Heads Up: FanDuel Week Two

Chris Heil

forsett

It’s a simple fact – we all have to eat to survive. I had to grocery shop this week and I dreaded every moment of it, from walking slowly through the store looking at everything to the final total where I inevitably just shake my head because of how expensive everything is. This time was a little different, though. I stopped at the deli department to grab some lunch. I was wearing a daily fantasy shirt and the kid behind the counter looked up and said, “Are you a millionaire?” I gave him a strange look as I was confused to what he was talking about. I just looked up and said, “I wish.” He then said, “I see commercials all the time for the shirt you are wearing.” I then realized he was talking about my shirt. He said, “I want to try that some time. I’ll use Peyton Manning because he’s always awesome.”

The reason I tell you a story like this is because daily fantasy sports are growing and new members are still signing up. I encourage everyone to try playing, but do so in the first couple weeks while the new and novice users still have money in their accounts.  Here is our week two Heads Up NFL challenge. If you used either of our lineups last week, you likely won cash, especially in the DLF Football Championship where we had over HALF the participants at least double their money. Week One Results
Chris Heil 134.16
Nick Whalen 122.54 Let’s hope for the same luck this week! Chris Heil’s Picks

Quarterback

Drew Brees, NO
$8,900 vs Tampa Bay

The ownership percentage should be fairly high for Brees this week. Tampa Bay’s defense showed no signs of life against a rookie quarterback in Marcus Mariota. I want to take nothing away from Mariota, but he is not on the same level as Drew Brees playing in the Superdome. Brees is going to exploit this defense and put up huge numbers. The Saints love the turf and I can’t find a reason not to love Brees this week, too.

Running Back

Justin Forsett, BAL
$7,800 @ Oakland

This will be Oakland’s second home game this season, so the fans will be lathered up like it’s mid-season already. However, the Raiders were blown out in week one and Derek Carr is banged up. When I choose running backs, I want those getting as many touches as possible – I don’t care if it’s rushing or receiving, as long as the touches are there. The Cincinnati Bengals used two backs last week and neither back went wild. However, if you combine their totals, they served up 127 rushing yards and two touchdowns. I haven’t even factored in any receptions yet and really don’t need to because I know Forsett will be getting the lion’s share of the running back work. This is a solid play this week.

Marshawn Lynch, SEA
$8,500 @ Green Bay

Lynch is another one of those rare backs who hardly ever comes off the field. We saw what Matt Forte was able to do in week one against the Packers. Lynch is much better between the tackles and on the goal line as well. Lynch played against a tough run defense in week one, but still came up with 18 carries and added five receptions.

Wide Receiver

Julio Jones, ATL
$8,800 @ New York Giants

Let’s get the awkwardness out of the way. I know that’s a fat price tag on Julio. You just can’t deny he played out of his mind in week one, though. He has another great match-up against a defense that tends to be “middle of the road.” If this game was not projected to be a shootout, I would shy away from Jones’ price tag. Fortunately (or unfortunately), it is.

Jordan Matthews, PHI
$7,000 vs Dallas

The Eagles passing attack struggled in the first half of the game last week, but Sam Bradford still threw the ball 52 times against Atlanta. Bradford won’t throw that much this week, but a good stat to note was the high volume of throws he targeted Matthews on – he was Bradford’s target on a robust 25% of his passes as Matthews had 13 targets and 10 receptions. The next closest receiver was Riley Cooper with just four targets.

Brandon Coleman, NO $5,000 vs Tampa Bay

If you don’t follow football as closely as some here at DLF, you might not recognize this name. Don’t worry about that because his price tag indicates there isn’t a lot of buzz around him in daily leagues quite yet. I wanted to stack Brees and Brandin Cooks, but that is a little too expensive. Marques Colston doesn’t allow you to have two stud running backs and two dominant receivers, either. Coleman saw seven targets in week one and will be a red zone threat because of his height.
Tight End

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TB
$4,500 @ New Orleans

I talked about the high scoring affair that is going to happen in New Orleans. I love the fact Jenkins is never the focus for defenses as there are two huge wide receivers on the outside. ASJ had a huge week one, catching five of seven targets for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. New Orleans is the 26th worst defense against tight ends.

Kicker

Dan Bailey, DAL $5,000 @ Philadelphia

[inlinead]Kickers score points, too. Brandon McManus was my pick last week and be put up 18 fantasy points. This week Bailey is in a shootout and the Cowboys will be without Dez Bryant, so they may have to settle more. The Eagles give the third most points to kickers.

DST

Green Bay
$4,500 vs Seattle

Defense is a position difficult to afford when you have coughed up money in all other areas of your team. I choose Green Bay because they are at home for the first time this season. Seattle is the 26th ranked offense vs DST.

Editor’s Note: Last week 201 DLF community members split $7,000 in prize money in the first week of the DLF Football Championship. A first-time-ever DFS player took first place winning $700 and a spot in the $20,000 championship round. You too can compete and win in WEEK TWO of the DLF Football Championship. The prize pool for week two remains unchanged from week one, so you can jump in and have a shot at the same great weekly prizes. Because this is a contest for DLF patrons and not advertised to the general public, there are fewer entries, increasing your odds of winning! So go check out the contest for more information, and good luck! fdchart

 

Nick Whalen’s Picks

Quarterback

Tyrod Taylor, BUF
vs Patriots $6,300

One of the consequences of going after good players in DFS is you have to sacrifice in one area. Quarterback will have to be a value play this week for me and somehow Taylor is the 31st priced quarterback on FanDuel. When you factor in his rushing potential for points to go along with his passing ability, Taylor is a worthy gamble again in week two.

Running Backs

Carlos Hyde, SF
@ Steelers $7,000

I’m not one for chasing points from the previous week, but I don’t see any kind of mirage after watching Hyde’s game film. He looked patient, quick, displayed good vision, showed the ability to break tackles and exhibited power to get extra yardage. He’s also the 16th highest priced running back this week. How can that be?!?! I expect Hyde to be rostered in most lineups, but don’t overthink this one.

Marshawn Lynch, SEA
@ Packers $8,500

Passing the football 41 times isn’t a recipe for success in Seattle. They will get back to their roots this week as they face a soft Packers defensive front, which just let Matt Forte run for 141 yards in week one. If you didn’t expect the Packers front to get any softer, keep in mind they also lost starting ILB Sam Barrington for the season during week one.

Wide Receivers

Jordan Matthews, PHI
vs Dallas $7,000

Matthews had 13 targets in week one, which led to a 10/102/0 stat line. He was very close to a touchdown (in fact, he was probably a booth review away) and I expect him to get at least one in week two. Sam Bradford threw the football 52 times, which is a good indication for Matthews’ potential in this offensive. I expect the pass attempts to decrease, but I would guess Miles Austin, Riley Cooper, Ryan Mathews and Josh Huff’s combined 14 targets to decrease at a faster rate than Jordan Matthews’.

Mike Evans, TB
@ Saints $8,100

Evans was inactive in week one, but indicated his hamstring is almost 100%. In his absence, Jameis Winston targeted Vincent Jackson 11 times and he only caught four of them. Considering the disappointment from week one, I’d expect Winston and the offense to use their best weapon a lot in what looks to be a shootout against the Saints.

Brandin Cooks, NO
vs Buccaneers $7,400

After all the off-season hype, Cooks turned in a mediocre week one performance. To his credit, he was shadowed Patrick Peterson, one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. Many aren’t going to be fooled by Cooks again, which is why you want to own him. Nothing has changed about his situation and now he has a juicy matchup against the Buccaneers. They let rookie Marcus Mariota have a perfect quarterback rating in week one and Drew Brees is probably better(snicker). If Kendall Wright and Harry Douglas can be successful against this secondary, Cooks can, too. Last, but not least, Cooks had much better splits at home in 2014 versus on the road. Week two will be the season debut for the Saints in the Superdome and I expect big things from the speedster.

Tight End

Tyler Eifert, CIN
vs Chargers $5,900

After a monster week one performance, Eifert is still reasonably priced and only the sixth highest priced tight end. Take that price and run!

Kicker

Mason Crosby, GB
vs Seahawks $5,100

Do you remember the NFC Championship game last season? Forget the end of the game and remember the Packers getting into the red zone and being forced to kick a ton of field goals. If that’s not enough to have you consider Crosby as your kicker, glance back to week one of this season. The Seahawks surprisingly allowed the Rams offense to score 34 points without the services of Brian Quick, Todd Gurley or Tre Mason. Either scenario leads to fantasy points.

Defense

Titans
@ Browns $4,600

I don’t have confidence in the Titans defense. However, I have less confidence in the Browns offense as they tend to stumble over their own feet. More specifically, Johnny Manziel threw one interception and lost two fumbles in his debut this season. Also consider Manziel didn’t even play the whole game. Give him a full game against the Titans and I’m willing to bet he’ll turn the ball over.

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