DraftKings' Value and Injury Plays: Week 2
Each week this article will be dedicated to highlighting players who I perceive to be excellent values on FanDuel. This could be due to a bargain/discounted price or due to an injury that opens up additional looks/touches.
Quarterback
Jake Locker – $7,400 vs Dallas
Well, it didn’t take long for me to pick on Dallas. They appear to be as horrid as they were projected to be in the preseason. The loss of both Sean Lee and DeMarcus Ware to an already subpar defensive unit will do that. Thanks to an early lead in the last game, Colin Kaepernick wasn’t asked to do much vs the Cowboys, but he and the SF offense seemed to do whatever they wanted offensively. Locker is a duel threat QB coming off a solid game vs the Chiefs and his success should carry over in this tasty matchup. Pricing on DK is soft enough this week where starting a top QB in your cash games is ideal, but Locker is looking like an excellent tournament play.
Running Back
Matt Asiata – $4,500 vs New England
Replacing Adrian Peterson is an impossible task, but that is the predicament the Vikings find themselves in this week. Last time Asiata was on our fantasy radar, he had a 30 carry, three TD game at the tail end of last season when AP sat out. SPOILER ALERT – he won’t repeat that performance this week. That said, he should get enough reps to justify his minimum salary this week. The younger, less experienced, but more talented Jerick McKinnon ($4,500) will also be in the mix for some run. Game flow/score will likely dictate who gets what, but Matt will get first crack at making it happen. Lastly, you’d have to think the Vikings will be even more creative when it comes to getting the ball in the hands of their super weapon Cordarrelle Patterson($7,100). He’s so explosive and is always a threat to break off a long one, even on something as simple as a WR screen.
Fred Jackson – $5,700 vs MIA
What a difference an inch can make. Fred was that short of scoring a game winning TD in overtime last week, thus keeping him from being a solid play and “making value” but rather putting him in the disappointing column. The big issue with Jackson is that he has to split time with C.J. Spiller. C.J. surprisingly had more snaps last week (33 snaps to 24) but I’m expecting more of an even split this week. Jackson is also the assumed goalline back, which is a nice little perk if you are into cheap TDs. Both Miami starting LBs (Koa Misi and Phillip Wheeper) will be out, so I’m expecting the Bills to take the air out of the ball, let E.J. Manuel manage the game, and grind out a victory via the ground game.
Shonn Greene – $5,000 vs Dallas
Back to picking on the Cowboys. There is nothing sexy about Shonn Green. When people call him a plodder, it’s not a term of endearment. It is accurate however. It’s also accurate to say that he is the #1 ball handler in Tennessee (15 carries for 71 yards last week) no matter how badly people want it to be Bishop Sankey. No, he won’t catch many passes but he should be good for another 60+ yards and he has a decent shot of sneaking in for a TD vs the putrid Dallas defense. He likely won’t win a tournament for you, but Shonn is cheap enough that he can help you fit in the studs that will.
Wide Receiver
Justin Hunter – $5,700 vs Dallas
He’s going to be one of the most popular players this week. We talked about how awful the Cowboys defense is and Justin should be one of the main benefactors of their ineptness. All of the Tennessee WRs (Kendall Wright and Nate Washington) are worth a look to some degree, but considering Justin’s ability in the redzone, he is clearly the most attractive of the bunch. One concern going into the season was reps, but if the 1st game means anything, that should not be an issue. Despite being the Titans #3 WR, he ran 38 routes in Week 1 (Wright – 40, Washington – 41) so he’ll have plenty of opportunities to abuse the Dallas secondary this Sunday.
T.Y. Hilton – $6,400 & Reggie Wayne – $6,200 vs Philadelphia
Andrew Luck is one of my top QBs this week as I’m expecting a Monday Night shootout vs the Eagles. Las Vegas endorses this sentiment as they have posted a 54 over/under total for the game; the highest on the board. Week in and week out, no position is more volatile than wide receiver and few WRs are as erratic as Hilton. T.Y. was targeted 11 times last week and can be absolutely electric once he’s in the open field. As for Reggie Wayne, he is much steadier and therefore more appealing to roster in your cash games/head-to-head contests. That said, if you are firing out a couple tournament lineups, and therefore looking for the most upside, Hilton is your man.
Tight End
Larry Donnell – $ 4,500 vs Arizona
Full disclosure. I hadn’t heard of Larry Donnell until about ten days ago. If last year’s numbers mean anything, he finds himself in the perfect landing spot for TEs as the Cardinals were horrendous in covering them in 2013. It’s also an encouraging sign that Antonio Gates had his way with Arizona just last week. As for Larry, he was on the field for 52 of NY’s 60 offensive plays and turned 8 targets into 5 receptions for 56 yards including a TD. It’s hard to trust anyone on the Giants offense right now, but if you are looking to be different and not pay up for one of the big three, Donnell can be an interesting pivot play.
Next Man Up
Running Back
Terrance West – $5,300 vs New Orleans
Starting Cleveland RB Ben Tate exited last game and will not play this week vs the Saints. Upon Ben’s departure, West took over as the lead back, carrying the ball 16 times for 100 yards. Muddling up the situation is Isaiah Crowell ($5,100 on FD) who had just five carries, but did convert two goalline carries into TDs. That said, Terrence should get enough reps to warrant the price tag, while Crowell should only be unleashed in your most ambitious of tournament lineups.
Wide Receiver
Andrew Hawkins – $5,200 vs New Orleans
As of this writing, the health of Jordan Cameron was very much in doubt for Sunday. Sure, he’s a tight end and not a WR, but if he can’t go (and with Josh Gordon suspended), Andrew will vault to the #1 receiving option in a game where the Browns will likely be forced to play catchup. The diminutive Hawkins isn’t a major redzone threat and has the dreaded possession receiver tag, but much like last week (10 looks, 8 catches for 87 yards), Andrew should rack up a pile of looks/catches and justify his pedestrian asking price.
Tight End
Jermaine Gresham – $4,500 vs Atlanta
Quick, how old do you think Gresham is? Yea, I thought he was older than 26 as well. Not too long ago he was the TE with the pedigree to be an elite target. While he wasn’t a major disappointment, he wasn’t exactly thriving either. The Bengals drafted Tyler Eifert to basically replace Jermaine, but an elbow injury will have him missing this week’s game. Additionally, WR Marvin Jones is expected to be out as well, which means the Bengals will have to rely on Gresham to step up vs Atlanta’s suspect D in a game that should see its fair share of points. A 6-60 effort with a TD wouldn’t shock me, and would more than satisfy his asking price.
Defense
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $4,900 vs St. Louis
Many people were burned by the Bucs last week and that just might scare some off from trusting them this week. That would a mistake. At best, Shaun Hill will be the quarterback for a lame Rams offense. At worst, they will be forced to throw out a 3rd-stringer in Austin Davis if Hill is too dinged to go (he has not practiced as of Thursday). Vegas has this game as the lowest over/under on the board (37.5) with Tampa being a 6 point favorite, so they clearly aren’t all that optimistic when it comes to the St. Louis offense.