Top Fanduel picks: Week 2

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Week 1 of the NFL season is already behind us and what a wild week it was. We saw breakout performances from Lamar Jackson and the entire Ravens offense, Tyreek Hill went down paving the way for Sammy Watkins to have a monster game, and multiple young tight ends made a name for themselves as well. The question now is, “who can we trust?” Every year we see guys have huge games in Week 1 and then disappear so you don’t want to put too much stock in it but there are definitely storylines to keep an eye on. 

Looking ahead to Week 2, we have a packed Fanduel slate that features a handful of high-powered offenses in terrific matchups. There can be a lot to process so I’ll do the work for you and breakdown some of my favorite DFS plays for the Sunday main slate on Fanduel. 

 

Quarterback

Jared Goff vs Saints ($7,600)

The Rams will host the Saints this week in a rematch of one of 2018’s most exciting games. In last year’s contest, the home team Saints edged out a 45-35 victory over the Rams in a game that saw every fantasy-relevant player perform very well. I’m expecting much of the same this time around except that this year the game will be held in Los Angeles giving the Rams the home-field advantage.  

Jared Goff had a slow start to the 2019 season in Carolina last week finishing with only 159 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He should bounce back in a big way this week against a defense who just gave up massive numbers to Deshaun Watson. The last time he faced this Saints defense he threw for 391 yards and three scores and that was in New Orleans. Now that he’s back home, he has the chance to repeat, if not improve, on those already stellar numbers. 

 

Josh Allen @ Giants ($7,500) 

Josh Allen and the Bills will travel to the Meadowlands this week to face off against a Giants team who just got embarrassed by the Cowboys in Week 1. The Giants defense allowed Dak Prescott to carve them up for 405 yards and four touchdowns while posting a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

I don’t think you can rely on Allen to put up those kinds of numbers, but he could get really close. After a rough start in Week 1, Allen had a strong second-half performance leading the Bills to a comeback win over the Jets. What I like most about Allen is that he isn’t afraid of taking big shots down the field which is exactly what you’re looking for in DFS.

With a new group of pass-catchers in John Brown and Cole Beasley, Allen has a reliable option underneath and a great deep play threat to take advantage of. Another underrated part of Allen’s game is his running ability. In Week 1, he ran the ball 10 times for 38 yards and a score giving him a safe floor to go along with the big play upside. It may not always look so pretty but Allen should outperform his $7,500 price tag this week. 

 

Running Back

Alvin Kamara @ Rams ($8,700) 

You may be scared away by the price tag for Kamara but if there was ever a week to spend up, it’s this week. He faces the Rams in a game that’s going to have a ton of points scored by everyone. Last week against the Rams, Christian McCaffrey was dominant scoring two touchdowns to go along with 209 scrimmage yards and 10 catches. The Rams simply could not contain him, and Kamara shares a very similar playing style to McCaffrey. He’s going to be used in a ton of different ways to attack this defense, especially through the air where he is at his most dangerous. Kamara showed last week that he is officially going to be the bell cow back now that Mark Ingram is in Baltimore. Free-agent acquisition Latavius Murray only received six carries in Week 1 and is clearly not going to threaten Kamara for touches. Get ready to spend up on Kamara this week because he’s going to have a massive game. 

 

Mark Ingram vs Cardinals ($7,500) 

As stated above, Mark Ingram is now in Baltimore and made a great first impression with the Ravens in Week 1. He finished the game with 14 carries for 107 yards and two touchdowns against the lowly Dolphins. He faces another porous run defense this week in the Arizona Cardinals and should have a positive game script with the Ravens being the favorite in this matchup.

As we knew all offseason, the Ravens are going to be a run-heavy team focused on controlling the time of possession which works out perfectly for a back like Ingram. They should get out to an early lead in this game and use Ingram to salt away the game in the second half giving him the perfect opportunity to get a high volume of touches against a terrible defense. Sounds like a recipe for success to me. 

 

Devin Singletary @ Giants ($5,700) 

Bills rookie running back Devin Singletary had a very impressive debut last week against the Jets finishing the game with four carries for 70 yards and five catches for 28 yards. Those numbers may not jump off the page but there are a lot of reasons for optimism for Singletary. Many expected Frank Gore to be the starting back for the Bills early in the season but Singletary proved that wrong pretty quickly. He was out there on the first snap of the game for the Bills and only saw four carries because of the game script. The Bills fell behind early and were forced to throw a ton to get back into it.

What I found most encouraging was that Singletary ran a route on 83% of Josh Allen’s dropbacks receiving six targets and converting on five of them. This is a guy who is going to see a healthy workload both on the ground and through the air which will be huge for his fantasy value. Looking at his matchup in Week 2 and you have to be excited about his upside. The Giants’ front seven is one of the leagues worst and could be in for a long day trying to slow down the Bills rookie back. 

 

Wide Receiver

Sammy Watkins @ Raiders ($7,400)

As I mentioned in the introduction, Sammy Watkins is a legitimate fantasy superstar until Tyreek Hill returns from injury. He is playing in the league’s best offense and catching passes from one of the league’s best quarterbacks. You couldn’t ask for a better setup for a wide receiver. This week he gets the Raiders and their 18th ranked pass defense minus rookie safety Johnathan Abrams after he tore his rotator cuff last week.

This is a game that should get out of hand pretty quickly and I expect Watkins to be a big part of the reason why. Last week Watkins saw a team-high 11 targets converting on nine of them for 198 yards and three touchdowns. Those are some otherworldly numbers that probably won’t be repeated but 100 plus yards and a score are well within reach for Watkins this week. 

 

Robert Woods vs Saints ($7,300) 

Piggybacking on my Jared Goff call, I like Robert Woods to have a big game this week against a below-average Saints secondary. Woods is a model of consistency for the Rams offense being a virtual shoo-in for six catches and 70 yards with plenty of touchdown upside as well. Last week Woods had a team 13 targets reeling in eight of them for 70 yards.

Even with guys like Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp in the same offense, Woods is someone you can rely on every week to give you solid production. His Week 2 matchup is a dream for receivers as the Rams currently rank dead last in the league against the position after getting torched on Monday Night Football by the Texans. This game is likely going to be the highest-scoring of the week and you will want as many pieces of it as you can get. 

 

Michael Gallup @ Redskins ($6,200)

Cowboys second-year wide receiver Michael Gallup is well on his way to a breakout campaign after his seven-catch, 158 yards performance in Week 1. With the team in need of a second option behind Amari Cooper, Gallup stepped up catching all seven of his targets showing he can be another reliable target for Prescott. This week he gets to face a Redskins secondary that just made DeSean Jackson look like he was back in college. They had no answers for the Eagles air attack, and I don’t expect that to change much this week.

I’m taking Gallup over Cooper in this one because of the matchups they’ll face. Cooper is going to be shadowed by Pro Bowl corner Josh Norman while Gallup gets faces off against Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. I like Gallup to get the better of Cromartie and build off his impressive Week 1 performance. 

 

Tight End

Delanie Walker vs Colts ($5,900)

I’m turning back the clock for this one but too bad. As long as Delanie Walker can stay on the field, he is going to be a featured part of this Titans offense. In Week 1, Walker had a huge game, catching five balls for 55 yards and two touchdowns. After missing all of the 2018 season with an ankle injury people had their reservations about his ability to come back and be productive but he is reportedly in great shape and that showed last week.

In an offense that doesn’t feature very many playmakers, Walker is going to be someone Marcus Mariota relies upon in key situations like third down and in the red-zone. Those red-zone touches are obviously the most valuable and facing the 28th ranked defense against tight ends is only going to increase his chances of getting in the end zone again. 

 

Darren Waller vs Chiefs ($5,400) 

The Darren Waller breakout has finally arrived. After being talked up throughout training camp, Raiders tight end Darren Waller came up big in Week 1 against the Broncos on Monday Night Football. He received eight targets from Derek Carr showing just how much he trusts his young tight end. His trust did not go unappreciated as Waller caught seven of those targets for 70 yards.

What I find most encouraging was that he played on 100% of the team’s snaps. As a tight end, volume and opportunity are huge and Waller seems to be getting plenty of both. This week he faces off against the Chiefs in a game that could be a blowout from the beginning. Waller only stands to benefit from that kind of game script as Carr will be forced to throw all game just to keep up. If you’re looking for a cheap option at tight end that represents a high floor, Waller is your guy. 

 

D/ST

Patriots @ Dolphins ($4,900) 

Does this really need an explanation? Well, I’ll give one anyway. The Dolphins will host the Patriots this week in what should be the week’s most lopsided affair. There is close to zero talent on this Dolphins offense and the Patriots defense should be ready to feast after a dominant performance against the Steelers in Week 1. There really is no need to overthink this one, get the Patriots defense into as many lineups as you can, it’ll pay off big. 

 

Texans vs Jaguars ($4,800)

Even before the injury to Nick Foles this looked like a great matchup for the Texans defense. Now that Gardner Minshew will be making his first NFL start, things only got better. Outside of Leonard Fournette, this Jaguars offense is devoid of playmakers and the Texans will plan accordingly.

Expect a ton of eight-man fronts forcing the Jags to allow Minshew to try to win them the game. That is not a strategy I see going very well for them with guys like JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus coming after Minshew. If you want to avoid the chalk play in New England and do something a bit different, the Texans are a great option in Week 2.

Got other lineup ideas, feel free to talk DFS with me @BookOfEli_NFL

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