QUARTERBACK
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Pittsburgh)
FanDuel $7,200/DraftKings $6,200
Garoppolo had a nice bounceback performance with an 80.3 passing grade last week. This week, he’s at home and faces one of the worst pass defenses in football through two weeks. With this combination of matchup and price, Garoppolo is a strong value option this weekend.
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings (vs. Oakland)
FanDuel $7,200/DraftKings $5,100
On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have Cousins coming off a terrible performance in Lambeau Field. Despite this tough fantasy start in 2019, Cousins did finish as QB13 just last season. We know what this offense is capable of when clicking and the Oakland Raiders pass defense is prime for the picking.
RUNNING BACK
Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks (vs. New Orleans)
FanDuel $7,000/DraftKings $5,900
Carson has not graded out well or on-par with what we are used to seeing from the third-year pro. While there is growing concern that his performance and fumble last week may find him in the backup role at some point, we should see a motivated Carson this week. The Saints run defense this season has been below average to this point so they should give him opportunities to get back on track.
David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Carolina)
FanDuel $7,000/DraftKings $6,800
Johnson had a tough go of it last week against the leading rush defense in football. The injury to his wrist, the same wrist that ended his season two years ago, is also cause for concern. Johnson had a big game opening week and faces a much more ideal matchup this weekend than last.
Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons (@ Indianapolis)
FanDuel $6,200/DraftKings $4,900
Fantasy owners had much higher hopes for Freeman heading into the 2019 season than the 95 total all-purpose yards he’s tallied through two games. Freeman is a guy who needs to get going and will face an average run defense this weekend. This is certainly not a sure thing, but worth a play at this price given his ceiling.
Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Pittsburgh)
FanDuel $6,000/DraftKings $4,700
Mostert has turned 22 carries into 143 rushing yards (5.5 YPC) and four receptions into 68 receiving yards (17 YPR). Mostert and Matt Breida have equally shared the 49ers backfield since Tevin Coleman’s injury and while the Steelers have played the run well, there is still a good opportunity for value here.
Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers (vs. Denver)
FanDuel $5,100/DraftKings $4,000
Williams is a much deeper dart throw here coming off last week, when he totaled just over 40 yards but added a touchdown. That said, LaFleur said this week that he wants to even up carries between Aaron Jones and Williams. If this happens, Williams could provide a nice return at $5,100.
WIDE RECEIVER
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (vs. New Orleans)
FanDuel $6,600/DraftKings $6,200
Lockett is averaging 14.7 PPR points per game, but his two games have been very different so far. In Week 1, he saw just two targets but managed to find the end zone. In Week 2, he pulled in 10 catches on 12 targets but only totaled 79 yards and no touchdowns. If Lockett can put it all together this weekend, he can turn in a WR1 performance.
Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons (@ Indianapolis)
FanDuel $6,500/DraftKings $5,300
It appears Ridley’s price hasn’t caught up to his production yet, averaging 20.5 fantasy points per game this season. Sure, he’s scored touchdowns in back-to-back weeks, but 12 receptions on 16 targets for 169 yards dispels any touchdown dependency notion. Ridley remains a value buy as long as his price stays here.
Marquise Brown, Baltimore Ravens (@ Kansas City)
FanDuel $6,100/DraftKings $5,900
Brown has caught 12 balls for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games of his rookie campaign. Even more encouraging for Brown is that through two weeks he commanded a 27.0% target share. Brown is a play at this price until further notice.
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (vs. Pittsburgh)
FanDuel $5,500/DraftKings $4,500
If you can’t tell, I’m a fan of playing 49ers this weekend given the rocky start for the Steelers this season. Samuel had his first big game of his NFL career last weekend with five catches for 86 yards and a score. Additionally, he’s managed a 17.3% target share for the 49ers this season, 24.0% last weekend. This is a great weekend to play Samuel.
Randall Cobb, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Miami)
FanDuel $5,300/DraftKings $4,600
Cobb has averaged 12.7 FPPG since finding a new home in Dallas. Given the recent injury to Michael Gallup, there will be more targets to go around starting this weekend. Miami hasn’t been able to stop anyone to this point which provides a golden opportunity for Cobb at an incredible price.
TIGHT END
Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys (vs. Miami)
FanDuel $5,000/DraftKings $3,700
We’ll keep it right in Texas for this one as Witten will benefit from the same ideal matchup as Cobb. Witten has been incredibly efficient this season turning eight targets into seven receptions for 40 yards, two touchdowns, and 11.5 FPPG.
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
San Francisco 49ers (vs. Pittsburgh)
FanDuel $5,900/DraftKings $3,200
We’ll round this out with one last look at the Bay area. The Steelers have faltered and now following an offseason that saw the departure of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending injury finishes off the Killer B’s. James Conner looks to have avoided a major injury but is also banged up making this a tough situation for Mason Rudolph to step in to. The 49ers have allowed the ninth-fewest yards per game and there are 13 more expensive defenses on FanDuel, seven on DraftKings.
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