Underdog Fantasy. By now, most of you know that Underdog has some incredible season-long best ball tournaments and weekly Battle Royale contests. However, they have another contest that will prove to have tremendous appeal to fantasy managers-their Pick ‘Em game. Simply choose two or more fantasy points, yardage, or reception totals, choose over or under, and lock in your prediction. There is a ton of value to be had here for fantasy managers as we already familiarize ourselves with important information like depth charts, injuries, yards allowed, fantasy points allowed, and more. This gives us a potential competitive advantage when it comes to identifying and tackling potential values. While more than a few totals will appeal to fantasy managers for Week 2 at Underdog, we will briefly discuss three that have more allure than most.
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Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA): 46.5 receiving yards
Jaylen Waddle saw five targets in his NFL debut, hauling in four of them for 61 receiving yards. This pick ’em line was set before the Dolphins announced that Will Fuller would be ruled out for Week 2, making it an obvious value. Waddle and DeVante Parker will continue to operate as the top two receivers for the Dolphins, and with Duran Smythe eating Mike Gesicki‘s snaps, Albert Wilson seeing less than 50 percent of the snaps, and Preston Williams still working his way back, that means a high-value role for Tua Tagovailoa‘s former Alabama teammate. The Buffalo Bills number one corner Tre’Davious White will likely spend most of his time covering Parker, which should make Waddle the top option in the passing game, at least at wide receiver. 50 receiving yards seems like the floor for the young wideout in what is a must-win game for Miami. The Bills are the favorites in this contest, and a negative or neutral gamescript should keep the Dolphins mixing in the pass with the run. This is an easy over play and may be the standout value on the board.
Pick: Over
Antonio Brown (WR – TB): 63.5 receiving yards
Antonio Brown went off in the season opener and looks to be in line for another throwback performance against the mess that is called the Atlanta Falcons defense. They allowed Jalen Hurts to explode for 264 passing yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 and will likely give up an even bigger day to Tom Brady. The Falcons allowed two separate receivers to haul in six balls, including Jalen Reagor, who caught every one of his targets. Chris Godwin will likely remain the top option in the passing game due to his slot usage and steady hands, but it is becoming clear that AB will be a featured option in the passing game this season. Positive gamescript does leave some reason for concern, but Tom Brady looks to be making a concerted effort to help Brown get back to the form that made him one of the most consistent wide receivers in NFL history. Tap Brown and the over until he reaches 69.5 or higher.
Pick: Over
CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL): 79.5 receiving yards
CeeDee Lamb went off for seven receptions, 101 receiving yards, and one touchdown against the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers but left a lot of yards on the field. He had just a 46.7 percent catch rate on 15 targets and had several embarrassing drops. However, those drops taught us a lesson as we learned that Lamb has obviously earned Dak Prescott trust enough that his QB would keep going to him even after a number of concerning drops. Adding to Lamb’s appeal this week is the fact that number three receiver Michael Gallup will be sidelined for the next three to five weeks. The Cowboys have another tough matchup against one of the more explosive offenses in the league and should spend enough time leaning on the pass for Lamb to threaten 100 receiving yards again. Lamb will be someone to shy away from at this high of a number when the Cowboys are facing teams they are expected to have a positive gamescript against, but when they face good teams, Lamb should see all the targets he can handle. Amari Cooper played well enough in Week 1 to still be treated as the number one receiver. That means that Lamb will be allowed to continue to feast on single coverage.
Pick: Over
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.