Kickoff week in the NFL gave DFS fans lots to chew on…like:
- Maybe it doesn’t pay to fade the crowd
(Case in point: Michael Pittman Jr. with 30.1 DK Pts, Justin Jefferson with 42.4 and Travis Kelce with 29.1) - Maybe it doesn’t pay to get too hung up on injuries from prior seasons
(e.g., Saquon Barkey with 36.4 DK Pts and Michael Thomas with 22.7) - Maybe switching teams, being cheap ($5,500), low owned (0.4%) and facing a pitiful defense (JAX) does make you a compelling QB (e.g., Carson Wentz with 33.72 DK Pts).
With teams getting their bugs out last week, week 2 should be just as thrilling. We’ll have:
- 15 teams trying to avoid starting 0-2
- A high octane Chargers at Chiefs showdown on Thursday night
- A rare “Monday Night Football” doubleheader.
How this works
To help you unearth player values, we turn to DFS Hub analyst Steve Cravens who assesses one “under the radar” player from each game, each week.
The criteria:
- All players must be $6,900 or less on DraftKings
- The player must have the potential and projected opportunities to go 4x NFL DFS value.
The mission is finding players with more than a 50% chance of scoring four times their salary. In other words, a DraftKings fantasy point performance greater than [Sal($k)]A DFS Hub field that equals a player's salary divided by $1,000. $4.8 [Sal($k)] equals $4,800, for example. It's a short form of salary to make comparing salaries easier. More x 4.
Uncovering players who blow up for 4x value isn’t easy, but it’s a must-do for anyone hoping to win tournaments consistently. So without further delay, below are Steve’s calls for week 2.
Time | Teams | Player | Pos | Salary | Justification |
Thu | LAC @ | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | RB | $5900 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire had a 22.4-point week 1 debut with 42 yards rushing and 32 yards receiving. He only got 39% of the snaps but two touchdown passes from Mahomes were enough to make his day. Pat-Tricky will target Clyde's dual threat ability again in this AFC West showdown, particularly on passing downs. CEH benefits from positive game script at home. |
Sun 1:00P | NJY @ | Jacoby Brissett | QB | $5400 | Jacoby Brissett had a modest afternoon against the Panthers' defense with 147 yards passing and one touchdown. Unlike the Panthers, the Jets secondary is graded bottom 10 by PFF. The Browns are -6.5 point home favorites. After one week of seasoning, Brissett could exceed his projected 15 fantasy points with near zero ownership. d |
Sun 1:00P | TB @ | Jarvis Landry | WR | $5000 | Jarvis Landry isn't about to cede all the spotlight to Michael Thomas. Landry put up 21.4 DraftKings points against the Falcons with a team-leading 114 yards on Sunday. Only 3 receivers in the NFL had more air yards last week. Landry should continue getting targets as the Bucs' defense focuses on Kamara and Thomas. |
Sun 1:00P | CAR @ | Daniel Jones | QB | $5100 | Jones is a -2 point favorite at home. He tallied a respectable 18 FPsFantasy points More against the Titans' formidable defense, posting a below-average 188 yards passing, 2 TDs and a pick. The Panthers defense is an easier row to hoe. It should zero in on Barkey, which could pave the way for an above-average outing for Jones in the air. |
Sun 1:00P | NE @ | Diontae Johnson | WR | $5000 | Elusive Johnson should bounce back from a relatively quiet game against the Bengals (55 yards receiving, 12 targets and 12.5 fantasy points) with Trubisky under center. He faces a Patriots defense focused on stopping the run, one that ranked 2nd-worst in coverage, based on PFF's week 1 grading. |
Sun 1:00P | IND @ | Trevor Lawrence | QB | $5300 | Trevor Lawrence had a solid 275 yards passing plus a touchdown and a pick. Divisional games usually have more fireworks so Lawrence's improved accuracy could prove fruitful. He has home field against an Indy pass D that needs some work. |
Sun 1:00P | MIA @ | Jaylen Waddle | QB | $6400 | Jaylen Waddle went for 69 yards receiving and a touchdown to give fantasy owners 17.7 fantasy points in week 1. Those points came against a (formerly?) tough Patriots defense that knows Miami very well. In week 2, Waddle gets a banged-up secondary that just coughed up 309 yards to the Jets. |
Sun 1:00P | WAS @ | Curtis Samuel | WR | $5000 | Curtis Samuel had 55 yards receiving and one touchdown against the Jags for a total of 20 fantasy points. Samuel has established a nice rapport with Wentz, who gets the league's lowest-graded pass rush according to PFF. He'll continue seeing bonus targets when defenses double team Terry McLaurin. |
Sun 4:05P | SEA @ | Tyler Lockett | WR | $5600 | Tyler Lockett had a poor fantasy stat performance against the Broncos with only 5.8 points, but historically speaking he's always given the 49ers' secondary problems with his speed. Look for him and Geno Smith to connect on a couple of big time completions . |
Sun 4:05P | ATL @ | Marcus Mariota | QB | $5600 | Marcus Mariota had a passable day against the Saints with 215 yards passing and 72 yards rushing, including a rushing touchdown against a very tough Saints defense. That perfromance earned him 20.8 fantasy points and could indicate the kind of day he might have against the Rams. His edge is on the ground, despite the Rams giving up almost 300 yards to the Bills. |
Sun 4:25P | HOU @ | Jerry Jeudy | WR | $5600 | Jeudy had an incredible 67 yard touchdown reception from Wilson against the Seahawks. It contributed to 23.2 fantasy points. Jeudy is Wilson's best receiver and the Houston defense will not provide nearly the amount of resistance as Seattle. So look for another potential big stat game from Jeudy. |
Sun 4:25P | ARI @ | Josh Jacobs | RB | $5800 | Jacobs had a quiet day against the Chargers in terms of his fantasy output: 8.3 total points. Big producers tend to struggle more often than not against division rivals due to familiarity. There will be no such familiarity here between the Raiders and Cardinals as they play every four years. Look for Jacobs to have a succesful rebound day on the ground against a beat up Cardinals team. |
Sun 4:25P | CIN @ | Tyler Boyd | WR | $5400 | Boyd had a relatively quiet day with only 33 receiving yards and a TD, but they translated to 13.3 points. Despite the emergence of Chase, and despite having Joe Mixon in the backfield, Boyd continues to be one of Burrow's favorite targets in the red zone. The cats now face a depleted Cowboys defense. |
Sun 8:20P | CHI @ | AJ Dillon | RB | $5800 | AJ Dillon rushed for 45 yards, a touchdown and 20.1 fantasy points in an otherwise forgetful day for the Packers. PFF graded the Bears' run defense as worst in the league in week 1. That should be a prime opportunity for Dillon to build on his solid start. |
Mon 7:15P | TEN @ | Gabriel Davis | WR | $6200 | Davis has turned into one of the great under the radar players in the entire league due to his red zone productivity and reliable route running. He played almost every snap last week. The Bills now get the Titans defense at home, one that struggled against the Giants last week. |
Mon 8:30P | MIN @ | Miles Sanders | RB | $5600 | Sanders was our pick last week and we'll let him ride. He rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown for 18.5 fantasy points. Pretty impressive considering how low his fantasy stock was heading into week 1. Now he faces off against a stout Vikings defense that will be pre-occupied with the passing and running ability of Jalen Hurts. Sanders will be the centerpriece of the Eagles' rushing attack on Monday night. |
Tune in weekly for DFS Hub’s exclusive “Under the Radar” NFL player analysis by veteran NFL analyst Steven Cravens.
Photo credit: Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire
@TheWRsSavedMe,
Been there, my friend.
Lockett and Waddle made my day, but I’ve given up on Jacobs and Landry…..for good!