Prime Picks week 2

Each week I’ll bring you a mix of DFS plays that I like for cash and tournament games. I won’t be focusing too much on the elite plays such as Christian McCaffrey, Lamar Jackson and Michael Thomas instead, I’ll look for value in matchups that have the potential to be high scoring and return good points to dollar ratio. If we can find that we can open up our lineups to be built better. Through the season I’ll also review my previous weeks plays so you can judge for yourself how good my takes are.

Tom Strachan

@BestBallUKNFL

Week 1 review

A tricky week one to start the season. We hit on gold with the likes of Matt Ryan, Josh Jacobs and DK Metcalf. Phillip Rivers, Henry Ruggs, Zack Moss and even Chris Herndon did enough to warrant their inclusion at their prices. I’ll take the ‘L’ on DJax, Tyrod and Antonio Gibson though. None of them lived up to the expectations.

Plays so far:

Great plays: 3

Good plays: 4

Bad plays: 3

Week 2

Aaron Rodgers – $6900

I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t see this version of Aaron Rodgers coming. Like many, I thought his fantasy days were over. How wrong we were. Next up is a depleted Lions secondary that looks ripe for Rodgers to pick on. Skybet has the game at 48.5 over/under and the Packers favoured by 6.5. Ride the hot hand and don’t be surprised if Rodgers ownership is high.

Kyler Murray – $6100

Solid rushing floor, seemingly established rapport with DeAndre Hopkins, weak opponents. If those things don’t sell K1, then I’m not sure what will. The Cardinals are favoured by a full touchdown in their home opener and I expect them to cover that with ease. Murray could easily pick up rushing yards on scrambles as the beastly Washington pass rush breaks through the Cardinals average offensive line. Despite a strong week last week, Murray is $300 cheaper. Take the discount.

Jonathan Taylor – $5700

Most people expected Taylor to take the Colts backfield for his own by the end of the year. Unfortunately for Marlon Mack with the injury he suffered, Taylor’s opportunity has come even earlier than we expected. Pricing hasn’t yet taken into account Taylor’s new role. Minnesota didn’t look ready for the season last week and I’m happy to count on the opportunity here.

Ezekiel Elliott – $8200

Nothing too fancy here, but worth iterating that Zeke should be the top RB of the week. CMC has a tough matchup with Tampa Bay and if you’re looking for a plug and play stud for cash lineups, Zeke is your man. Increased usage in the passing game looks promising and Atlanta have long given up yardage to pass-catching RB’s based on the scheme they play.

Melvin Gordon – $5200

If Phillip Lindsay sits this one out, due to turf toe, then Melvin Gordon is a great mid-low price range option. The Steelers present a tricky matchup for running backs, just ask Saquon, but opportunity over matchup is often the way to go in DFS. A fifteen point game for Gordon shouldn’t be at all surprising but it might be best not to keep him in your cash games.

Michael Gallup – $5600

If it wasn’t for Jalen Ramsey’s horrendous/intelligent play, Michael Gallup would have padded his Sunday night stats with an extra 47 yards and flirted with the 100 yards, three-point bonus. This week is a far easier matchup at home to a woeful Atlanta secondary. Start with confidence.

Diontae Johnson – $4500

Don’t be surprised to see Johnson be one of the highest owned players of the week. Prices came out before Johnson’s Monday night game where he had ten targets as well as a team target share of 31%. His productivity wasn’t quite there, but Big Ben clearly likes throwing to him.

Mark Andrews – $6300

Pricing still hasn’t caught up to the fact that Mark Andrews should be held in the same regard as Kelce and Kittle. Andrews played a career-high in snaps following the offseason trade of Hayden Hurst and with two red-zone touchdowns, showed he’s still Lamar Jackson’s favourite target. Houston offers nothing on defence to be afraid of.

Logan Thomas – $3600

Another player who could easily become the highest owned at their position. Thomas played 74% of Washington’s offensive snaps and caught four targets for 37 yards and a touchdown last week. Expect game script to open up this game against Arizona and force Washington to throw plenty. Enjoy his low price whilst you can.

Flyer of the week

Mike Williams – $4200

Mike Williams commanded a huge 49% of his team’s air yards and an overall target share of 33%. Week two gives him a game script friendly matchup against Kansas City, for the Chargers home debut in their new stadium. The Chiefs are favoured by 9 points and if the Chargers are to be competitive, Tyrod will need to be aggressive driving the ball downfield. I won’t be playing Williams in cash, but tournaments are an opportunity for us to take this low-cost flyer.