This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.
Following an overlay-filled Week 1, DraftKings is right back at it with some huge Week 2 tournaments, highlighted by a $10 Million Millionaire Maker ($20 entry) that awards a cool $2 million to first place.
If you're looking for something smaller, my personal favorites are the Thursday $150K Slant ($9 entry) and Sunday $100K Super Booster ($27 entry).
Before we get into specific player recommendations and discussion of the Thursday game, let's first visit some of the unsolved injury situations that could lead to excellent value plays:
Rams running back Benny Cunningham ($4,400) more than made good on his minimum price tag last week, and while he'll cost $1,400 more in Week 2 against the Redskins, he should once again provide a nice return if Todd Gurley (knee) and Tre Mason (hamstring) can't play. The Redskins do appear solid against the run for a second straight year, but Cunningham's three-down role and receiving skills would give him a nice production floor.
Echoing another holdover situation from Week 1, the Saints may be without C.J. Spiller (knee) for a second straight week, after Mark Ingram ($5,900) and Khiry Robinson ($3,000) combined for 30 touches in Week 1. Ingram isn't going to catch eight passes for 98 yards again, but he should have more opportunities to run the ball, with the Saints a healthy favorite to beat the Buccaneers at the Superdome. I'll completely avoid the situation if Spiller is active, but if not, both Ingram and Robinson warrant consideration.
Already an excellent option against the soft Pittsburgh defense following his massive Monday night breakout, Carlos Hyde ($5,100) gets another bump if Reggie Bush (hamstring) cannot play, as the second-year back may take on a good chunk of Bush's passing-down snaps. Just keep in mind that Hyde will (rightfully) be heavily owned in all tournaments, with his price tag failing to reflect the monster Week 1 showing.
The Tampa Bay offense is risky business, but Vincent Jackson ($5,500) and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($4,100) become very interesting options against the Saints if Mike Evans (hamstring) misses another game. Seferian-Jenkins came through with 31 DraftKings points in a Week 1 blowout loss to the Titans, and while Jackson only had 9.1, he missed out on what should have been a garbage-time touchdown when Lovie Smith failed to throw a challenge flag. I have no faith in the Tampa Bay offense, but can it really be that much worse than the New Orleans defense?
With T.Y. Hilton (knee) looking no better than questionable, Donte Moncrief ($4,600) could play nearly every snap against a Jets team that won't have cornerback Antonio Cromartie (knee). Of course, Moncrief will be the popular DFS choice if Hilton sits, but other players on the Colts would also figure to benefit from extra targets. For large tournaments, it may make more sense to take a shot with Andre Johnson ($5,800), Coby Fleener ($3,000), or even rookie Phillip Dorsett ($3,300). Injury news isn't the only thing to watch for here, as the Jets' expected usage of Darrelle Revis is also quite important. If the star corner is expected to shadow Johnson, I'll probably just follow the crowd toward Moncrief (or Fleener).
Lastly, I'll have to make sure Victor Cruz (calf) is out again before using Rueben Randle ($4,700) against the Falcons. Though he failed to do anything with his opportunity in Week 1, Randle could be in line for a surprisingly big Week 2, as Odell Beckham will likely see a lot of Desmond Trufant, who's easily the Falcons' best cornerback.
Now, let's get to the top plays for Week 2:
Quarterback
Carson Palmer, ARI (at CHI), $6700 – Following a 307-yard, three-touchdown showing in Week 1 against the Saints, Palmer has the good fortune to face another hideous defense. It can be tough to predict the quality of an entire defensive unit from year to year, but with so little healthy, proven talent, the Bears and Saints are essentially sure things to stink out the joint.
The 2015 Bears are a candidate to be blown out in nearly any matchup, but between home-field advantage and the Cardinals' own secretly vulnerable defense, Chicago should at least keep the game close enough for Palmer to stay active into the fourth quarter. As a bonus for tournaments, and a huge one at that, both of Palmer's starting receivers are also strong plays at their respective price tags. Larry Fitzgerald ($5,400) and John Brown ($5,100) played nearly every snap in Week 1, and I don't think that will change much when the overrated Michael Floyd is fully healthy.
Philip Rivers, SD (at CIN), $6700 – Rivers is underpriced for a second straight week, most likely due to his poor, injury-riddled finish to the 2014 season. Nobody doubts that he's a top-10 quarterback when healthy, and he probably has his best supporting cast since the LaDainian Tomlinson era, with an improved offensive line and wide receiver group more than making up for the four-game absence of Antonio Gates (suspension). Although the Chargers' offseason certainly wasn't loud, they actually may have improved their offense more than any other team. And I say that despite my lack of faith in first-round draft pick Melvin Gordon, who looks surprisingly mediocre when he doesn't have an obvious hole to blast through. If I'm (unfortunately) correct about my fellow University of Wisconsin alumnus, we could see a lot of Danny Woodhead in an air-it-out offense this season.
Cincinnati's defense should be better than the Detroit unit that Rivers destroyed in Week 1, but the Bengals are still more solid than spectacular, with only defensive tackle Geno Atkins standing out as a significantly above-average performer. The biggest concern is that Bengals running back Jeremy Hill will eat up a huge portion of the game clock, leaving Rivers and Co. with only nine or 10 drives to accumulate points.
Other options:Andrew Luck, IND (vs. NYJ), $8,200; Matt Ryan, ATL (at NYG), $7,400; Ben Roethlisberger, PIT (vs. SF), $7,200; Tony Romo, DAL (at PHI), $7,100; Eli Manning, NYG (vs. ATL), $7,100; Jay Cutler, CHI (vs. ARI), $6,000
Running Back
Matt Forte, CHI (vs. ARI), $7,700 – One of the few superstars to surpass DFS expectations in his season-opener, Forte should be in for another big game this week, facing an Arizona front seven that doesn't have much talent outside of superstar defensive end Calais Campbell. I've already covered Arizona's altered distribution of talent, so let's focus on Forte and the other things working in his favor:
For starters, offseason chatter about a reduced snap count unsurprisingly turned out to be nonsense, as is typically the case once a team finds itself in a close game. Per Pro Football Focus, Forte led all NFL running backs in total snaps (69) and snap percentage (89.6) in Week 1, just as he did (by a wide margin) during the 2014 season. His workload even included the goal-line/short-yardage snaps and carries, which was sometimes an issue in past years. Furthermore, Forte has a surprisingly decent offensive line in front of him, and his top-notch receiving ability gives him arguably the highest floor of any running back besides Le'Veon Bell (suspension). Forte is one of the few running backs who can produce a huge fantasy game in a blowout loss.
Chris Johnson, ARI (at CHI), $3,800 – Keep in mind that it's rarely a good idea to use two running backs from the same game, as an excellent performance by one will often limit the other's opportunities. I'll thus be going with either Johnson or Forte (but not both) in most lineups, looking to take advantage of some lofty snap counts and a potential shootout.
Johnson has been a below-average player for quite some time now, but he's impressively avoided the disappearing act that we usually see with older running backs, instead plateauing (or perhaps troughing?) as a mid-end backup throughout his mid-to-late 20s. With Andre Ellington (knee) likely to miss at least one game, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians strongly suggested that Chris Johnson would get most of the snaps and touches, with Arians saying that rookie David Johnson isn't quite ready for a big role.
Other options:DeMarco Murray, PHI (vs. DAL), $7,000; Chris Ivory, NYJ (at IND), $4,700; Lance Dunbar, DAL (at PHI), $3,000
Wide Receiver
Antonio Brown, PIT (vs. SF), $8,800 – The 49ers somehow made it through an offseason exodus with enough remaining talent to have a solid defense, but despite what the Week 1 results suggest, they'll likely still be worse than in previous seasons. Luckily for Brown, San Francisco's secondary is the primary weakness of the unit, with the team's top four cornerbacks this season having made just five combined starts last year. Tramaine Brock is probably the best of the bunch, but he'll mostly work in the slot when the 49ers use their nickel defense, whereas Brown typically plays more than three-quarters of his snaps on the outside.
I'd like the matchup in any scenario, but Brown gets an additional boost in the absence of Martavis Bryant (suspension) and Le'Veon Bell (suspension). Heath Miller ($3,500) and Markus Wheaton ($3,800) are also strong options, as Ben Roethlisberger is otherwise surrounded by lousy skill-position players, and he probably won't throw seven passes to Darrius Heyward-Bey again.
Brandin Cooks, NO (vs. TB), $7,000 – The Brandin Cooks hype train may have come to a screeching stop in Week 1, but I'm largely chalking it up to strong showings by Cardinals cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. Cooks still figures to see a ton of targets as the Saints' far-and-away No. 1 option in the passing game, with his steady supply of short receptions complemented by some deep throws to take advantage of his 4.33 speed.
Sure, there will be some obnoxious 6-40-0 receiving lines along the way, but Cooks should also have some huge showings (think 30+ DK points) when he hauls in a deep bomb or two. He's the type of receiver I love for big tournaments in DraftKings' PPR format, as he combines the receptions upside of a Jarvis Landry or Julian Edelman with the big-play upside of a DeSean Jackson or Terrance Williams. Cooks obviously hasn't proven that he's on the same level as any of those players, but the other guys who fit the aforementioned profile carry names like Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham, Demaryius Thomas and Julio Jones.
Steve Johnson, SD (at CIN), $4,200 – A holdover from last week's article, as well as one of the most underrated players for both DFS and season-long purposes, Johnson disappointingly only drew six targets in Week 1, but he made me look good by catching all six for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also played more than 90 percent of his team's offensive snaps, with the Chargers using just three wide receivers all game, despite heavily relying on three-wide formations. This obviously bodes well for Johnson's workload in future weeks, as Keenan Allen won't always gobble up 17 targets, and Malcom Floyd has been a low-usage player throughout this career.
Don't let the two-year disappearance from fantasy relevance fool you – Johnson is still the same guy who posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons for the Bills from 2010 to 2012. For some reason, the Bills and 49ers didn't appreciate his talent, presumably viewing him as a failed No. 1 wide receiver, as opposed to the strong second or third option that he should be. The Bengals do have a deep group of cornerbacks, but none of the bunch is a Pro Bowl-level talent, at least not at this stage in their respective careers.
Other options:Julio Jones, ATL (at NYG), $8,900; Odell Beckham, NYG (vs. ATL), $8,800; Calvin Johnson, DET (at MIN), $8,200; Keenan Allen, SD (at CIN), $7,100; Steve Smith, BAL (at OAK), $6,000; Larry Fitzgerald, ARI (at CHI), $5,400; John Brown, ARI (at CHI), $5,100; Rueben Randle, NYG (vs. ATL), $4,700; Terrance Williams, DAL (at PHI), $4,200; Markus Wheaton, PIT (vs. SF), $3,800
Tight End
Jason Witten, DAL (at PHI), $4,300 –Terrance Williams ($4,200) may be the obvious beneficiary from the Dez Bryant (foot) injury, but Witten will be Tony Romo's favorite target until 88 returns, just as we saw in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's incredible comeback. Sure, Williams projects to significantly outperform his price tag in a matchup with the fast-paced Eagles, but he's also a strong candidate to top all wide receivers in ownership percentage, and his big-play profile can lead to some empty games. Witten should have a much more reasonable ownership percentage, as Week 1 was dominated by tight ends, including some huge names like Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce.
With guys like Witten, Gronk Jordan Reed, Martellus Bennett and Jimmy Graham all good candidates to lead their respective teams in targets, it's perfectly reasonable to throw a second tight end into the FLEX spot, particularly in cash games or 50/50s. If you want to do the same in a large tournament, I recommend using cheaper options and/or Gronkowski, as New England's superstar is probably the only tight end with a weekly ceiling that's comparable to that of a top-20 wide receiver. For tournaments, I'd rather use my FLEX spot on a John Brown ($5,100) or Rueben Randle ($4,700), as opposed to a Kelce ($5,100) or Greg Olsen ($4,900)
Other options:Jimmy Graham, SEA (at GB), $5,800; Martellus Bennett, CHI (vs. ARI), $4,500; Tyler Eifert, CIN (at PHI), $4,300; Jordan Cameron, MIA (at JAX), $4,000; Jordan Reed, WAS (vs. STL), $3,700; Heath Miller, PIT (vs. SF), $3,500; Crockett Gillmore, BAL (at OAK), $2,500
Team Defense/Special Teams
St. Louis Rams (at WAS), $3,100 – Despite the final score (34-31) of Sunday's game, the St. Louis front seven lived up to its lofty billing in Week 1, sacking Russell Wilson six times and limiting Marshawn Lynch to 73 yards on 18 carries. Seattle scored a defensive touchdown and a return touchdown, with Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin adding a punt-return score of his own. Now, the Rams get to face a Kirk Cousins-led Washington team that won't have top wide receiver DeSean Jackson (hamstring). The Redskins will likely opt for an early game plan full of runs and short passes, but when that fails (as it likely will), we should get to see the aggressive, turnover-happy version of Cousins. A shaky secondary may eventually prove problematic for the Rams against good teams, but Washington's awful group of wide receivers shouldn't be an issue.
This selection also gives you an excuse to root for Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who turned in preseason and Week 1 performances that suggest J.J. Watt isn't quite a lock to win Defensive Player of the Year for a third time in four seasons. And, I almost forgot to mention that Washington is the only franchise which has been consistently bad on special teams for the last half-decade, somehow struggling with kick coverage every single year. Accordingly, Miami's Jarvis Landry returned a punt for six points in Week 1 against the Redskins, right around the same time that Austin brought a punt to the house in the Rams' game.
Other options: Miami Dolphins (at JAX), $3,300; Carolina Panthers (vs. HOU), $3,100; Tennessee Titans (at CLE), $3,000; Houston Texans (at CAR), $2,900; Baltimore Ravens (at OAK), $2,900
Thursday Night Game
As I mentioned last week, it's usually best to avoid Thursday night players in the Thursday DFS tournaments, as ownership rates tend to be quite high, with many users even opting for game stacks. That may be a good strategy if you want to see your name at the top of the leaderboard for a few days, but it's not the way to go if you want to stay there through Monday night.
The Pats-Steelers game was somewhat of an exception due to all of the suspensions and injuries, but this week's Broncos-Chiefs contest doesn't have the same concerns. What the game does have is a bunch of overvalued big names, as the Denver offense appears to have taken a major step back from recent seasons, whereas the Broncos defense arguably has a collection of talent that's unmatched in the NFL. Sure, a Week 1 matchup with the Ravens accentuated the team's relative strengths and weaknesses, but I already expected the Broncos to be much better on defense than offense this season.
I would still consider using the supremely talented Travis Kelce ($5,100), if not for the fact that his ownership percentage will be through the roof. Unless I really need a $2,800 D/ST unit (Denver) to make a lineup work, I'll be totally avoiding this game in Thursday contests. If it's an ugly affair with few notable fantasy performance, I'll head into the weekend with a huge advantage over the field.
