Draft Kings Week 2: Best Bargains At Each Position

The best way to cash on weekly fantasy football sites is to load up on as many stars with good matchups as possible. Due to budget restraints, however, fantasy players must sacrifice other positions to nab the stars they want.

Here, you'll find the top bargains at each position on Draft Kings that will let you splurge elsewhere. And remember, scoring is IMPORTANT. Here is Draft Kings’ scoring system.

The bargains are listed in the order I like them.

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco, Ravens ($5,200): Flacco didn’t do jack in Week 1, but most QBs didn’t. Flacco’s Ravens waxed the Bengals 20-0, and it was a slaughter from the beginning that didn’t require him to chuck it.  Cleveland isn’t better than Cincinnati, but their secondary is depleted following the release of star CB Joe Haden. Flacco led the NFL in pass attempts a year ago, and while that won’t repeat, he should pass all over the Browns. I’m thinking 300+ yards are in play, which is real nice for a price tag this low.

Deshaun Watson, Texans ($4,400): This is a Thursday game, so make sure Bill O’Brien doesn’t lose his mind and give Tom Savage another chance. If Watson is the starter, this is a deal that is eye-popping. Not only will Watson have an elite receiver (DeAndre Hopkins) at his disposal, he can also run. If you’ve read any of these before, you know that running QBs gain value in formats where passing TDs are worth four points; that’s the case with DraftKings, and Watson’s up against a defense that didn’t look all that scary. LB Vontaze Burfict is still out on suspension, and this unit is not the same without him.

Jared Goff, Rams ($5,100): I did not expect to highlight Goff two weeks in a row, but here we are. I expected Goff to perform well vs. the terrible Colts D, and he did. Goff put up 306 yards and a touchdown, which is plenty for a price tag as low as his. This week he gets another juicy matchup vs. the Redskins. While Sammy Watkins might get swallowed up b CB Josh Norman, Goff looks like he has a quality pass-catcher in rookie Cooper Kupp, as well as Robert Woods. I’m not sure he’ll get to 300 yards again, but Goff will probably approach it.

Running Backs

Mark Ingram, Saints ($4,900): After one week, Ingram seems like kinda the lead back in New Orleans, with rookie Alvin Kamara eating ino his work a bit, and Adrian Peterson suffering the most in this committee. Ingram will be important this week, because he’s the most explosive rusher at this point, and he can catch the best of the three. As their most well-rounded back, he’ll receive the most work in what figures to be a shootout vs. the Patriots. Touchdowns are unpredictable, so your best bet to get it right with the Saints is to play them in games with high-scoring potential. They’re home (where they play well) against an angry Patriots squad with 10 days to prepare. Their only prayer will be to score a bunch, and that’ll involve Ingram a ton.

James White, Patriots ($4,000): White is clearly ahead of Dion Lewis as the Patriots’ passing down back, and he has apparently gained the coaching staff’s trust to run more as well. White saw 10 carries vs. the Chiefs and five targets, three of which he caught. 10 might be on the high side of his rushing workload, but if he can approach that, and get upward of eight passing targets in a given week, he’s being grossly undervalued. This week in particular is great for using him, as the Saints are likely to be one of the worst defenses in the NFL again. I love this price.

Paul Perkins, Giants ($3,800): There’s nothing Perkins showed on Sunday night that justifies any optimism, and frankly, I’m not too bullish on him. But he’s a bona fide starting RB, and he costs less than third-down backs, or outright backups/handcuffs. At a certain point the fantasy community can get too down on a player, and we’ve hit that point with Paul Perkins. Don’t expect any fireworks, but he’s a threat for a rushing TD in any given week. You can’t say that about any other sub-$4,000 RB choices. It also helps he’s up against the Lions, no one’s idea of a stalwart D.

Wide Receivers

Jamison Crowder, Redskins ($4,000): Crowder was atop so many sleeper and breakout lists this year he was unavoidable, and after one subpar week he’s back among the $4,000 receivers. I wasn’t super high on Crowder entering 2017, but for this price he’s great. He still saw seven targets in Week 1, and in 2016 the Rams ranked 30th against slot receivers. There’s obviously a lot that can change from year to year, but Crowder seems like an excellent bet to get back on track with this matchup.

Corey Davis, Titans ($4,100): The No. 8 overall pick is healthy folks, and the Titans used him right away peppering him with 10 targets in Week 1. He caught six passes for 60 yards, and things are only looking up for him. Tennessee has Jacksonville this week, and while they were marvelous in Week 1, sacking Texans QBs 10 times, they won’t have success like that against the Titans’ superior offensive line and supremely mobile QB Marcus Mariota. I like Davis’ potential to have a HUGE game.

Marqise Lee, Jaguars ($3,800): Allen Robinson is out for the season, and that means the Jaguars need a new WR1. Folks will rush to waiver wires to add Allen Hurns, but Lee is the one you want. That goes for year-long fantasy leagues as well as DraftKings. Lee is going to see a big increase in targets, and he has a fair matchup vs. a Titans secondary that is far from frightening.

Tight Ends

Eric Ebron, Lions ($3,000): Ebron was a big, wet fart in Week 1 after he was touted by experts (not me, though!) as the tight end you can wait on and be safe with. I never felt that way, but I do believe Ebron can be valuable based on matchups. This week he’s up against the Giants, who have some of the best CBs in the NFL to handle Detroit’s talented receiving corps. When they are blanketed, Matthew Stafford is going to look for Ebron, making him a nice play in PPR formats. Like DraftKings!

Charles Clay, Bills ($3,000): Clay is too cheap now that he’s Tyrod Taylor’s top target. Take advantage while it lasts. Clay is far from the most talented TE you can pick up, but opportunity is everything, and he’s going to be targeted most weeks like he’s an elite at his position. Eventually the price will catch up.

O.J. Howard, Buccaneers ($2,900): I feel like I am yelling into a void about the upside of O.J. Howard, while everyone fawns over Giants TE Evan Engram (who I did put in last week’s version of this article :-/), but Howard is a physical freak of nature. The Bucs’ offense has enough firepower that he will not be the focal point for opposing defenses, and the Bears aren’t particularly strong guarding against any position. I think Howard has a chance to go off in his debut and eliminate the memory of Cameron Brate’s breakout 2016 season.

SCREW BARGAINS, WHO IS GONNA GO OFF?

QB

Drew Brees, Saints ($7,700): The Patriots just let Alex Smith throw four touchdown passes on them in primetime in their own building. Now they have to play the Saints, on the road, with Brees coming off a loss? I think the Pats win this game, but it’s going to be a shootout. Drew Brees is likely to soar well past 300 yards, and throw a few TDs to boot. If you want to spend on QB, spend it on Brees.

RB

Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys ($7,800): If you think it’s weird I’d pick a RB going against the Broncos’ vaunted defense, recall that the Denver D ranked just 21st vs. the run in 2016 per FootballOutsiders.com. Elliott rushed 24 times for 105 yards against the Giants last week, and has no problems against any D behind his behemoth offensive line. He’s trustworthy as is, and last week Denver allowed Melvin Gordon to rack up 79 total yards and a touchdown.

WR

Julio Jones, Falcons ($9,200): The Packers were 28th in the league against No. 1 WRs, and all they added was Davon House, a free agent from Jacksonville. After a down week against the Bears on the road, Jones and Matt Ryan are likely to have a party in their home opener, free to roam the dome. Don’t discount the Packers’ scoring as well, forcing Matt Ryan to throw the ball a ton.

TE

Greg Olsen, Panthers ($5,500): Olsen is the second-most expensive TE in DraftKings this week, but he will likely live up to the price tag. The Bills are not a good team, they rank 24th vs. TEs by DraftKings’ rankings, and Olsen did next to nothing in a weird blowout of the 49ers last week. If Carolina’s going to be good, Olsen will be a major part of that. Look for Cam Newton to target Olsen a ton to get him going, force-feeding him targets if need be.