Boy oh boy was Week 2 one for the ages. For season-long guys it was the worst week ever with all the injuries piling up one after the other. But here at the Roto Street Journal, we were too busy printing cash to worry about that. Just see the results for yourself. Also, make sure to tune into The Fantasy Tailgate every Sunday at 11AM EST. The Wolf was giving out plays of Jordan Reed and Mo Alie-Cox last minute which is great after he lets a week’s worth of injury news/practice updates and everything else fester in that big ol’ brain of his for days.
Week 2 may have been Injury Hell (own CMac in 2/3 big ones, Saquon in the other)…
But a solid DraftKings Effort helped soften the blows. Excited to light it all on fire in Week 3 pic.twitter.com/ns1eV0Lapz
— Wolf of Roto Street (@RotoStreetWolf) September 22, 2020
Anyways, we’re #OntoWeek3 with our DraftKings NFL Week 3 Picks and Sleepers:
QUARTERBACKS:
- Cam Newton ($6,700)
- While his rushing touchdown average of two per game may not be sustainable, Newton is progressing in New England’s offense as the playbook begins to open up. Newton is developing chemistry with the receivers on his team and is by far the best goal-line option on the squad. Newton is one of the top dual-threats in the league right now, and a home game versus the Raiders is ripe for the picking. Bill rarely loses two straight.
- Ben Roethlisberger ($6,400)
- Big Ben’s looked every bit like the Big Ben we had before the elbow surgery with 20-plus points in both games this year. The Steelers have lots of weapons at his disposal and he’s taking full advantage thus far. The Texans have really struggled early on, so a home game against Houston poses little threat to Ben’s third straight 20-plus point performance.
- Ryan Tannehill ($5,900)
- The man continues to be disrespected week in and week out. Averaging 23.1 DK ppg, Tannehill has continued his hot streak from last year where he finished QB3 behind only Lamar and Mahomes after taking over as the starter. The Titans get a horrendous Vikings defense up next, and it would be very beneficial if AJ Brown is able to return for Week 3.
RUNNING BACKS:
- Jonathan Taylor ($7,000)
- An absolute LOCK in Week 2. Taylor finds himself right back in the fold for Week 3 in another fantastic projected game script. The Colts went run-heavy as Taylor doubled his snap count, handling 26 rushing attempts on the day, and hit the 100-yard mark with a score. Now the Colts are big home favorites against the hapless Jets, so Taylor and the Colts should feast again this week.
- Miles Sanders ($6,400)
- This was Sanders’ price Week 1 in which he missed, but he was labeled as grossly underpriced based on his expected volume. In his return last week, Sanders played 77 percent of the snaps, got 77 percent of the rushing attempts (20) and finished with 95 yards and a score. He also added 3 catches for 36 yards on 7(!!!) targets. Now he gets the Bengals at home. He’s still grossly underpriced.
- Kenyan Drake ($6,000)
- While his snap count lowered last week, his rushing volume saw a drastic positive change in Week 2. He’s operating as the team’s workhorse back despite Kyler Murray’s scrambling tendencies. The Lions defense has been quite bad thus far against the run, and Drake is due for a blow-up game and hitting the over 100-yard bonus.
- Melvin Gordon ($5,800)
- Backup RB Philip Lindsay is still out with a toe injury, leaving Gordon as Denver’s bell cow for the time being. Playing close to every down, he’s been relied upon in a depleted offense and likely even more so now with Drew Lock sidelined. The home matchup helps here despite Tampa Bay’s defense, but Gordon should see a healthy volume of touches at a middling price tag.
- Jerick McKinnon ($4,900)
- One of The Wolf’s favorite guys this week is Jerick McKinnon. Finally ready to unleash in Shanahan’s offense like he was destined to do before multiple knee injuries. He’s been playing really well in his limited action and making the most of his snaps, so he seems like a logical choice for a big day as long as he’s given the proper workload.
- Antonio Gibson ($4,700)
- He’s starting to look like the valuable fantasy asset we all predicted he’d be after a promising Week 2. Gibson saw his snaps nearly triple to the point where Peyton Barber was irrelevant (1 carry). He handled roughly 60 percent of the carries for Washington and converted for a touchdown. His usage is only climbing and now faces a weaker Browns defense.
WIDE RECEIVERS:
- Calvin Ridley ($7,200)
- If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Ridley has been on a tear to start the year as a legit WR1 thus far. His team’s poor defense leads the offensive to positive game scripts and a lot of pass attempts. Leading the NFL in red zone and end zone targets, Ridley cannot be stopped and nobody on the Bears will be slowing him down.
- DK Metcalf/Tyler Lockett ($6,500/$6,400)
- Russell Wilson is on a completely different level right now and these two are reaping the rewards. This week’s game against the Cowboys should be quite the shootout, and these two should feast on a struggling Cowboys defense. Metcalf has a higher ceiling, but both are fantastic plays at this price. At least one of these guys should make every lineup.
- Terry McLaurin ($5,900)
- I know the offense overall isn’t great, but how is a guy that’s the target hog in the offense with 17 targets through two weeks this low price-wise? McLaurin is a beast, and Haskins loves to throw his way, as evidenced by the 23 percent and 30 percent target share through two games. Cleveland’s secondary is beaten up and McLaurin can absolutely take advantage of that this week.
- Diontae Johnson ($5,400)
- He’s questionable at the moment, but assuming he plays, Johnson is every bit as good as Juju, but for $1,200 less. He plays nearly every snap, and out-targeted Smith-Schuster in back-to-back weeks. Big Ben’s hunting buddy has serious chemistry established in a prolific offense. Twenty-three targets through two games is an eye-popping number. I really like him again this week after his 8-92-1 game. (*if he misses the game for some reason, serious consideration to CeeDee Lamb at the same price)
- Darius Slayton ($4,900)
- One of Daniel Jones’ more popular targets, Slayton had a huge Week 1 before falling off the map in Week 2. He was already the leading WR in terms of snap rate, and now Sterling Shepard has landed on the IR, which should only open up even more targets for Slayton and the rest of the team. The Giants welcome a brutally beaten up Niners team into the Meadowlands.
- N’Keal Harry ($4,200)
- Harry is starting to turn it on in Year 2, and Cam Newton happens to be one of his biggest fans. Harry has been out there for 80 percent and 85 percent of the snaps in both weeks, and was a target hog in the second half as the Patriots tried to catch up. It looks like Newton is bringing the best out of Harry, who was also one yard short of punching in a touchdown to capitalize on a 20-plus point game in Seattle. The Raiders shouldn’t pose much trouble for New England’s offense here.
TIGHT ENDS:
- Dallas Goedert ($4,900)
- With the news of Jalen Reagor heading to the IR, the door for more targets in Philly has opened. While Ertz is only $200 more, Goedert has been out targeting Ertz through two weeks while recording more air yards in both contests. The Bengals defense can easily be exploited and the Eagles really need to turn it around offensively.
- Hunter Henry ($4,800)
- Coming in as The Wolf’s No. 5 ranked TE this week, Henry greatly benefitted from rookie Justin Herbert getting the start. The offense opened up a bit and Henry’s snap count went up from Week 1. Henry trailed only Keenan Allen in targets, yards, and air yards. The hot hand should keep going against the Panthers’ weak defense.
- Mo Alie-Cox ($3,800)
- With Jack Doyle likely to be sidelined yet again, Alie-Cox figures to play another prominent role for the Colts in the TE spot. Rivers has historically favored the RB dump offs and throwing to TEs, and on top of that, Alie-Cox tied Michael Pittman for the team lead in targets while accounting for 52 percent of the team’s total receiving yards. The former VCU basketball player can be Antonio Gates for another week before Jack Doyle returns.
DST:
- Indianapolis Colts D/ST ($4,100)
- They play the New York Jets at home. That is all.
- Los Angeles Chargers ($3,600)
- A Carolina Panthers offense without Christian McCaffrey makes this team significantly weaker. They kept Mahomes in check for a good part of the game, and their front seven does a great job rushing the passer.
- New York Giants ($2,700)
- With all the injuries to the 49ers, their offense has been depleted heavily. Nick Mullens will start at QB with Jerick McKinnon and Jeff Wilson handling the backfield. George Kittle is scheduled to return, but he may not be at 100 percent right away. The Niners are hurting and the Giants could be a solid cheap option.
