This article is part of our Draftster NFL series.
After a brutal week two of injuries, we're looking ahead to greener pastures in this week's rundown of games for Draftster.com. Something new that can be found at the bottom of this article will be my main lineup used in last week's games, and a few tidbits on why I chose the players I did.
*Please note the following rankings do not include Thursday's matchup between Tampa Bay and Atlanta.
Quarterback
1. Drew Brees (NO) vs. MIN - $9,000
2. Matthew Stafford (DET) vs. GB - $9,000
3. Aaron Rodgers (GB) at DET - $8,300
4. Andrew Luck (IND) at JAX - $8,400
5. Nick Foles (PHI) vs. WAS - $7,400
6. Peyton Manning (DEN) at SEA - $9,000
7. Tony Romo (DAL) at STL - $6,400
8. Tom Brady (NE) vs. OAK - $7,000
9. Jay Cutler (CHI) at NYJ - $7,300
10. Russell Wilson (SEA) vs. DEN - $7,300
11. Kirk Cousins (WAS) at PHI - $5,700
12. Cam Newton (CAR) vs. PIT - $7,000
13. Philip Rivers (SD) at BUF - $6,900
14. Colin Kaepernick (SF) at AZ - $6,300
15. EJ Manuel (BUF) vs. SD - $5,300
16. Andy Dalton (CIN) vs. TEN - $6,200
Matthew Stafford (DET) vs. GB - $9,000 & Aaron Rodgers (GB) at DET - $8,300
I am grouping these two together as it's up to you who you choose but I see similar numbers from both at the end of the week. This game will enter Sunday with the highest total of the week at 52. The general DFS consensus pick here would be to go with the cheaper option in Rodgers, which is the logical pick, but Stafford has a lot of upside against a weak Green Bay secondary.
Tony Romo (DAL) at STL - $6,400
Yes, I am quite aware that I am ranking Tony Romo seventh this week and I think it is completely warranted. The Cowboys' offense has yet to click this season and is still sitting at 1-1 on the year. Dez and Romo looked to be regaining a little bit of their magic last week, while Terrence Williams and Jason Witten have yet to get their appropriate targets. Once everything comes full circle, Romo will be the direct benefactor. Don't rank seasons on just a few games, as Romo is going to get his due soon.
Kirk Cousins (WAS) at PHI - $5,700
After an ankle injury that could sideline RGIII for 4-to-6 weeks, Cousins will have an opportunity to prove himself as the team's best, long-term choice at quarterback. He comes in at a very affordable price if you are looking to save at the QB position. The total in the Philadelphia/Washington games comes in at 50.
Running Back
1. DeMarco Murray (DAL) at STL - $7,300
2. LeSean McCoy (PHI) vs. WAS - $8,200
3. Arian Foster (HOU) at NYG - $7,300
4. Eddie Lacy (GB) at DET - $5,600
5. Giovani Bernard (CIN) vs. TEN - $7,700
6. Marshawn Lynch (SEA) vs. DEN - $6,500
7. Matt Forte (CHI) at NYJ - $7,100
8. Alfred Morris (WAS) at PHI - $5,100
9. Montee Ball (DEN) vs. IND - $6,000
10. Zac Stacy (STL) vs. DAL - $5,300
11. Frank Gore (SF) at AZ - $4,400
12. Knile Davis (KC) at MIA - $5,400
13. Le'Veon Bell (PIT) at CAR - $6,300
14. Joique Bell (DET) vs. GB - $6,100
15. Reggie Bush (DET) vs. GB - $4,800
16. Stevan Ridley (NE) vs. OAK - $4,700
DeMarco Murray (DAL) at STL - $7,300
As stated with Tony Romo, the Cowboys offense is still a work in progress. Regardless of the work Romo is doing with the rest of his offense, DeMarco Murray is quietly having a huge season. He totaled 118 yards in week one and 167 in week two. He now gets to face a Rams team that has allowed four rushing touchdowns and ranks near the bottom in rushing defense. If you aren't going to be on Romo this week you better be on Murray.
Arian Foster (HOU) at NYG - $7,300
I said it early, I said it last week, and I will say it again: When healthy, Arian Foster is one of, if not the best running back in the league. Not only does he have 14 more carries than anybody else in the AFC he also leads the league in touches at 29.5 this season. I do not believe his workload is sustainable, but until I see anything different, I am going to be rolling Foster out regardless of price. Luckily, this week Foster's price is still friendly enough.
*Foster was limited in practice Wednesday. Though it shouldn't be anything of concern monitor his status.
Stevan Ridley (NE) vs. OAK - $4,700
I will admit I hate myself a bit for suggesting a New England running back in an article, but it is hard not to this week against Oakland. The Raiders are ranked almost dead last in defense against the rush and Steven Ridley appeared to get a bulk of the work, including goal line work, last week. Week one, however, showed a different result with Shane Vereen carrying most of the load. The point being, Ridley and Vereen are interchangeable most weeks, you just have to pick the right one. Ridley is $400 cheaper this week and the starter, so my gut says to lean that way with Vereen showing up questionable on the injury report.
Wide Receivers
1. Calvin Johnson (DET) vs. GB - $9,000
2. Dez Bryant (DAL) at STL - $8,000
3. Jordy Nelson (GB) at DET - $9,000
4. Brandon Marshall (CHI) at NYJ - $7,700
5. Demaryius Thomas (DEN) at SEA - $8,000
6. Randall Cobb (GB) at DET - $7,200
7. Antonio Brown (PIT) at CAR - $7,700
8. Cordarrelle Patterson (MIN) vs. NE - $5,100
9. Pierre Garcon (WAS) at PHI - $6,800
10. Jeremy Maclin (PHI) vs. WAS - $6,300
11. Keenan Allen (SD) at BUF - $6,700
12. Julian Edelman (NE) vs. OAK - $7,000
13. Mike Wallace (MIA) vs. KC - $6,200
14. Percy Harvin (SEA) vs. DEN - $6,500
15. Andre Johnson (HOU) at NYG - $6,200
16. Golden Tate (DET) vs. GB - $5,900
Cordarrelle Patterson (MIN) vs. NE - $5,100
Falling close to 'must play territory', Cordarrelle Patterson comes in with an astounding price of just $5,100, ranking him the 25th WR on the week. The Vikings will be taking on an angry 0-2 Saints team Sunday with a current total of 51 points. With no Adrian Peterson the Vikings will have to look to their next in line playmaker in Patterson early and often.
Keenan Allen (SD) at BUF - $6,700
Allen has had a fairly quiet start to his 2014 campaign after a busy rookie season last year. He was shaded last week by Richard Sherman but still drew six targets. However, he was out-targeted by teammates Antonio Gates and Eddie Royal. The Chargers get a good matchup this week against a Bills team ranked 20th against the pass, and it would be hard to imagine Allen being held out of the endzone much longer.
Golden Tate (DET) vs. GB - $5,900
If you're not interested in paying max price this week for Calvin Johnson or Jordy Nelson but still want to target the game with the highest total, Golden Tate comes in at the best mid-range price. The Green Bay/Detroit game has a current total of 52 and the Packers passing defense hasn't been good since it's Super Bowl team of 2011.
Tight End
1. Jimmy Graham (NO) vs. MIN - $7,900
2. Rob Gronkowski (NE) vs. OAK - $6,000
3. Zach Ertz (PHI) vs. WAS - $4,500
4. Julius Thomas (DEN) at SEA - $5,900
5. Dennis Pitta (BAL) at CLE - $4,800
6. Greg Olsen (CAR) vs. PIT - $5,100
7. Jason Witten (DAL) at TEN - $4,600
8. Antonio Gates (SD) at BUF - $6,000
9. Delaine Walker (TEN) at CIN - $4,400
10. Larry Donnell (NYG) vs. HOU - $4,000
Rob Gronkowski (NE) vs. OAK - $6,000
It's hard not to recommend Gronk here just based off of the differences of pricing between the #1 and #2 tight ends. Jimmy Graham comes in near $2,000 more than Gronkowski this week, making Gronk the best bang for your buck. He faces a weak Oakland team that struggles in all areas of their defense. The Patriots offense will be on full attack come Sunday, and Gronk is still waiting for his breakout game this year.
Dennis Pitta (BAL) at CLE - $4,800
What could have been a great performance last week by Pitta turned into a vulture fest as Owen Daniels secured two red-zone touchdowns. We knew there would be a bit of a timeshare between Pitta and Daniels, but don't expect the Daniels touchdowns to become a constant theme. The Ravens face the Browns this Sunday in a matchup that sees the Browns giving up 21 fantasy points per game so far this season to tight ends.
Larry Donnell (NYG) vs. HOU - $4,000
Who saw this one coming? Larry Donnell is currently the Giants leading receiver with 12 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown on the young season. With the apparent regression, or lack of chemistry to Victor Cruz, Donnell is becoming a safety blanket for Eli Manning. To top everything off, he is playing 85% of all offensive snaps and appears to be the real deal moving forward.
Kicker
1. Cody Parkey (PHI) vs. WAS - $3,400*
2. Dan Bailey (DAL) at STL - $4,000
3. Mason Crosby (GB) at DET - $3,700
4. Stephen Gostkowski (NE) vs. OAK - $4,600
5. Blair Walsh (MIN) at NO - $3,000
*The Kicker selection will change week to week based on highest over/under of their specific game. In most cases you will want to select the lowest priced kicker with the highest over/under. This week those honors go to Cody Parkey. That being said I think this may be a rare week where you want to spend up a little. Mason Crosby and Dan Bailey are my two other top options.
Defense
1. Houston (at NYG) - $3,800
2. New England (vs. OAK) - $4,100
3. San Francisco (at AZ) - $3,800
4. Baltimore (at CLE) - $3,900
On the opposite spectrum of kickers, defenses are selected based on the lowest over/under totals in a given week. The Houston/New York game sees the lowest total of the week at 42. Given the Giants offensive struggles early this season the Houston defense could cause some real issues up front. If you are looking to spend a little bit more however, the Patriots also make an enticing play at home against Oakland.
Last week's lineup:
QB: Andy Dalton (14.68)
RB: Giovani Bernard (27.90)
RB: Arian Foster (26.00)
WR: Demaryius Thomas (17.20)
WR: DeSean Jackson (2.90)
TE: Delanie Walker (33.20)
FLEX: Matt Forte (8.60)
K: Dan Bailey (19.00)
D: Tampa Bay (7.00)
TOTAL: 156.48
My thought process going into week two was to attack prices while they were still low with the highest upside guys. This ended up being Bernard and Foster as my two primary running backs. I figured Bernard would see a heavy workload with the Bengals offense being a little banged up and Foster got to face a weak Oakland squad. This worked out quite well in my favor as they were two of the three highest scoring running backs on the week. Moving to wide-out, Demaryius not scoring in week one set him up for an almost guaranteed touchdown in week two. DeSean had a strong match-up against Jacksonville but unfortunately fell victim to an injury late in the first quarter. Delaine Walker as my tight-end was a bit of a money saving/upside play. I wrote in last week's article I liked the fact that the Titans would need to rely on their passing a game more against a week Dallas defense that just gave up two touchdowns to Vernon Davis. I kind of faltered a bit on my FLEX play all week as I really liked Matt Forte, but the injuries to Jeffery and Marshall would hurt him more than help him due to their great blocking skills. I ended up sticking with Forte who put up less than average numbers. Also last week I wrote about the impending "shoot-out" in Cincinnati -- Well, that never happened and Andy Dalton lost his top target in AJ Green early in the game. All in all it was a profitable week, but a bit disappointing hitting it big on three guys but generally missing out on the rest.
