Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations for Week 2
*Mike Barner*
Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations – Week 2
Week 1 of the NFL season is in the books and not only were there some surprising outcomes to games, but the fantasy landscape changed due to some significant injuries. David Johnson will be out for most of the season while Allen Robinson has been lost for the entire 2017 campaign. That’s the beauty of DFS though as you get to start over with fresh lineups each and every week. Put your favorite daily fantasy football recommendations from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the NFL Player Lab.
**QUARTERBACKS**
Tom Brady vs. New Orleans Saints
Stadium – Mercedes-Benz Superdome
DraftKings: $7,900
FanDuel: $9,200
Yes, Tom Brady laid an egg Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He finished the game with 267 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. His 44.4% completion percentage was the first time since 2013 that he had a completion percentage of less than 50% in a game. Don’t panic though, Brady hasn’t lost his touch just yet. The Chiefs have a solid defense that can do things that many other teams can’t, such as Week 2 opponent New Orleans. Did you see how badly Sam Bradford and the Minnesota Vikings carved them up? Bradford finished with 346 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and an insane 84.4% completion percentage. Brady is leaps and bounds better than Bradford and the Patriots will be out to prove their Week 1 struggles were a fluke. Expect a big performance from Brady in this contest.
Russell Wilson vs. San Francisco 49ers
Stadium – CenturyLink Field
DraftKings: $6,800
FanDuel: $8,100
Like Brady, Wilson struggled Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers as he finished with 158 passing yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. The only positive was that he rushed for 40 yards on two carries. The Seahawks offensive line struggled mightily, which could be a big concern for the team this entire season. I like this match up Sunday at home though as the Seahawks are a much better team at CenturyLink Field. While his passing yards per game averages were pretty close on the road and at home last season, the big difference was he had 13 touchdowns and three interceptions at home compared to eight touchdowns and eight interceptions on the road. Look for a rebound performance from Wilson Sunday.
Carson Palmer vs. Indianapolis Colts
Stadium – Lucas Oil Stadium
DraftKings: $6,000
FanDuel: $7,500
As you can see, my trend this week is veteran quarterbacks are primed for bounce-back performances after Week 1 struggles. Palmer really played poorly against the Detroit Lions, throwing for 269 yards to go along with one touchdown and three interceptions. Entering 2017, he had thrown three or more interceptions in a game only once in the last three seasons combined. This is a favorable match up for him though as the Colts defense is terrible. Jared Goff tore them apart in Week 1, throwing for 306 yards and one touchdown. His 72.4% completion percentage marked the best performance of his career. Palmer and the passing attack are also going to be needed to carry more of the offensive load now with Johnson out, so he is going to see plenty of opportunities to succeed. This is a match up you want to take advantage of for Week 2.
**RUNNING BACKS**
Jay Ajayi vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Stadium – StubHub Center
DraftKings: $6,400
FanDuel: $7,900
Ajayi and the Dolphins play their first game of the season in Week 2, giving them an advantage over a Chargers team that is coming off of a short week after playing on Monday night against the Denver Broncos. Ajayi was a monster for the Dolphins last season as he rushed for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns over 15 games. Expect the Dolphins to lean heavily on Ajayi again this year with new quarterback Jay Cutler under center. The Chargers had a rough time with the Broncos rushing attack Monday as they allowed 140 yards on the ground. Ajayi is much better than the duo of C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles for Denver, so this has the makings of an excellent start to the season for him.
Terrance West vs. Cleveland Browns
Stadium – M&T Bank Stadium
DraftKings: $5,100
FanDuel: $6,600
The Ravens are another team who was dealt a significant injury in Week 1 as running back Danny Woodhead is expected to be out at least a month. In what was already a fairly thin running back group, West is now the main man in Baltimore. He had a solid performance against the Cincinnati Bengals last week as he rushed for 80 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries. He’s not going to catch many balls out of the backfield, but he doesn’t need to in order to have value at this price. Don’t be surprised if he reaches the end zone again in this game.
Tarik Cohen vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stadium – Raymond James Stadium
DraftKings: $4,100
FanDuel: $5,400
Cohen certainly made a splash in his first NFL game as he not only finished with 66 rushing yards, but he also caught eight passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. The Bears offense was not great overall, but it certainly was no fault of Cohen’s. Although Jordan Howard will continue to start at running back, Cohen is still going to have a significant role on this team. His ability to catch passes will be crucial as the Bears have been decimated by injuries at wide receiver already. While it will be difficult to match his Week 1 performance, he will still produce enough to make him a valuable part of your lineup at this bargain price.
**WIDE RECEIVERS**
Brandin Cooks vs. New Orleans Saints
Stadium – Mercedes-Benz Superdome
DraftKings: $8,200
FanDuel: $7,900
Cooks didn’t have a huge performance Week 1, but he still posted a very respectable 88 yards on three receptions in the contest. He did receive seven targets, which was an encouraging sign in his first game with the Patriots. I already mentioned I like Brady and the Patriots to rebound in this game, but I also expect Cooks to be one of the main beneficiaries of that improvement. He’ll be highly motivated facing the team that traded him away and he’s very comfortable playing in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. A Brady-Cooks stack is primed to put up big numbers in Week 2.
Keenan Allen vs. Miami Dolphins
Stadium – StubHub Center
DraftKings: $5,800
FanDuel: $7,100
Allen was stuck facing the vaunted Denver secondary Week 1, which limited him to five receptions and 35 yards. However, he salvaged the outing with a touchdown and received 10 targets in the game. The key you want to look for is volume and that’s something you will get with Allen. The only concern with Allen has been his injury issues the past two seasons, but you don’t have to worry about that in DFS as he’s healthy heading into Week 2. His yardage total should be much higher against a weaker secondary Sunday.
Cooper Kupp vs. Washington Redskins
Stadium – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
DraftKings: $4,100
FanDuel: $5,400
Kupp made a strong impression in his first NFL game Week 1 as he hauled in four receptions on six targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. The Rams have a lot more weapons on offense this season and Kupp could play a key role in their overall improvement. While his performance did come against the bad Colts defense, the Redskins secondary didn’t fair a whole lot better against the Philadelphia Eagles Week 1 either as quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 307 yards. At this price, I’m taking a chance on another solid outing from Kupp in Week 2.
Jermaine Kearse vs. Oakland Raiders
Stadium – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
DraftKings: $3,900
FanDuel: $5,400
The Jets have one of the worst wide receiving groups in the league, but they did receive a slight boost when the team traded for Kearse before the start of the season. He wasted no time being involved in the offense, recording seven receptions on nine targets for 59 yards in Week 1. The nine targets are key as he should continue to get plenty of passes thrown his way with the lack of talent on the roster. With the Jets likely to be down big against a much better Oakland team Sunday, expect Kearse to see plenty of opportunities to haul in passes as they attempt to play catch up.
**TIGHT ENDS**
Rob Gronkowski vs. New Orleans Saints
Stadium – Mercedes-Benz Superdome
DraftKings: $6,900
FanDuel: $8,100
Gronk did not play well in Week 1 as he was limited to two catches on six targets for only 33 yards. He looked a little slow on the field and may have been shaking off some rust after dealing with injuries last season. Another big factor was that he was covered by Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry who did an excellent job shadowing him throughout the game. No such worries in Week 2 though against a porous Saints secondary, look for big numbers from him in this one.
Austin Hooper vs. Green Bay Packers
Stadium – Mercedes-Benz Stadium
DraftKings: $3,500
FanDuel: $5,500
Hooper made his two receptions count Week 1 against the Bears as he came away with 128 yards and a touchdown. While the yardage is certainly impressive, that’s not what you should be expecting from Hooper. His value is as a red zone target who can haul in touchdown receptions. The tight end position can be volatile, so I like going with a cheaper option in Hooper who has the ability to find the end zone more often than not.
**DEFENSES/SPECIAL TEAMS**
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
Stadium – CenturyLink Field
DraftKings: $4,000
FanDuel: $5,400
Seattle had a tough match up Week 1 on the road against the Packers, but still managed to hold them to 17 points. That’s no small feat against star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a deep wide receiver group. Sunday brings a much easier match up against quarterback Brian Hoyer and the 49ers, especially with this being a home game. If you want to pay up for a defense, the Seahawks are the one to use in Week 2.
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns
Stadium – M&T Bank Stadium
DraftKings: $3,700
FanDuel: $4,700
The Ravens defense was excellent Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals as they recorded four interceptions and five sacks. They were solid against the run as well as they only allowed 3.5 yards per carry. While the Browns showed signs of improvement at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, playing on the road in Baltimore will be a tough task. If you don’t want to spend the money on the Seahawks, go with Baltimore for Week 2.