What’s going on everybody,! Hopefully you all had a better Week 2 than I did. Granted I won some leagues, but I did expect some huge games from players that really let me down. I’ll tell you who had a great week though…
Rudy and the Tools! I said it a few times during my rankings post, if you are waiting to subscribe to our fantastic season-long and DFS tools, you are simply wasting money. If Week 1 is any indication, and I think it is, this should be a huge year for Rudy and the rest of the gang here at Razzball. And if it is going to be a huge year for us, why shouldn’t it be a huge year for you guys as well?
Well without further ado, let’s get into some Razzball certified picks for Week 2, with some DFS knowledge at the very end thanks to our great lineup optimizers. Let’s get to it!
Note: Projections are based off of standard scoring leagues.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr vs. NYJ: Proj: 17.82 pts (#5 QB)
No surprise here, as Carr is one of the best QB’s to own this week as he’ll be at home versus the lowly Jets secondary that surrendered 224 yards and 2 TD’s from Tyrod Taylor. Imagine what Carr will do now behind a better O-Line and with more weapons. Carr should feast this week alongside the rest of this offense.
Carson Palmer @ IND: Proj: 17.19 pts (#8 QB)
I’m happy to see the projections wanting to give another Palmer a chance, because I want to give Palmer another chance after a horrid Week 1 performance against Detroit. Now Palmer gets to play against this awful Colts secondary that allowed Jared Goff to throw the ball for 306 yards and a score. And now without the star of this offense, David Johnson, Palmer will likely throw the ball a ton, which is music to my ears.
Joe Flacco vs. CLE: Proj: 16.25 pts (#12 QB)
If you’re going to stream a QB this week (shoutout to the Luck owners out there), you’re going to probably look towards Flacco this week, coming in as a Top-12 QB according to the projections. He’ll get to face Cleveland after a nice showing last week against Cincinnati. This secondary did not look good last week against Big Ben, and I don’t think they’re going to fix everything in one week.
Marcus Mariota vs. JAX: Proj: 13.60 pts (#20 QB)
I have to say, I didn’t expect for Mariota to be ranked highly this week against the tough defensive unit of the Jags, but I also didn’t expect for them to be ranked as the 20th QB either. If that doesn’t give you a good idea to find a better option at QB this week, a #20 ranking should.  As Matt Bowe said earlier on the Razzblitz podcast, Jalen Ramsey might be the best CB in the league.
Running Backs
Melvin Gordon vs. MIA: Proj: 19.68 pts (#2 RB)
The best running back not named Lev Bell is our man Melvin Gordon this week against the Dolphins. The matchup isn’t the best in the world, nor is it the worst either, however he’ll continue to receive a heavy workload this week, like he did against Denver, without any RB depth behind him. The Chargers should be in the lead for most of this game, and I expect Gordon to have a very nice performance this week.
Dalvin Cook @ PIT: Proj: 15.15 pts (#13 RB)
Cook looked fantastic last week against New Orleans, and I’m expecting the same amount of volume for every matchup that Cook can handle moving forward. Although Crowell struggled against this defense last week, I expect for Cook to have a very good showing. You’re starting him this week.
Jacquizz Rodgers vs. CHI: 11.83 pts (#18 RB)
If you’re struggling to start a back this week, look no further than Rodgers this week versus Chicago. The Bears defensive front is definitely a daunting one, but there are some good things pointing towards Rodgers’ way. First off, he’s almost a lock for 20 carries, and you can’t say that about anyone else in his range this week. Second off, the game script should work in his favor as the Bucs should win this game and be in control for most of, if not allof the game.
Isaiah Crowell @ BAL: Proj: 11.06 pts (#31 RB)
This defensive front is very scary, and Crowell struggled mightily against Pittsburgh last week with a crisp 1.9 YPC. I still like him ROS, but not this week.
Wide Receivers
Larry Fitzgerald @ IND: Proj: 17.04 pts (#2 WR)
Well I certainly was going to give Fitz another chance this week, but man, if a #2 ranking doesn’t tell you how much we here at Razzball like Fitzgerald, I don’t know what will. Fitzgerald was certainly productive in PPR formats last week thanks to his high volume of receptions, but I’m expecting him to ball out in all formats this week against this poor Indy secondary.
Michael Crabtree vs. NYJ: Proj: 13.79 pts (#10 WR)
Like I mentioned earlier, this Raiders offense should be the best in the NFL this week against this Jets secondary, and Crabtree should be a big factor in this matchup, as should his counterpart Amari Cooper. It might be a bit bold, but I have no issues with Crabtree as a Top-10 wideout this week.
Brandin Cooks @ NO: Proj: 12.09 pts (#17 WR)
I have to say, I think this ranking is a bit low, but you should be starting Cooks regardless. This Saints secondary looked god-awful last week against Minnesota, and Cooks (and Hogan for that matter) should do the same damage that Diggs and Theilen did last week. It’s also a revenge game for Cooks as he makes his return to Nola.
Dez Bryant @ DEN: Proj: 12 pts (#20 WR)
Bryant was shut down by Janoris Jenkins last week, and should now face the daunting secondary of the Broncos this week. Again, never bench your studs, but if you have a better option, use it.
Tight Ends
Jared Cook vs. NYJ: Proj: 10.19 pts (#8 TE)
Had a decent showing last week in Tennessee, and should now face a nice matchup that gave up some production to Clay last week. If you need a streamer, this is your guy.
Charles Clay @ OAK: Proj: 9.20 pts (#13 TE)
I like Clay a lot ROS, and while I’m not thrilled in this matchup by any stretch, but again, if you don’t have an elite TE to start, here’s your guy.
Defense/Special Teams and Kicker
Arizona Cardinals @ IND: Proj: 7.53 pts (#9 D/ST)
Luck is out. That is all you need.
Giorgio Tavecchio vs. NYJ: Proj: 8.58 pts (#1 K)
This offense should put up numbers against this Jets defense, and Tavecchio looked fantastic against Tennessee last week.
Daily Advice for Week 2
Using Razzball’s DFS projections and optimizer, powered by Daily Fantasy Cafe, here is a sample lineup I generated, using Fanduel scoring:
QB: Tom Brady
HB: Le’Veon Bell, Melvin Gordon
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Jeremy Maclin, Mohamed Sanu
TE: Travis Kelce
K: Blair Walsh
D/ST: Ravens
Alright everyone, well that about does it for me as we preview another week of the NFL season. Good luck to everyone in your matchups, and we’ll talk next week! And as always, if you have a question or comment, feel free to leave one below!
You Can Follow Zach on Twitter @razzball_Zach.
