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Week 1 was a mixed bag for bargain buys on the FanDuel. Shaun Hill was a favorite of many, but his injury and the Rams ineptitude made that look silly. Toby Gerhart was also hurt and really never got going against Philadelphia. On the bright side we killed it at tight end with both Zach Ertz and Dwayne Allen posting top 6 weeks. With a little more information and very similar pricing, we'll aim for closer to 60% in week 2. Once again We're using the projections of David Dodds for our Value Play selection and my personal research for the Bargain Buys. You clearly don't want to fill out a roster full of these guys, but once you've selected the studs you want, fill your roster with a couple of these players for profit.
Quarterback
Value Play
Ryan Fitzpatrick ($6,000) vs. Oakland- Fitzpatrick gets a matchup that made Geno Smith look good in Week 1, and he didn't look half bad himself. At this point we all know who Ryan Fitzpatrick is, he makes boneheaded plays and he posts ridiculous stat lines on occasion. This seems like one of those ridiculous stat line weeks as the Raiders have very little in the secondary to stop Andre Johnson or DeAndre Hopkins.
FanDuel Bargain Buy
Ryan Tannehill ($6500) vs. Buffalo- Tannehill is still learning the new offense, but after an euneven performance against the Patriots he should be better in Week 2. The Bills defense isn't near as good as the Patriots and should provide a prime opportunity for Tannehill to break out in a big way. Tannehill struggled a little bit in his last matchup with Buffalo but he had 3 touchdowns in Week 7 against them. If you don't go with one of the elite options at quarterback this week then Tannehill is a fine option.
Running Back
Value Play
Matt Asiata ($4500) vs. New Englansd- This is as good a time as any to say if you aren't reading Dodds' Daily Blog, you're doing it wrong. Here's a link, and a quote: "All in on Matt Asiata...Play of the Week in all formats". Good enough for you? That's good enough for me. The Patriots were gashed by Knowshon Moreno and the Dolphins last week so this presents as a good an opportunity as any.
FanDuel Bargain Buy
Terrance West ($5300) vs. New Orleans- All West did was rush for 100 yards on 16 carries in his first NFL game and now he's getting the start due to Ben Tate's knee injury. At his price he makes a perfect Bargain Buy because he won't kill you if he's mediocre against a decent Saints defense. His upside is a performance like Week 1 with more touches and a score. If that happens he could win you a lot of money.
Wide Receiver
Value Play
Golden Tate ($5000) vs. Carolina- Golden Tate looks to be an integral part of this offense that is going to have to pass the ball to score against the Panthers. Carolina's front seven isn't going to give Stafford time to heave the deep ball which should lead to more short and intermediate targets to Tate. With the condition of the Carolina secondary there's a decent chance that Tate breaks a couple of tackles and takes a short pass a long way.
FanDuel Bargain Buy
Brian Hartline ($4500) vs. Buffalo- Hartline was a bust in Week 1 but that's no reason to back off of him. As I said above about Tannehill, the Patriots secondary is much better than Buffalo's. In cash games I would not start both Tannehill and Hartline but they could be a sneaky contrarian stack in GPPs. A 35 point explosion out of these two is not hard to imagine.
Tight End
Value Play
Larry Donnell ($4500) vs. Arizona- There were few surprises bigger this week than Donnell's 5-56-1 against Detroit in Week 1. He's not an exciting prospect, but as long as he's seeing 5-7 targets he doesn't need to be for this price. Donnell is essentially a punt at the tight end with a hope that Arizona's putrid play against tight ends reappears in week two.
FanDuel Bargain Buy
Travis Kelce ($4600) vs. Denver- The dam is going to break on the Travis Kelce hype one of these days and a blowout against the best offense in football seems like as good a time as any. This offense desperately needs Andy Reid to unleash Kelce for more than the 18 games he played last week, but even if he doesn't there may be hope. Last week Kelce had the longest Chiefs reception and just missed a touchdown.
Kicker
Shayne Graham ($4700) vs. Cleveland- Graham's selection is much more about opportunity than talent. The Saints aren't exactly sold on the veteran kicker, but as long as he's on the roster he's a good play at this cost. New Orleans should have no trouble moving the ball on Cleveland and Graham should see multiple field goal opportunities. If he doesn't, it's likely because he's kicked 5-6 field goals.
Defense
Tampa Bay ($4900) vs. St. Louis- Both of these teams are a mess on offense so I'll take the defense that's cheaper. I don't feel great about it, but as far as cheap defenses go Lovie Smith vs. whatever quarterback St. Louis plays feels like a win to me. The only downside is that St. Louis defense could score enough points to hurt you.