Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): Week 2 FanDuel Fantasy Football Values

Yesterday I posted some players that I think are Week 2 fantasy football values for DraftKings contests.

If you’re like me, then you play in both DraftKings and FanDuel contests. In some cases, players that are values on one site are also values on the other, but that is not necessarily the case as both sites independently set the player salaries for their games.

So, in other words, you will find some common names from the other post here as well as some new names that are values in Week 2 FanDuel fantasy football leagues.

Here are some value plays for Week 2:

QB – Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (vs. DAL), $7,400

You probably don’t need me (or any fantasy football analyst) to tell you to start offensive players facing the Cowboys defense, but Locker is one of those guys that appears on both lists of DFS value guys. As I noted earlier, Locker finished as Week 1′s QB6 and is my eighth-ranked fantasy QB this week. That said, he is even cheaper on relative terms in FanDuel as he’s priced as QB17 this week (vs. QB15 in DraftKings).

One other difference that makes Locker a better play in FanDuel formats is DraftKings awards three bonus points for 300 passing yards; FanDuel does not. In my fantasy quarterback projections, which will be updated later today, I have Locker projected for 283 passing yards.

QB – Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (at DEN), $6,700

Last week, the Chiefs inexplicably abandoned the run as Jamaal Charles had only seven carries, but there is certainly the possibility the Chiefs will find themselves in catch-up mode as they are nearly two-TD underdogs to the Broncos in Week 2. Twenty quarterbacks have a higher salary than Smith, but Smith is currently the QB11 in my rankings. While I don’t expect Smith to throw 53 times and for 370 yards like Andrew Luck did against the Broncos last week, he figures to rank near the leaders in pass attempts this week if the game plays out as Vegas expects.

* FanDuel Fantasy Football Championship — Win a trip to Vegas to compete for the contest’s top prize of $2 Million ($10 Million in total).

RB – Shane Vereen, New England Patriots (at MIN), $6,800

With 19 running backs more expensive, Vereen is a nice value within that middle tier of running back salaries. A talented receiver out of the backfield, which helps in half-PPR contests like those on FanDuel, Vereen got nearly three times as many snaps as Stevan Ridley in the opener. ESPN’s Mike Reiss wrote yesterday, “Players were impressed with how Vereen performed in early-down and short-yardage situations in the opener. Look for him to get more opportunities in those situations this week …” With the potential for increased opportunities near the goal line, Vereen has a lot of upside this week and going forward.

RB – Terrance West, Cleveland Browns (vs. NO), $5,300

The salary gap between West and Isaiah Crowell is $1,500 at DraftKings, but the gap is much narrower ($200) at FanDuel. With Ben Tate (knee) sidelined for a few weeks, I expect West to get the larger portion of the workload on Sunday against the Saints. Like Tate and Crowell, West averaged more than six yards per carry last week as he rushed for 100 yards on 16 carries against the Steelers. West has the 45th-highest running back salary on FanDuel this week. It’s unlikely that 44 running backs outpace him this week.

RB – Toby Gerhart, Jacksonville Jaguars (at WAS), $5,000

Gerhart struggled in Week 1 with a 2.3 YPC average, but at least part of that can be attributed to the ankle injury that forced him out of the game early. That said, he returned within the game and is listed as probable on the injury report so it shouldn’t slow him down this week. Even though the Jags eventually blew a 17-point lead and Gerhart missed a portion of the game, he still finished with 20 touches — 18 carries and two receptions. I like this week’s matchup and expect it to be a closer game from start to finish, which should lead to another heavy workload for Gerhart, who is priced lower than 35 running backs this week.

RB – Matt Asiata, Minnesota Vikings (vs. NE), $4,500

Rookie Jerick McKinnon is a far superior athlete (obviously) and I would prefer him over Asiata for the rest of the season, but I would expect Asiata to get a far larger share of the touches on Sunday with Adrian Peterson deactivated. And Asiata should be first in line for goal-line carries. Remember Week 15 last year? 30-51-3? While I don’t expect 30 carries or three touchdowns, the Dolphins ran at will against the Patriots last week and 50 yards and a few shots at a TD is not out of the question for the minimum-salary running back.

WR – Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans (vs. DAL), $5,700

Not only do I like Hunter a lot this week, but I like Kendall Wright ($6,100) and Nate Washington ($5,100) as well. A physically-gifted deep threat (6-foot-4, 4.4 forty, 40-inch (plus) vertical), Hunter led the team in receiving yards (63) and targets (eight) in Week 1. With such a favorable matchup, few receivers have as much upside as the big-play Hunter this week.

WR – Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings (vs. NE), $5,700

What’s not to like about Cordarrelle Patterson, who’s still undervalued at $7,100? For obvious reasons, I have Patterson ranked much higher than Jennings, but there’s a lot to like about Jennings at $5,700 as well. The Patriots defensive game plan will certainly center around keeping the versatile and dynamic Patterson from going off. With AP out, the Vikings immediately became bigger underdogs and Matt Cassel could be forced to throw more often than he did in last week’s blowout win over the Rams. The Cassel-Jennings duo has demonstrated solid chemistry both last year and so far this season. Jennings, who had a 6/58/1 line on seven targets in Week 1, is only the 42nd-costliest receiver this week.

WR – Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints (at CLE), $5,600

Perhaps he draws Joe Haden and the Saints offense has historically been less impressive on the road, but there are 44 wide receivers with a higher cost than Colston this week. Colston was much better in the second half of last season and despite a lost fumble, he picked up where he left off statistically in Week 1 (five catches for 110 yards).

WR – Golden Tate, Detroit Lions (at CAR), $5,000

While he does not have a particularly good matchup, Tate is a modestly-priced option that should exceed his Week 2 salary — 57 wideouts have a higher salary. There is no reason for Tate to be priced as the WR58 in any week. In Week 1 against the Giants, Tate caught all six of his targets for 93 yards and added a four-yard run and a 5/65 or so week should be in the cards for Tate this week.

* Interested in giving FanDuel a try? Join my free 20-team FanDuel league for Week 2 and try it out for free.

TE – Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (at DEN), $4,600

While it’s disappointing that he played only 19 snaps in Week 1, Kelce still had three catches for 49 yards — just 12 tight ends had more last week — on five targets. Considering the Chiefs are nearly two-TD underdogs this week and Andy Reid has indicated that Kelce’s playing time could increase, he’s worth a shot as a flier.

TE – Larry Donnell, New York Giants (vs. ARI), $4,500

Playing 54 of the team’s 67 snaps in Week 1, Donnell finished with a 5/56/1 line on eight targets, all of which were team highs. At the position-minimum salary, Donnell has one of the most fantasy-friendly matchups for a tight end this week. The Cardinals allowed the most fantasy points to opposing tight ends last year including a position-high 17 touchdowns. Although they did not allow a tight end to score last week, they were one of three teams to allow 100-plus receiving yards to the position in Week 1.

In addition, check out our site’s sortable grid of all players ranked in relation to their FanDuel salary.

Also, check out my weekly fantasy football rankings:

• Week 2 Fantasy Football Quarterback Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Rankings
• Week 2 Fantasy Football Tight End Rankings

Keep track of our site’s updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle