It was an awesome week one in the NFL. We saw lots of interesting things and we saw come things we expected. Who knew that the 49ers would be the top scoring fantasy defense? Rookie receivers were in full effect as Marquise Brown, A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf, and others were showing no signs of being stifled by the NFL game. Also, they hype was real on the Browns in the offseason and they clearly didn’t live up to it.
With all that said, it’s only been one week. Players that played well may not sustain in week two and players that were duds could have a solid rebound week in week two. Let’s take a look at a great option to use as your lineup in DraftKings in week two.
DraftKings Optimal Lineup – Week 2
QB – Matt Ryan vs. Eagles – $6,100
Case Keenum lit up the Eagles defense for 380 yards and three touchdowns. Now no knock against Keenum, but Ryan is a more capable quarterback. Ryan suffered last week from an offense that couldn’t establish the run and also had their defense run ragged because of Dalvin Cook. Ryan was able to salvage his day a little bit having to play from behind, but overall it was a bit of a dud of a game. Look for Ryan to rebound at home in this prime time match-up against the Eagles.
Alternate option: Philip Rivers vs. Lions, $6,100
RB – Austin Ekeler vs. Lions – $6,100
With Melvin Gordon out for the foreseeable future, Ekeler is out to prove he can lead this backfield on offense. Against the Colts, he was able to torch the defense with 154 total yards and three total touchdowns which also include the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Playing against the Lions in week two, Ekeler should look to replicate that kind of success. Now he is splitting time with Justin Jackson, but Jackson is used solely as a runner. This limits his value while increasing Ekeler’s. Looking last week at what David Johnson did against the Lions, inserting Ekeler into your roster should pay big dividends this week.
Alternate option: Devin Singletary vs. Giants, $4,200
RB – Dalvin Cook vs. Packers – $7,200
Seeing as how Kirk Cousins threw the ball only 10 times against the Falcons, the Vikings clearly are making the offense flow through Cook. While every week may not have the offense throw only 10 times, it still means that Cook is going to be valued every week. In a divisional match-up versus the Packers, expect Minnesota to rely on Cook to move the chain and get points on the board. Green Bay was able to limit the Chicago offense from establishing anything on the ground, but they also prevented the offense from doing anything overall. Minnesota will be prepared for the new look Packers defense and will come with a plan of attack that will feature Cook. Pay the premium for him and he’ll make that investment worth it.
Alternate option: Alvin Kamara vs. Rams, $8,200
WR – Juju Smith-Schuster vs. Seahawks – $7,500
The Patriots came out and straight up steamrolled the Steelers on Sunday night, last week. So it’s no secret that Smith-Schuster was not able to get himself going on offense. Even though he was stifled for much of the game, he was still able to reel in six catches for 78 yards. So we can see that Smith-Schuster was able to learn and get separation as the game went on. Now after one week, the Patriots defense looks completely different than the Seahawks defense. When a guy like Andy Dalton can torch you for a career-high 418 yards, this is a good sign for the Steelers passing offense. Overall, Smith-Schuster should have a good game against the Seahawks and really establish the fact he is a premier receiver in the NFL.
Alternate option: Julio Jones vs. Eagles, $7,300
WR – Jarvis Landry vs. Jets – $5,800
There is of course a ton of attention coming the way of Odell Beckham Jr. Whether it be on the field with double coverage or the fact that he wears a $350k watch while playing. Either way, this lets Landry fall under the radar. Now with all the off-season hype, the Browns ended up failing to meet expectations as they got hammered by the Titans in week one. Coming into week two, the Jets are dealing with injuries to their starting offense. Sam Darnold will not be playing and Le’Veon Bell is dealing with an injury that may limit his effectiveness. How does this affect Landry and the Cleveland offense? If the Jets offense consistently is going three-and-out, this will translate to lots of opportunities for the Browns offense to score. This is where Landry can reap the benefits of Beckham Jr. getting all the attention from the defense. Landry should have a solid day of the office and you don’t have to break the bank to put him in your roster.
Alternate option: Josh Gordon vs. Dolphins, $5,800
WR – John Brown vs. Giants – $5,200
This Bills offense is going to be a good source for fantasy options. Not only will Josh Allen have some solid match-ups for streaming potential, but his go-to-guy Brown is going to be a receiver to watch as the season goes on. Similar to the Jets, the Giants offense might find themselves stalling more often than moving down the field. This can lead to plenty of chances for the Bills to get points on the board and Allen to connect with Brown down the field. While Browns has always been a good deep threat since coming into the league, he has now developed more of his route tree and is a more well-rounded receiver. Brown should be a good cheap option to slide into your roster to gain some good points on the pennies instead of dollars.
Alternate option: Dante Pettis vs. Bengals, $5,300
TE – Evan Engram vs. Bills – $5,200
Injuries, injuries, injuries. The Giants receiving corps is dealing with lots of injuries and the suspension of Golden Tate. This means that they are a little limited as to who they can throw to in the passing game. While this may seem counter-intuitive to start the only guy who is worth passing to, the sheer number of targets that Engram will get will lead to him being worth starting. Engram had 14 targets in his week one game against the Cowboys. This number will most likely be replicated, if not be higher in week two against the Bills. While the Bills do boast a solid defense, the Cowboys also have a good defense and they still got Engram the ball and even a touchdown. Start Engram with confidence this week.
Alternate options: Darren Waller vs. Chiefs, $3,300
FLEX – Chris Thompson vs. Cowboys – $3,900
While everyone is going to be clamoring to add Adrian Peterson to their rosters and using them in DFS, Thompson is going to be a smarter addition. Thompson was involved in the offense even with Derrius Guice playing last week. The big thing that will lead to Thompson being the smarter addition to your roster, is that he led all Redskins players with 10 targets. This means that he is very much going to be involved in the passing offense and will be on the field consistently to warrant adding to your DFS roster. While Washington accomplished next to nothing on the ground last week, this is not where Thompson earns his paycheck. They were slinging it all over the Eagles defense and while the Cowboys are better against the pass, they should have a hard time keeping Thompson in check. Adding Thompson to your DFS roster this week can give you excellent value and also score you a good amount of points.
Alternate option: Miles Sanders vs. Falcons, $4,100
DST – Houston Texans vs. Jaguars – $2,800
Picking the Texans defense this week is a good blend of value pricing and good match-up. The Jaguars are going to be starting a second-string quarterback in Gardner Minshew and are having to face a Texans team that suffered a devastating loss to the Saints on Monday night. Houston is going to be playing a little angry and they will take it out on their divisional foes in Jacksonville. Also, the Houston defense is a good value play as they are priced under $3,000 this week in a very good match-up against a hobbling Jaguars offense.
Alternate option: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Lions, $3,200