Blake Bortles and the Jaguars are likely to be playing from behind against the Patriots
I am not sure about you, but I seem to have a love-hate relationship with the NFL and fantasy football this year. If Week 1 was not crazy enough, Week 2 exceeded expectations. Not to mention, I have now lost Dez Bryant and Tony Romo in back-to-back weeks. Oh, and did I mention it is a two-quarterback league? Furthermore, now DeMarco Murray and Brandin Cooks are questionable. My fantasy team is crumbling this year. Ouch! Lucky for me, and others out there who are in a similar situation, I can turn my attention to FanDuel and choose a new team this week.
Again, for anyone new to reading this article, I will be focusing on value plays. Someone who costs less, but will still give you a good amount of fantasy points. These are the types of players you can pair with the high-priced guys you want on your team. Looking at the value options I provided for Week 2, only two of my main targets provided a good stat line. Carson Palmer was by far my best value play and was in all of my winning lineups. Palmer lit the Bears up by throwing four touchdowns and scoring 22.2 fantasy points on FanDuel. Chris Ivory fell off his high horse and only provided seven fantasy points on FanDuel. It seems his groin injury flared up and was the reason why he only received 14 carries.
For anyone who played Kendall Wright (including myself), I apologize. Tennessee looks to be a one-week wonder, and Wright only saw four of Marcus Mariota‘s 37 passing attempts in Week 2. The Titans and Wright will have a more favorable matchup this week against the Colts, but Wright will not be my top WR value play in Week 3. Finally, my final value play suggestion was Jordan Reed. Reed had a respectable game and was in many of my winning lineups. He caught six balls for 82 yards, finishing with 11.2 fantasy points on FanDuel.
I am not going to let my rough picks keep me down, though. Many of my notable mentions played well and found their way into my winning lineups. Let us now dive into Week 3 and see if we can find a guy like Travis Benjamin who found his way in many of the big tournament winning lineups on FanDuel for Week 2.
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Quarterbacks
Blake Bortles – JAC @ NE – $6,700
In Week 2, Bortles benefited from a great week by Allen Robinson. I see that trend continuing into Week 3. I am not giving the Jaguars any chance at beating the defending Super Bowl champions. However, New England has allowed the fourth most fantasy points to the QB position. New England allowed Tyrod Taylor to score 28.98 fantasy points on FanDuel in Week 2, with most of the points coming in garbage time. The Jaguars are going to be playing from behind most of this game too, which means Bortles will have to throw the ball often. He has two solid targets in Robinson and Allen Hurns, and I expect the two of them to produce in Week 3. Using Bortles allows you to spend a large portion of your salary on top position players like Adrian Peterson or Antonio Brown.
Notable mentions:
- Andy Dalton CIN @ BAL – $7,100
- Tyrod Taylor BUF @ MIA – $7,000
- Nick Foles STL vs. PIT – $6,500
Running Backs
Danny Woodhead – SD @ MIN – $6,400
Woodhead is probably not a lightning in a bottle type play. If you want a guy who is high-risk, but might also be a high-reward, look at Duke Johnson of Cleveland against the abysmal run defense of the Raiders. Johnson could easily produce under five points this week, but at the same time I can see him putting up 20.
Getting back to Woodhead, he is not going to lead the Chargers in carries, but his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield means he will have enough touches per game to contribute in fantasy. He is averaging 16.55 points on FanDuel thus far this season, but continues to have a low price tag because Melvin Gordon is the feature back. I like Woodhead in a matchup against the Vikings and I expect him to once again outscore Gordon in Week 3. The Vikings are 14th against the run this season, allowing an average of 18.7 points to the RB position. They have allowed 207 yards rushing and two touchdowns over the first two weeks of the season. If we dissect that further, most of those yards and the two touchdowns came in Week 1 against the 49ers. In Week 2, the Vikings only allowed 38 rushing yards, and 20 of those yards were by quarterback Matthew Stafford. I have a feeling the Vikings run defense shows up again and Gordon will have a tough time finding running room this Sunday.
This is where Woodhead comes into play. The Vikings have allowed 11 receptions for 87 yards to the RB position. Woodhead continues to develop chemistry with Philip Rivers. Look for Rivers to target one of his favorite options early and often out of the backfield. I am expecting a receiving touchdown and at least 45 all-purpose yards from Woodhead this Sunday.
Notable mentions:
- Isaiah Crowell CLE vs. OAK – $6,600
- Lance Dunbar DAL vs. ATL – $6,400
- Dion Lewis NE vs. JAC – $6,700
- Devonta Freeman ATL @ DAL – $6,500
Wide Receiver
Doug Baldwin – SEA vs CHI – $6,000
Here I am, once again picking on my Chicago Bears. The Bears’ defense has not let up a lot of yardage this season, but those numbers are deceiving. The Bears’ corner backs have been picked on heavily this year and both have committed a few long pass interference penalties. Over the first two weeks of the season, the Bears have let up the second most points to the WR position. This is due to the fact that they have allowed a league high seven touchdowns to the WR position, three more than the Chiefs who have let up the second most touchdowns. The Seahawks are not really known for slinging the football around, but against this putrid Bears defense I am sure Pete Carrol will change up the game plan a little. Baldwin has been the most targeted player on the Seahawks and I expect those to continue. I am looking for at least 75 yards and a score on Sunday.
Notable mentions:
- Rishard Matthews MIA vs. BUF – $5,700
- Allen Hurns JAC @ NE – $5,100
- James Jones GB vs. KC – $5,700
- Aaron Dobson NE vs. JAC – $5,000
Tight End
Jared Cook – STL vs. PIT – $5,400
Here is another team I expect to be playing from behind. If the Rams fall behind quickly, I expect Cook to be the beneficiary of an attempted, and I stress attempted, aerial assault. Cook has led the Rams in receiving in both Week 1 and Week 2. That trend should continue against a Steelers defense who has surrendered 178 receiving yards and four touchdowns to the TE position. Yes, I understand most of that was to Rob Gronkowski in Week 1. However, they also allowed 5 receptions for 62 yards to Vernon Davis in Week 2. With Cook being the focal point the first two weeks, I am counting on a minimum of five catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. If you do not want to spend up for Gronkowski or Jimmy Graham, Cook could be your guy.
Notable mentions:
- Martellus Bennett CHI @ SEA – $5,600
- Tyler Eifert CIN @ BAL – $5,900
- Kyle Rudolph MIN vs. SD – $5,300
Check back next Thursday for a recap and new value picks for Week 4. Also check out my weekly article, published later in the week, that analyzes FanDuel Ownership Projections.
Be sure to check out our free FanDuel Lineup Optimizer
Rob Schwarz, Jr. is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Rob, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @ChiSportsnut25.
