Moving onto Week 2 of the 2023 season, and we are going to give you some DraftKings bargain bin plays for the week. These are plays that are on the ultra-value/ GPP contrarian side. So generally avoid these plays in cash game lineups, but in GPPs- especially big fields go for it!
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Jordan Love @ ATL ($5,500)
Is Love the latest to emerge from the tried and tested formula for Green Bay Packers QBs? Sitting behind a future Hall of Famer, only to step into the limelight once they’ve been traded to the Jets? Well, he kept one tradition alive for the Pack…beating the Bears. He’ll look to build on his impressive showing of 245 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Falcons in week 2. Jordan spread the love at Soldier Field, hitting 6 different receivers on his 15 completions. Green Bay will hope to welcome back sophomore star Christian Watson from injury for the trip to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, making Love a great value play at $5,500 this week.
Baker Mayfield v CHI ($5,100)
Mayfield was quietly efficient on his Bucs debut in the road win over the Vikings, notching up 173 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 completions. Arguably more important for the former number 1 overall pick was the lack of errors and interceptions. Mayfield gets to face off against a Bears defense in week 2 that gave up 3 passing touchdowns and nearly 250 yards to the aforementioned Jordan Love last time out. Mayfield will again lean heavily on veteran wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin who saw a 50% combined target share in Minnesota. But also expect more short yardage throws for second-year rusher Rachaad White out of the backfield, adding to Baker’s fantasy value this weekend.
Dameon Pierce v IND ($5,600)
It was tough sledding for Pierce in week 1 against a stout Ravens defense. But with C.J. Stroud showing early on why the Texans invested the 2nd overall pick in him at this year’s draft, opposing DCs will no doubt want to limit the rookie QBs opportunities to far less than the 44 passes he threw in Baltimore. Expect Pierce to see a slight uptick in carries week 2 at home to the Colts who let Travis Etienne run at 4.3 yards a carry on Sunday. Whilst not a huge part of his game, bank on Pierce receiving his customary 3 targets per game in Houston’s home opener.
Rachaad White v CHI ($5,500)
White seeing 17 carries in the season opener at Minnesota was an encouraging sign for fantasy managers. The 39 yards at 2.3 YPC however was not. There were question marks over whether or not the 3rd round pick from Arizona State could handle a lead back role, and the addition of the much-heralded Sean Tucker post-draft in Tampa only fanned the flames. But this is still White’s backfield, and he’s proven himself as a more than capable pass-catcher when called upon. The sophomore gets to square up against the Bears who gave up 127 total yards to another receiving back in Aaron Jones in week 1. This is a get-right game for White.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba @ DET ($4,500)
The last time the Seahawks were in Motor City the two teams shared 93 points. With Seattle edging out the Lions 48-45 in a contest that saw over 700 receiving yards and 380 rushing yards. Whilst it may be somewhat optimistic to hope for a repeat, expect to see the Seahawks offense positively regress after their lacklustre performance in the defeat to the Rams. JSN jointly led the team in targets and Tyler Lockett has been recovering from a big hit in the second half of Sunday’s contest. The rookie should continue to be worked into the passing game, and if Lockett isn’t 100%, JSN could see more looks from Geno Smith.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine v LAC ($3,300)
Do I want to roster a Titans receiver not named Treylon Burks, no. Was Ryan Tannehill’s performance in week 1 arguably the worst of any quarterback, oh yes. Will it stop me from rostering a wideout who saw 7 targets, caught 4 of them for 58 yards, and now gets to face a Chargers defense that just got smoked for 466 yards and 3 scores by Tua Tagovailoa…absolutely not! Westbrook-Ikhine may be as unsexy a pick as it gets on a terrible passing offense, but King Henry can’t carry the ball on every down (unfortunately) and Tannehill can be a competent passer when he’s got time to throw. The Titans could see themselves behind big, and behind fast, forcing Tannehill to be more aggressive. NWH is a nice dart throw at only $3,300.
Tank Dell v IND ($3,200)
If $3,300 is a little rich for your blood, let’s get even cheaper with Houston rookie Tank Dell for $100 less. The Texans struggled slightly against Baltimore in week 1, but the positive signs were there for C.J. Stroud and there were plenty of passing attempts to go around. Slot receiver Noah Brown has been placed on the IR, which should allow Dell to be more involved in 3WR sets and volume plays. I anticipate him to see significantly more snaps and draw more looks from Stroud, building on his week 1 stat line of 3 receptions for 34 yards on 4 targets.
Jake Ferguson v NYJ ($3,300)
There’s a large Dalton Schultz sized hole in the Cowboys offense and second year tight end Jake Ferguson looks to be the man to fill it. At first glance Ferguson’s 2 catches for 11 yards may not seem inspiring, however his 7 targets led the team and were 3 more than any other Dallas receiver. On a night where the Cowboys defense had given them a 16-0 lead at MetLife before the end of the first quarter, Dak Prescott and the passing game were essentially spectators as Tony Pollard and company ran the ball, and the clock to a 40-0 trouncing of their division mates. The Jets will be an entirely different proposition, but Ferguson has a role to play in this offense and could return great value at $3,300.
Luke Musgrave @ ATL ($3,200)
It was a case of so close, but so far for Musgrave on his debut. The Orgeon State alum managed to haul in a hopeful pass from a scrambling Jordan Love for 37 yards at the start of the 4th quarter. Love managed to recover after a fumbled snap and find the 6’6” tight end all alone downfield. Unfortunately Musgrave couldn’t keep his balance on what would have been a walk-in touchdown. Despite the slip, this was a very encouraging start for Musgrave after the pre-season hype. As with all rookie TEs, temper your expectations, but if Musgrave can repeat his 4 receptions for 50 yards, and maybe keep his balance, he’s a great low-cost option at only $3,200.
Adam Trautman v WAS ($3,000)
Since Jimmy Graham put up double-digit touchdowns in 2017, Russell Wilson wasn’t exactly blessed with tight end talent in Seattle before his departure. Messrs Dissly, Hollister and Everett, I’m looking at you. Enter Greg Dulcich and the best tight curls with mustache combo since Weird Al Yankovic, and finally, it appears Russ has a TE he can rely on, with Dulcich putting up 411 yards on 55 receptions in only 10 games as a rookie. Unfortunately, Dulcich re-aggravated the same hamstring injury which caused him to miss 7 contests in his debut year and looks set for a few weeks on the sidelines. Adam Trautman was already named the starting tight end on the Broncos depth chart, although few expected him to put up the numbers to match. Now Trautman sits alone atop of the pile and should see an increase to the 5 targets he earned in week 1 in the 1-point loss to the Raiders. He’s a worthwhile punt at $3,000 to make cap room allowing for bigger names to be added in lineups.
Washington Commanders @ DEN ($3,100)
Speaking of Washington, the Cardinals’ conquerors of last week will be looking to go 2-0 when they travel to Mile High to face the Broncos. If you’re looking to save at the DST position, rostering any team who gets to face this current version of Russell Wilson is a shrewd move in my book. The Commanders are a strong defensive unit and will hope to show they are better than their opening weeks performance suggested.
Arizona Cardinals v NYG ($2,600)
This season was meant to be straightforward for the Cardinals – lose every game and draft Caleb Williams from USC with the number one pick. The offense certainly understood the assignment with only 228 total yards and 3 field goals. But apparently that message never made it to the defense who sacked Sam Howell 6 times and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in their narrow week 1 defeat in Washington. Arizona now hosts the Giants who were embarrassed by the Cowboys DST on Monday Night Football. Don’t expect Dallas levels of production, but the Cardinals could provide value at the position for the second straight week.
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Image Credit: Brian Fluharty – USA TODAY Sports
