Brees among studs to turn to for big points in Week 2
New Orleans QB should shine at home this week against the Patriots
Daily fantasy players too often go overboard with contrarian picks and miss the benefit of the stud picks. You can differentiate your DFS lineup while still playing a highly owned star or two. Here are the Week 2 NFL daily fantasy top picks with the Draft Kings/Fan Duel prices in parentheses:
DREW BREES, QB, New Orleans ($7,700/$8,700): Although people overrate Brees’ home and road splits, as he still averages over 300 yards per game and nearly two touchdowns on the road, Brees at home is too good to pass up. His numbers are great on the road, but he turns into a fantasy god at home, averaging 334 yards, 2.9 touchdowns and 31 FPPG. Alex Smith just shredded the Patriots defense, and while the team should rebound this week, that’s only more reason to like Brees and the Saints. If there is one team that can go blow-for-blow and force the Saints to keep scoring, it’s the Tom Brady-led Patriots. Brees is a near lock for a 300/3 game and worth every penny. MELVIN GORDON, RB, Los Angeles Chargers ($7,000/$7,600): The great thing about Gordon is that he is one of the few running backs guaranteed to see 20-plus touches every week. Gordon is not only the Chargers’ lead option, but he also sees plenty of use in the passing game, evidenced in his five catches for 25 yards and a score last week. The Dolphins are coming off their rescheduled bye with the starters having not played much in three weeks (Week 3 of the preseason). It was already a good matchup, as the Dolphins are weak against running backs, but with the team possibly coming out flat, Gordon is one of the best plays at any price this week. LARRY FITZGERALD, WR, Arizona ($6,500/$6,600):
The Colts secondary is abysmal. After all, did you see how good Jared Goff looked against them last week? The best part? The weakest piece mans the slot, where Larry Fitzgerald does his work. Carson Palmer threw the ball 48 times last week, and with David Johnson out and possibly done for the year, another 40-plus attempts are likely coming. On top of all of this, John Brown is
nursing an injury and will be either less than 100 percent or sidelined. Fitzgerald should see double-digit targets, pushing him north of 100 receiving yards and giving him a high likelihood to score.
TRAVIS KELCE, TE, Kansas City ($5,100/$6,700): Kelce will rebound this week, don’t you worry. That’s not dependent on Smith throwing four touchdowns again. Heck, Smith throwing two touchdowns is often an accomplishment. The Eagles actually handled opposing tight ends quite well last year, but only two tight ends even saw more than five targets against them, and one was Will Tye, who did it twice. The Eagles also don’t have an answer for Tyreek Hill, which means they can try to give him added attention, but
that’s only going to open up more opportunities for Kelce. He had nine double-digit performances on Fan Duel last year and 10 on Draft Kings, including four with 20-plus points (one of those over 30). The best part is that Kelce’s price is a bit depressed due to his quiet Week 1.
BALTIMORE RAVENS defense ($3,700/$4,700): It’s obvious — the Ravens dismantled the Bengals last week with a shutout that included five sacks and four interceptions. Now, the Ravens get to host the Browns. DeShone Kizer is a rookie quarterback that struggles with decisionmaking, playing a road game against a division opponent with a great defense. This is a recipe for a similar result for that Ravens defense: multiple sacks and turnovers.