Well wasn’t that something. We had ourselves a MONSTER Week 1 performance thanks to numerous players that decided to go HAM in their opening contests. Notable guys like Alvin Kamara and Emmanuel Sanders were smash hits that far exceeded the high expectations we set for them. Now with a week of regular season action and information under our belts, we’re ready to get right back on the horse and make some more money.
And I can’t go on any further without giving a HUGE shoutout to our FanDuel guy, AJ for his insane QB picks last week. Brees and Fitzpatrick?! We are not worthy!
QBs:
- Ben Roethlisberger ($6,900)
- We know all about Ben’s home/road splits as he looked pretty bad last week against the Browns in Cleveland. But now, he returns to the friendly confines of Heinz Field against a depleted Chiefs defense that was just shredded by the Chargers and Philip Rivers to the tune of 424 yards and 3 scores.
- Patrick Mahomes ($6,100)
- Boy I knew we liked Mahomes a lot this year, but he’s exceeding our early expectations. The injuries to the Chargers defense helped Mahomes to a booming Week 1 success, and now he’s going into Pittsburgh for a likely shootout with Big Ben. The game total of 52.5 is the highest this week, as points should be a plenty here.
- Tyrod Taylor ($5,900)
- Tyrod’s passing numbers were certainly not anything to write home about. Luckily, he’s a gifted runner and still made enough plays to end up with 24 points. The Browns now head to New Orleans in what’s likely to be a game they need to catch up in. We saw the Saints defense get picked apart by Ryan Fitzpatrick which is encouraging.
RBs:
- Alvin Kamara ($9,500)
- Kamara EXPLODED last week against the Bucs scoring three touchdowns and being heavily used in the offense. Ingram’s absence has been huge for Kamara’s snap count and touch rate, so take advantage of this while you can.
- Melvin Gordon ($7,600)
- As Wolf pointed out, Gordon has entered “cheat code” territory now that he’s getting more targets in the passing game. His usage is already pretty high, and even with Ekeler having a big day, Gordon ripped off 30.6 points against the Chiefs. Now he faces the Bills who are much weaker upfront and struggling with their run defense.
- Christian McCaffrey ($7,000)
- McCaffrey didn’t explode like I thought he would in Week 1, and his 10 carries were unencourageing after such a high usage rate in the preseason. However, now he faces Atlanta whose defense notoriously allows receptions to opposing backs. Plus the team lost linebacker Deion Jones who is mostly responsible for covering the RBs. Prime bounce back opportunity here.
- James Conner ($6,700)
- This is probably the easiest play you’ll have all year. It was reasonable to have some doubt over Conner’s production last week, but he put all that to rest. He’s getting 30+ touches with multiple touchdown upside while Bell is sidelined. You’re basically getting Lev Bell production (roughly 9k salary) for just under 7k. It’s a no brainer.
- Adrian Peterson ($5,500)
- The problem with AP is that he’s very game flow dependent. Last week the Redskins were up big, allowing them to have AP pound the rock for 20+ carries. They’re good favorites over the Colts this week, so if we can get 15-20 carries with a touchdown and a few targets in the receiving game, he’s well worth the price tag here.
- Dion Lewis ($5,000)
- There were so many questions about the Titans backfield and how it would shape up. He played 71% (49/69) of the snaps and converted on his goal line rush. Lewis was also a factor in the passing game, and the team itself performed better with him out there. He should be featured more going forward.
- James White ($4,600)
- After putting Burkhead in here last week, I ultimately switched to White last minute as was pleased when he hauled in a Brady pass for a touchdown. He played 48% of snaps last week (36/75) and now Burkhead is dealing with a concussion while missing practice. Jeremy Hill also went down for the year, so more snaps and touches are up for grabs. Michel could return this week, but in a very tough game with the Jaguars, Brady’s trusted guys will be key. Outside receivers will have a tough time getting much going, I’d expect White to be a pivotal figure in New England’s offense this week.
WRs:
- Antonio Brown ($8,800)
- Another week, another freak performance by AB coming to be the standard. He had 16 targets go for a 9-93-1 stat line and continues to see more work with Bell gone. Now he takes on the Chiefs, and we saw what Keenan Allen did to them last week (8-108-1).
- Tyreek Hill ($7,600)
- His massive Week 1 production surely soiled a large number of Wolf’s pants. Mahomes loves to feed him the ball and Andy Reid has drawn up numerous different ways to get him the ball. He’ll play a big role in a high scoring affair.
- Emmanuel Sanders ($6,200)
- After an expected price bump, I still think Sanders is in a great spot to outproduce his salary. His 10-135-1 stat line on 11 targets shows he’s Keenum’s top option. Ride the underpriced train while you can.
- Nelson Agholor ($6,100)
- He was peppered by Nick Foles in the opener as the team was without top receiver Alshon Jeffery. They now take on the Bucs who are decimated with injuries and were carved up by Brees and Michael Thomas. Foles has performed very well in his last few contests against Tampa Bay.
- Josh Gordon ($5,800)
- For all the questions surrounding Gordon’s Week 1 availability, he played 78% of snaps (69/89) and caught a touchdown. Coach Hue Jackson said he wants to involve Gordon more in the offense, meaning more looks to come his way against the Saints.
- Corey Davis ($5,100)
- The loss of TE Delanie Walker is a huge blow to the offense. It does however open up more looks for Davis going forward. He already saw 13 balls for a 6-62 line Week 1, and I’d expect more this week at home against the Texans.
- Chris Godwin ($4,600)
- This comes on the assumption that Bucs WR2 DeSean Jackson is out for Week 2. Godwin has had previous success when playing a high number of snaps as a top two receiver for the team. We know he has the skill, and while he’s no Julio, he can definitely have similar success to what the Falcons did through the air against Philadelphia.
TEs:
- Rob Gronkowski ($7,000)
- He’s been a beast when on the field, and New England doesn’t have very many options to go to against this stout Jaguars defense. Plus, you don’t think Gronk won’t want to come out and shove it down Jalen Ramsey’s throat?
- Jordan Reed ($5,000)
- Similar to Gronk, when healthy Reed is a huge difference maker. His price is going to keep increasing as he continues to produce and he is fitting very nicely into what QB Alex Smith does. Success should continue versus a soft Colts defense.
- George Kittle ($3,800)
- This guy looks like he’s in for a big year under Jimmy G’s offense. He could have very well finished with 200 yards last game if it weren’t for some timely drops and still put up a good stat line. The Lions were just torched by Darnold and the Jets, so think of what the 49ers can do this week.
- Ben Watson ($3,400)
- His 4-44-0 stat line from Week 1 wasn’t bad, but showed he can still produce in the offense. He now faces the Browns at home, who fit into the very favorable “TE matchup flowchart”. Browns and Giants, that’s who we target.
Defense
- Los Angeles Rams ($3,700)
- The most expensive defense on the slate could very well be worth it. The Cardinals offense looked abysmal and couldn’t get anything going with Sam Bradford at home. Now they’re on the road facing Aaron Donald and a defense littered with talented defenders.
- Denver Broncos ($3,300)
- The Broncos defense has two elite pass rushers that can get to opposing QBs for sack numbers. They racked up 6 sacks last week, to go along with a fumble recovery and two interceptions. We saw the Raiders offense get shut down completely in the second half as not many adjustments were made.
- Washington Redskins ($2,700)
- The Skins bullied the Cardinals in Week 1, making them look like one of the most inept offenses in the entire league. The Colts are to be a step up, but playing at home in Washington, with Josh Norman on TY Hilton, there may not be many more options for the offense.
Do you have any early leans? Questions about which guy you should go with this week? Want to yell at me for missing an obvious play? Sound off below or hit me up on Twitter!
