NFL DFS: Jacksonville Jaguars @ Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tragedy struck the Jaguars offense off the bat in week 1, as Nick Foles suffered a broken collarbone and is out indefinitely. He was replaced by rookie Gardner Minshew who, by all means, was extremely impressive as he went 22-25 with 275 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception. He connected with D.J. Chark on a few deep balls en route to Chark securing a 4-146-1 line while his counterpart and WR1 on the depth chart Dede Westbrook finished with a 5-30-1 line on 6 targets. While there is reason for optimism amongst these three youngsters, this is not a matchup that I will actively target them in regardless of format.
Leonard Fournette was the other piece of the puzzle in week 1 and he looked a bit more efficient last week than we’re accustomed to. He ran for 66 yards at a 5.07 yards-per-carry clip, which is over a full yard above his career average. On top of that, his 6 targets in the passing game set a new career-high. While there is reason for optimism here, I expect a lot of negative game script here and against a defense that was 1st overall in rush DVOA last season, I’ll take a pass, even after the fact that they lost Jadeveon Clowney.
Cash Plays: none
GPP Plays: none
Houston Texans
DeShaun Watson continued to look like the closest competition to Patrick Mahomes this league has, as he posted 268 passing yards with a trio of touchdowns to go along with 40 rushing yards and an additional score on the ground. He brings one of the highest floor/ceiling combinations in the league week in and week out. The only concern here is his offensive line. He was sacked 6 times last week and if he keeps taking this kind of beating, he won’t last a full season. Thankfully, the Jaguars were unable to record a single sack last week and with the floor/ceiling that Watson has, he’s a strong play in all formats.
Even with Jalen Ramsey expected to shadow DeAndre Hopkins, it’s impossible to ignore how good he is. He’s fresh off of an 8-111-2 line against Marshonn Lattimore and has averaged 11.8 catches and 98.3 yards per game over his last 3 outings with Ramsey. On top of that, Ramsey finished with a putrid PFF grade of 39.6 last week. The matchup could suppress ownership here, but I view him as an elite play in all formats.
If you’re too scared of the match-up, you can look to Will Fuller, who remains one of the most dangerous deep threats in the NFL. The Chiefs WR2 last week, Sammy Watkins, exploded for 150+ yards and 3 touchdowns, giving you a preview of the upside this Jaguars secondary can present. Kenny Stills and Keke Coutee are both too erratic to trust, but Duke Johnson looked involved enough in the passing game to warrants consideration in large-field GPPs on DraftKings. He finished second on the team in targets (5) while also receiving 9 carries out of the backfield.
Carlos Hyde looked rejuvenated in his debut with Houston, rushing for 83 yards on only 10 carries. I expect a lot more positive game script in this game, so if you want a value play in a GPP that could see some late-game usage, Hyde could be your bet.
Cash Plays: Watson, Hopkins, Texans D/ST
GPP Plays: Fuller, Johnson (DK), Hyde