With the exception of Green Bay at Atlanta (and potentially New England vs New Orleans), all other projected totals are less than 50 points. Pick a game that you think has the potential to go over the 50 point mark, and which players you will have exposure to in that game.
Phil Alexander: I'm expecting Jets at Raiders to surpass 50 total points by virtue of Oakland scoring 40+ on their own. Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch, and Oakland's offense, in general, looked like a well-oiled machine last week on the road in Tennessee. New York already folded up the tent on their 2017 season months ago and simply lacks the personnel to put up a fight on the road against an elite offense. All the major pieces for Oakland -- Carr, Crabtree, Cooper, Lynch -- are in play for cash games and GPPs, though Cooper and Crabtree received huge price bumps on DraftKings.
For GPP's only, Jared Cook profiles as a leverage play on the Raiders wide receivers. He caught all five of his targets for 56 yards in the Raiders opener and the Jets have well-documented issues defending tight ends dating back to last season. If you're looking to benefit from the inevitable garbage time, Robby Anderson is worth a look in GPP game stacks. Anderson finished with eight targets in the Jets loss to the Bills last Sunday and is plenty capable of slipping behind Oakland's shaky secondary for a splash play. I'm expecting Jets at Raiders to surpass 50 total points by virtue of Oakland scoring 40+ on their own. Derek Carr, Marshawn Lynch, and Oakland's offense, in general, looked like a well-oiled machine last week on the road in Tennessee. New York already folded up the tent on their 2017 season months ago and simply lacks the personnel to put up a fight on the road against an elite offense. All the major pieces for Oakland -- Carr, Crabtree, Cooper, Lynch -- are in play for cash games and GPPs, though Cooper and Crabtree received huge price bumps on DraftKings.
For GPP only, Jared Cook profiles as a leverage play on the Raiders wide receivers. He caught all five of his targets for 56 yards in the Raiders opener and the Jets have well-documented issues defending tight ends dating back to last season. If you're looking to benefit from the inevitable garbage time, Robby Anderson is worth a look in GPP game stacks. Anderson finished with eight targets in the Jets loss to the Bills last Sunday and is plenty capable of slipping behind Oakland's shaky secondary for a splash play
Jason Wood: Philadelphia vs Kansas City is going to go for 50+. Both teams have attacking defenses capable of forcing turnovers, but both also lost key members of their secondary in Week One. The Chiefs lost Eric Berry and the Eagles lost Ron Darby; both teams are far more vulnerable today than they were a week ago. I expect both teams to put up points, with the Chiefs coming off a near-perfect performance versus the Patriots and the Eagles dropping 30 points on a division rival.
In terms of targets, I love both tight ends in this matchup. Kelce is coming off a dud while Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt, and Alex Smith all played well. Recency bias means Kelce should be under owned, and yet he's the most proven and consistent of the Chiefs skill players. I also love Zach Ertz and will keep playing him heavily until his salary reflects his true value.
Dan Hindery: The Los Angeles Rams playing at home against Washington has some shootout potential. Washington is a better offense than their Week 1 matchup against an underrated Philadelphia defense indicates. Kirk Cousins has a lot of weapons in the passing game and a solid enough offensive line to slow the Rams pass rush. This Rams defense is still untested after facing the hapless Colts in Week 1. Jordan Reed could have a big day at tight end and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Cousins bounce back with 300+ passing yards and multiple touchdowns. On the other side of the ball, the way to attack Washington is over the middle of the field. Cooper Kupp was fantastic in his NFL debut and should have another solid matchup in the slot against Kendall Fuller.
John Mamula: The Steelers/Vikings game has the potential to go over the 50 point mark. I expect the Steelers offense to be very aggressive with multiple splash plays for Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. LeVeon Bell will rebound and produce an effective game through the air and find the endzone at least once. Sam Bradford looked sharp on Monday night versus the Saints. He will continue that momentum against a below average Steelers secondary.
Justin Howe: Philadelphia-Kansas City has potential to blow past its 47.5-point projection. We never would've guessed it, considering the coaching overlap between these teams and the run-dominant philosophy they cultivated together in Kansas City. But these are two solidly aggressive teams capable of making huge plays. And just as importantly, both defenses are aggressive as well, often sacrificing defensive tightness to chase the big play. That could leave openings down the field for the (surprisingly high number of) downfield threats suiting up for this game.
I do prefer the favored, home-field Kansas City options over any particular Eagles, though. I think they have potential to either win a tight semi-shootout or blow the game open with firepower. Kareem Hunt looks great, of course, even in a tough on-paper matchup. Kansas City's zone-blocking scheme was dynamite against the Patriots, and the Eagles have struggled against similar run games of late. Alex Smith is an iffy play, considering how pesky the Eagles have been to opposing quarterbacks, but Tyreek Hill looks like an across-the-field maniac capable of manufacturing production from anywhere.
