FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Afternoon-Slate Helper: Week 2

The Week 2 afternoon NFL DFS slate on FanDuel features just three matchups, which start between 4:05 and 4:25 p.m. EST. Two games have a total that tops 51 points while the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos sit at 40.5. Tiny slates like this will require some imagination in order to take down tournaments.

Our NFL DFS Matchup Heat Map will be referenced for all implied totals and spreads throughout this article, so be sure to check it out.

Let’s check out the best plays at various prices on this short slate.

High-Priced Studs

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs ($9,000)

Our highest projected player overall is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He is an absolute baller facing one of the weakest teams in the NFL. Last season the Kansas City Chiefs put up 40 and 35 points against the Oakland Raiders in their two matchups, with one of them being a massive blowout.

That should indicate that they don’t plan on taking their foot off the gas regardless of the scoreboard. The Chiefs have an implied team total of 30.0, the highest on the slate, so paying up for Mahomes and company is probably a good idea.

Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints ($8,700)

Alvin Kamara has crushed the Los Angeles Rams every time he's faced them in his career, averaging 138 total yards with five touchdowns in three matchups (including last year’s playoffs). He absolutely dominated Cory Littleton on routes out of the backfield in the NFC Championship Game, and Christian McCaffrey hauled in 10 passes in Week 1 against this Rams unit.

Another interesting nugget is that Drew Brees threw the ball 43 times in Week 1. Only one of those passes went over 20 yards in the air. If that trend continues, it means Kamara and Michael Thomas will likely continue their high target shares on short routes while Ted Ginn Jr. and Tre'Quan Smith struggle for deep-ball production. Our projections have Kamara set for 19.7 fantasy points in FanDuel scoring.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Kansas City Chiefs ($7,400)

Now the number-one option for Patrick Mahomes, Sammy Watkins should feast on a banged-up Oakland Raiders secondary. Cornerback Gareon Conley is slated to play after a scary neck injury, but Watkins just went for 198 and three touchdowns against the stout secondary of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even with a price jump to $7,400, he’s grossly undervalued in this matchup.

Brandin Cooks, WR, Los Angeles Rams ($7,000)

Brandin Cooks will continue to seek revenge against the team that traded him in 2017. The speedster went for more than 100 yards against the New Orleans Saints in both matchups last season.

With all three Rams receivers seeing good targets, the Saints defensive backs should have a hard time deciding who to key on. Plus, Week 1 showed that anyone with burners -- like Cooks -- can torch this secondary, as Deshaun Watson recorded the third-most passing yards on deep attempts (15-plus yards).

Our projections have Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Cooks all within one catch and 15 yards of each other, so shooting for Cooks' big-play upside might be the key to success.

Mid-Priced Upside Plays

Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders ($6,500)

As many predicted in the offseason, Josh Jacobs captured the bell-cow role for the Raiders. The Alabama product saw an 89 percent opportunity share with an NFL-leading eight red zone touches. He parlayed those high-value touches into two scores.

The downside is that Jacobs saw just one target in the passing game. The Raiders are not likely to be leading in this one like they did in their opener as they are 7.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs. This may force Jalen Richard into the mix as negative game script usually thrusts satellite backs into play.

We know that Jacobs’ pass-catching ability was touted out of college, so this game will likely set the stage for his season outlook as a receiver. At $6,500 in a game with a 52.5-point total, it’s hard to fade a player of his caliber.

Tyrell Williams, WR, Oakland Raiders ($5,900)

Antonio who? Tyrell Williams answered the call as the Raiders’ top option in the passing game. The Gazelle went more than 100 yards and scored on a red zone target against a good Denver Broncos defense. He was also extremely efficient, posting the eighth-best Reception Net Expected Points (NEP) per target among receivers with at least five targets in Week 1.

Williams is bringing that level of efficiency against a Chiefs secondary that posted the 10th-worst Adjusted Defensive Passing NEP per play in Week 1. He is severely underpriced and is a top option on this short slate.

Bargain Bin Prospects

Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders ($6,600)

Disregarding last year’s Week 17, Derek Carr has averaged 304 passing yards and 2.3 touchdowns against the Chiefs in their last three matchups. He also ranked third in Passing NEP per drop back in Week 1 among quarterbacks with at least 15 drop backs. A Raiders stack will be extremely cheap and allow you to jam in the high-priced studs on this slate.

Demarcus Robinson, WR, Kansas City Chiefs ($5,200)

With Tyreek Hill sidelined for a few weeks, many are expecting rookie wide receiver Mecole Hardman to step in and shine. The speedy receiver flashed in the preseason, catching six balls for 88 yards and two scores, but he dropped his only target in Week 1.

Demarcus Robinson is the receiver fantasy gamers should be banking on, however. He has nowhere near the athleticism of Hardman, but the 25-year-old vet has been with the team for three years since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Robinson should get plenty of run out of the slot after playing 35 percent of his snaps there in Week 1. Zig while others are zagging and play the veteran at lower ownership.

Darren Waller, TE, Oakland Raiders ($5,400)

The most popular preseason “sleeper” of the offseason wasted no time in paying off. Darren Waller played 100 percent of offensive snaps and reeled in seven balls for 70 yards in his debut. With a potential shootout with the Chiefs coming up, Waller should have plenty more opportunities to show off his 99th-percentile Speed Score, per PlayerProfiler. While Travis Kelce is the best tight end play on the slate, our projections have Waller as the clear second option.

Jonathan Taylor Smith is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice Jonathan Taylor Smith also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jtsmittyyy. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.