Week 2 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football

Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers

Over/Under: 45.5
Panthers Implied Team Total: 29.25
49ers Implied Team Total: 16.25

The over/under in this game isn't nearly as attractive as the first game, but it does offer the highest implied team total on the slate as well as the largest spread, by a wide margin.

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

FanDuel Price: $9,000

Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers possess the highest implied total on the slate this week, and Newton has fared very well as a favorite in the past. Since the beginning of last season, Newton has averaged 32.4 FanDuel points when favored by at least one score, as opposed to 26.8 points in all other games. The San Francisco 49ers also ranked as the seventh-worst defense against the pass, according to our metrics, in 2015 and are coming off of a short week, as well as traveling from San Francisco to Charlotte. Newton and the Panthers, on the other hand, are coming off an extended rest following their Thursday game in Week 1.

There is some concern that this game could turn into a complete blowout, causing Carolina to deploy a more conservative game plan as they run down the clock, which could take away from Newton's fantasy total. That is enough to make Newton a scary cash game play with Manning cheaper, but Newton's immense upside with the highest team total on the slate makes him worth a look in tournaments.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers

FanDuel Price: $6,700

Raybon has also done some excellent work in debunking the theory that rostering a quarterback and running back from the same team is a negative correlation play, pointing out that over the past three seasons, a quarterback's number-one running back is the third-most highly correlated fantasy play, behind the number-one receiver and the opposing number-one receiver. Stacking a quarterback and his running back is also the second-most likely combination to score 50-plus FanDuel points, according to data from 2013 through 2015.

As Raybon pointed out in his piece covering Vegas odds, "Winning teams rush for 35 more yards and double the touchdown output of losing teams, which equates to winners averaging roughly 6.5 more fantasy points per game. Favorites average a lower -- but still very significant -- figure of 2.8 more rushing fantasy points per game than underdogs."

These facts have been true for Newton and Jonathan Stewart since the start of last season, as both have averaged more fantasy points when listed as favorites. Stewart averaged 14.4 FanDuel points when favored by at least one score during that span, as opposed to 11 in all other games. If Carolina gets out to a big lead, Stewart could be featured heavily in the second half, and if Carolina's implied team total is any indication, he should have plenty of scoring opportunities.

Others to Consider

Kelvin Benjamin was more impressive than anyone could have expected against a tough Denver Broncos' pass defense last week, and he is not a bad option if stacking with Newton. Greg Olsen is also in play if you want a different way to get exposure to the high total. The Carolina D/ST is also firmly in play against the Blaine Gabbert-led Niners. They make for a nice stacking option with Stewart if you buy into a game script in which Carolina gets up big early and grinds out the clock.

Given their implied team total of 16 points, it would be inadvisable to roster anyone from San Francisco.