4 NFL FanDuel Studs to Target in Week 2
Spending your available salary in any DFS lineup on a stud can make or break your lineup. These high-priced plays will take up the majority of your salary cap, so it’s critical to carefully consider which ones you’ll want for each slate. Whether it’s trying to capture a safe floor in a cash game or chasing a huge game to help you win a tournament, nailing the expensive players is one of the keys to making winning NFL lineups on FanDuel.
Week 1 was a welcomed sight for all football fans and we saw some standout performances from some star players. Let's see if we can identify the star players who are in the best spots to have big games in Week 2.
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
FanDuel Salary: $8,300
Projected Points: 21.7
Dak Prescott comes in with a salary well below the superstar quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, and he's in a good situation in Week 2. Dak probably disappointed fantasy managers in Week 1, scoring only 17.64 FanDuel points. Fortunately, he should be able to bounce back in this game.
The Dallas Cowboys are at home against the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons had a horrible game on defense in Week 1, allowing Russell Wilson to throw for 322 yards and 4 touchdowns. This gave them the second-worst schedule-adjusted passing defense on a per play basis, according to numberFire's metrics. This is nothing new for Atlanta, as they were 25th in the same statistic last season. The matchup against a weak Atlanta defense is one of the reasons the Cowboys have an implied team total of 28.5, tied for the second-highest on the slate.
Prescott dropped back 42 times compared to 27 rushes for the Cowboys. That was the seventh-highest pass to run ratio in Week 1. If Dak is going to throw the ball at a similar rate and can get it to weapons like Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb, and even Ezekiel Elliott (who caught a touchdown pass in the first game), he should have a big fantasy game. All of these factors lead to Prescott being the second-highest projected player on the slate, according to our projections. He'll make for a good tournament play this week for his upside, especially stacked with one or more of his pass-catchers.
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
FanDuel Salary: $8,300
Projected Points: 17.4
The big dog finished last season strong and basically picked up where he left off in Week 1. Derrick Henry got 31 carries for 116 yards in the Tennessee Titans win over the Denver Broncos. What was even more encouraging was his usage in the passing game:
Derrick Henry ran 22 routes last night, per @PFF. That's a new career high for a regular-season game. He hit 20 once last year and exceeded 15 just 4 times in the regular season.
— Jim Sannes (@JimSannes) September 15, 2020
The knock on Henry from a fantasy perspective has always been that he won't catch enough passes, but that looks like it could change with a lack of reliable depth behind him this season that normally would play on passing downs. This week, the matchup sets up well for Henry to see the ball a ton in Week 2.
The Titans will play their first home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and are 8.5-point favorites. Henry dominated the Jaguars in their last meeting, running for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 12 last season. The Jaguars have lost a ton of defensive talent since that game. Even though the Jags were able to beat the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, they still project to be one of the worst teams in the league. They were 29th in the league in schedule-adjusted rush defense last season, and that's always a problem against the Titans.
Tennessee ran the ball 34 times in Week 1, and that was in a close game in which they needed to come back in the fourth quarter. If the game script goes according to what the spread says, Henry should see a ton of touches. He's our fourth-highest projected running back on the slate, but projects for the most carries and the highest chance for a rushing touchdown for running backs. He's in play for all formats, given all these factors going in his favor this week.
Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers
FanDuel Salary: $8,600
Projected Points: 16.9
Much of the talk in the offseason with the Green Bay Packers was how they failed to add weapons for Aaron Rodgers. Davante Adams showed in the season opener that he might be the only weapon that Rodgers really needs, as he caught 14 passes on 17 targets, good for 156 yards and a couple of scores. He's set up to see a ton of opportunities all season long without much competition for targets, as those 17 he had were the most in the league in Week 1.
The Packers are facing the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field, with a healthy implied team total of 28 points. The Lions defense remains a huge question mark as they allowed a fourth-quarter comeback to Mitchell Trubisky last week. They ranked 26th in schedule-adjusted pass defense last season, and rookie Jeff Okudah's status remains up in the air after he missed the season opener. Detroit was also one of the worst teams at getting pressure on the quarterback in 2019, with the second-worst adjusted sack rate in the league, according to Football Outsiders.
The matchup and opportunity make Adams a standout play at the wide receiver position. We have him as the highest-projected receiver on the main slate, and you're going to want to roster him if he breaks the slate like he did last week.
Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
FanDuel Salary: $7,500
Projected Points: 12.0
Mark Andrews was getting a lot of hype for season-long drafts, and he made it looked justified in Week 1. He had five catches and two touchdowns, but it wasn't just that -- it was how often he was on the field that got a lot of buzz.
Mark Andrews ran a route on 87% of the #Ravens dropbacks in Week 1.
I'm guessing that's a career high after running a route on only 41% of dropbacks in 2019.
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) September 14, 2020
The absence of Hayden Hurst really did unlock Andrews like many people thought it would, and he did a lot with his uptick in routes.
The Baltimore Ravens come off their season-opening win and travel to face the Houston Texans. The Texans were not good in pass defense last season or in the first game of this season. Last year, they ranked 24th in schedule-adjusted pass defense, and they are the third-worst team through one game this season. That's not good news for them against the Ravens, who had the most passing touchdowns in the league in 2019. Houston also allowed a touchdown to Travis Kelce in Week 1, and allowed him to score three touchdowns in the playoffs last season, so covering tight ends might be a weakness of their defense.
The Ravens have the highest implied team total on this slate, sitting just under 30 points. If Andrews is going to have a complete breakout season, the time to get on the train is now. The matchup is very good, and we've seen how Baltimore likes to use him in the red zone. This makes him a very nice tournament play, with upside that is hard to match at the tight end position.
Nicholas Vazquez is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Nicholas Vazquez also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username hbyanksman. 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.
