Week 2 of the NFL slate features matchups primed to win in DFS. Just make sure you focus on the bounce-back candidates.
Week 2’s motto for daily fantasy football success will be, “Pay for the players who struggled in Week 1.” It’s not catchy, but it will be profitable. Play the matchups and look for players who got off to a slow start in Week 1.
Quarterbacks
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, $6,700
Lamar Jackson makes the list for the second-consecutive week. He exploded last week for 36 fantasy points and he did all of that with his arm. I am not expecting over 300 passing yards and five passing touchdowns again, but if he does half of that and this week, he gets his legs involved, he could put up around 30 fantasy points again. Huge upside with Jackson this week with the weak Arizona Cardinals defense heading to Baltimore.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers, $5,800
Every week, I look at players who struggled in the previous week. The reason why I do this is because a majority of DFS players will avoid players who struggled the week before, not me. I love to look for the bounce-back player and this week at quarterback, it’s Ben Roethlisberger. Seattle’s secondary is the worst in football and they allowed Andy Dalton to score 25 fantasy points with his two best playmakers being hurt. Play Big Ben this week and make sure to pair him up with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is also coming off a down game.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, $5,300
Josh Allen turned the ball over four times last game and the offense didn’t get started until the second half of last weeks game, but he still scored 20 fantasy points. The New York Giants defense just made Dak Prescott look like prime Aaron Rodgers last week. He has a safe floor with his rushing ability and if you decide to hop on the Josh Allen train this week, pair him up with John Brown.
Other plays I recommend: Philip Rivers ($6,100) and Jared Goff ($5,900)
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans, $8,200
I tend not to like to pay up for running backs but the Los Angeles Rams last week allowed Christian McCaffrey to be the second-highest scored player last week (42 fantasy points). Kamara has the same skill set as McCaffrey and this game is projected to be a shoot-out. Kamara rushed the ball only 13 times, but did so for 97 yards and added seven receptions to go along with 72 receiving yards. He’s a do it all back and this week should be another dominate performance for Kamara.
Sony Michel, New England Patriots, $6,200
Sony Michel is the running back who struggled last week who is going to be in most of my lineups. When a running back has 15 rushing attempts and ran for only 14 yards, most DFS players aren’t in a rush to start the guy the next week. New England is a 17-point favorite and this game should get ugly fast. That means the Patriots will run the ball a lot in the second half and that is where they will feed Michel. 100 yards on the ground and two touchdowns is what I am projecting for the Georgia Bulldog.
Matt Breida, San Francisco 49ers, $5,200
Matt Breida already won the starting running back gig to start the season but with Tevin Coleman set to miss the game, Breida is in store for a bigger than usual workload. Cincinnati just allowed Chris Carson to score 25 fantasy points in week one and with Breida’s passing catching ability, that number is a possibility for him.
Other plays I recommend: Dalvin Cook ($7,200) and Josh Jacobs ($4,700)
Wide Receivers
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers ($7,600)
With Hunter Henry out and Mike Williams listed as questionable but leaning towards being out (if he plays he will be limited), that will make Keenan Allen a target monster this week. There’s not much more to say; play Keenan Allen this week.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers ($7,500)
A pro-bowl caliber player coming off a bad week one who has a great match-up? Sign me up. Seattle’s secondary is not good and JuJu should have no problem carving them up this week. The Patriots always take out the opposing team’s number one option and that is what happened last week with Smith-Schuster. There’s a reason he was a top 10 wide receiver heading into the season, don’t let an elite talent in a great matchup slip under the radar this week.
Tyrell Williams, Oakland Raiders, ($4,400)
The great part about the Raiders playing on Monday Night Football is that DraftKings already came out with the pricing for week two by the end of the game. He’s the number one option with Antonio Brown in New England and with a weak Kansas City Chiefs secondary coming to town, expect Williams to continue the season with another big game. He will be highly owned this week, but I want apart of this game and Williams along with Josh Jacobs are cheap plays who are the focal point of Oakland’s offense.
Other plays I recommend: Tyler Lockett ($6,200), and Mecole Hardman ($4,800)
Tight Ends
Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders ($3,300)
Darren Waller is too cheap and is too involved in the Oakland Raiders offense not to roster this week. This should be a high scoring game and the great part about playing Oakland is, you know who the team is going to get the ball too (Jacobs, Waller and Williams). Week 1 wasn’t a fluke with Waller; he is the real deal.
T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions ($3,000)
So, T.J. Hockenson scored 28 fantasy points last week and his price went down $100? This is a price mistake on DK and I am going to take full advantage. Lock and load Hockenson in week two and if he is available in your season-long league, add him ASAP, he is a top-five option for the rest of the season.
Other plays I recommend: Jack Doyle ($3,100)
Defenses
Chicago Bears, $3,900
The best defense in the league gets to face Joe Flacco this week. This defense will put constant pressure on a quarterback who is basically a statue. Pay up for the safe floor of the Chicago Bears defense.
New England Patriots, $3,700
Miami Dolphins. Enough said.