Lamar Jackson threw for five touchdowns en route to a 36.6/33.6 point performance on DraftKings/Fanduel, respectively. Mark Ingram rumbled for a pair of touchdowns and registered 25.7/22.7 fantasy points. DeSean Jackson went off in his Philadelphia debut, scorching the Redskins defense for 38.4/31.4 fantasy points. Mark Andrews and Delanie Walker each recorded 20+ point performances at the depleted tight end position. The 49ers defense picked off Jameis Winston for a touchdown not once but twice to lead all fantasy defenses.
You know what all of these players had in common other than their strong outings? They were all a part of my Week 1 DFS guide (sure, Jameis Winston and Adam Humphries were too, but you can’t win them all, right?), and as you can see, I’m humbly enjoying my overall accuracy. It won me some money, and I hope it did the same for you. Let’s do it again!
Because DraftKings and FanDuel offer different prices for certain players and have a different cash total overall, one option may be better for a certain app than for the other app, and that will be noted. The first price is their DraftKings cost, and the second is the FanDuel cost.
Quarterback
Derek Carr ($5,100/6,600)
This one seems obvious, but so did the Jameis pick last week. However, the Chiefs let Gardner Minshew II set the record for highest completion percentage in a debut, and he piled up nearly 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns in less than a full game of work. Sidenote: read about this guy and his family. It’s awesome. His father named him Gardner II, but there was never a Gardner I? His grandfather wanted to name him Beowolf? Mind-blowing stuff.
Back to Derek Carr. The Raiders offense looked better than everyone expected, and it seems like Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller actually form a competent duo of receiving options for Carr. Josh Jacobs is great, but the Raiders are going to need to pass a lot to keep up with Kansas City. His asking price is really, really low, too, as there are only a handful of starting quarterbacks cheaper than him, and I expect him to perform at a much higher level than what his price would suggest.
Other options: Jared Goff ($5,900/$7,600); Trevor Siemian* ($4,000- worth it on DraftKings only) – *not because I think he’ll play well, necessarily, but because he’s literally the cheapest option available. Matt Schaub and AJ McCarron are more expensive than him, and he’s going for the same price as Nick Foles, who I have a feeling he’ll outproduce. That extra couple thousand can elevate one of your flex players from mid-level talent to an elite player.
Running Back
Chris Thompson ($3,900/$5,300) and Adrian Peterson ($3,400/$4,800)
The Redskins won’t have Jordan Reed for Week 2 which means that Thompson will once again be used as a sort of safety blanket for Case Keenum. Guice’s injury may allow him to see a few more carries, but his primary value comes from his receiving abilities, which flourished in Week 1 (seven catches on 10 targets for 68 yards). Dallas is one of only five teams that allowed 100 receptions to opposing running backs last season, so it should be a healthy combination of factors to allow Thompson to have a good day for a cheap price.
For Peterson, it’s a case of value that’s too good to ignore. Getting a starting running back (who many people seem to forget had 1,000 yards rushing last season) for this price just does so many things for your lineup, and I actually think he’ll deliver solid fantasy production. Saquon Barkley ran for over 100 yards on only 11 carries, and no, AP can’t run like Barkley can anymore, but he will see a larger workload than 11 carries and should turn it into a viable fantasy day.
Nick Chubb ($6,200/$7,300)
There’s no denying that Chubb was a little disappointing in Week 1 for those who expended a first-round pick on him or took him at a lofty DFS price. He didn’t play badly, though, especially when you look at how the entire team fared against Tennessee. Teams had a lot of success running the ball against the Jets last year, and that continued last week to a point, when Devin Singletary gashed them for 70 yards on just four carries (none of them were over 25 yards, so it didn’t all come on one play). He should have had a rushing touchdown as well, but it was vultured by Dontrell Hilliard who is out for Week 2. This time around, I’m confident that Chubb will find the end zone in a game that should see the Browns get their confidence back.
Other Options: Austin Ekeler ($6,100/$7,500 – better value on DraftKings); James White ($5,100/$6,300); David Montgomery ($4,900/$5,800 – this is a risky one but has high reward potential)
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones ($7,300/$8,300)
The Eagles secondary eventually stiffened up against the Redskins, but they also made Case Keenum look way too good for a large chunk of the game. The Falcons are in need of a bounce-back performance, and they are going to be gunning for it at home in a game that promises to be an entertaining one. The biggest turnaround of all will likely come from Julio Jones, who was admittedly disappointed in himself after a lowly performance to start the season (six catches for 31 yards and a touchdown). The Eagles might just provide a solution to that disappointment, as their Week 1 performance allowed one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL to post top-10 fantasy numbers at the position. Jones simply outmatches the entire secondary, and while his value on FanDuel reflects that by placing him as the third most expensive receiver, he’s way down as the ninth option at the position on DraftKings. In both cases, he’s a must-buy. You want a bold Week 1 prediction? Julio is going to be the highest scoring player in the league. Boom.
Tyrell Williams ($4,400/$5,900)
DraftKings must not have paid attention to Williams’s performance last week, as he’s ranked next to guys like Marquise Goodwin, Geronimo Allison, and Adam Humphries (who combine for a whopping 3.2 fantasy points). And I hate when people list someone as a sleeper candidate after they have an explosive week preceding the current one (Michael Gallup is not a sleeper after he went for 158 receiving yards, people!), but based on the price, people still seem to be sleeping on Williams and the Raiders offense. Pairing him with Derek Carr is a delicious stack, and whether or not the game itself is exciting, it should be fun to watch the tandem attack the Kansas City secondary all day long. Darren Waller is emerging, Josh Jacobs, is breaking through, but Tyrell Williams is established in this league and will be utilized heavily in the offense in the wake of Antonio Brown’s departure. Kudos to those who snagged him late in your drafts, because it should pay off big time.
Other options: Donte Moncrief ($4,000/$5,400) or James Washington ($3,600/$5,500); Tyler Boyd (FanDuel value only – $6,300 – the fact that he’s cheaper than John Ross already is laughable); Brandin Cooks ($6,300/$7,000)
Tight End
George Kittle ($6,800/$7,100)
I could pretty much copy and paste what I said last week for this, and every, week going forward. Kittle will normally produce WR1 value (I’m convinced last week was an anomaly) and you can get him for a relatively inexpensive price.
A quick note on DraftKings vs. FanDuel pricing: While Kittle goes for around the same price on both apps, he’s a better value on FanDuel for a couple of reasons. One, FanDuel gives you more money to use on drafting players, meaning that proportionally, if Kittle is $6,800 on DraftKings, he should be closer to $8,000 on FanDuel. The second and more important reason is that tight end costs vary completely between the two apps. For instance, I wouldn’t take Austin Hooper for $5,800 on FanDuel because for just $1,000 more I can get a guy like Kittle. However, Hooper is $3,100 on DraftKings, making him completely worth it in that format. For FanDuel, it just doesn’t seem worth it to draft a tight end outside the elite tier due to the similarity of prices.
Other Options: Darren Waller ($3,300 – DraftKings price only); Austin Hooper ($3,100 – DraftKings price only); TJ Hockenson ($3,000 – DraftKings price only)
Defense
New England Patriots ($3,700/$4,900)
You gotta do it, right? Miami isn’t going to replicate their miracle performance from last season when they somehow took down the Pats at home. In fact their not going to replicate anything about that game. They’re not ever going to get close. They’re not going to be in the game anymore after the first half. And they’re certainly not going to put up a lot of points. If the spread is any indicator, this one is going to be a blowout, and the chance for a defensive touchdown is too good to pass up.
You can follow me on Twitter at @jordancohn2 for more fantasy news, advice, and updates!
