Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Well, that may not have gone exactly how you planned.
If you spent up on elite guys like LeSean McCoy, Jamaal Charles or Demaryius Thomas last week, you were left wanting more. A lot more, actually. And stacking that 49ers/Cowboys probably didn’t go the way you wanted it to, either. But the best part about playing daily fantasy?
There’s always next week.
Week 2 becomes more interesting because we have more injuries to monitor, presenting potential value plays across the industry. There are also still a ton of top-notch guys that I absolutely love for this week, so let’s not waste anymore time.
Quarterback
Andy Dalton vs Atlanta Falcons
A ton of people are going to be on Jake Locker as the mid-tier option among passers, and I get it. Coming off a nice game, emerging weapons and a matchup against the Cowboys, he’s in a great spot. However, it may be wise to zig where everyone else zags and go with a guy like Dalton, who also has strong weapons and a good matchup against the Falcons weak defense. This defense allowed 34 points on Sunday, while Dalton both exploits positive matchups and plays well at home. Last year at home, Dalton completed 63 percent of his passes, threw for almost 2,100 yards and 20 scores, while averaging 23 fantasy points per game against bottom-10 pass defenses. This game has a relatively high over/under, so plenty of points should be scored, and I think Dalton connects with A.J. Green for another big score.
Running Back
Alfred Morris vs Jacksonville Jaguars
I’m not sure why, but no one seems to like Morris in fantasy land. Sure, he doesn’t catch passes, but the guy is one of the seven or eight best pure, between the tackles runners in the game today, and despite not finding the end zone on Sunday, he still carried the football 14 times for 91 yards (6.5 YPC). He’s in a good spot against a Jacksonville defense that allowed the Philadelphia running backs to average 4.5 yards per carry, and also allowed Darren Sproles to score the longest rushing touchdown of his entire career on Sunday (49 yards). Morris has also scored a touchdown in three of his last four home meetings against the AFC, and he is super cheap compared to other backs, making him a tremendous play.
Arian Foster @ Oakland Raiders
Everything head coach Bill O’Brien said about Foster being a workhorse were accurate, as no one in the NFL carried the football more than he did on Sunday (27). He also caught two balls, and with no competition behind him, he probably has the biggest stranglehold any back has on a backfield in the league. He looked good in Week 1, and now gets an ideal matchup against an Oakland defense that surrendered 212 yards on 34 carries to the Jets running backs last week. Foster has also accumulated 373 total yards and two scores in two career meetings against the Raiders. Anyone who is going to touch the ball 25-plus times against the Raiders defense is in a very good spot.
Wide Receiver
Jordy Nelson vs New York Jets
Jordy is hungry, and he is going to absolutely devour the Jets weak, inexperienced secondary. I loved what I saw on Thursday night, as he saw an awesome 14 targets, hauling in nine of them for 83 yards. This is clearly Aaron Rodgers’ guy, especially in the red zone, where he caught 10 of 14 looks for five touchdowns with Rodgers last season. The Jets, meanwhile, allowed two different receivers to find the end zone last week, and that was against the lowly Oakland receiving corp. Nelson is going to absolutely abuse this pass defense, and I’m playing him wherever I can.
Justin Hunter vs Dallas Cowboys
Hunter played 63 percent of the Titans snaps in Week 1, a number that should most certainly rise as the season progresses. But, he still saw the most targets among Tennessee wideouts (8), and is in a great spot against Dallas’ putrid defense that allowed two passing touchdown on just 23 attempts against the 49ers. Hunter, a 6’3″ freak with 4.44 speed, should be able to get to the second level of this Dallas secondary, and that’s where things can get scary. Dallas surrendered at least one receiving touchdown per game last year, and that’s what Hunter is good at–finding the end zone. 22 percent of his catches last year went for touchdowns. Look for him to score again in this one.
Tight End
Zach Ertz @ Indianapolis Colts
Ertz looked very explosive on Sunday, as his three catches went for 25, 26 and 26 yards, including a score. He also saw an uptick in playing time, as last year, he averaged about 38 snaps per game. But in Week 1, Ertz played 52 of the 87 snaps, good for 60 percent of the Eagles plays. That’s very fantasy friendly, especially in the Eagles offense. This week, he’ll be part of a Monday night shootout against a Colts defense that allowed Julius Thomas to find the end zone not once, not twice, but three times in Week 1. Look for Ertz to have another nice outing this week.
Optimal Lineup:
QB- Andy Dalton
RB- LeSean McCoy
RB- Alfred Morris
WR- Jordy Nelson
WR- A.J. Green
WR- Justin Hunter
TE- Larry Donnell
Adam Pfeifer is a lead fantasy sports writer for Rant Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @aPfeiferRS.
