AFL | RealTime Fantasy Sports

RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 2

Fri Sep 16 2:14pm ET
By MIKE BARNER
Contributing Writer

Week 1 brought plenty of unexpected outcomes. Among the surprising upsets was the Giants defeating the Titans, and the Seahawks knocking off the Broncos in Russell Wilson’s homecoming to Seattle. With bye weeks yet to come into play, we still have a myriad of options to choose from in DFS for Week 2. Let’s get to the task at hand and highlight some players to consider for your entries, and some to possibly avoid.

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, LV vs. ARI ($6,200): Carr had his ups and down against the Chargers last week. On the bright side, he threw for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The problem was, he was picked off three times. This is a great spot for him to bounce back, though. The Cardinals do not have a ton of talent at cornerback, and it showed in Week 1 when Patrick Mahomes threw for 360 yards and five touchdowns against them.

Baker Mayfield, CAR at NYG ($5,300): Just when it looked like the Panthers were going to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, the Browns dealt them a loss with Cade York making a 58-yard field goal in the final seconds. Mayfield struggled in his first game as a Panther, throwing for 235 yards, one touchdown and one interception. As disappointing as he was, he might actually be worth taking a chance on in tournament play. First and foremost, he has a cheap salary. Second, the Giants are thin at cornerback, and will be even more so this week with Aaron Robinson (appendix) out.

Player to Avoid

Tua Tagovailoa, MIA at BAL ($5,600): The Dolphins didn’t need Tagovailoa to do much in their win over the Patriots. Their defense dominated, and the team had built up a 17-0 lead at the half. His final stat line was a modest one, with 270 passing yards and a touchdown. This will be a more difficult task against the Ravens, which means Tagovailoa might be asked to throw more. Adding Tyreek Hill helps, but Tagovailoa had at least two touchdown passes in a game only five times all last season. It might be better to take a wait-and-see approach on how their offense looks against a strong defense.

Running Backs

Saquon Barkley, NYG vs. CAR ($7,300): All offseason, Barkley was making quotes to the media that made it sound like he was on a mission to come roaring back this season. He did just that in Week 1, posting 194 total yards and a touchdown. He racked up 164 yards on the ground, and was targeted seven times in the game. Daniel Jones again struggled, so look for the Giants to put the ball in the hands of Barkley against a Panthers team that allowed 217 yards and a touchdown on the ground to the Browns last week.

Antonio Gibson, WAS at DET ($6,200): While the Commanders may have had plans to involve Brian Robinson (knee) more in the backfield, they have to roll with Gibson right now since Robinson is on the IR. Week 1 brought a modest performance for Gibson on the ground, consisting of 14 carries for 58 yards. He was very active in the passing game, though, catching seven of eight targets for 72 yards. Expect him to be their focal point out of the backfield again, which could lead to success against a Lions team that allowed 216 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to the Eagles.

Player to Avoid

Alvin Kamara, NO vs. TB ($7,400): This is not about Kamara posting just 46 total yards in Week 1 against the Falcons. There are two reasons to be concerned about him heading into Week 2. First, he is dealing with a rib injury. Second, he has to face a Buccaneers team that has one of the stoutest run defenses in the league. At his hefty salary, he’s too risky for my blood.

Wide Receivers

Davante Adams, LV vs. ARI ($8,600): Talk about a heavy workload. The Raiders made a point to get the ball to Adams in Week 1, giving him 17 targets. That helped him record 10 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. Rolling with a Carr-Adams stack is very appealing, especially when you consider that Carr’s salary won’t exactly hinder your budget.

D.J. Chark, DET vs. WAS ($5,100): The Lions brought in Chark to help bolster a wide receiver group that lacked talent last season, outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Rookie first-rounder Jameson Williams (knee) is on IR right now, setting up Chark in a significant role. He cashed in during Week 1, catching four of eight targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. It’s not often that you can find a player with his type of expected target share at this cheap of a salary.

Player to Avoid

CeeDee Lamb, DAL vs. CIN ($6,900): Simply put, Week 1 was a disaster for the Cowboys. Not only did they lose to the Buccaneers, but Dak Prescott (hand) was injured in the process. He’s expected to be out for at least four weeks, and could miss as many as eight. In his absence, Cooper Rush will take over at quarterback. With the uncertainty surrounding Rush, Lamb is too much of a risk at his salary.

Tight Ends

Zach Ertz, ARI at LV ($4,500): Despite battling a calf injury during the preseason, Ertz was able to take the field Week 1 against the Chiefs. He wasn’t overly busy, catching two of four targets for 14 yards. However, he did receive two red zone targets, one of which he turned into a touchdown. The Cardinals looking his way when they get in close is nothing new, given that he had nine red zone targets over their final five games last season. In what could be a high-scoring game, Ertz could find himself with another opportunity to score.

Albert Okwuegbunam, DEN vs. HOU ($3,700): It was an odd first half for the Broncos in Week 1 with them barely involving their wide receivers. Even Okwuegbunam, himself, wasn’t all that involved early on. In the end, though, he finished with five catches on six targets for 33 yards. He has the potential to be an important part of the Broncos’ offense, making him a nice tournament play option at such a cheap salary.

Player to Avoid

Mike Gesicki, MIA at BAL ($4,300): Gesicki was barely involved in the Dolphins’ offense last week, catching his only target for one yard. In seasons past, they needed to rely on him more to catch passes because of their lack of talent at wide receiver. That’s no longer the case with Hill and Jaylen Waddle in the fold. His salary has come down a bit compared to last week, but it’s still wise to stay away from Gesicki.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.

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