Fanduel NFL Picks Week 2

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Fanduel NFL Picks Week 2

It was Davante Adams or bust for many DFS lineups. Adams kicked off his campaign for the overall WR1 crown with 34.6 Fanduel points. Now with Michael Thomas out, Adams has one less hurdle. For my Fanduel NFL Picks Week 2 edition, I will suggest one chalk player, some other options, and offer a couple of questions for each position. We must build a symbiotic relationship with the numbers side of DFS and the logical, more game theory-driven approach. Week 2 offers yet another opportunity to perfect that balance.

Lineup Construction Tips

I’m not sure how many people expected a 43-34 shootout between the Packers and Vikings, however, the over/under for the Raiders and Panthers peaked at 48 points last week. While player matchups are a major part of the process in building a great DFS lineup, don’t forget to take a look at the NFL Odds for the week, to see if any games that sportsbooks think will be high scoring. This also works in a contrarian aspect, in the sense that if everyone is avoiding a game that has a low Over/Under, you could build a lineup and hope for the opposite. As we know life is easy in GPP’s if you picked a hot player that has a low ownership percentage.

QUARTERBACK – Kyler Murray ($8,000)

While I was on Murray’s season-opening opponent as my quarterback (Jimmy Garoppolo), it was he instead who filled the boxscore. The Cardinals didn’t back down from the reigning NFC Champions, and Murray was a huge reason for that. The 2nd year quarterback was exciting as a rookie but had trouble accessing his true ceiling as a fantasy scorer, needing a few more rushing attempts a game to do so. It looks like we may get just that in 2020, as he rushed 13 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. Murray has a similar defensive matchup in Week 2 against the Washington Football Team. They possess an all-star team across the defensive line but are susceptible in the secondary. Murray and his new favorite target DeAndre Hopkins ($8,300) should have no issues in the Cardinals’ first home game of the season.

Other Options: Matt Ryan ($7,700) threw the ball a whopping 54 times in the Falcons’ first game of the season. This will likely be a common theme going forward as the Falcons boast one of the league’s worst secondaries. Ryan will have no choice but to stay aggressive, which is good news for both him and the prospects of Julio Jones ($8,200), Calvin Ridley ($7,100) and Russell Gage ($5,400). In Week 2, they will get an angry Dalla Cowboys team looking for their first win of the season. Yet another game where Atlanta will likely find themselves behind.

A Couple Questions: Does the Dallas/Atlanta game live up to the light show hype? Could paying down for someone like Mitchell Trubisky ($7,200) or Dwayne Haskins Jr. ($6,500) be prudent?

RUNNINGBACK – Jonathan Taylor ($5,800)

There might not be another player in the league who had things break better for them than Jonathan Taylor. Taylor would almost assuredly be taken between the late first and early second rounds of fantasy drafts with Marlon Mack now out of the way. Taylor’s Week 2 price does not reflect anywhere near the workload he should see against the Vikings. Indianapolis HC Frank Reich hinted at Taylor’s involvement in the passing game, but I don’t think anyone saw 6 targets coming in his first NFL game. Add that to an increased weekly touchdown expectation, and we have ourselves a lock button play at running back.

Other Options: I don’t necessarily consider Ezekiel Elliott ($8,600) a true pivot as he figures to be the back people pair with Taylor. Like Taylor, Zeke saw a notable amount of targets (4) from Dak Prescott. Teammate Tony Pollard ($4,800) was a popular zero-RB candidate this offseason as his talent is undeniable. Fortunately for Elliott, Pollard only managed 4 touches. While it’s foolish to expect two touchdowns each week, Elliott is solidified as the primary back on a team that figures to be one of the league’s best offenses.

A Couple Questions: Will you jam the triumvirate of Zeke, Taylor and CMC this week? If Miles Sanders ($6,800) is active, do you trust him enough to take advantage of the low price? Does Benny Snell’s ($4,600) lack of passing game involvement scare you?

WIDE RECEIVER – Davante Adams ($8,600)

I feel like I am wasting your time highlighting Davante Adams in Week 2. While Adams is coming off of a ceiling game, it still might take a couple of weeks for his price to match his production and opportunity. With another division rival in the Lions on deck for Week 2, Adams has an outside shot to match the 34.6 Fanduel points he dropped on the Vikings. The Lions’ secondary he will be going up against was just diced up by the arm of Mitchell Trubisky. It remains to be seen whether or not 3rd overall pick Jeff Okudah will suit up for this contest. While that would give them a slight boost, dueling with Davante Adams in your first-ever NFL game while also battling a hamstring injury sounds like a treat. I am not concerned about the Lions having to stay in the game either as Aaron Rodgers ($6,900) looks like he will be trying to prove something with every snap he takes this season. Davante Adams stands to gain the most if true.

Other Options: Robert Woods ($6,700), D.J. Moore ($6,800) and Amari Cooper ($7,000) all look like their respective teams WR1s. I think you will see many players roster at least one if not two guys from this group in Week 2. If I had to rank them I would go 1. Amari Cooper  2. Robert Woods and 3. D.J. Moore. While you can make the case for Moore as a cash play given his 9 targets, his weak fantasy point total (7.4) makes me like him much “Moore” as a contrarian tournament play.

A Couple Questions: Allen Robinson II ($7,000) is right there with the players mentioned above. If Robinson decides to suit up for the Bears this week, do we have our first “squeaky wheel” narrative of the season? How will you approach the duo of Mike Evans ($7,400) and Chris Godwin ($7,800) against a pitiful Panthers secondary? Is Scotty Miller ($5,200) a legitimate threat?

TIGHT END – Logan Thomas III ($4,700)

I touched on the opportunity Logan Thomas III had in Washington this season in last week’s article. He got off to an awesome start to the year posting 4 catches on 8 targets for 37 yards and a touchdown. That’s one more target than 2nd-year phenom Terry McLaurin ($6,500) had. Although McLaurin was shadowed by Darius Slay, I am not discounting Thomas’s performance whatsoever. He finds himself in a favorable matchup in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals. If Thomas can average somewhere between 4-6 targets every week, he is a worthy pay down at a position where I love to do so.

Other Options: Mark Andrews’ ($7,500) push to be considered as one of the leagues’ best tight ends got off to a scorching start. Surprisingly, Andrews played only 41.3% of the Ravens’ snaps in 2019. That number spiked to 71.2% in the Raven’s first game against the Browns per FantasyData.com.  If that trend continues in Week 2 and beyond, the number one overall fantasy tight end is in his range of outcomes. He will get his turn to feast on a Texans defense that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce laid waste to in the 2020 season opener.

A Couple Questions: If George Kittle ($7,400) is unable to suit up, do Jordan Reed ($4,800) and Ross Dwelley ($4,400) offer mega-punt value at tight end?

D/ST – Baltimore Ravens ($3,600)

I’ll round out my Fanduel NFL Picks Week 2 article with one suggestion at defense. The Baltimore Ravens head to Houston to face Deshaun Watson ($7,900) and what looks to a be a below-average offensive attack outside of Will Fuller V ($6,100) and maybe a resurging David Johnson ($7,200). The Ravens took out all of the anger they had from last year’s playoff loss to the Titans on the Browns. The Ravens used their season opener as a statement game. Look for the revenge tour to continue in Week 2. In last year’s matchup between these two teams, the Ravens allowed 7 points and racked up 7 sacks, 1 interception, and 1 fumble.