Welcome to OwnersBox. OwnersBox provides a unique fantasy sports experience that offers contests that run for a full week or more. This can lead to some interesting strategy sessions, as you are often no longer planning for just one game. Engaging and entertaining, Weekly Fantasy Sports could very well become the next big thing in fantasy football. For more information on the OwnersBox platform, check out our Introduction to OwnersBox here. 

For Week 2 we will shift our focus to one of OwnersBox’s most interesting contests, the eight-person NFL drafts. The eight-person leagues span three weeks, with the pool of drafted players being eight quarterbacks, 16 running backs, 16 wide receivers, eight tight ends, eight kickers, and 24 IDP players. 

The 16 person leagues are also highly intriguing, but may not generate enough initial interest from those not comfortable with their depth of player knowledge (32 wide receivers, 32 running backs, and 48 IDP players are drafted in those contests). For the purposes of this discussion, we will focus our energy on players that can be had late in eight-person drafts, or even as swaps. Since there are only eight quarterbacks, tight ends, and kickers drafted, we will focus on the other three positions.

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Things to remember 

• Contests span different lengths depending on size. Two-person contests last one week. Four-person contests last two weeks. Eight person contests last three weeks. 16 person contests last four weeks.
• Drafts start as soon as full. If you are no longer available to draft, leave the draft lobby for a full refund.
• Two lineup swaps per contest (injured or reserve/COVID players can be swapped with no restrictions).
• You can draft a team for Week 2 games up until kickoff on Sunday.

Running Backs

Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
Jonathan Taylor was featured here last week, but now that he has been named the starter, he has even more value. Nyheim Hines has proven to have a larger role than expected in the backfield, but with Marlon Mack lost for the season, Taylor is set to get plenty of run. He was heavily involved in the passing game, hauling in all six of his targets for 69 receiving yards. He now has the role to be the RB1 may had envisioned when the Colts traded up for him, but at OwnersBox he is coming at a discount. 

With drafters likely weary of his Week 2 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, Taylor is the perfect wait-on-a-RB candidate in eight-person leagues. It is true that the Vikings are a concern gameflow wise, but Week 1 taught us that Taylor will indeed stay involved on obvious passing downs, in turn raising his floor even in projected losses. A peek ahead to his Week 3 opponent should get everyone excited. The New York Jets. Taylor could help power you to the finals in eight-person brackets with his terrific Week 3 opponent and is someone that deserves consideration as your RB2 at OwnersBox.

Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE)
It may have been a gameflow related anomaly, but in Week 1, Kareem Hunt out-touched Nick Chubb 17-11. Hunt was always expected to see more work in the passing game, but the fact that he saw 13 carries to Chubb’s 10 is noteworthy. The two backs split the snaps rather evenly with Hunt seeing 49 percent of the snaps to Chubb’s 48 percent. Moving the ball should be easier for the Browns in Week 2, so we will likely get to see what the workload split looks like in neutral, or even positive gamescript situations. 

If you are lucky enough to find a league drafting tonight, Hunt is worth a long hard look in eight-person leagues. The Bengals represent a plus matchup for both Chubb and Hunt, and Week 3 and 4 promise that Hunt will be a focal point. In Week 3 he gets Washington’s terrifying defensive front. They were able to lock down Saquon Barkley so the Browns may go into the contest determined to let Hunt go to work in space. In Week 4 it is the Dallas Cowboys. The Browns could struggle to keep pace offensively and may have to turn to the pass, and their pass-catching back when they are in catch-up mode. 

Wide Receivers

D.K. Metcalf (WR – SEA)
Metcalf is an excellent target for OwnersBox drafters who are looking to wait on the wide receiver position. He generally lasts past the top-10, and can even be had in the final rounds of some draft rooms. This could very well be because of the Seahawks Week 2 opponent in the New England Patriots. If Stephon Gilmore decides to shadow Metcalf, his fantasy managers could be in for a long and painful Sunday night. However, if Gilmore decides to spend all or some of his time on Tyler Lockett, we could see a prime time explosion from the sophomore. Metcalf hauled in four of his eight targets for 95 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 1 and could get loose more than once against the Patriots. 

Keenan Allen (WR – LAC)
Keenan Allen saw eight targets in Week 1 but hauled in just four receptions for 37 receiving yards. That poor performance in what was supposed to be a plus matchup has made him slip even further down OwnersBox drafts than he was in Week 1. He has three unbelievably juicy matchups on tap over the next three weeks in Kansas City, Carolina, and Tampa Bay, three games that are expected to morph into shootouts. Allen’s target volume leaves room for optimism, we just need Tyrod Taylor to pick up his play. 30 attempts is probably more than the Chargers want Taylor to average over the season, but for the next three weeks, he may go well north of that. Kansas City and Tampa Bay have extremely potent offenses that the Chargers may very well be forced to keep up with. Carolina has some promise on offense due to some of the top playmakers in the game, but are in disarray in their depleted defense,  giving Taylor a prime spot to breakout. 

IDP

Johnathan Abram (S – LV)
If you are looking for someone you could have fun watching while they are on your roster, Jonathan Abram may be your man. Also a very talented football player. Abram racked up nine solo tackles, four assists, and one tackle for loss in Week 1. His performance was massive enough that he is now going at a premium in OwnersBox drafts, but he is well worth the investment. As echoed here last week, Abram is a ball magnet who is determined to get to the ball on every single play. He loves to hit opponents and has that mean streak Mississippi State defenders just seem to enter the league with. 

His opponents over the next three weeks are destined to log a heavy amount of rush attempts, and in turn, provide extra tackle opportunities for Abram. The Saints are set to be without Michael Thomas for at least this week, which likely means that they will be leaning on Alvin Kamara, Latavius Murray, and Jared Cook, all candidates to meet Abram in coverage. Cam Newton will provide a unique challenge for Abram in terms of tackling, but New England promises another high tackle count. He will close the tournament with Buffalo, a team determined to run the ball whether it be by Josh Allen or one of their young running backs. Steal Abram late where you can. 

Jaylon Smith (LB – DAL)
One thing you can notice in Week 2 OwnersBox drafts is that the draft room is leaning heavily on Week 1’s IDP stats to inform their draft decisions. This means players that shouldn’t be dropping can now be had for a value. Jaylon Smith had five solo tackles and five assists in Week 1 but is now being drafted behind a number of names that he was drafted ahead of just last week. 

The IDP spots are all flexes, which means that gamers are tapping some safeties and defensive linemen before Smith. Smith is set to explode with Leighton Vander Esch sidelined. He is now the first and second line of defense in the middle and should have enough coverage assignments to raise his floor to that of an LB2. He can be had at an IDP3 cost, but could very well produce at an LB1 level with three terrific matchups on deck in Atlanta, Seattle, and Cleveland.

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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyContext.