Top daily fantasy football plays for Week 2 of the NFL season

With Week 2 of the NFL season upon us, we take a look at some of the best values to be found on Draftkings and FanDuel, and some players worth fading.

SB Nation will be bringing you the top Daily Fantasy options each week through the regular season and into the playoffs. We have a small sample size of which offenses look good to target and others we should avoid until further notice. As for who should be in your lineups, here are the top value plays of the week, with an eye toward low ownership and high upside.

Quarterback

Tom Brady, New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints ($7,900 DK, $9,200 FD)

The narrative is about Angry Tom Brady. Most people think it’s about what happened 10 days ago. Sure, but what about eight years ago? That was the last time the Patriots played the Saints in New Orleans and it was one of the worst losses in Brady’s regular-season history. That’s a revenge game narrative that shouldn’t go overlooked. Also, the Saints’ defense just got torched by Sam Bradford, and now plays on short week. Add in Brady’s high price, which usually scares off the value hunters, and he might not even be a chalky play. It all adds up to a great option this week.

Drew Brees, Saints vs. Patriots ($7,700 DK, $8,700 FD)

Brees is back at home this week, and as we know in DFS, the Superdome is the Coors Field of football. Brees’ home/road splits are among the most extreme in football, right there with Ben Roethlisberger. The difference between Ben and Brees this week is the opponent. The Patriots defense looked like a shell of itself against the Chiefs and Dont’a Hightower is out this week. Brees will need to match Brady bomb-for-bomb, and don’t doubt that he won’t.

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears ($6,300 DK, $7,800 FD)

Winston is coming in a forgotten man, as are all Bucs and Fins this week. It’s a good time to get a solid quarterback at a fair price in a plum matchup against the Bears at home. I think the Winston-Mike Evans stack will be the most productive in DFS this season and it all starts with the Week 2 “opener.”

Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets ($7,200 DK, $8,300 FD)

There might be a tendency to avoid Carr in what should be blowout win for the Raiders at home against the punchless Jets. But I suspect that all those points are going to come through the air, before the Raiders turn to Marshawn Lynch to close it out.

Discount Darling: Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles ($5,700 DK, $7,200 FD)

Was Smith’s performance in Week 1 a fluke? I don’t think so. As great as Kareem Hunt was, most of his damage came as receicer. There’s nothing about the Eagles secondary that should keep Smith from essentially repeating his Week 1 performance, especially at home in a competitive game.

Avoid: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts ($6,000, $7,500 FD)

I know it’s the Colts, but with David Johnson out, do defenses really need to play the running game honestly. I guess we’ll see, but until Palmer shows he can be productive without Johnson behind him, I’m looking elsewhere.

Also consider: Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons; Carson Wentz, Philadelphia Eagles; Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks.

Running back

Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons ($5,800 DK, $6,500 FD)

If you liked what Tarik Cohen did to the Falcons last week out of the backfield, now translate that to an early-down back in an elite offense. Montgomery was solid last week against a formidable Seattle defense, so he should have all sorts of opportunities against a lesser challenge in Atlanta.

Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers ($6,400 DK, $7,900 FD)

Another forgotten man from Week 1 against a defense that struggled to contain C.J. Anderson on Monday night and now has to deal with an extremely well-rested Ajayi on a short week. Add to the mix the amount of check-downs one might expect from Jay Cutler and you have a big PPR number for Ajayi on tap.

LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers ($8,600 DK, $8,600 FD)

McCoy racked up 27 total touches last week, and had he not tapped out with an apparent injury with the Bills on the goal line, he might have added a touchdown to his total last week. McCoy is good to go in Week 2 and though he faces a tough defense, he’s going to get crazy volume again, including plenty of pass targets.

Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($4,100 DK, $5,400 FD)

It will be interesting to see what Cohen’s ownership looks like a week after exploding onto the scene with his 113 total yards and eight receptions on 12 targets. With Jordan Howard not 100 percent, Cohen could easily exceed those Week 1 numbers, which makes him ridiculously under-priced for his role.

Discount Darling: Javorius Allen, Baltimore Ravens vs. Cleveland Browns ($4,100 DK, $4,900 FD)

Allen shouldn’t be nearly as popular as Cohen, but he isn’t any less valuable at his price, especially on FanDuel, where he gets a bit of a discount from Cohen. Allen out-snapped Terrance West last week and with Danny Woodhead on IR, Allen should see even more work against the Browns, which has struggled – last week notwithstanding – against the run.

Avoid: DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars ($6,300 DK, $7,500 FD)

Murray was surprisingly underwhelming last week, and with all the discount options on the table, this might be a good week to go wait-and-see here.

Also consider: Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams; Marshawn Lynch, Oakland Raiders; Melvin Gordon, Los Angeles Chargers.

Wide receiver

Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears ($7,700 DK, $8,500 FD)

If the “forgotten team” narrative does hold true, and Buccaneers/Dolphins players go under-owned because they didn’t play last week and have no stats to study, then Evans is a must-play this week. Even in his preseason cameos, Evans dominated the field, and with DeSean Jackson on the other side to keep defenses honest, Evans could wind up the No. 1 receiver in fantasy. A criminally under-owned Winston-Evans stack this week may never be more rewarding.

Amari Cooper, Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets ($8,100 DK, $7,900 FD)

As I wrote under Carr’s entry above, I suspect the blowout everyone expects here will happen, but it will happen via the air, not the ground, at least in the early going. I’m sure will get plenty of Beast Mode in the second half, but the first half star with multiple-touchdown upside is Cooper.

Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots ($7,500 DK, $8,000 FD)

Basically, every skill player on either team is worthy of consideration this week. But I’m guessing that Thomas will be the most productive and at the same time, among the most under-owned. The Patriots receivers will get most of the DFS attention, and they are excellent plays. But for tournament consideration, I want the guy who can put up similar numbers, but at lower ownership.

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers ($5,400 DK, $6,400 FD)

Jason Verrett has been ruled out and Jarvis Landry is nursing an injury. This is suddenly a great spot for Parker to become the focus of Jay Cutler’s reads, which could translate to double-digit targets, which should further translate into a 7-100-1 type of game at a cheap price and minimal ownership.

Discount Darlings: Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams vs. Washington ($4,100 DK, $5,400 FD)

I’ve loved Kupp going back to my preseason DFS columns. He was plenty involved in Week 1, and now he gets the added bonus of being the guy not covered by Josh Norman. Nelson Agholor isn’t nearly as good as Kupp and look what he did last week as the non-Norman receiver. Kupp, at this price, is DFS gold this week.

Avoid: Stefon Diggs, Minnesota Vikings at Pittsburgh Steelers ($6,100 DK, $6,500 FD)

Check the status of Sam Bradford before the game. He has been limited all week in practice with a knee issue and is expected to start, but things could always change before lineups lock. Even if he does go, it’s hard to imagine he can repeat his Monday night performance on the road against the Steelers defense. That translates to his pass catchers and Diggs is likely to be highly-owned, making him a tournament fade.

Also consider: Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals; Brandin Cooks, Patriots; Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons.

Tight end

Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints vs. New England Patriots ($3,100 DK, $5,300 FD)

Fleener proved the “Coors Field” theory of the Superdome last year, putting up his best numbers in home games. He had a pretty impressive road game last week, so there’s a good bet he has one of his Superdome specials on Sunday, especially with the Pats defense weakened with the loss of Hightower.

Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers ($3,000 DK, $5,200 FD)

Clay emerged as the most reliable receiver on the Bills last week, and given the Panthers’ difficulty against tight ends, that distinction should hold true for at least one more week.

Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets ($3,300 DK, $5,100 FD)

It was the Jets that allowed Clay’s solid game last week, and Cook, who was solid in his Week 1 game against Tennessee, should have plenty of opportunities to keep it going at home this week.

Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears ($3,000 DK, $5,300 FD)

Our final “forgotten man” narrative. Austin Hooper got free for a long touchdown last week against the Bears. Brate has emerged as an impact receiver in this offense and with Evans and Jackson stretching the field, Brate could have a field day underneath.

Discount Darling: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks ($2,500 DK, $4,500 FD)

The Seahawks have always had a bit of a blind spot for tight ends, and Kittle acquitted himself nicely in his regular season debut last week, catching 5-of-6 targets, albeit for just 27 yards. If Kittle makes five catches on Sunday, the guess here is one will be for a touchdown, which could lead to a coveted 5X salary day.

Avoid: Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos ($3,400 DK, $5,400 FD)

It’s one thing for Witten to do it at home against the Giants with a record on the line. It’s back to reality this week against the solid Broncos defense in Denver. Don’t chase the points here.

Also consider: Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks; Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans; Zach Ertz, Philadelphia Eagles

Defense

Oakland Raiders ($3,500 DK, $5,300 FD)

Arizona Cardinals ($4,100 DK, $5,000 FD)

Baltimore Ravens ($3,700 DK, $4,700 FD)

Carolina Panthers ($3,600 DK, $5,100 FD)

Discount Darling: Los Angeles Rams ($3,000 DK, $4,400 FD)

Avoid: Tennessee Titans ($3,300 DK, $4,600 FD)