NFL

Week 2 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football

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New Orleans Saints vs. Cleveland Browns

Over/Under: 50

Saints Implied Team Total: 30
Browns Implied Team Total: 20

Don't stop the Browns! Hilariously ending the team's losing streak by tying, the Cleveland Browns do actually look like a real football team this year. Given the offseason additions of Jarvis Landry, Tyrod Taylor, Carlos Hyde, Denzel Ward, offensive coordinator Todd Haley and two strong draft classes, this actually makes sense. While the Saints are obviously the ideal target with the highest implied team total on the slate, it's important not to overlook Cleveland's skill players here. After all, last week Tyrod was the QB6, Landry the WR23 and Hyde the RB19, all DFS-worthy at their prices.

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Cleveland Browns
FanDuel Price: $6,600

We'll get to the high-octane Saints offense in a bit. But given what Ryan Fitzpatrick did to this New Orleans Saints defense in the Superdome last week (417 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, 36 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD) we have to start with TyGod. Even though he completed just 15 passes last week, it's important to remember it was his first game in a new offense while playing in rainy and windy conditions.

More important for our discussion, he was the QB6 on the week and rushed for 77 yards and a touchdown. Because of the man coverage they play, the Saints allowed the fourth-most rushing yards and fifth-most rushing touchdowns to quarterbacks last year. Tyrod's legs raise his floor and ceiling, while the high over/under implies a shootout. Even an average performance should see Taylor smash his affordable price, making him viable in both GPPs and cash lineups.

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
FanDuel Price: $9,000

If you tuned in last week, then you probably won yourself some money (Mike Evans anyone??). Kamara at home in a shootout was easy money and this week is no different. Honestly, until his absurd efficiency comes back down to earth, I'll find a way to put him in my lineup no matter the price, especially as long as Mark Ingram is suspended.

Don't let the low Week 1 carry total confuse you. With Ingram out, Kamara saw the highest workload of his career last week, easily setting career highs in snaps played and snap percentage. He also led the entire NFL in red zone targets, per Evan Silva of Rotoworld. So far in his career, Kamara averages over four more PPR points per game when the over/under is 49 or higher, which it is for this game.

Others to Consider

Similar to the Steelers/Chiefs game above, there is almost no end to the amount of viable stacks here. Drew Brees ($8,800) is the most expensive quarterback on the slate, but with other elite QBs facing tough matchups, it probably won't keep his ownership down. Pricing is tighter this week, so it might be tough to stack Brees with Kamara and Michael Thomas ($8,800), who is now the second-most expensive receiver on the slate. With Thomas and Kamara showing insane workloads in a shootout last week, I'd rather get access to Brees by stacking those two with Tyrod and his cheap price tag.

If you read last week, then you learned a neat little factoid about Ted Ginn Jr. ($6,800). As a Saint, when playing at home in a game with an over/under 48.5 or higher, Ginn averages 14.83 PPR points per game. He averages just 8.89 PPR points per game in all other circumstances. Both boxes are checked this week, making him a great GPP option who only needs one big play to provide value.

Landry ($6,700) is confusingly priced $100 below Ginn despite seeing a monstrous 37.5% target market share in Week 1. Even with projected high ownership against a Saints team that continues to struggle to defend the slot, his target share makes him one of the strongest plays on the week and a great cash option.

Josh Gordon ($6,300) certainly has the upside to smash this price, but I'm not comfortable playing someone who only saw a 7.5% target market share in Week 1. It's important to remember he was away from the team for almost the entire preseason and then dealt with a hamstring injury, so it may take time to develop a rapport with Tyrod.

If we expect game script to unfold like the spread implies (no guarantee given last week's debacle), the sneaky play becomes Duke Johnson ($5,200). His stat line was poor in Week 1, but managing six targets in a largely neutral game script is especially promising. He's a low-owned, cash-saving option in tournaments.