Daily Fantasy Football Cash Game Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings Week 2 - 9/12/19

Week 1 is in the books and now it's time to look ahead to Week 2. Take a look at some cash game plays for FanDuel and DraftKings.

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Quarterbacks

Lamar Jackson FD 8200 DK 6700
Opponent ARI
Proj Points FD - 21.68 DK - 20.91
Well, he went and did the damn thing didn’t he? Laying (somewhat) to rest his ability as a pure pocket passer, Jackson put up a Week 1 to be remembered, completing 17/20 passes for 324 yards and 5 touchdowns in three quarters against the Miami Dolphins. It was something of a statement game even if it was against a team actively trying to lose games this season.

Moving forward it’s a little difficult to make heads or tails of what the Ravens ultimate plan is with Jackson. Last season he averaged 13 rushing attempts per game after taking over as starter. In Week 1, he carried the ball once. Did they not run because they didn’t have to? Or is the plan moving forward to strictly keep him in the pocket? For our purposes this may be something like having your cake and eating it too. The idea that he can do both at a moment’s notice means we could be looking at the highest-floor quarterback around. He’ll face an Arizona team that, predictably, allowed the second-most offensive plays (OT-aided) to their opponent. The price comes up for sure but it might not be enough if he’s just a complete weapon behind center. Oh, and did I mention the Ravens have the second-highest implied total (30) on the day?

Patrick Mahomes FD 9000 DK 7500
Opponent OAK
Proj Points FD - 22.08 DK - 23.71
Tyreek Hill played all of 12 snaps on Sunday and saw 2 targets. Patrick Mahomes still finished with 25/33 (75%), 374 yards passing and 3 TDs. I’m not saying the Chiefs are the same without their most feared skill position guy, but the KC offense did just keep chugging along without him. They’ll be without Hill for Week 2 and beyond, but Mahomes is still very much a top cash game option at these prices. The Chiefs come in with the highest implied total on the slate, he still has weapons in Watkins and Kelce, the running backs catch balls out of the backfield and Andy Reid’s scheme is designed to make things potent for the quarterback. Considering some of the savings you’ll get elsewhere in the lineup, I do think paying up for QB this week could be the way to go.

Josh Allen FD 7500 DK 5300
Opponent NYG
Proj Points FD - 19.82 DK - 20.05
Allen was very, well, Josh Allen-y in Week 1. He wasn’t terribly efficient, completing 24 of 37 passes for 254 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. But he also picked up 9.8 fantasy points on the ground with 38 yards rushing and a touchdown. If you can live with the variance in the passing game, Allen’s skillset does give you, theoretically, enough of a floor because of what he does on scrambles and on the ground. He’ll face a Giants team coming off a Week 1 shredding by the Cowboys who put up 494 total yards including 405 by Dak Prescott through the air. The Big Blue defense projected to be among the worst in the league and they didn’t *disappoint*. It’s not wonder Buffalo (of all teams) is a -2.5 road favorite heading into New Jersey this Sunday. On DraftKings, Allen offers considerable savings as compared to the big money guys and doesn’t stand to murder you from a floor perspective.

Running Backs

James Conner FD 7700 DK 6800
Opponent SEA
Proj Points FD - 16.54 DK - 18.43
Conner was a consensus top 6 pick in season long leagues after averaging 112 yards per game from scrimmage with 13 touchdowns in 13 games last year. By the end of the year he was about 10% more expensive than the prices you see here. Are we really supposed to give up on him after a terrible game against the defending Super Bowl champs on the road? I say we shouldn't. This week he'll take on the Seahawks in the friendly confines of Heinz Field. The Steelers are 3.5 point favorites, which is a sweet spot for bell cow backs. Conner had 14 touches in a game that the Steelers were trying to end early, and we think he's in line for 20+ against the Seahawks here. The Seahawks were roughly league average against the run last year, and while they bottled up a banged up Joe Mixon and Gio Bernard last week, we think Conner will have a nice game against them this week.

Austin Ekeler FD 7500 DK 6100
Opponent DET
Proj Points FD - 15.72 DK - 18.05
All eyes were on Austin Ekeler going into week 1, with Melvin Gordon holding out and Justin Jackson waiting in the wings. Well, Ekeler out-carried Jackson 2:1, and drew 7 targets in the passing game as well. He was electric when he had the ball in his hands, putting together 154 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He also got the touches down and close, and doesn't appear to be a big risk for getting his touchdowns vultured. It's always awkward to pay up for a guy after one week of performance, but if you think you're getting a slightly poor-man's Alvin Kamara for 15% less salary, you might just have to do it.

The price is especially low on DraftKings, where he could be a unanimous cash game play.

Chris Carson FD 7400 DK 6400
Opponent PIT
Proj Points FD - 15.51 DK - 17.75
Carson was the overwhelming chalk option in week 1, and he delivered handily on his paltry prices, turning in 81 yards and 2 touchdowns on his 22 touches. The efficiency wasn't anything special, but it was a great sign to see him as the leading ball-carrier and the most targeted receiver in the passing game. This suggests that Seattle will continue their conservative approach to the passing game, and means Carson should be almost game-script independent going forward. I am a little concerned about Rashad Penny looming, but it's quite likely that Seattle was just trying to mix things up after Carson was somewhat inefficient. Penny didn't look any better, racking up just 18 yards on his 6 carries while garnering 0 targets in the passing game. I think we can safely assume Carson is the clear #1 going forward, and he can probably justify these prices.

A quick note on Todd Gurley: He looked incredible on his touches in week 1, but he was also in a pure time share with Malcolm Brown. He also lost both touchdowns, which Brown pounded in from inside the 5. This game has a 54 total, but Gurley looks like a big tournament target for me right now.

If it turns out that you need to pay up at RB this week, our system loves Alvin Kamara, especially on DraftKings.

Wide Receivers

Sammy Watkins FD 7400 DK 7200
Opponent OAK
Proj Points FD - 16.34 DK - 20
No Tyreek Hill? No problem. Hill went down early in the game on Sunday and Watkins stepped in to fill the void. He caught 9 balls on 11 targets for 198 yards and 2 TDs. It was easily the best wide receiver scoring play on the week. Watkins struggled with injuries in 2018, leading to an up and down season, but he now seemingly takes over as de facto WR1 in this offense and should see fairly high ownership on Sunday. The price came up in the short term, but likely not enough considering the newish role and target redistribution that happens with the Chiefs playing without Hill.
Quick note: While Watkins is clearly the play, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson saw 53 and 43 snaps respectively with Hill out of the game. They weren’t targets much (3 total) but could make for interesting punts considering the nature of this offense.

Tyler Boyd FD 6300 DK 6500
Opponent SF
Proj Points FD - 12.7 DK - 15.53
John Ross FD 6400 DK 4600
Opponent SF
Proj Points FD - 10.31 DK - 12.61
Because I don’t think we are going to be all that interested paying up for the upper tier of WRs, finding values in the midrange could be something of a theme this season (short of major injuries). Bengals’ passing game looked relatively competent in Week 1. Playing from behind most of the game and with Mixon hurt, Andy Dalton completed 69% of his passes for 411 yards. Boyd and Ross combined for 43% of the target share. Ross was the big winner, turning on the jets for a 55 yard TD catch on his way to a 7/158/2 line. Boyd was effective as well, going 8/60 on 11 targets. Both are still firmly priced in the midrange and will each face a lower-rated San Fran secondary. That group looked good against the Bucs in Week 1, but that could be more a Jameis issue than anything else. I like continuing to buy on the Bengals’ receivers here.

Danny Amendola FD 5400 DK 3900
Opponent LAC
Proj Points FD - 10.52 DK - 13.54
Amendola entered a new situation with the Lions this year and immediately made his possession-presence felt. He garnered a 29% target share in the Lions’ offense with 13 looks and finished with 104 receiving yards. On DraftKings, for full PPR he is coming very cheap at $3900. With Kenny Golladay likely getting the Casey Hayward shadow treatment, Amendola is once again in a spot to rack up targets in this one. Even the FanDuel price is in play if you are looking to spend up at RB and QB specifically.

Tight Ends

George Kittle FD 7100 DK 6800
Opponent CIN
Proj Points FD - 16.23 DK - 18.79
Kittle was among the highest owned tight ends in week 1, and didn't exactly deliver what everyone was hoping for on the price point. Well, the price is down this week, and the match-up with Cincinnati is arguably just as good. And while the fantasy point total from week 1 wasn't outstanding, the opportunity certainly was. Garoppolo targeted Kittle 10 times, more than three times more than any other receiver on the 49ers. There was some concern that the relationship between Kittle and Jimmy G. wouldn't be as good as it was with Mullens, but based on week 1 I think we have to assume that it is. Only Evan Engram was targeted more than Kittle last week, and I still view Kittle as by far the highest floor guy at the position. Given that he's coming at a slight discount now, I'm ready to go back to the well.

Mark Andrews FD 6100 DK 3800
Opponent ARI
Proj Points FD - 11.76 DK - 13.52
While I'll likely roll with Kittle on FD, I'm strongly considering going with Andrews on DraftKings. The Ravens' young tight end turned in a hyper efficient 8 catches on 8 targets, rolling off 108 yards in the process. With the Ravens' new high-flying young receiver corp, it looks like the underneath stuff to Andrews will be available. I don't think you want to stick your neck out for Andrews on FanDuel, but this is a really good price on DraftKings for a guy who should be heavily involved going forward.

Also considered: Evan Engram. As I mentioned above, Engram was the highest targeted tight end on the week. The 14 targets weren't out of nowhere, either - he had 26 across the final 3 games of 2018 - I just don't think saving a few bucks to go from him to Kittle makes sense.

Defense / Special Teams

New England Patriots FD 4900 DK 3700
Opponent MIA Proj Points FD - 9.37 DK - 9.37
After embarrassing the Steelers in a prime time week one game, what are the Patriots going to have in store for the Dolphins? The fish are coming off of a 7 touchdown loss to the Ravens, and reports out of Patriots camp is that this might be their best defense of the entire run. The Dolphins' implied point total opened at the lowest of the week in 15.75, and has since fallen to 14.75. You're paying for it, but like we saw with Baltimore last week, sometimes grabbing the high floor of a great match-up can help you rest easy.

Pittsburgh Steelers FD 3500 DK 2400
Opponent SEA Proj Points FD - 7.31 DK - 7.31
Okay, they got torched by the Pats on Sunday night. But basically everything went wrong that game. They couldn't stop the electric Patriots' offense, and couldn't establish the run with Conner, shortening their time of possession. Our system (and Vegas) likes that all to change this week, and you're getting a top 6 defense from last year at bottom 5 price. Given how hard things looked for the Seahawks against the lowly Bengals, one has to think that the Steelers can do even better.

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