Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins

Total: 46
Line: DAL by 5.5

QBs
Dak Prescott: The first game under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was nothing short of perfect in Week 1, though we can’t forget it came against the Giants defense who brought exactly zero pressure to Prescott. Fellow NFC East quarterback Carson Wentz was pressured just 26.8 percent of the time against the Redskins, which ranked 23rd among quarterbacks in Week 1. It also doesn’t help matters for them that they lost interior lineman Jonathan Allen to an MCL injury early last week. In two games against the Redskins last year, Prescott posted two of the top four performances they allowed all season, though it’s worth noting he did rush for a touchdown in both games. Still, as the QB3 and QB8, you have to take that into consideration knowing it’s the same scheme he’ll be playing against. The new safety duo of Landon Collins and Montae Nicholson didn’t handle DeSean Jackson and the Eagles passing game very well, and we did see the Cowboys go vertical quite a bit last week. Keep Prescott rolling as a rock-solid QB1 and as someone who can be relied upon in cash games.

Case Keenum: Do you think Keenum is going to throw for 380 yards and three touchdowns every week? Yeah, neither do I. There’s a reason Colt McCoy was expected to be the starter. The Cowboys defense didn’t look untouchable against the Giants, pressuring Eli Manning on just 10-of46 dropbacks, though it’s important to note they were without both Randy Gregory and Robert Quinn, who are both suspended. Missing Trent Williams for another week isn’t going to help Keenum, either. With Demarcus Lawrence coming at Morgan Moses, who allowed one sack and four quarterback hurries in Week 1, which ranked as the third most among tackles. Between Alex Smith and Colt McCoy last year, the Redskins quarterbacks combined for 38-of-63 passing for 446 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. There were just six quarterbacks who finished outside the top-18 quarterbacks against the Cowboys last year, with the Redskins accounting for two of them (McCoy QB22, Smith QB20). Keenum should be considered a low-end QB2 who should have to do it on multiple occasions before you trust him.

RBs
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard: He didn’t total the 20-25 snaps that was reported, but it’s fair to say the 37 snaps he played was less than his usual workload. With how explosive the passing game looked, it’s only going to help clear space for Elliott. It was a mixed bag for Elliott against them last year, as he was limited to just 33 yards on 15 carries in their first meeting, but wound-up tagging them for 121 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in Week 12. In fact, over the course of Elliott’s career, there’s just one game he didn’t finish as an RB1 against the Redskins. It appears defensive tackle Jonathan Allen will miss this game with an MCL sprain, which certainly helps Elliott because he’s a force in both the run- and pass-game. Combining the Eagles running backs last week, they totaled 116 yards on 26 carries (4.46 yards per carry), and though they didn’t score, they should have on a 20-plus-yard run for Miles Sanders, though they called a holding penalty that didn’t exactly happen. There’s not much concern with Elliott in this game, as he should have plenty of scoring opportunities. Play him as an elite RB1 who’ll be back in his full-time role. Pollard missed his opportunity to carve out more of a role in the offense last week, as he was asked to play 22 snaps and handle 13 carries that netted just 24 yards. With Elliott moving back into his full-time role, Pollard becomes nothing more than a handcuff.

Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson: After hearing Derrius Guice has another knee issue, Peterson will be active and starting for the Redskins once again. Unfortunately, it’s going to be difficult to recommend starting with the current state of the Redskins. Their offensive line gave Guice and Thompson exactly six yards before contact all game… on 13 carries. That’s a ridiculously low 0.46 yards before contact. As a gauge, there were just two teams in the NFL whose offensive line averaged less than 1.0 yards. The Cowboys did allow the Giants running backs to tally 140 yards on just 15 carries, though 59 of them did come on one run. While the Redskins are at home, Peterson oddly averaged more carries and points while on the road last year. In two games against these Cowboys, Peterson was Jekyll and Hyde, totaling 99 yards on 24 carries in one game and then just 35 yards on 12 carries the other game. It all comes down to gamescript, as there were nine games Peterson totaled 16-plus carries last year, while there were seven games he totaled 12 or less. There’s no in-between, so you need to take a stand on how you see this game playing out. The Cowboys are the superior team from what we saw in Week 1 and oddsmakers have signaled as much, making Peterson a very iffy RB3. Meanwhile, Thompson is going to get targeted rather consistently in the pass-game with how quick the pressure gets to Keenum. Going by the whole “Cowboys should win” narrative, Thompson averaged 3.3 more targets per game in losses last year. Knowing he saw a team-high 10 targets in a game with a neutral gamescript last week is a good thing. The Cowboys allowed the ninth most fantasy points via receiving to running backs last year. Thompson is a relatively high-floor RB3 in PPR formats, though he’s more of a high-end RB4 in standard leagues.

WRs
Amari Cooper: The Giants tried shadowing Cooper with Janoris Jenkins, though it didn’t last long when they realized Cooper was lining up all over the place, including the slot, where he was 23 percent of the time. The Cowboys had a fun offense to watch, which is the first time I’ve said that in a long time. If Cooper is utilized the way he should’ve been his entire career and this foot issue is really nothing, he could be a top-five receiver this year. The Redskins aren’t having Josh Norman shadow in coverage, which might be a good thing, as he’s allowed nine touchdowns over his last 14 games. With Fabien Moreau out of the lineup due to an ankle injury, the Redskins were starting Quinton Dunbar and Jimmy Moreland alongside Norman; not the most talented cornerback group. After watching the Eagles top two wide receivers (Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson) combine for 13 receptions, 203 yards, and three touchdowns, Cooper and Gallup should be licking their chops. You can’t automatically assume that Cooper is a consistent wide receiver after one game, meaning he shouldn’t be trusted in cash lineups just yet, though he should be in redraft lineups as a borderline WR1.

Michael Gallup: Called the most improved player on the Cowboys by some, it showed in Week 1. Gallup destroyed the Giants secondary, catching all seven of his targets for 158 yards. If the Redskins were going to use Josh Norman to shadow anyone, it’d be Amari Cooper, which means Gallup will see a lot of Quinton Dunbar, a fifth-year veteran who’s never been fully trusted in a big role. During the 2018 season, he allowed five touchdowns on just 44 targets in coverage. In Week 1, he allowed six catches for 74 yards on nine targets in coverage. Cooper is still the top guy in the offense, though it’s clear Gallup is going to be involved, and would benefit if the Redskins allowed Norman to follow Cooper. Because of the possibility, Gallup should be in lineups as a WR3. He’s an interesting tournament play, too.

Randall Cobb: In his first game with the team, he totaled four catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. It was a game where nearly everyone on the Cowboys went off, but it’s good to see Cobb not left out of the party. With Fabien Moreau dealing with an ankle injury, the Redskins turned to Jimmy Moreland last week, who was quickly picked on by the Eagles, as he allowed 4-for-4 passing for 69 yards and a touchdown in his coverage. Moreau himself isn’t a shutdown slot cornerback, as he allowed nearly a 106 QB Rating in his coverage last year. Knowing Cobb is a full-time player in Kellen Moore‘s offense, he’s going to be on the fantasy radar, and he may just have the best matchup among the wide receivers this week. It’s only one week of production, so we have to approach with caution, but Cobb has the looks of someone who can fill an emergency WR4/5 role.

Paul Richardson: He ranked just third among the Redskins wide receivers with 36 routes run, though he’s clearly a full-time player. Many will jump to conclusions based on one game saying that McLaurin is the top receiver on the team, though you shouldn’t completely write Richardson off just yet. Richardson still saw seven targets, which now makes it 7-of-8 games he’s seen at least five targets since joining the Redskins. That’s consistency no other wide receiver has had under Jay Gruden. The good news is that Richardson still tallied 25.4 percent of the team’s air yards, which was second to McLaurin, though still a good mark. The Cowboys were tough on receivers last year, allowing just 178 receptions (ninth-fewest), 2,319 yards (eighth-fewest), and 12 touchdowns (tied for third-fewest). All that led to the sixth-fewest fantasy points to the position. With Richardson’s high target share, he’s still worth monitoring, though there’s not enough upside in this game to recommend taking a chance on him.

Terry McLaurin: When you find players who lead their team in air yards, production usually follows, and McLaurin got it in Week 1. He was right in-between Michael Thomas and Travis Kelce for percentage of his team’s air yards, with 42.9 percent. Finishing with 125 yards and a touchdown will surely get the attention of the Cowboys, who did very well at defending the deep ball last year, as they allowed just 43 plays of 20-plus yards, the sixth-fewest in the league. They allowed just 178 receptions (ninth-fewest), 2,319 yards (eighth-fewest), and 12 touchdowns (tied for third-fewest) to the wide receiver position all of last year. That led to the sixth-fewest fantasy points to the position. McLaurin should be owned in fantasy leagues, but now that there’s film on how the Redskins plan to use him, let’s see him do it again before trusting him. He’s just a WR5 in this game.

Trey Quinn: I mentioned last week that Quinn should’ve been locked into at least five targets versus the Eagles, so it wasn’t shocking to see him finish with six of them. He found the end zone and has now caught 13 receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 targets in his career. It’s possible the Redskins found a diamond in the rough. The Cowboys were very good against wide receivers last year, though we did see Adam Humphries rack up 10/79/0, Keke Coutee tally 6/51/1, and Golden Tate tag them for 8/132/2. If there’s one weak point, it was over the middle of the field, which the Giants exploited with Evan Engram last week. If Jordan Reed doesn’t come back, Quinn would be even more attractive. He should still have WR4/5 appeal in PPR formats, regardless. If the Cowboys jump out to an early lead, Quinn may even have tournament appeal.

TEs
Jason Witten: He was someone I thought would have the tight end snaps all to himself, though that doesn’t appear to be the case. He played 45 snaps and ran 18 routes, while Blake Jarwin played 27 snaps and ran eight routes. It’s still Witten as the leader, though he may not be as reliable as he once was. The Redskins new safety duo of Landon Collins and Montae Nicholson didn’t allow Zach Ertz to have a big game in Week 1, though they didn’t protect the top of the defense, either. There were just two tight ends who totaled more than 48 yards against the Redskins last year and both were highly athletic (Ertz, Evan Engram), though the new safety duo does change their outlook. With the plus-matchups elsewhere on the field, Witten may take a backseat this week. Consider him a low-upside TE2.

Jordan Reed (OUT): In Reed’s absence last week (concussion), Vernon Davis caught four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, though 48 yards and the touchdown came on a play where the Eagles simply couldn’t tackle, but I do give credit to the 37-year-old Davis for his effort. The Cowboys haven’t been a team to avoid with tight ends, as they allowed seven TE1 performances against them last year, including Reed who caught six passes for 75 yards. With the tough matchups for McLaurin and Richardson, Reed should be a big part of the gameplan. If he gets through the concussion protocol, he should be considered a low-end TE1. *Update* Reed has been ruled out for this game, as he remains in the concussion protocol. Davis makes his way back into the desperation TE2 conversation. 

Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens

Total: 46.5
Line: BAL by 13

QBs
Kyler Murray: How the Ravens got to be 13.5-point favorites overnight is beyond me, as the Cardinals offense proved to be competent enough to put points on the board in Week 1. The total continues to rise, as it started out at just 41.5 points. Murray had a brutal start to his career but seemed to get into a rhythm by the end of the game, ultimately finishing with over 300 yards passing and two touchdowns. The Ravens had one of the deepest cornerback units in football, but they’re now down both Tavon Young (IR) and Jimmy Smith (knee). While Marlon Humphrey and Anthony Averett are still solid, it’s a bump in the right direction for Murray, who ran with four wide receivers 67 percent of the time in Week 1. If Kliff Kingsbury can find a way to exploit the Ravens cornerback issues, Murray can have a bigger game than most think. The issue is that John Harbaugh continually has one of the best defenses in football and held opposing quarterbacks to just a league-low 58.6 percent completion rate in 2018. We also just found out that Murray lost starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert to injured reserve. A major plus on Murray’s side is that the Ravens may be forced to drop back additional personnel in coverage, meaning less pressure. The only truly mobile quarterback who played the Ravens last year was Cam Newton who rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown, his third highest total of the year. While this is typically a brutal matchup in Baltimore, Murray should be able to salvage high-end QB2 numbers while running for his life.

Lamar Jackson: Raise your hand if you want Jackson to play the Dolphins every week. For those who didn’t raise their hand, why didn’t you draft Jackson at his QB16 price? While that matchup was laughably easy on the Ravens team, the Cardinals defense isn’t in a much better place, though they will bring more pressure than the Dolphins did. They pressured Matthew Stafford on 24 of his 51 dropbacks, though their secondary just couldn’t hang with his pass-catchers. They’re missing their top two cornerbacks Patrick Peterson (suspended) and Robert Alford (IR), leaving them with just three healthy cornerbacks on the roster. Not only did Stafford average 8.6 yards per attempt but he also rushed for 22 yards. We haven’t gathered much information on the Cardinals defense under Vance Joseph, though we do know he runs a lot of man coverage. When that happens, a lot of defenders have to turn their back to the quarterback, which should allow Jackson to run for a whole lot of yards. He needs to be in lineups as a rock-solid QB1 who’s also usable in cash games.

RBs
David Johnson: So much for Johnson getting a breather on offense, as he played 76-of-88 snaps. He also posted 25.7 PPR points while touching the ball 24 times in a tough matchup against the Lions. That would have been his second-best performance all of last year. Keep in mind he scored just 14.1 PPR points in their matchup with the Lions last year. Unfortunately, he has another brutal matchup this week against the Ravens who allowed exactly 12 rushing yards to the Dolphins running backs last week. There were just three running backs in football who scored 18-plus PPR points against the Ravens last year, and every one of them had to catch a touchdown. It’s unlikely we see Johnson post big totals on the ground, but knowing the injury issues the Ravens are having with their cornerbacks, it’s unlikely they can give enough attention to Johnson as a receiver, though it’s worth noting they allowed a league-low 3.92 yards per target to running backs last year. Johnson should still be in redraft lineups as a high-end RB2, but I’d stay away in DFS.

Mark Ingram and Justice Hill: We saw quite a large timeshare in the Ravens backfield last week, though gamescript likely didn’t give us a whole bunch of information. Ingram played 25 snaps, Hill played 22 snaps, and Gus Edwards played a team-high 29 snaps. I’m chalking this up to the blowout, though I don’t think it’s out of the question that Edwards is still somehow involved. The Cardinals were among the worst run defenses in the league last year, though they looked much improved under Vance Joseph, holding Kerryon Johnson and C.J. Anderson to a combined 84 yards on 27 carries (3.11 yards per carry) with no touchdowns in Week 1. The Dolphins have what is arguably the worst front seven in all of football, while the Cardinals strength is their defensive line with Terrell Suggs, Chandler Jones, and Corey Peters. The Ravens are at home as heavy favorites, which suggests Ingram should be a rock-solid play, though there’s part of me that’s worried about more of a timeshare than we anticipated. Still, you should feel comfortable with Ingram as a high-floor RB2 who may just have his upside clipped. Hill will see more work in games they fall behind, though oddsmakers don’t see that being the case this week.

WRs
Larry Fitzgerald/Christian Kirk: Why do I have them listed together? Well, it’s an odd situation we find ourselves in. We have two wide receivers who played over 85 percent of their snaps in the slot. That’s what happens when a team goes four-wide like Kingsbury’s offense does. Combine that with the fact that the Ravens are down to starting cornerbacks and they may have some issues. Brandon Carr is not typically a slot cornerback, but he was their primary one last week. They’ll likely move one of their safeties down to cover a receiver, which is where the Cardinals can take advantage. The issue is that we don’t know which of the two will see Carr the majority of time, though I’d suspect it’s Fitzgerald, as Carr is also an aged veteran. Because of that, Kirk may be the preferred play, even though he totaled just four catches for 32 yards on 12 targets against the Lions. The fact that he got 12 targets is saying something. Kirk can be played as a low-end WR3 while Fitzgerald is a bit riskier as a WR4.

KeeSean Johnson: With Michael Crabtree a healthy scratch in Week 1, you have to figure he’ll have a limited role, even if he is active versus his old team.  Johnson played 67 snaps in Week 1, suggesting he’s here to stay. The whispers throughout the offseason turned out to be true, as he reportedly caught on very quickly. Damiere Byrd also played 77 snaps, though he didn’t get the 10 targets Johnson did. The issue with relying on Johnson this week is that the two perimeter cornerbacks on the Ravens are healthy. Both Marlon Humphrey and Anthony Averett are assets in coverage, while Johnson is currently the third (or fourth) option in the offense. He’s a name to monitor, though this isn’t a week to play him.

Marquise Brown: It was an impressive debut for the speedster out of Oklahoma, as he totaled four catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns. I don’t mean to rain on everybody’s parade, but he played 14 snaps in that game. Jamison Crowder had as many receptions as he had snaps. There were four Ravens receivers who ran more routes than him. I love Brown the player (compared him to DeSean Jackson in his rookie scouting profile), but this is not good for fantasy lineups. Brown is coming off Lisfranc surgery, so it’s possible they’re just easing him in, though he looked pretty dang good in that game. He should be rostered though you need to understand the risk when starting him. The Cardinals are another secondary that can be torched and have lesser talent than the Dolphins did, honestly. They only have three healthy cornerbacks and none of them are starters. Byron Murphy is a rookie, Tramaine Brock is a cornerback who’s been passed from team-to-team, and Chris Jones, who was an undrafted free agent who played his first snaps last week. The matchup is great but if you told me Brown was playing 14 snaps again, he’d be on my bench. I expect that number to rise, making him an upside WR4, though he’s hard to trust, even in a good matchup.

Willie Snead: He was on the field for 49 snaps last week, highlighting that he’s one of the full-time players in this offense, which is rare considering they had five wide receivers play at least 14 snaps. Snead was also targeted three times, while Marquise Brown was the only other receiver with more than one target. There’s not a whole lot of excitement to start Snead, though, as he’s yet to top 61 yards in any game with the Ravens (span of 17 games), meaning he needs to score in order to be startable. He scored last week, but it was his first since Week 1 of last year. There were 87 targets in-between those games. The Cardinals cornerback unit is missing a few pieces, though I’m still not going to suggest Snead in any format.

TEs
Maxx Williams: He’ll be going against his former team in this game, though he won’t get many opportunities to do much. He played just 22-of-88 snaps last week (25 percent) while Charles Clay tallied 14 of his own. The Cardinals are more than happy to play in 10 personnel and have no tight end on the field. With Michael Crabtree likely being active, it’ll limit the snaps of the tight ends even more. The Ravens were a team you could target with tight ends last year, as they allowed a 70.9 percent completion rate to the position (10th) and 8.25 yards per target (11th). The addition of Earl Thomas surely won’t make life easier, though. Williams isn’t on the streaming radar.

Mark Andrews: There’s a whole bunch of red tape surrounding the Ravens skill position players, and tight ends are no exception. The snap count among the trio was: Nick Boyle 43, Hayden Hurst 43, Andrews 31. It’s important to note that the routes run looked quite a bit different, though it’s still a timeshare, as Andrews ran 18 routes, Hurst ran 12 routes, and Boyle ran eight routes. Andrews had been a favorite of Lamar Jackson throughout the offseason and that continued, as he was targeted on eight of his 18 routes, which resulted in a 8/108/1 stat line. The Cardinals picked up D.J. Swearinger this offseason, a safety who was extremely good against tight ends while in Washington, though his new scheme didn’t allow him to be a huge factor in slowing down T.J. Hockenson last week, who torched the Cardinals for 6/131/1 in his NFL debut. Andrews is a better bet for production than Marquise Brown given the snap counts if you want to pair Jackson with a pass-catcher. Andrews should be started as a low-end TE1 until further notice.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

Total: 43.5
Line: HOU by 9.5

QBs
Gardner Minshew: After Nick Foles went down with a broken collarbone, Jaguars fans everywhere assumed the worst, as Minshew completed just 56.2 percent of passes in the preseason with a measly 4.9 yards per attempt and no touchdowns on 96 pass attempts. So, who was that guy we saw take over in Week 1? He looked phenomenal in relief, completing 88 percent of his passes for 11.0 yards per attempt with two touchdowns. It’s important to remember the Chiefs defense is going through a transition from 3-4 to 4-3 and they have many new pieces they’re working with. The Texans were just carved-up by Drew Brees, though he can make any defense look bad, particularly if they’re playing in New Orleans. The Texans were only able to pressure Brees on 18 percent of his dropbacks, which was one of the lowest marks in Week 1, though you also must account for his offensive line that’s top-five in the league. Minshew doesn’t have that luxury and doesn’t have a No. 1 wide receiver who continually gets open. On the road as 8.5-point underdogs, it’s okay to fade Minshew.

Deshaun Watson: What a game by Watson on Monday night, as he seemed to be banged up on multiple occasions, but he kept returning to throw bullet after bullet, including what seemed to be the game-winning touchdown to Kenny Stills. If you take away his drops and one throwaway last week, he completed 79.3 percent of his passes against a Saints defense that allowed a 67 percent completion rate last year. Pass-blocking was still an issue, as he was sacked six times on just 38 dropbacks. He was once again the most sacked quarterback in the NFL. The Jaguars pass-rush never got to Patrick Mahomes last week, though they did pressure him near 25 percent of the time. In two games against the Jaguars last year, Watson completed 37-of-59 passes (62.7 percent) for 373 yards (6.32 yards per attempt) with one touchdown and no interceptions. He added 66 yards on the ground in the second meeting, as well as a rushing touchdown, which propped him up to finish as the QB10 in that game, after finishing as the QB22 in their first game. The Jaguars are slowly fading as an elite defense and are no longer what you’d describe as a shutdown unit, though they’re still above average. They allowed 471 rushing yards to quarterbacks last year, while no other team allowed more than 387 yards, which is where you can find your floor in Watson as a QB1. He’s not someone you need to play in DFS this week, even if Patrick Mahomes did throw for 300 yards in the first half against them. It does help that Yannick Ngakoue has been ruled out, as he’s one of the better talents on the Jaguars defensive line. We’ve also learned that A.J. Bouye will be held out, bumping Watson up a bit more.

RBs
Leonard Fournette: There weren’t a whole lot of plays for the Jaguars offense last week, though Fournette logged 50-of-58 snaps, highlighting his workhorse role with the team. He tallied 66 yards on 13 carries, while chipping in 28 yards on four receptions. To know that he’s gamescript-proof is big for his weekly floor. The Texans have been an elite run-stuffing defense in years past, but after losing a core player in Jadeveon Clowney, they may have taken a step back. After allowing a league-low 3.13 yards per carry last year, we watched the Saints running backs rack up 7.37 yards per carry in the opener. Now, to be fair, the Saints running backs almost always dominate their competition, but it was rare seeing the Texans allow 140 yards and a touchdown on just 19 carries. Fournette has played them just once in his career, totaling 100 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in a game that was his NFL debut. The gamescript is likely to go south in this game but knowing that Fournette will rarely come off the field, he should remain in lineups as a high-floor RB2.

Duke Johnson and Carlos Hyde: The timeshare between these two was something not many were expecting, though it was always a possibility. I reminded you here last week that Alfred Blue totaled 170 carries/targets in this offense last year. Hyde was out-snapped 41-23 but touched the ball 11 times compared to Johnson’s 13 times. Gamescript will determine how these guys should be ranked each week, and oddsmakers are telling us the Texans should be racking up some rush attempts in this game. When the Jaguars were on the road last year, their opponents averaged 29.4 carries per game. While the Jaguars added Josh Allen to their defense this offseason, they lost Malik Jackson, who has been one of the better run defenders over the last half-dozen years. To see LeSean McCoy tally 81 yards on 10 carries last week highlights they may not be a unit you need to avoid. I mean, the Saints run defense allowed just 3.31 yards per carry last year and we watched the duo of Hyde and Johnson destroy them for 140 yards on 19 carries, so why should we worry about the Jaguars run defense when the Texans are 8.5-point home favorites? Consider Hyde a sturdy RB3 who is likely to get goal-line work while Johnson is the higher-upside RB3, particularly in PPR formats.

WRs
Dede Westbrook: Part of the reason everyone was into Westbrook this year was due to the fact that Foles loved his slot receivers. Will the love fade? Minshew is the one who hit Westbrook for a touchdown, salvaging what looked like a bad fantasy game to that point. In somewhat shocking news, the Texans released Aaron Colvin, their starting slot cornerback, after the loss to the Saints where he was abused for 8/117/1 on nine targets in coverage. His replacement will be Keion Crossen, a seventh-round pick from last year who was cut by the Patriots. He’s only faced eight targets in coverage, and on those targets, he’s allowed eight catches for 139 yards. It’s an odd move by the Texans seeing it’s a short week for them, but Westbrook should reap the benefits, as he was in the slot for 85.3 percent of his routes in Week 1. With the pressure bearing down on Minshew, he should learn to like Westbrook in this game. Play Westbrook as a high-end WR3 who may have questionable quarterback play if Minshew turns back into the preseason version of himself.

D.J. Chark: His ball-tracking on the 69-yard touchdown he caught in Week 1 was a thing of beauty, as it was all on him winning a battle against Kendall Fuller, the Chiefs top cornerback. It was good to see because Chark is someone who battled a lot of drops his rookie year, as he caught 14 balls but dropped five of them. You don’t want to buy-in after just one game, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. He’ll see veteran Johnathan Joseph in coverage for much of this week, a long-time veteran who’s entering his 14th season. Over the course of his career, he’s allowed more than 12.7 yards per reception in just one of them, highlighting how well he keeps the play in front of him. Chark will also see some of Bradley Roby, a former first-round pick who had a down year in 2018. This doesn’t appear to be a matchup to attack with Chark given his matchup with Joseph but keep your eyes on Chark if he’s available on your waiver wire.

Chris Conley: In his “revenge game” against the Chiefs, Conley tallied six catches for 97 yards and a touchdown, which was far better than any game he had last year. He was on the field for 48 snaps, which was three more than Chark, highlighting he’s a full-time player. The Chiefs have one of the worst secondaries in the league, though it’s noteworthy that Conley got seven targets. The Texans play sides, so the Jaguars will be able to get the matchup they want with either Conley or Chark, though based on their alignment last week, Conley would see more of Bradley Roby, who was an up-and-coming cornerback the Broncos thought of as their No. 1 heading into 2018, but Roby had a terrible year, allowing a 65 percent catch-rate, 14.9 yards per reception, and six touchdowns. He picked up right where he left off in Week 1, allowing 5/53/1 on just six targets versus the Saints. Conley could be a surprise WR3/4 option this week, though I wouldn’t want to bank on Minshew playing as well on the road. Conley is an upside WR5 with a better matchup than Chark if all remains similar to Week 1.

Deandre Hopkins: Some will criticize Hopkins for the drops, but what he did in Week 1 was spectacular. Despite Marshon Lattimore playing phenomenal coverage, Hopkins was able to tag the Saints for eight catches, 111 yards, and two touchdowns. Those who took him with a top-five pick in drafts are extremely happy. His reward will be to play against Jalen Ramsey in Week 2, the best cornerback in football, though it didn’t look that way in Week 1 as he allowed six catches for 84 yards and two touchdowns in his coverage. Just how rare was that? He’s never allowed more than three touchdowns in a full year while covering the No. 1 option on the opposing team. Him and Hopkins have had their battles over the years, as we’ve had six games with the two of them going at it. Here are the results:

As you can see, Hopkins has scored at least 14.0 PPR points in 5-of-6 games, though it’s taken him a lot of targets to get there. Fortunately, Watson has been willing to target him a ton, likely because he’s in single-man coverage. You’re going to trot Hopkins out there as a WR1 every week, though he may not be a great cash-game option this week.

Will Fuller: After starting off the game with a 54-yard bang, Fuller was quiet in the Texans Week 1 loss to the Saints. He saw just three targets in a game he had a better matchup than Hopkins, while newcomer Kenny Stills also saw three targets. While Hopkins deals with Jalen Ramsey this week, Fuller is going to see a lot of A.J. Bouye, who wasn’t the weakest link in the secondary, though he didn’t appear to be his usual self, either. He allowed 4-of-7 passing for 79 yards against the Chiefs last week, one of his worst performances since joining the Jaguars. This is also his former team he’s going against, so expect him to be playing with some sort of chip on his shoulder. With Fuller just 10 months removed from a torn ACL, it’s possible the Texans are slowly working him back into form, though he looked good against the Saints while playing 62 snaps. There’s higher bust potential this week given the matchup, but Fuller is one play away from WR2 production at any time, making him a WR4 at worst. *Update* A.J. Bouye has been ruled OUT for this game with Fuller being the biggest beneficiary of his absence. He should be bumped up to the high-end WR3 area. 

Kenny Stills/Keke Coutee: The plot thickened last week when Coutee was forced to miss the game, and Stills stepped in caught what seemed to be the game-winning touchdown. He played just 27 snaps, the same as DeAndre Carter did, though that’s likely due to him being with the team for just over a week. The Jaguars have D.J. Hayden covering the slot, and he’s someone who’s been as much of a shutdown presence as there is in the slot. Over the last four years, he’s allowed just 103-of-161 passing for 934 yards, and three touchdowns. That amounts to just 5.80 yards per target and a touchdown every 53.7 targets. This is a situation you’ll want to avoid in Week 2. *Update* Coutee practiced in full all week and seems ready to go, so it’s best to just sit back to wait-and-see who plays more snaps. 

TEs
James O’Shaughnessy: It appears he’s the one who leads the timeshare in Jacksonville, as he ran 21 pass routes against the Chiefs, while Geoff Swaim ran 14 routes. Both were targeted (quite heavily, too), but targeting a timeshare tight end on a run-first team as a streamer is a recipe for disaster. The Texans were a team to target with tight ends last year, as they were one of three teams in the NFL who allowed at least 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns to the position. It’s why they allowed a top-eight tight end in half of their games last year, though I’m willing to gamble the Jaguars tight ends are part of the group that doesn’t make it into that territory. Until we see one of him or Swaim in a superior role, they’ll cancel each other’s streaming potential.

Jordan Akins: After sending both Jordan Thomas and Kahale Warring to injured reserve, Akins was promoted to the starting lineup. He ran 25 routes in Week 1, which ranked as the 17th most among tight ends. He was only targeted twice, though the fact that he is on the field that much means we can consider him in good matchups. The Jaguars were solid when it came to holding tight ends to minimal yardage (sub-7.0 yards per target) but allowed a touchdown every 12.6 targets, which was the fifth-lowest mark in the league. Knowing Texans tight ends have totaled just six touchdowns over the last two years doesn’t make you feel good about Akins, especially when there are more receiving options than ever in Houston. He’s not on the streaming radar.

Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders

Total: 53.5
Line: KC by 7

QBs
Patrick Mahomes: With Tyreek Hill out, the spread and total on this game have dropped rather significantly. We saw Mahomes throw for over 300 yards in the first half against the Jaguars, but then fizzle out quite a bit in the second half. Was it the loss of Hill? Was it the plan considering they started to run away with the game? Likely a combination of both. The Raiders looked much better that most thought last week, though most of the surprises came on offense. In two games against the Raiders last year, Mahomes averaged 288 passing yards and three touchdowns per game. The Chiefs took their foot off the gas in their Week 17 matchup, too, as Mahomes threw the ball just 24 times. The Raiders allowed multiple passing touchdowns to 13-of-16 quarterbacks in 2018, so even though Mahomes is without Hill, he should be able to remain a top-tier option. Many will look and see the Raiders allowed just one 300-yard game against them and think it’s not a superb matchup, but the reason was due to the lack of competency in the Raiders offense, leading teams to average just 29.9 pass attempts per game, and the fact that they allowed a 7.3 percent touchdown rate.  Mahomes should still be started as a high-end QB1. *Update* His starting left tackle Eric Fisher was hurt during Friday’s practice and is now listed as questionable. 

Derek Carr: No Antonio Brown, no problem. The Raiders offense looked great in Week 1 as Carr completed 84.6 percent of his passes at 10.0 yards per attempt. What was even more impressive was that his offensive line didn’t allow him to be touched against the Broncos pass-rushers. There was just one game last year where that happened, while he was sacked three or more times in 12-of-16 games. The Chiefs defense lost a whole lot of players this offseason and are working in a new defensive scheme (3-4 to 4-3). They also started rookie Juan Thornhill at safety. Let’s just say things didn’t go well in Week 1, as they allowed Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles to combine for 27-of-33 passing for 350 yards and three touchdowns. You can never get too excited about Carr, though, as he’s been Jekyll and Hyde throughout his career. Nothing highlights that more than his performances against this team last year. In one game, he threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions, but then threw for just 185 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in the second game. The fact that this game is at home is a good thing, though. Carr is on the streaming radar as someone who comes with a bit of volatility but is also part of a game that could be a wild-west type shootout.

RBs
Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy: The Chiefs told us it would be more of a timeshare this year and Reid backed that up in Week 1, as Williams touched the ball 19 times, while McCoy garnered 11 touches. McCoy looked good in his debut, racking up 93 yards while Williams had some trouble, particularly on the ground, as he totaled just 65 total yards, but did find the end zone. The Raiders allowed the second-most rushing yards to running backs last year, as their opponents netted 118.9 per game. The 4.77 yards per carry they allowed ranked seventh highest, so it wasn’t strictly about volume. The issue running backs ran into against them was not being utilized in the passing-game, as they saw a league-low 82 targets. With Tyreek Hill out, the Chiefs should be expected to run the ball a lot more in this game and take advantage of their weakness. Knowing there were seven running backs who eclipsed 100 yards on the ground against them last year is pretty big, though the addition of linebacker Vontaze Burfict appeared to pay dividends in their first game. Williams should still be expected to lead this timeshare, though the gap will shrink if he continues to be inefficient. For now, Williams is best-served as an RB2 with more upside than most in that area, while McCoy can be played as an RB3/flex option. Williams is probably one of the better tournament plays this week, as his ownership should be suppressed after his Week 1 performance. It also helps the Raiders will be without their new big-hitting safety Johnathan Abram.

Josh Jacobs and Jalen Richard: The Raiders were telling us they wanted Richard involved in the passing-game just as much as last year but watching Jacobs net 24 touches to one for Richard, this looks more like a true workhorse scenario. It’s just one game, but it crushes the idea of playing Richard against a weak Chiefs defense. Despite missing his starting left tackle, Leonard Fournette was able to total 94 yards on 17 touches last week. The Chiefs have changed their scheme this offseason, but they also lost talent to fit the new scheme. They were a defensive unit that allowed a league-high 4.96 yards per carry and also allowed a league-high 7.65 yards per target to running backs. So, essentially, the answer was to involve your running backs to get maximum efficiency. Knowing Jacobs had two fewer touches than Derek Carr had pass attempts, it’s safe to say he’s going to be a big part of this offense. He should be played as a low-end RB1 this week and is likely safe enough for cash games despite them being 7.5-point underdogs.

WRs
Sammy Watkins: What in the world happened to Watkins last week? He was running like a man on a mission, like he was possessed. He obliterated the best cornerback duo in the league for nine catches, 198 yards, and three touchdowns. He scored two touchdowns on Jalen Ramsey, a cornerback who’s never allowed more than three touchdowns in a full season. The Raiders had a scare with their best cornerback Gareon Conley, as he was put on a stretcher, though he’s tweeted out since then that he’s okay. But Watkins is going to move around the formation and see a mix of everyone, including converted safety Lamarcus Joyner, who didn’t fare so well in his first game as a nickel cornerback, allowing seven catches for 72 yards on eight targets. Watkins played a massive 55.9 percent of his snaps in the slot last week, which likely had a lot to do with Tyreek Hill‘s absence. It seems as if Reid will use Watkins in the Hill role, which Watkins showed last week, he can handle. After seeing both Courtland Sutton and Emmanuel Sanders post 19-plus PPR points last week, Watkins needs to be in lineups as a borderline WR1.

Mecole Hardman: With Tyreek Hill out, many will run to Hardman as his replacement. While he did play the second-most snaps behind Watkins, Hardman saw just one target in his NFL debut. He did rotate in and out of the slot with Watkins, which is a role that has tremendous value under Andy Reid. The Raiders are going with Lamarcus Joyner as their nickel cornerback, a converted safety who didn’t look so hot in his first game. He ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash during his Combine performance a few years ago. This is your reminder that Hardman ran a 4.33-second one just a few months ago. Knowing he’s on the field as Mahomes’ No. 2 receiver has value in itself, but the matchup appears to be a good one. He’s a sneaky WR4-type start who may be available on your waiver wire. He’s far from a sure thing considering he’s still yet to catch a pass in an NFL game, but in that range, nobody is a sure thing.

Demarcus Robinson: We’ve seen Robinson pushed into the starting lineup at times before and he’s produced when called upon, but does Mecole Hardman block his potential targets? There were just 33 targets that went Robinson’s way in 2018 with Mahomes and he turned them into 288 yards and four touchdowns. His matchup is likely going to be the toughest of the Chiefs receivers, though. It seems Gareon Conley will be available, a cornerback who allowed just a 54.0 percent catch-rate in his coverage last year. That’s who Robinson will see most of, while seeing veteran Daryl Worley the remaining time. While he can be beat, it’d be wise to attack other spots on the field. Robinson can be stashed on benches as a guy who might become something with Hill out, but you shouldn’t trust him this week.

Tyrell Williams: I’ll admit when I’m wrong on a player and Williams was one of them. We knew he’s walk into more targets with Antonio Brown out of the lineup, but he looked great against the Broncos. It surely helped that the Broncos had just two full-time cornerbacks for the game, but he roasted Isaac Yiadom continually. The Chiefs secondary is one ripe for the taking as well, as we saw both Chris Conley and D.J. Chark go bananas with Gardner Minshew at quarterback. The three starting receivers for the Jaguars combined to score 60.3 PPR points. In a game with an over/under set at 53.5, there should be fireworks in Oakland. Williams was primarily on the left side of the formation (did play all over, though), which is where Charvarius Ward was for the Chiefs. He allowed 7-of-7 passing for 123 yards in his coverage against the Jaguars. The inconsistent play from Carr is the biggest concern for Williams’ productivity and dependability, but we have to ride the hot hand. Williams should be played as a solid WR3 in this game.

Ryan Grant: Many expected Hunter Renfrow to be the leader in targets once Antonio Brown left, though he was a distant third in snaps behind both Tyrell Williams and Grant. Not only did he play meaningful snaps, Grant was targeted four times in a game Derek Carr threw just 26 pass attempts. We have to pay attention to his role moving forward because the Raiders will be throwing the ball much more. He’s going to see more of Bashaud Breeland than anyone, who happens to be the one Chiefs cornerback who had a semi-competent game, though he did allow a touchdown. Grant is inching his way onto the fantasy radar, though he’s not someone who should be owned just yet.

TEs
Travis Kelce: In the two games against the Raiders last year, Kelce popped-off for 12/168/2 and then 5/62/0 in a Week 17 game they didn’t throw much. With Tyreek Hill out of the lineup, Kelce should be a target magnet against a Raiders team that struggles down the seam. Want to see something fun? Here are the Raiders ranks versus tight ends last year: 14.13 yards per reception (second-most), 10.29 yards per target (most), 11.4 targets per touchdown (third-most), 72.8 percent completion-rate (fifth-most), and 2.28 PPR points per target (most). They tried fixing that with the addition of Johnathan Abram, though he was hurt in Week 1 and will be out for an extended period. Kelce is an elite play in Week 2 and will likely be worth every penny in DFS.

Darren Waller: Those who were sharp snagged Waller before he torched the Broncos on Monday night football. Once Antonio Brown was released, he was essentially the new Jared Cook of the offense and though some may disagree, Waller may be more talented than Cook, who saw 101 targets in this offense last year. If there’s a defense that was nearly as bad as the Raiders against tight ends last year, it was the Chiefs, who allowed a massive 2.07 PPR points per target to them. Just last week, they allowed the combination of James O’Shaughnessy and Geoff Swaim to combine for eight catches and 49 yards on nine targets. The addition of Tyrann Mathieu was solid considering who they had on the roster, but he’s not great in coverage. He’s allowed 50-of-71 passing for 609 yards and seven touchdowns over the last 17 games. Waller is clearly going to be a big part of this offense (led team with eight targets last week) and the matchup is pristine. Consider him a solid TE1 who can be considered in cash games as a cheap alternative to the guy on the other sideline.