After a disappointing Week 1, we bounced back big time in Week 2. Dak Prescott was our highlight player and he finished as the top quarterback on the slate. We also got solid performances from Raheem Mostert, Amari Cooper, Corey Davis, and Hunter Henry, with Derrick Henry being our only real letdown. Who could have seen that coming? Anyway, we’re back at it with this injury-ravished slate, so, there should be a ton of value out there.
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Thursday/Monday Slates
Man, this Thursday slate is downright ugly. We have the Jaguars facing the Dolphins, battling for the top spot in next year’s draft. That should make the game close though and there are some things to like in terms of DFS. Most notably, D.J. Chark and James Robinson. These two have been nice surprises for the Jags this season and they’re easily the best options on this slate. We also like the D/ST’s to perform, facing two of the worst offenses in football.
For the Monday slate, we have an epic battle between the Ravens and Chiefs. This very well could be the AFC Championship preview, featuring Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson as two of the best quarterbacks in football. Outside of those two, Marquise Brown and Demarcus Robinson look like the best values while Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Mark Andrews are obvious plays.
Quarterback of the Week
Kyler Murray (ARI) $6,800 vs. DET
I have a ton of stock on Murray in my season-long formats and part of me believes that we’re in the midst of a Lamar Jackson-like season. Carrying his team to two wins is impressive enough but he’s also averaging over 30 DK points per game. That’s what you want to see from a second-year player and his ability to run the ball makes him a dynamic force for fantasy. He’s actually got 158 rushing yards and three touchdowns through the ground so far this season and that doesn’t even take into account his talented arm. Facing Detroit might be the best part about using him though, with the Lions ranked 26th in yardage allowed and 28th in points surrendered.
Cash Game Running Back
Jerick McKinnon (SF) $4,900 at NYG
A lot of people are going to be using McKinnon and rightfully so. The reason for that is because of the injuries, with San Francisco likely missing Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert. That leaves him as the last running back remaining and it doesn’t even take into consideration that Jimmy Garoppolo and Deebo Samuel will be out too. That means McKinnon could be looking at 15-20 carries and 5-10 targets, which is huge for a guy who’s averaging 4.3 yards-per-carry and 8.3 yards-per-catch for his career. Getting to face the Giants is the best part of this play though, with New York allowing Benny Snell and David Montgomery to run all over them in the first two weeks.
GPP Running Back
Mike Davis (CAR) $5,100 at LAC
It’s sad that Christian McCaffrey will be out for the next 4-6 weeks but it’s a great opportunity to find some DFS value. It looks like Davis will take over his job, playing in nearly every snap after Caf got injured. They were actually playing catch-up for most of Davis’ time in the game, providing eight catches for 74 yards. That alone makes him a great option, as he should be thrown to a lot with Carolina entering this matchup as a 7-point underdog. If we can get double-digit carries and the same amount of targets as last week, Davis would be a fantastic option at just $5,100.
Cash Game Wide Receiver
Amari Cooper (DAL) $6,500 at SEA
Let’s go right back to the well. We usually think about the Seahawks secondary as being a scary unit but it’s a different story this season. Allowing 450 yards to Matt Ryan in the opener was a red flag but surrendering 397 passing yards to Cam Newton in Week 2 is a disaster. That’s a scary thought against the leading passer in the NFL last season and particularly, his top target. That happens to be Cooper, who ranks second in the NFL with 23 total targets. We have been waiting years for Cooper to get this sort of usage and he’s been a dominant receiver throughout his career despite not seeing as big of a workload as we’d like.
GPP Wide Receiver
Diontae Johnson (PIT) $5,400 vs. HOU
It appears that Big Ben has found his new best friend. Through the first two games, Johnson is tied with Cooper for the second-most targets in the NFL (23). That has led to him providing 14 receptions for 149 yards, out-dueling JuJu Smith-Schuster. That makes it shocking that his price remains so affordable and he needs to be rostered in every DFS lineup until he gets to $6K. The matchup against Houston isn’t too shabby either, with the Texans sitting 26th in total defense.
Tight End of the Week
Logan Thomas (WAS) $3,700 at CLE
This is another name that I never thought would be in one of my articles. The biggest thing we look at is targets though and Thomas has been incredible in that facet. He actually ranks third of all tight ends with 17 targets this season and is playing nearly every down. That doesn’t even take into consideration that he’s their best option in the red zone with his 6’6″, 250-pound frame. That makes him way too cheap below $4K and it looks even better when you consider that Cleveland has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.
D/ST of the Week
Los Angeles Chargers $3,600 vs. CAR
Honestly, I want to use every single D/ST who faces the Panthers until McCaffrey returns. The simple fact is, this was a below-average offense with him in the lineup and he accounted for about half of the team’s yards. That puts any defense in play against them but Los Angeles has been impressive thus far. In Week 1, they held the Bengals to just 13 points and followed that up with 23 points allowed to the Chiefs. Anyone holding KC to just 23 points needs to be looked at closely and it’s clear that this is one of the best units in the NFL.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
