The Thursday Night Football game between the 49ers and Rams which everyone thought was going to be a fizzer turned out to be a cracker game with a tonne of Offence and Fantasy Points to be had. If you had Gurley, Hyde, Watkins, Garcon or either QB in a full weekend lineup you are looking pretty good. Lets get onto my value plays for this Sunday’s $15,000 GPP on Moneyball.

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford ($8,000) – Stafford had a quiet game by the stat sheet last week but the way the Lions controlled the game he only threw the ball 21 times, but the Falcons Offense is a massive step up from the woeful Giants, so he will more than likely need to sling it a lot more this week. Vic Beasley is out for the Falcons and Stafford is at home where he has thrown 26 Touchdowns in his last 12 starts, so I see him having a big day.

Cam Newton ($8,200) – Cam has delivered a couple of very mediocre outings so far this year, is coming off a repaired shoulder and also has been limited this week with an ankle injury, but if there is any recipe for getting back on the Offensive horse its the New Orleans Saints and their sieve like Defense. Even with Olson out he still has weapons and this could be the week he gets back to his Top 5 QB days.

DeShone Kizer ($6,800) – A bit of a flyer here if you are looking for a cheap option, as the Rookie had a pretty terrible outing last week and has lost WR Corey Coleman, but with the Colts giving up 15 yards per completion (most in the NFL) and Kizer leading the NFL in throws over 15 yards he could be an interesting contrarian play for Tournaments this week. You could look to stack him with Receiver Rashard Higgens ($5,200) who was only signed off the Browns Practice Squad last Friday but hauled in 7 of 11 targets last week and should see plenty of looks again Monday.

Running Back

Jay Ajayi ($8,300) – Ajayi exploded onto the scene last year and is a vicious downhill runner who dominates the touches in the Dolphins backfield (94% of snaps last week). This week he comes up against the terrible New York Jets who have given up 370 rushing yards and 2 scores in two games so this combined with a high chance of playing with a lead should see Ajayi dominate.

Ty Montgomery ($7,300) – I had him in here last week and he delivered, and whilst his salary has gone up $600 he is still ridiculously cheap, and whilst this will probably equate to 40%+ ownership as a chalk play you probably cant go wrong. Handling 88% of all running back carries, pulling in 10 passes in 2 weeks and getting the goal line looks, with future Hall Of Famer Aaron Rodgers ensuring opposing teams cant just stack the box Ty Mont is money in the bank.

Le’Veon Bell ($8,800) – The usual every down stud has had to below par weeks as he comes back from his holdout, and there is a chance this means his ownership is below where it usually is so if you can fit him in your cap I reckon this is the week he blows up. Pittsburgh should be all over Chicago and pounding the rock in the 2nd half, and he had 30 touches alone last week so could easily touch the ball this much again and put up huge numbers.

Theo Riddick ($5,500) – He hasnt done much this season aside from a Receiving TD in Week 1, but the Lions are going to have to keep up with the high powered Falcons offense this week, so Riddick could see a lot of snaps/ receptions if they end up in catch-up mode. Running Backs who catch the ball have also had good games against the Falcons the past 2 weeks.

Wide Receiver

AJ Green ($7,600) – The Bengals Offense has been absolutely terrible, with Dalton looking very off, and usual WR stud Green has been dragged down into the muck but has still seen 18 targets and 27% of all targets the last 2 weeks. The Packers are going to put up points, and are pretty middle of the pack against opposition Receivers, and whether its keeping pace or just 4th quarter junk time it feels like AJ Green will get his this week.

Mohamed Sanu ($5,300) – Whilst his teammate Julio Jones (rightfully) gets all the attention, Sanu has actually out targeted Jones in the first 2 weeks with 15 targets and 11 receptions and is a handy weapon for Matt Ryan. With Jones likely to draw a lot more of the Lions Darius Slay I can see Sanu doing a lot of damage across the middle in a game likely to deliver a lot of points.

Devante Adams ($6,900) – With Jordy Nelson (questionable) and Randell Cobb (doubtful) both banged up Adams should be in a good spot to build on his 8 for 99 and a TD week last week and deliver big numbers again.

Rashard Higgins ($5,200) – Mentioned above as a potential stack with Kizer, Higgins came out of nowhere in Week 2 off the back of the Coleman injury to play 76% of the snaps and converted 11 targets into 7 receptions for 95 yards. Higgins was a proficient scorer at Colorado State including a Sophomore year where he scored 17 Touchdowns and hauled in 96 receptions for 1750 yards so he is one to watch.

Devin Funchess ($4,700) – Funchess is a physical beast at 6″4 with 4.5 speed who has never delivered on his potential, but with Greg Olsen out 6-8 weeks with a foot injury Funchess is well placed to pick up some of this slack. Funchess played on 57 snaps last week and 5 of his 7 targets were on deep throws where the Saints are very weak, so he should have a good shot at peeling off a big play this week.

Tight End

Jack Doyle (5,400) – Andrew Luck is being sorely missed for the Colts Offense, but Doyle established himself as a favorite target for Jacoby Brissett last week hauling in all 8 of his targets for 79 yards. The Browns have given up a tonne of points to Tight Ends the first 2 weeks of the year so Doyle is a great play at his price.

Austin Hooper ($5,300) – Whilst Hoopers week 1 massive stat line was inflated by a long TD, he has shown a lot of potential in his young career and should stay involved in the Falcons high octane passing game. The Lions gave up a score to Giants rookie TE Engram last week and struggled against the position in 2016 so Austin could be a sneaky play this week.

Rob Gronkowski ($8,500) – There is nothing cheap about Gronk with his price up $400 from last week, but the injury cloud he is under after leaving last weeks game combined with his price tag may see him lower owned this week. A 75% of potential Gronk can still outscore anyone else at the position easily so he could be a cheeky contrarian play this week if you are up for a punt.

DST

Philadelphia Eagles ($4,500) – The Giants have looked terrible this year with a leaky Offensive Line, no run game and a banged up OBJ. The Giants have allowed 12 points + to opposing Defenses this year and whilst the Eagles had a quiet week against Kansas City they had a massive week 1 against the Redskins so I see them doing it again this week.

Kicker

Chris Boswell ($4,700) – Boswell had a big week last week going 2-for-2 on extra points and 4-for-4 on field goals and the Steelers should have no issue moving the ball against the Chicago Bears this week. A big lead should see plenty of opportunity for Boswell and the Bears have alread given up the 3rd most Fantasy points to Kickers this season as it is.

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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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NFL is back and our first Sunday (or Monday in NZ) has some cracker games and a big $20,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool over at Moneyball. All pricing is Moneyball values.

Quarterbacks 

Marcus Mariota ($7,700) – Mariota’s Titans take on the Oakland Raiders in what should be the shootout of the week with plenty of points on offer. I like Derek Carr too in this but Mariota gets the edge through his ability to run. The Raiders also were tied for most Rushing TDs given up to QBs last year so I pick Mariota to run one in. Look to pair him up with either Delanie Walker at Tight End ($6,200) or Eric Decker at WR ($6,600) who is a new signing in Tennessee and a Touchdown machine.

Carson Palmer ($7,400) – The old gun slinger is healthy again and whilst only the 14th ranked QB this week faces off with Detroit which should be a pourous D and there will be plenty of points. With a strong recieving core and David Johnson the beast taking passes out of the backfield, Palmer should have a big day.

Carson Wentz ($7,200) – And to finish, another Carson but this time the 2nd year signal caller from Philly. He faces Washington who have given up the 2nd most 300 yard Offensive games since 2014, and with two new great Wide Recievers to throw to in Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffrey I am picking a big day for Wentz. In cash games he could be a great stack with TE Zach Ertz but I think Ertz will go pretty heavily owned, so in GPP I reckon Torrey Smith ($5,000) is a cheeky play and super cheap given Jeffrey may be shadowed by shutdown Washington corner Josh Norman.

Running Backs

David Johnson  ($9,500) and Le’veon Bell ($9,200) are about as close as you get to guaranteed Fantasy points so in cash games you probably need to play at least one of them, but below are a couple of RBs who should be lesser owned who may give you an edge in the big GPP and free up some salary cap to use elsewhere.

Todd Gurley ($7,200) – From Offensive Rookie Of The Year in 2015 to probably the biggest bust of the year last season, Gurley will be hoping to bounce back with the help of a new coach Sean McVay, a 2nd year QB Jarred Goff who has (hopefully) improved and some exciting new recievers in Sammy Watkins and Cooper Cupp. The Colts are looking to be a pretty terrible Defensive unit and with Andrew Luck still out they will be rolling Scott Tolzien out at QB which could see gameflow favouring the Rams and a tonne of work for Gurley.

Jeremy Hill ($5,600) – The world is going crazy for Rookie Running Backs this year, and the Bengals now have their own exciting young running in Joe Mixon, but Hill is still likely to get a lot of run in this first week. Whilst unlikely to keep his starting job all season, Hill gets a lot of work on the goalline and could easily punch a couple in Sunday.

Eddie Lacy ($6,400) – Another unsexy pick Eddie “Fat Eddie” Lacy, hasnt really impressed in the pre-season in his new Seattle home, but running mate Thomas Rawls has been battling a high ankle sprain and is a game time decision. Rawls is a game day decision but if he was ruled out I like Lacy as an outside play to get some good early down work in a game vs Green Bay which should see a lot of points scored.

Wide Recievers 

Once again there are a couple of studs at the top that you basically cant go wrong with in Antonio Brown ($9,200) and Julio Jones ($8,900) but Wide Reciever is crazy deep this year so if I am trying to save some salary cap this week it is going to be here, with the likes of these guys below.

Michael Crabtree ($6,800) – Crabtree is $900 cheaper than his partner in crime Amari Cooper, but Crabtree has outscored Cooper the last 2 seasons and has great redzone rapport with Derek Carr so I like him getting in the endzone Monday in the shootout with Tennessee.

Kelvin Benjamin and Martavis Bryant (both $6,400) – Two physical beasts with size/ speed combinations which give them a mismatch anywhere on the field, at a depressed price based of bad last years. Bryant was suspended all year, and Benjamin was coming off a season ending ACL where he showed flashes of his stellar Rookie year but was inconsistent. Both are in for big days.

Stirling Shepard ($5,700) – Superstar Giants Reciever OBJ hasnt trained all week due to an ankle injury and is a game day decision, but even if he plays I still like Shepard to pick up some slack. In his Rookie year last season he scored 8 touchdowns and whilst he has another big reciever Brandon Marshall in town who will get his share of looks, I like Sherpard to have a solid day.

Paul Richardson ($5,100) -More gutfeel than anything but for a cheap outsider with a chance of picking up big plays I like the speedster from Seattle as Russell Wilson works hard to keep up with Rodgers and the Packers.

Tight Ends

Zach Ertz ($5,800) – I like Ertz in cash games especially stacked with Wentz but think he will be highly owned so you may want to look elsewhere for the GPP.

Tyler Eifert ($6,000) – He struggles to stay healthy and is massively Touchdown dependent, but with 18 TDs in his last 21 games played that makes him pretty dependable. I reckon he is good to make it 19 in 22 tomorrow/

Evan Engram ($5,000) – Whilst Rookie Tight Ends hardly ever do much, for reasons mentioned above with OBJ banged up I like Engram as a sneaky cheap play. He has had a great preseason and at 6″3 and crazy fast (4.4 sec 40) he could do some damage.

Defenses

Los Angeles Rams ($4,200) – The Scott Tolzien led Colts shouldnt scare anyone and even with Aaron Donald not playing the Rams have a solid Defensive Unit and should benefit from a strong game flow.

Pittsburgh Steelers ($4,000) -Another cheap Defense is Pittsburgh who are taking on Cleveland. Whilst Browns Rookie QB DeShone Kizer has looked a Superstar in the pre-season it will be a different story in Week 1 of the regular season, and with Cleveland likely having to chase the game to keep up with the Pittsburgh Offensive firepower I see some good Defensive scoring opportunities late in the game.

Kickers

Gregg Zuerlein ($4,500) – Hard to get too excited about Kickers but I am getting behind “Legatron” to knock over a few long distance Field Goals against the Colts.

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