We can all figure out who the studs are on a football slate. No one has to go out of their way to tell you to play Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen on a particular slate. What really takes the effort is combing through the player pool and figuring out who are some of the best values on the board ahead of the Sunday slate. That’s what we’ll do in this piece each and every week. I’ll help you save some salary while hopefully not skimping on the fantasy production.
Let’s get into some of the best value plays at each position for the Week 2 main slate on DraftKings.
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Quarterback
Daniel Jones, New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers, $5,100 — Despite an 18 DKFP performance in Week 1, Jones only saw his salary rise by $100. That’s only $100 off the bare minimum pricing for quarterbacks, making him one of the best values at this position (in my opinion). The Giants pulled off a gusty win against the Titans last week and get a softer matchup against the Panthers. Jones was solid last week, completing 17 of his 21 pass attempts for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He also ran the ball six times for an additional 11 yards.
What I thought was very impressive was how Jones was under pressure. The Titans pressured him on 15 (53%) of his drop backs and he still was able to complete seven of his nine pass attempts for 69 yards. The Panthers pass rush was nothing special against the Browns, as they had Jacoby Brissett under pressure on just 12 of his 38 drop backs. With designed runs and a game the Giants should win, I think Jones is one of the best value plays you can take at quarterback.
Other Option – Trey Lance ($5,700) vs. SEA
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Running Back
Michael Carter, New York Jets at Cleveland Browns, $5,200 — While both Carter and Breece Hall ($5,200) are set for a split, it was Carter who showed the most in Week 1. Hall managed only 61 yards and a fumble compared to Carter’s 100 yards on 17 touches. Both players benefited from having Joe Flacco as their QB, as he targeted the two a combined 18 times. When 58% of Flacco’s pass attempts are going no more than nine yards deep (or behind the line of scrimmage) that should benefit Carter and Hall immensely.
With Carter seemingly ahead of Hall, I’ll take him at just $5,200 this week against the Browns. The volume should be there in a game where the Jets are 6.5-point underdogs on the road. This matchup should also feature a ton of pressure on Flacco, which should force him to get rid of the ball quickly. Injuries are already plaguing this Jets offensive line and they’ll be in for quite the game against the Browns. With Myles Garrett lurking in Week 2, this should be another pass-heavy game to the Jets’ running backs, with Carter in mind.
Other Options – Damien Harris ($5,500) vs. PIT
Wide Receiver
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions, $4,200 — Another player who hardly saw a bump in his salary despite a big week is Dotson. The rookie only had three catches last week but he turned that into 40 yards and two touchdowns for 18 DKFP. Dotson was on the field for 66 of the Commanders 77 snaps, trailing Terry McLaurin by only one. Judging by the snap counts, Dotson has a big role on this team, as Curtis Samuel was third on the team in snaps at receiver with 55.
The matchup for Dotson is a good one this week as well. The Lions secondary didn’t have many answers for the Eagles last week and that could continue in Week 2. Amany Oruwariye had a particularly bad game against the Eagles, as he was targeted against eight times, allowing five receptions for 69 yards. That’s who Dotson should see on the majority of his snaps on Sunday. Oruwariye only allowed a 59% reception rate on 69 targets last season but those that were caught went for an average of 14.2 yards. If Dotson gets more involved this week, he could smash his $4,200 salary.
Other Options – Julio Jones ($5,500) vs. NO
Tight End
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams vs. Atlanta Falcons, $4,200 – Higbee didn’t have a great fantasy output in Week 1 but he did draw 11 targets. The volume is going to attract the attention of anyone, especially when you’re just over $4K in price. Week 2 brings a matchup against the Falcons, in which the Rams are double-digit favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. Now, we do run the risk of the Rams blowing this game out of the water and thus bringing down the upside on some of these players. But, if Higbee is going to continue to draw the attention of Matthew Stafford, he’s more than useful at $4,200. Last week, Juwan Johnson went for 43 yards on two catches, including one for 26 yards. DraftKings Sportsbook has Higbee’s receiving yards set at 40.5.
Other Options – David Njoku ($3,700) vs. Jets
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