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The key to taking down any DFS contest is finding the right value plays to pepper your lineup. Value plays, quite simply, are those who dramatically exceed their value. In NFL DFS, we are always looking for the player who will triple or quadruple their salaries. For example, a player worth $6,000 who scores 24 points has quadrupled, or 4Xed, their salary. Those are the guys we want throughout the lineup. Here are our best wide receiver plays for Week 2:
TOP SHELF
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers at Detroit Lions, $7,600: The Chargers are going to be without tight end Hunter Henry and probably without deep threat Mike Williams. This will drive even more targets Allen’s way, after putting up an 8-123-1 last week against Indianapolis. The Lions are also a sieve against slot receivers, making Allen attractive even with the lack of weapons around him. All the top-priced receivers this week are in great spots, but Allen is the guy most likely to slip under the radar.
Sammy Watkins, Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders, $7,200: With Tyreek Hill out several weeks with his collarbone injury, Watkins basically becomes the No. 1 receiver weapon for Patrick Mahomes. We saw what Watkins did last week to Jacksonville, and with Raiders DB Jonathan Abram out, Watkins should be free to blow up for the second week in a row.
MID-RANGE MEN
Michael Gallup, Dallas Cowboys at Washington, $5,600: I hope you drafted Gallup in season-long, because this is the breakout receiver star of 2019. Dak Prescott loves the kid, and Gallup showed why last week with a 7-fot-7, 158-yard explosion. The Eagles wideouts torched Washington last week, and Gallup sits in an interesting salary spot, just about the equally-popular Dede Westbrook and just below Josh Gordon and Cooper Kupp, who will draw interest. Gallup looks to be a sneaky play with big-game potential.
John Brown, Buffalo Bills at New York Giants, $5,200: Stacking Josh Allen with John Brown looks like a smart strategy in 2019, as Allen’s go-for-broke passing style meshes beautifully with Brown’s go-deep mentality. They are going to hit for at least one big play every week. Against the Giants, they might hit more than one. Go to the well here until the DFS community figures it out and Brown’s salary and ownership skyrocket.
BARGAIN BOOM
John Ross III, Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers, $4,600: Ross exploded last week for a 7-158-2 line, translating into a phenomenal 37.8-point explosion from a player priced at $3,900. Ten-X production? Yes, please! Now, Ross probably won’t go for 45 points this week, but there’s no reason to think he will see considerably fewer than the 12 targets he got in Seattle, and the 49ers corners are not the world-beaters they once were. Another big game is well within reach.
Tyrell Williams, Raiders vs. Chiefs, $4,400: Antonio who? The Raiders played inspired on Monday night, which was really no surprise after the AB shenanigans over last weekend. Whether they can match that intensity on Sunday on a short week against the Chiefs is an open question. But we know the game will be high-scoring and we know guys like Williams and Darren Waller are selling out to prove that Brown wasn’t needed in Oakland, anyway. The Jags lit up the Chiefs secondary. Expect more of the same in another emotional home game.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jeffgo33) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.