Week 1 was a decidedly mixed bag for our first foray into SuperDraft. Mark Ingram and David Johnson came through with nice multipliers, but Devonta Freeman , Brandon Cooks and Zach Ertz all struggled. I think the most disappointing part is I looooved that lineup when I put it together. I felt like I got so much value from high multipliers on good players.

Week 2 certainly feels different. I thought there would be a lot of value, but it seems like most of the good players either have low multipliers or scary matchups. Last week, I put together a lineup I liked for cash and GPP games, but I found fewer of those players this week. This week’s lineup will be for cash, though as always, I intend to enter it in a GPP lineup as well.

Overall, I love the game and the challenge it provides. It’s certainly different from traditional DFS. In traditional DFS, you obviously want some value plays, but at some point, you’re going to want to spend your salary on some expensive players. You don’t have to do that in this game. You could play all 2X players if you wanted. I haven’t brought myself to use that strategy yet, but I could see it. I think it’s especially tempting to play receivers with high multipliers. There are so many high-upside guys like D.K. Metcalf, Miles Boykin and John Ross that I would be tempted to play all three, thinking if they all go off, I’m well on my way towards winning a tournament. For now, though, I’m mostly just looking for the best values, even if that means using players with lower multipliers.

Quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett X1.95 - If Brissett disappointed at all in Week 1, it’s that he only threw 27 passes. Of course, some of that is probably due to Marlon Mack having a career day. Brissett has another tough road matchup, but if he can simply repeat his numbers from last week, I’ll be more than happy to take his multiplier.

Andy Dalton X1.8 - Dalton threw 51 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns last week, and there is no reason to believe they have a tougher matchup in Week 2. John Ross looks like a legit weapon in Zac Taylor’s offense, which certainly helps, as does playing at home.

Tom Brady X1.45 - I think it might be better for our purposes if Antonio Brown doesn’t play, because Brady’s ownership may be a bit lower. The Patriots certainly don’t need Brown to wax the Dolphins. There is some risk the Pats score eight rushing touchdowns and Brady has very little to do, but there’s also the very real possibility he leads the position in scoring.

Running Backs

LeSean McCoy X1.85 - There is a decent chance McCoy sees an increase from his 11 touches in Week 1 considering how good he looked. Then again, we probably don’t need more touches at his price in this matchup.

Gio Bernard X2.0 - If Joe Mixon is out, Bernard is basically a must in cash lineups.

David Johnson X1.65 - It is confounding how Johnson could score 22.7 fantasy points in Week one and see his multiplier increase substantially. I get that they aren’t playing Detroit again, but I’m not scared of Baltimore based on one week.

Mark Ingram X1.4 - Unlike David Johnson , Mark Ingram ’s multiplier did go down, but it’s still the best you will get for a top-10 running back in Week 2. 

Chris Thompson X2 - Thompson’s ceiling may not be particularly high, but I believe his floor is. He caught seven passes for 68 yards in Week 1, and I have no reason to believe he’ll be worse than that in Week 2, especially with Derrius Guice out.

Josh Jacobs X1.7 - I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about gamescript, but Jacobs is Oakland’s best offensive player, so I think he’ll stay on the field for most of the game. He looked awfully good in Week 1, and Kansas City’s defense doesn’t scare me.

Wide Receivers

John Ross X1.75 and Tyler Boyd X1.45 - I really didn’t expect to be so high on the Bengals this week, but here we are. I thought Ross looked really good in Week 1, and he’s a GPP play in Week 2. Boyd is the safer play, but probably lacks Ross’s upside.

Amari Cooper X1.4 - Cooper is by far the best receiver with a 1.4X multiplier, and you could argue he’s better than all of the 1.3X receivers, too. He gets to face Washington in Week 2.

Paul Richardson X2 - Richardson had seven targets in Week 1, but he’s being overlooked because his younger teammates had better stats. I’m not convinced that’s a trend going forward, and if Richardson is the WR1, you’re getting an awfully nice multiplier.

Tyrell Williams X1.6 - Williams was the number one receiver for Oakland with Antonio Brown gone, and that role should be worth at least 1.6X points.

Tight Ends

Jared Cook X1.6 - Cook had a quiet debut with the Saints, but all of Drew Brees ’s targets have obvious upside. Cook is one of the best tight ends in the slate, but he isn’t priced like it.

Trey Burton X2 - Burton is hoping to play Week 2 after a groin injury kept him out Week 1. He’s risky for sure, but he’s much too good a player to get double the points.

Darren Waller X2 - I thought four sure Waller’s multiplier would be lower after he looked pretty good in Week 1. All that was missing in that performance was a touchdown, but I like his chances of getting one this week.

Evan Engram X1.3 - Ingram certainly looked like he belongs in the top tight end tier in Week 1. With Golden Tate still out, Engram should be a strong fantasy play yet again.

 

Steve’s Week 2 Cash Lineup

QB - Tom Brady

RB - David Johnson

RB - Josh Jacobs

WR - Tyler Boyd

WR - Amari Cooper

WR - Tyrell Williams

TE - Evan Engram

FLEX - Mark Ingram