Yahoo DFS Football: Week 2 Picks

Yahoo DFS Football: Week 2 Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.

The Week 2 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EDT and features 14 games, while the Bengals and Browns will face off in the Battle for Ohio at 8:20 p.m. EDT on Thursday, and the Saints-Raiders game concludes the week Monday. With a week of games under our belts, certain players look primed to continue their early success while others are looking for bounce-back performances. Some of the Week 2 options that stand out include a couple of major offseason acquisitions off to productive starts with their new teams and a pair of NFC South running backs.

TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)

QB: Philip Rivers, IND vs. MIN ($27): Rivers is tied with Ryan Tannehill for the 17th-most expensive quarterback on this slate, but a top-10 finish is certainly within the veteran's grasp against a Vikings defense that got carved up for 364 yards and four touchdowns by Aaron Rodgers in the opener. While it's easy to say Rivers is no Rodgers, he had 613 more passing yards and only three fewer touchdowns in 2019, albeit with 16 more interceptions. Interceptions are still an issue for Rivers, as he had two in his 363-yard, one-touchdown performance against Jacksonville in Week 1, but turnovers hurt more in real life than in the fantasy realm, so shun him for that reason at your own risk.

RB: Chris Carson, SEA vs. NE ($21): Carson only rushed six times for 21 yards in Week 1, though he salvaged his day with two receiving touchdowns on six catches. His rushing workload should ramp up regardless of game script against New England, and there are still some unanswered questions about the Patriots' defense given all of the notable opt-outs they had on that side of the ball. Miami's lone Week 1 touchdown against the Patriots came on the ground, and Carson's coming off consecutive seasons with over 1,150 rushing yards.

WR: Corey Davis, TEN vs. JAX ($14): The Titans turned to the air 43 times in their Week 1 win over Denver, and Davis led the team with seven catches for 101 yards on eight targets. Largely viewed as an underachiever since being drafted fifth overall in 2017, it's possible Davis is at the beginning of a fourth-year breakout. At $10 cheaper than A.J. Brown, whom he outplayed in the opener, Davis is primed to provide strong value against a vulnerable Jaguars secondary.

Other Against-the-Grainers

QB: Russell Wilson (SEA, $33), Deshaun Watson (HOU, $31), Daniel Jones (NYG, $25)

RB: David Johnson (HOU, $20), James Robinson (JAX, $16), Kareem Hunt (CLE, $15)

WR: Mike Evans (TB, $27), D.J. Moore (CAR, $25), Breshad Perriman (NYJ, $13)

TE: Noah Fant (DEN, $16), T.J. Hockenson (DET, $14)

DST: Tennessee Titans (vs. JAX, $15), Los Angeles Rams (at PHI, $18)

CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)

QUARTERBACK

Dak Prescott, DAL vs. ATL ($36): Don't hesitate to turn to Prescott despite his quiet prime-time performance in Week 1. Dallas' offense is teeming with weapons, and Prescott usually adds some value with his legs, having rushed for 277 yards and three touchdowns last season in addition to his 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns through the air. The Falcons gave up over 300 yards and four touchdowns to Russell Wilson last week, and Prescott's capable of posting a similar stat line in a game with the week's highest over/under (52.5).

RUNNING BACK

Alvin Kamara, NO vs. LV ($30): Kamara came inches from a third touchdown late in the Saints' opener but had to settle for one rushing score and one receiving score. The versatile running back could take on an even larger role in New Orleans' high-powered offense with top receiver Michael Thomas doubtful due to an ankle injury against a Raiders defense that just gave up 134 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns to a similar high-end running back in Carolina's Christian McCaffrey, who costs $9 more than Kamara this week.

Ronald Jones, TB vs. CAR ($19): The Panthers had the league's most generous run defense in 2019, and that unit didn't look any better in Week 1, as Josh Jacobs dissected them for 93 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Jones is no Jacobs, but he handled the vast majority of the Week 1 backfield workload for Tampa Bay with 19 touches for 82 yards, and he's more than capable of capitalizing on this favorable matchup.

WIDE RECEIVER

DeAndre Hopkins, ARI vs. WAS ($31): Hopkins put on a show in his Cardinals debut, catching 14 passes for 151 yards in a statement Week 1 win over the 49ers. While Washington came up with a surprising Week 1 win of their own over the Eagles, Philadelphia's subpar receiving corps still managed to get behind the Football Team's secondary a few times. Hopkins is exponentially better than anyone the Eagles had to attack Washington with, and he comes in $6 cheaper than this slate's most expensive wide receivers.

Adam Thielen, MIN at IND ($25): Thielen's back to being the man in Minnesota's passing game with Stefon Diggs now in Buffalo, and he certainly played like it with six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. He should continue to deliver gaudy stat lines as long as he can stay healthy, and Thielen will face a Colts defense that allowed three different Jacksonville wide receivers to find the end zone last week.

Calvin Ridley, ATL at DAL ($22): Like the two guys above him, Ridley's primed to keep the good times rolling after a strong Week 1 showing (nine catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns). Atlanta's season opener showed that there's more than enough volume to go around for both Ridley and Julio Jones (nine catches for 157 yards) now that tight end Austin Hooper's no longer around to siphon off valuable targets. Both stud wide receivers are capable of strong performances in what's setting up to be a shootout, but Ridley comes $10 cheaper than Jones.

TIGHT END

Hunter Henry, LAC vs. KC ($18): Henry paced the Chargers' passing attack with 73 yards in Week 1, and the team will likely require more from its offense to stay within striking distance of a Chiefs attack that piles up points in a hurry. The tight end's immediate chemistry with new quarterback Tyrod Taylor gives him a high floor, while game script should raise Henry's ceiling, making him a nice option considering eight other tight ends cost at least as much this week.

DEFENSE

San Francisco 49ers, SF at NYJ ($21): The 49ers have a prime opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing Week 1 loss to Arizona, as they'll take on a Jets team that scored only 10 points before garbage time against the Bills in Week 1. New York's best offensive player, Le'Veon Bell, hurt his hamstring in that game and is on IR, so the Jets could be even worse offensively in this one. San Francisco boasted the league's best defense in 2019 and should get back to that form in this favorable matchup.

Honorable Mentions

QB: Josh Allen (BUF, $35), Ben Roethlisberger (PIT, $28), Mitchell Trubisky (CHI, $22)

RB: Dalvin Cook (MIN, $30), Jonathan Taylor (IND, $19), Raheem Mostert (SF, $23)

WR: T.Y. Hilton (IND, $21), Emmanuel Sanders (NO, $19)

TE: Mark Andrews (BAL, $25), Jonnu Smith (TEN, $14)

DST: Arizona Cardinals (vs. WAS, $11), Buffalo Bills (at MIA, $18)

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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