NFL DFS DraftKings Week 2: RB Ownership Projections
Every week of the NFL season, I will provide you with my projected Draftkings Week 2 RB Ownership of each position for the DraftKings main slate. These projections are based on social trends, pricing, injury reports, match-ups and so on. Sources include beat reporters, weather reports, individual team injury reports, Pro Football Reference and FanShare Sports.
Each and every week, I will be your ownership guru here at Fantasy CPR. On Saturday’s, you will have access to my projected ownership for Draftkings Week 2 RB Ownership and we will recap the results on Mondays/Tuesdays. Click Here To See Week 1 Ownership Results for RBs.
For clarity, we will only be analyzing the main slate of the week (1PM and 4PM EST games) on DraftKings which includes the new version of the Millionaire Maker, Roman’s Fantasy Football Millionaire.
The best thing that can happen to your lineup is finding a low owned, high reward player who can separate you from the competition. There is no better feeling than seeing your top WR score two touchdowns and noticing he is only owned by 2% of the field.
This season, I will provide you with who I expect to be the highest owned players at each position along with some of the top expected performers with low ownership expectations. I will also provide my picks per position based on the ownership and pricing relationship and isolate a few hidden gems.
"A contrarian is a person that takes up a contrary position, especially a position that is opposed to that of the majority."
Let’s take a look at the projected ownership of Running Backs in Week 2!
Draftkings Week 2 RB Ownership: HIGHEST OWNED RUNNING BACKS
Draftkings Week 2 RB Ownership: Top Tier (20-30% Owned)
Tevin Coleman ($5300) is the moving variable in the group who I expect to take a huge chunk of ownership away from the others. After it was announced that Devonta Freeman will miss the Panthers/Falcons match up, the public is flooding towards Coleman as a proverbial chalk play this week. Despite only accumulating 45 yards all-purpose in week 1, Coleman was responsible for 2 TDs, 1 rushing and 1 receiving. With Freeman healthy, Coleman always seems to find away to make an impact and he will have his fair share of opportunities this weekend against the Panthers.
He is incredibly chalk-y heading into Sunday and for good reason. Devonta Freeman missed Weeks 9, 10 and 11 last season due to injury and Coleman took advantage. Over three games, Coleman ran the ball 59 times for 223 and 4 touchdowns. My only concern would be the Panthers defense which only allowed Ezekiel Elliott to rush for 69 yards.
James Conner is still priced within reason at $6700. He was the only running back to see a snap in Week 1 and his production was off the charts. Originally, I expected Conner to come in again at around 30% owned but the Coleman/Freeman situation will alleviate that quite a bit. After rushing for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns while catching 5 balls for 57 yards, he will crack value with even 60-70% of that production.
Alvin Kamara ($9500) will be a must play every single week until they jump the gun and price him at $12000. He is arguably the best running back and football and is in one of the leagues most potent offenses. As long as he is under $10000, hitting value is within reason for Kamara who can provide anywhere between 30-45 DK points week in and week out. Don’t be stupid, play him again.
Christian McCaffrey ($7000) is also someone who will be effected by the Coleman news. After rushing for 50 yards and catching 6 balls for 45 receiving yards, he is expected to make that next step in Week 2 against the Falcons. Despite already seeing 9 targets from Cam Newton in Week 1, I expect to see that number rise with the lack of Greg Olsen and the inability to find a consistent connection with Devin Funchess. McCaffrey is much less reliant on game script than most which will make him a consistant visitor of the top owned backs.
Draftkings Week 2 RB Ownership: Middle Tier (10-15% owned)
Melvin Gordon ($7400) will likely be the most consistent back all season. He is much less volatile than most elite running backs and is completely game script proof. Despite seeing Austin Ekeler go off in Week 1 for 23.6 DK Points, Gordon still rushed for 64 yards while catching 9 balls for 102 yards. In a friendly match up against Buffalo, Gordon should see the ball 25+ times en route to an easy win.
Todd Gurley ($9200) had an off week on opening night by his standards, only rushing for 108 yards and catching 3 balls for 39 yards and a TD. Gurley always has the potential to match Alvin Kamara in ridiculous stat lines which shows having both Gurley ($9200) and Kamara ($9500) over $9000. Gurley didn’t really get going until the 2nd half of Monday Night’s match up vs. the Raiders and I don’t expect the Rams to slow play their greatest weapon in Week 2 vs. the Cardinals
The best is yet to come with Dalvin Cook ($6500). At a friendly cost for such an explosive back, Cook will look to ramp it up in his second week returning from his ACL injury. He only rushed the ball 16 times for 40 yards but was still able to catch 6 passes for 55 yards to have a respectable first week (14.5 Points). In a HUGE divisional game vs. the Packers, I have to expect Cook will be the center of the Vikings game plan as they try to control the clock and limit Aaron Rodgers (if he plays) opportunities.
Who should I play out of the expected ‘chalk’?
Woof…I see an argument to be made for every ‘chalk’ option this week. I try my best to find the best options at the lowest ownership possible, but that is not always the best decision. James Conner was a great example from last week and I believe Tevin Coleman will be that guy this week. I like Todd Gurley as a pivot off of Alvin Kamara as well.
Draftkings Week 2 RB Ownership: Low Ownership Targets – Week 2 Running Backs (Under 10% owned)
I hate to fall for the trap but Adrian Peterson ($5500) looked pretty damn good in Week 1 for his new team, the Redskins. After having limited time to prepare, Peterson ran the ball 26 times for 96 yards with a TD. He also ripped off 70 receiving yards to boot. Despite Alex Smith clearly seeing Chris Thompson as a legitimate weapon in the passing game, Peterson will get his. 26 rushes for a 33 year old injury prone back is hard to sustain but it could certainly work early on this season. He faces a Colts defense which has been porous against the run the last few seasons.
James White ($4500) will see additional opportunities this week with the absence of Rex Burkhead, but he always seems to be a safe punt no matter what the situation is. White is one of the few guys Brady trusts in the passing game and it showed with his 9 targets in Week 1. White is a great replacement of a security blanket for Tom Brady in Julian Edelman‘s absence and I see that continuing this week against a great pass rush.
David Johnson ($8200) just couldn’t get it going in Week 1. After missing an entire season with a wrist injury, it will take some time for DJ to return to form. Don’t forget, when David Johnson is right, he is a Top 3 running back right up there with Gurley and Kamara. I am fearful of being on the wrong side of the wall when he goes off. Despite his below average performance in Week 1, he still managed to put together 17.7 DK points in a loss. I actually REALLY like DJ as a pivot play in that $8000 plus range.
LeSean McCoy is at the lowest point you will find him on Draftkings at only $5700. His Bills are in a state of disarray as they put the ball in the hands of a rookie. With that being said, while you are constructing an offensive game plan for a rookie in his first start, don’t you think it would be wise to utilize McCoy as Allen’s emergency plan on every play? It may be ugly vs. the Chargers, but this could be a scenario where McCoy sees 15 targets in just check downs.
Next. Fantasy Football Week 2 Injury Report. dark
Which Low Owned RBs Should I Consider This Weekend?
James White and LeSean McCoy. I think this is a week where you should be spreading out your payroll among all positions and finding value in each available slot is key. James White and McCoy are valuable cogs in their offenses this weekend and their price tag is incredibly friendly. Rostering one or both will allow you to pay up for Kamara or Gurley without sweating and still allow you to roster a few great WRs. Let’s wait another week on DJ and AP to see where their conditioning is at.