(Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire)
Welcome to our Week 2 DFS preview where we will highlight a cash game option along with a tournament option at each position to help with your lineup building for the week.
QUARTERBACK
Cash Game Option:
Houston Texans Deshaun Watson – In his first game back after undergoing knee surgery, the second-year quarterback was not hesitant to run as he finished with 40 rushing yards on eight carries. The passing yards were not great as Watson only threw for 176 yards against the Patriots. However, that should change with a match-up against the Titans. Tennessee ranked 21st in pass defense DVOA in 2017 according to Football Outsiders and allowed Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill to throw for 230 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1. Watson is $6,300 on DraftKings and $7,400 on FanDuel so he is a nice building block for your lineups.
Tournament Option:
Philadelphia Eagles Nick Foles – We are waiting for the Foles from last year’s Super Bowl run to show up and this could be the week. Foles will face a Buccaneers defense that was shredded by Saints quarterback Drew Brees in Week 1 as they allowed 439 passing yards to the veteran. Foles isn’t Brees, but the Bucs secondary isn’t good and they are missing Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves. Foles is extremely cheap on DraftKings at only $5,700 and allows you to fit some of the higher priced options this week.
RUNNING BACK
Cash Game Option:
Pittsburgh Steelers James Conner – Conner was recommended last week and came through in a big way with 135 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Conner’s price has risen, but not enough to make us hesitate whether we go right back to the running back in our cash lineups. Only Todd Gurley played more percentage of offensive snaps at the running back position than Conner in Week 1 and we should expect the same type of playing time for the young running back again. The Steelers face a Chiefs defense that isn’t very good and Las Vegas has set the over/under at 53 so there should be plenty of offense. I like the Steelers a lot this week so don’t be afraid to have multiple players in your cash lineups including Conner.
Tournament Option:
New England Patriots James White – White has to be knocked down to tournament conversation instead of cash game due to the status of Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel. Both players are questionable so if they play, it will hurt how White’s status. However, both players could be limited which would benefit White. The running back is only $4,500 on DraftKings which is a great price for a running back that could be on the field more due to injuries. The Patriots face a very difficult Jaguars defense which again is why White is more in the tournament conversation. I don’t expect White to gain a lot of yards on the ground, but he should benefit in the passing game with short throws by Tom Brady. In the AFC Championship last year between the two teams, Dion Lewis caught seven passes and I can see a similar game plan again this time around.
WIDE RECEIVER
Cash Game Option:
Philadelphia Eagles Nelson Agholor – The high priced receivers this week are all in a great spot and make perfect building blocks for your lineups. It would be lazy for me to tell you to play Antonio Brown as I feel like you can play him every week just like Michael Thomas or Julio Jones. We can’t play all high priced players so if we drop in the mid-range, Agholor is someone to target. he wide receiver finished Week 1 with 10 targets and converted those into eight catches for 33 yards. The yards per catch weren’t impressive, but we love that he was a focal point in the Eagles offense. I already recommended Foles and that I like the Eagles offense in general this week against a bad Buccaneers defense. Pro Football Focus ranks Agholor’s match-up fourth in all of football for the week which is another positive sign.
Tournament Option:
San Francisco 49ers Dante Pettis – Teammate Marquise Goodwin is out this week due to a quad injury which means more playing for the rookie Pettis. In Week 1, Pettis caught two passes for 61 yards and a touchdown. I expect more volume this week and the 49ers face a Lions defense that was just embarrassed by the Jets. At only $4,000 on DraftKings and $4,500 on FanDuel, the upside is too good to pass up at that price.
TIGHT END
Cash Game Option:
San Francisco 49ers George Kittle – Pettis is more of a tournament play because this will be his second career NFL game so it’s hard to fully trust a player like that even if we think the playing time and match-up will be positive. However, Kittle is a different story as he is more of known commodity and isn’t priced too high. Kittle saw nine targets in Week 1 which resulted in five catches for 90 yards. The tight end provides a nice floor for cash game lineups in Week 2.
Tournament Option:
New Orleans Saints Ben Watson – The Saints are projected to score a slate high 29.75 points this week so every one of their players are in play. Watson’s return to New Orleans was a good one as he caught four passes for 44 yards and now faces a Browns defense that can’t defend against the tight end. Watson should get lost in the shuffle this week as most will roster teammates Brees, Thomas or Alvin Kamara. There will be plenty of points to go around so Watson should be able to get a piece of the pie at a cheap price.