Opening NFL weekend had some pretty average games as teams tried to shake off the pre-season rust, and this translated to some brutal Fantasy results. But the Week 2 slate has some cracker matchups so let’s hope for a better weekend, and here are this weeks Value Plays.

Quarterback

While my weekly posts will usually focus on lower cost Value Plays, this week I have no issue rolling out one of the big guns at Quarterback due to the juicy matchups. Tom Brady ($9,000) and the Pats take on Drew Brees’ ($8,700) Saints, and the Pats will be  fired up coming off their loss and then Saints can’t play D so it will be a points fest. And the other big match up is Aaron Rodgers ($8,400) vs Matt Ryan ($8,600) on MNF, there was 65 points scored last time these teams met and I expect it to be a shootout again. If you play one of these guys match sure you stack them with one of their Receivers (or Gronk).

If you are looking to save some cap at QB to use elsewhere I do like Jamies Winston ($7,900) for Tournaments as he will be under the  radar since he didn’t play last week and with extra time to prepare for the average Chicago Bears and an array of Offensive Weapons around him (including new acquisition DeSean Jackson) Winston should start strong.

Running Back

Ty Montgomery ($6,700) – The Green Bay converted Receiver is the play of the week this week for me, as despite low yards per carry he dominated the backfield last week with 19 carries as well as pulling in 4 receptions. He should have a massive day in the shootout with the Falcons who were very average against the Run last season, finishing 31st against the Rush.

Marshawn Lynch ($7,000) – Despite not blowing up the stat sheet Beastmode looked sharp in his first game back last week after a year off, and should feast on a pretty pathetic Jets Defensive Front that lost 2 Interior Lineman from last years unit, and allowed the Bills to put up over 200 rush yards and a TD against them last week. The Raiders should dominate this game so there should be a tonne of work for Lynch.

Jacquizz Rodgers ($6,800) – Another opportunity for a sneaky play off the back of Tampa Bays rescheduled Week 1 game is Quiz Rodgers. With Doug Martin suspended he will be the feature back, and last year the Bucs were not afraid for him to carry a full load and he is also a great pass catcher so should see a tonne of

Terrance West ($6,500) – Far from a sexy play but if your looking for someone likely to be less owned West should see a lot of run this week vs Cleveland, and within Danny Woodhead gone he should see his share of targets too. Buck Allen is likely to play a lot of passing downs but I don’t see the even split carrying over from last week and think West dominates this one and has the best chance to get in for a TD.

Wide Receiver 

If your taking one of the Stud QBs above then it makes a lot of sense to stack them with one of their receivers. Julio Jones ($9,100) is probably the no brainer for the Falcons, but going with one of the probably lower owned number 2 recievers could be worth a punt in the other games for GPPs this week – I like Chris Hogan ($6,100) for the Pats with Amendola out and Devante Adams ($6,900) for Green Bay as a pivot away from Jordy Nelson as he had 3x multi-touchdown games last season. Ted Ginn Jr ($7,000) from the Saints is another option but his salary this week is getting up there, so you may be better to look at stacking Brees with Fleener.

Larry Fitzgerald ($6,500) – With Cardinals playmaker David Johnson out with a wrist injury, his output is going to have to be made up somewhere and I see Larry Fitz picking up a lot of this slack. He got 13 targets last week and the Colts Defensive Backs got torched by Jared Goff and the Rams last weekend so I see the old master having a huge day.

Stefan Diggs ($7,200) – Both Diggs and his teammate Adam Theilan had big games last week with Sam Bradford looking sharp, and whilst it was only against the Saints, I see Diggs keeping things rolling this week. Pittsburgh should put up a lot of points so the Vikings will need to keep up and new recruit Joe Haden looked sluggish last week against the Browns so Diggs should have another strong day. But keep an eye on Bradfords knee injury cos if he doesn’t play don’t roll out either of his Receivers.

Tight End

Charles Clay (4,700) – He may see some high ownership this week as has been getting a bit of coverage, but Clay is the only pass catcher Tyrod Taylor has from last year, and his numbers when Tyrod is playing easily have him in the TE1 conversation. The Panthers also allowed 11 Tight Ends to reach double digits in PPR scoring last year, so I think Clay will finish top 5 this week.

Coby Fleener ($6,400) – Fleener hauled in 5 for 54 and a Touchdown last week, and I like him as an option to pair with Brees this week despite him generally not living up to his potential since landing in New Orleans. I like him for another TD this week as the Saints try and keep pace with a pissed off Patriots team, and with Willie Snead still suspended their should be some extra targets to go around.

Rob Gronkowski ($8,100) – And on the other side of the Pats vs Saints game is the Gronk, and if you find the salary cap he could be up to go off this week. Alongside Brady he had a poor showing last week vs the Chiefs, and with Amendola joining Edelman on the sideline there should be a tonne of balls heading is way across the middle and on Seam routes, so I think this is the week Gronk reminds us he us the undisputed #1 TE option.

DST

I got it right last week with the Rams (28 points) and Steelers (18 points) both having big days at good value.

Baltimore Ravens ($4,700) – The Ravens shut out the Bengals last week and scored 25 points, and I like them again this week even though they are priced down at the 7th DST. Whilst the Browns looked capable last week, I see them capitalizing on some errors this week and turning in another strong game.

Oakland Raiders ($5,300) – The 2nd highest priced DST of the week, but coming up against the woeful Jets will give any Defense a boost this season, and the Raiders looked strong last week. The Jets forcing the ball to keep up with Carr and the Offense should prove fruitful when Josh McCown adds to his 2x picks from last week.

Kicker

Blair Walsh ($4,600) – If you are looking to save a few hundred at Kicker, Blair Walsh should take advantage of a positive gamescript against the 49ers and have a strong game.

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