $500K SLANT contest Breida had 7.4% ownership and Mostert was at 0.2% ownership
So you need to play running backs that face the Bengals. Up next is the Buffalo Bills. Also, Deebo Samuel is someone that is beginning to emerge as the primary receiver for Jimmy Garoppolo. Look for him to be a value in Week 3 at $4,500.
The Tyler Boyd and John Ross Show In The Jungle
For DFS purposes in fantasy football, we are always looking for consolidated target shares. Two weeks into the season and Andy Dalton ($5,400) is showing exactly who he wants to throw the ball to. In Week 2, both Ross and Boyd went over 100 yards and had at least eight targets for the second straight week. This Bengals offense continues to be extremely pass-happy, creating a ton of opportunities for fantasy points for not only the Bengals but the teams that they face. Dalton was owned in just 2.2% of lineups in the DFS Week 2 NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP contest. Boyd was at 8.2% and Ross at 5.6%. Ross saw higher ownership at 7.7% in the NFL $500K SLANT while Boyd saw lower ownership at 5.7%. Next week against the Bills, Josh Allen should have a field day.
Josh Allen Is Great For Fantasy DFS Purposes
The stigma around Josh Allen is that he is not a good quarterback. He was $5,300 in DFS Week 2. He threw for over 250 passing yards, but again added in his rushing element with seven carries for 21 yards and a touchdown. Also no turnovers! Frank Gore ($3,500) dominated the carries and will most likely do so again if Devin Singletary ($4,200) is to miss Week 3. He left in Week 2 with a hamstring injury.
The Bills should be targeted heavily in Week 3 as the Bengals come to town. Allen was an extremely popular play in DFS Week 2. In the NFL $500K SLANT he was at 12.5% ownership and in the NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP Allen was at 31.2%. Allen’s salary for Week increased to $5,900, still making him a very enticing option as a cash quarterback.
All Austin Ekeler, All the Time
We thought that with the absence of Hunter Henry we would see more work from Ekeler ($6,100) and Keenan Allen ($7,600). That is exactly what happened, with Allen getting 15 targets and Ekeler getting 23 total touches. He out-touched Justin Jackson ($4,400) 23 to eight. In the NFL $500K SLANT Ekeler was 38.3% owned and in the NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP he was at 65%. Ekeler will not continue to be priced under 7K, however; with the release of the DraftKings prices for Week 3, Ekeler is priced at $7,100.
Patriots Take Care of Business
Well if Week 2 is any indicator, it looks like Antonio Brown ($7,000) to the Patriots may end up working out mighty fine. The Patriots DST was also great. In the DFS Week 2 NFL $500K SLANT they were at 16.4% ownership and at 14.2% ownership in the NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP. If not for the Patriots DST ($3,700) stealing the day (35 PPR points) Brown’s work was utterly impressive and would have been the main storyline. Eight targets turned into four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. This offense looks downright scary, making Tom Brady an option every week as a solid play in cash formats against weaker opponents.
Next week the Jets visit New England. Sony Michel ($6,200) put doubts to rest, dominating the carry total with 21 carries. If the game flow predicts the Patriots to win big, Michel needs to be targeted in GPPs. Again, next week against the Jets looks like a nice spot. Michel was owned in just 3.6% in the NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP, and just 6.1% in the NFL $500K SLANT. His price went DOWN $200 in Week 3 to $6,000.
Patrick Mahomes – Second Quarter Takeover
If I told you Patrick Mahomes ($7,500) and the Chiefs were shut out for three quarters you’d probably been impressed with the Raiders. Not quite. Mahomes threw four touchdowns alone in the second quarter in DFS Week 2. Absolutely insane. What’s more surprising was the receiving leader in DeMarcus Robinson ($3,500) who scored 35 fantasy points. To no one’s surprise, he was virtually not owned anywhere, as players were favoring Sammy Watkins ($7,200) and even Mecole Hardman ($4,800). The trend here is that every week one Chiefs player is going to blow up.
Mahomes, like Lamar Jackson, should be continued to utilized in lineups across all formats, and you can virtually stack him with anyone that fits within the realm of your salaries. Mahomes’ salary for Week 3 only increased by $100 as he takes on the Ravens at home. Baltimore just allowed Kyler Murray to throw for over 300 yards. Travis Kelce’s salary also went down to $7,100 from $7,300 in Week 2.
Dalvin Cook Continues to Ball Out
In Week 1 the Vikings led the entire game and Dalvin Cook ($6,200) absolutely smashed the fantasy scoring. He then followed up his Week 1 performance with an even better outing in DFS Week 2. He totaled 23 touches that combined for 181 yards and a touchdown. Cook is the ultimate three-down back right now and needs to be rostered because of the absurd amount of touches that he is receiving. With the Oakland Raiders as his next opponent he can be a lock for you in your cash lineups. For GPPs especially, it is always worth paying up for these high-priced running backs in perceived tough matchups. In the DFS Week 2 NFL $500K SLANT contest Cook was just 7% owned and in the NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP he was just at 5.8% owned. For Week 3 Cook is priced at up $7,800.
Aaron Jones’ Breakout Game
Jones had 23 carries and six receptions against the absolute stout Minnesota Vikings defense. He totaled 27 touches, versus the 12 touches that Jamaal Williams received. He goes against the Broncos in Week 3. His salary increased to just $6,100, up from $5,500 from Week 2.
Leonard Fournette – All The Touches
In the first two weeks of the season, Fournette has seen 36 of the 37 touches at the running back position for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He led the team in carries (15) and was second in targets (six). He also had six targets in Week 1. Fournette is not on the main slate in Week 3 with the Titans and Jaguars, playing on Thursday night. That being said, the Titans have historically owned the Jaguars and Fournette. He has never rushed for more than 69 yards in three career games against the Titans.
Raiders Chalk Hits…For the Most Part
In the NFL MASSIVE $50 DOUBLE UP, the Raiders’ skill players were massive chalk and they delivered for the most part. Tyrell Williams, at $4,400, scored 15.6 points and was 70.7% owned. Darren Waller scored 12.3 fantasy points at $3,300 was 55.6% owned. Running back Josh Jacobs was 51.1% owned. Out of the three Jacobs is the one that delivered the least scoring with just 9.9 fantasy points because he had zero targets in the passing game. If a running back is not involved in the passing game, he is not a viable option in cash.
Aaron Jones Featured Image via Keith Allison
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