NFL Week 2 FantasyDraft Best Plays – Main Slate

Welcome to Week 2 of FantasyDraft best plays. In this article we will look for the best players to roster as your core for cash games based on potential point output and value.

Last week was a big week for the chalk (with the exception of some FitzMagic down in NOLA). Most of our FantasyDraft picks from this article had pretty good days, unless they got hurt early (Fournette) or were involved in a blowout/turned the ball over and saw very little action in the second half (Collins). Our New Orleans stack was three of the top overall players point wise from the week. Let’s look to have another great week.

As always you can hit me on Twitter @MVecchio81 with any questions and I will post some updates as the week unfolds heading into the weekend and on Sunday.

Quarterbacks :

Drew Brees ( $13,700) – Brees is the top priced QB on FantasyDraft this week and that is not really a surprise after the week 1 he had. Drew had the 3rd highest overall point total from any player in the league in week 1 and he should be up there against the Browns. Last week Brees had a mind boggling 82.2% completion percentage. We could continue to see numbers like this from Brees all season (not in the 80’s but most likely he’ll be in the low 70’s all year) and that is why you will find him listed here most weeks.

Ben Roethlisberger ($13,000) – Big Ben did not have his best performance with 3 interceptions last week against the Browns. We can partially chalk that up to the weather, some rust (Ben only played one preseason game), and a much improved Browns defense. Without Bell in the backfield, Big Ben attempted 41 passes in week 1 for 335 yards and a TD. Those numbers have a chance to increase this week against a weaker Chiefs secondary.

Philip Rivers ( $12,600) – Rivers had himself a game against the Chiefs secondary on Sunday to the tune of 424 yards, 3 TD’s, and 1 int. Now, these numbers are a bit inflated because the Chargers were playing from behind the entire game and I do not expect that to be the case against Buffalo on Sunday. In the first half on Sunday, Joe Flacco threw for 217 yards and 2 tds, while he only attempted 2 passes in the second half. With that being said, I don’t think this game gets out of hand like last week and Rivers should play the entire game in this one and at least go over 300 yards again.

Cam Newton ($12,300) – Newton had a below average week 1 against the Cowboys by his standards. Cam only attempted 26 passes but did complete 65.4% for 161 yards, and rushed 13 times for 58 yards and a score. With the news of Greg Olson missing “significant” time because of a foot fracture his fantasy stock does take a hit, but not enough that I don’t see Cam having great fantasy performances without Olson starting this week against Atlanta

Patrick Mahomes ($11,600) – Patrick Mahomes is the real deal! If you don’t believe me, then you can just skip this section, but you will be wrong to do so. Mahomes is going to become an elite NFL fantasy QB in the near future and you should take advantage of his low price while you can. I made a mistake last week by going against my gut and not rostering him. He went off to the tune of 15-27 256 yards, 4 td passes and an average of 9.5 per completion, he also ran 5 times for 21 yards. Mahomes’ numbers may improve this week against the Steelers in what should be a closely contested game.

FantasyDraft NFL DFS Running Backs:

Alvin Kamara ($18,000)- Kamara had one the best games of his short career in the loss to the Bucs, and that is the reason for his hefty price tag this week. He will be tough to fit into your lineups this week, but he might be worth paying up for. Obviously the Saints are going get the ball in AK’s hands as much as possible, and while he only had 8 rushing attempts for 29 yards (he did get in the end zone twice), he did catch 9 passes for 112 yards and a TD. Kamara is one the most dynamic players in the league and I plan on finding some high upside/low price players to make sure I can get some exposure to Kamara.

Melvin Gordon ($14,500) – First thing you might notice is the price difference between Kamara and Gordon this week. Gordon is an outstanding player and also had a great week 1. Gordon had similar numbers to Kamara in week 1 with 15 rushing attempts for 27 yards and 9 receptions for 102 yards, but Gordon didn’t get into the end zone against Kansas City. I think Gordon has similar numbers, with an uptick in rushing yards, but he gets into the end zone twice against the Bills this week which makes him a better value for his price then Kamara

Saquon Barkley ($13,900) – In week 1 the Giants big prize in this years draft showed off the skills that made him the 2nd overall pick. Barkley went for 106 yards on 18 attempts, caught 2 passes (6 targets) for 22 yards and reached the end zone on an amazing 68 yard run. Barkley did all this against one of the best defenses in the NFL and the Cowboys are definitely not on par with the Jaguars. I am excited to see what he can do against Dallas this Sunday night.

Kareem Hunt ($11,700) – Kareem had a relatively disappointing week 1 to the NFL season, but this was partly due to the blowout this game was in the 3rd quarter (KC lead 31-6 at the end of 3). Hunt only touched the ball 16 times for 49 yards on the ground and no touchdowns. I think we will see more touches this week, especially in the receiving game where Hunt did not have a single reception.

James White ($8,400) – If we want to get Kamara into our lineups we will need to pay down for some players. James White is one of the players with the highest upside available this week. White had only 5 rushing attempts for 18 yards but he caught 4 of his 9 targets for 38 yards and a TD. If White can reel in some more of those targets he could have a huge Sunday afternoon against Jacksonville. If Sony Michel is out again this week it makes White an elite play as the Patriots might only have White, newly acquired Kenjon Barner, and James Develin as active RB’s this week. With the season ending injury to Jeremy Hill last week, and the news that came down Wednesday of Rex Burkhead having a concussion, this Patriots backfield could be short handed.

FantasyDraft NFL DFS Wide Receivers:

Antonio Brown ($16,600)/Michael Thomas($16,300) –  I put these two on the same level this week as it is hard to differentiate which should be number 1. I like them both but it will be difficult to roster them both. I am taking the approach of pairing them with their QB this week and going from there. They both have great match-ups and should put up outstanding fantasy days again. If I had to pick just one of these, I like the Big Ben/AB combo because of the shootout possibility of their game and the fact that they could be playing from behind. You can also look to put either JuJu or Connor with them for a three man stack. I don’t see a way of stacking Brees/Thomas/Kamara,  I will suggest putting Ted Ginn or Ben Watson with Thomas and Brees if you prefer the Saints against the Browns.

Tyreek Hill ($15,600) – If Tyreek Hill didn’t start out the NFL season with a bang I don’t know who did. Hill might have set the field on fire last week with how fast he was moving out there. Hill had 268 total yards last week (95 on punt returns and a touchdown). He caught 7 of his 8 targets and found the endzone 2 times (3 times with counting his punt return). It definitely seems like Mahomes and Hill have a rhythm working that could lead to more huge days for both players like it did last week. If you want to take a chance that Hill gets another return for a touchdown you can roster the Chiefs DST, but you have to know that comes with risk because of the potential shootout in this one. CBS Sportsline has the over at 52.5 as of Wednesday night.

Odell Beckham Jr. ($14,700) – It would seem after week 1 that OBJ is back to being the OBJ fantasy players love. Eli targeted Beckham 15 times last week leading to 11 catches for 111 yards, the only down side to the day was that OBJ did not get into the end zone. This week though the G-men take a ride south to see Dallas, on Sunday night, and we all know how Beckham LOVES playing on the national stage. I am expecting another game like last week but with at least 1 TD this week

Davante Adams ($13,300) – Adams was targeted 8 times against the Bears in week 1, resulting in 5 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. Randall Cobb was the number 1 guy on the depth chart but he was only targeted 2 more times then Adams, but he made more out of his targets reeling in 9 of the 10 targets. I think Adams will see another 8-10 targets this week and if he can manage to catch a couple more he could have an even bigger game this week.

Emmanuel Sanders ($12, 300) – Last week Sanders took 10 of 11 targets for 135 yards and a TD against a weak Seahawks secondary, and this week he faces what seems to be an equally weak secondary in the Raiders. If Case Keenum can actually continue to be the QB he ended 2017 as and began last week as, Sanders could have himself a pretty spectacular season.

T.Y. Hilton ( $12,200) – When you first look at Hilton’s stats from last week, they are not that impressive. When you look deeper, you see Luck targeted Hilton 11 times last week for 5 receptions, 46 yards and a TD. Hilton was Luck’s favorite target in week 1 and will most likely continue being such going forward. Cincinnati has a pretty serviceable secondary similar to the one Hilton will be working against in Washington this weekend. If T.Y. can bring in 3-4 more catches, he should easily see 100 yards and possibly end up a top 10 WR for week 2.

Jarvis Landry ($12,000) – Jarvis Landry might be my favorite receiver heading into week 2. He was targeted 15 times by Taylor on Sunday and caught 7 for 106 yards. He didn’t get into the end zone last week, but this week he will be going up against the same secondary that Ryan Fitzpatrick tore up last week. If Taylor can have half the day FitzMagic did last week, Landry should see another 15 targets and get to 150 yards and a touchdown or 2 this week.

FantasyDraft NFL DFS Tight Ends:

Rob Gronkowski ($13,200) – Well, it’s another week and Gronk is the number 1 tight end, what a shock. Gronk is a beast and everyone knows it. He cannot be covered by a mere mortal, it requires multiple to keep him semi-contained. Gronk caught 7 of 8 targets this week for 123 yards and a score, but Jacksonville is a much better D then Houston. Jacksonville did contain Gronk in the AFC title game last season. He only caught 1 pass for 21 yards. I just don’t see them doing that to a fresh and healthy Gronk this week.

Jordan Reed ($9,300) – Jordan Reed is healthy so you need to use him while you still can. All kidding aside, I do feel bad for him because he just cannot stay healthy. He is an ultra talented tight end but cannot show his skills because he can’t stay on the field. Last week against the Cards, Reed caught 4 passes for 48 yards and a TD.

George Kittle ($8,000) – Kittle was the 49ers most productive receiver in week 1 catching 5 passes for 90 yards. He could’ve had a couple more receptions, one that would have been a touchdown for sure. This week the Niners come home to the Detroit Lions who just got torched by the youngest QB to ever start an NFL season. I feel that Kittle will get that touchdown this week, and maybe more.

Evan Engram ( $7,500) – Engram is still growing as an NFL receiver but is definitely close to becoming a stud in this league. Last week against a stout Jags defense, Engram was kept in check with only 2 receptions for 18 yards. He was target 5 times and I think those numbers increase this week against a poor Cowboys defense.

Defense/Special Teams:

Los Angeles Chargers ($7,400) – Los Angeles (it’s still hard to write that) did not have a great day last Sunday against the Chiefs as they allowed 362 total yards, 106 of which came on the ground. They also did not record a turnover and only got to the quarterback once. But that was last week, and this is a new week. This week the Chargers get the Buffalo Bills and rookie QB Josh Allen. As of this writing there was no decision on whether Joey Bosa will return, but it doesn’t look good. Either way, I think the Chargers have a much better performance this weekend, and should get to the QB a few times and force the rookie into making some bad decisions.

Los Angeles Rams ($7,300) – After a rather easy Monday night, it doesn’t get much tougher with Rams taking on the Arizona Cardinals this week. Arizona has a slightly more dynamic offense than the Raiders, but with the addtions (IE: Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib), this is one tough defense to play against. They will most likely force Sam Bradford into a few mistakes and we may see another DST touchdown or two.

New York Jets ($5,500) – Last week the Jets defense looked like the Jets D from the Sexy Rexy era. Was it the Jets defense or was it the Lions offense, we will find out this weekend. As you can tell by me writing up the Jets I think they are going to be a good defense. This week they get the Dolphins at home. Miami did have a pretty good offensive week against Tennessee last week with a total of 342 yards, 120 of which were on the ground. What I see when I look at the stats is the 2 interceptions Tannehill threw and the fact that the Dolphins were a terrible 2 for 10 on third downs. To help pay up for some other players, the Jets are my favorite defense this week. They will possibly get the same or more points than the two teams listed above and save you almost $2k.

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