Daily Fantasy Football Week 2: DraftKings DFS Rankings and Best Values

It's officially time for Week 2 of the NFL season, which means two things. First off, get your Johnny Manziel jerseys on. Secondly, it's time to finalize those daily fantasy football lineups.

It's a week loaded with not only some high-dollar players who are poised for big days, but also plenty of excellent value plays. You can find value at pretty much every single position this week, which should help make building your lineup a whole lot easier this week.

After players like tight end Tyler Eifert, quarterback Marcus Mariota, running back Carlos Hyde and wide receiver Stevie Johnson all went off, the question is, should we look to use those players again? As for the next group of value plays to come out of the woodworks, it's time to find and utilize them.

Welcome to football, it's a great day to win some money in the DraftKings Millionaire Maker.

Quarterback Rankings and Value Plays

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints ($7,800)
2. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts ($8,200)
3. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons ($7,400)
4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers ($8,300)
5. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys ($7,100)

Out of all five quarterbacks on this list, Rodgers and Romo are actually the two I'm the most intrigued by. Both players have plenty of motivation this week and quite a few reasons for DFS players to try to get them in their lineups.

While Rodgers faces a Seattle Seahawks defense who came back down to earth in Week 1, fans also likely remember back to their 28-22 overtime loss in the 2014 NFL Playoffs. Rodgers will absolutely look for revenge, and since the Seahawks have a stellar run defense, I think he takes over through the air.

As for Romo, he's facing off against one of the Cowboys' biggest rivals in the Philadelphia Eagles and former running back DeMarco Murray. What makes this game even more interesting is the fact that star wide receiver Dez Bryant will be sidelined. While this is often looked at as a major negative for a QB, I think Romo will open up the field by hitting multiple players. He has massive potential in Week 2 for DFS players.

Now, for the top three on this list, it's Brees against a defense who just allowed four touchdowns to rookie QB Marcus Mariota, for starters. Brees is going to be the hottest play of the week, which means I expect him to have a high usage rate as well.

For Luck, it was a miserable start to his 2015 season. Not only did his team get pushed around by the Buffalo Bills and lost 27-14, but he also didn't play great. Luck completed 26-of-49 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. With T.Y. Hilton day-to-day, and a high price tag, Luck may get overlooked, but I think the lead man in Indianapolis turns things around on Monday Night Football at home.

Fresh off a Week 1 upset over the Eagles, Ryan and the Falcons take on the New York Giants this week. The Giants recently allowed Romo to complete 80 percent of his passes for 356 yards and three scores. Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones should make life miserable on New York in Week 2.

Value Plays

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($5,600)

Winston had a brutal first NFL game, as he completed just 16-of-33 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The thing is, as bad as it was, he still wound up with 16.2 DraftKings points.

This week, he draws a matchup against the New Orleans Saints, who allowed 307 passing yards and three touchdowns to Carson Palmer in Week 1. Is Winston worth taking a shot on against this poor Saints secondary? At the price of $5,600, he absolutely is.

Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns ($5,200)

Alright, just stay with me here. Manziel is probably the scariest quarterback on the board. With that said, he's had an offseason to work on his game and simply better himself as a football player. Did we see glimpses of it last week when Josh McCown went down? Absolutely. Did he also make plenty of mistakes? You know it.

Manziel is the definition of a boom-or-bust play, but I'm going to give him the nod here in a lineup or two. The Browns are at home, so Manziel will be playing in front of The Dawg Pound this week. While he faces a Tennessee Titans team who made life tough on Winston, the rookie QB in Tampa Bay still threw for two touchdowns when all was said and done.

Give Manziel a shot and enjoy watching one of our favorite college football players of all-time on Sunday.

Running Back Rankings and Value Plays

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

1. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings ($7,700)
2. Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals ($7,400)
3. Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks ($7,200)
4. Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens ($6,200)
5. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears ($7,700)

I'm one of the few people who's ready to roll out the red carpet for Peterson once again in Week 2, even after his mediocre showing against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1. The reason? Peterson has simply dominated the Detroit Lions in his career, who the Minnesota Vikings face this weekend. As Michael Rothstein of ESPN reports, Peterson averaged 19.58 carries and 104.83 yards per game against the Lions in his career.

While Peterson is my No. 1 back this week, both Hill and Lynch have great matchups and aren't far behind. Hill faces a San Diego Chargers defense that allowed an average of 124.1 rushing yards per game in 2014, ranking them No. 26 in the NFL. Lynch will face the Green Bay Packers defense, who wasn't much better. They allowed 119.9 yards on the ground last season. Both Hill and Lynch should have no problem finding the end zone as well in Week 2.

Forsett and Forte are the two interesting players on this list. While Forsett is fresh off a rough outing where he rushed 14 times for 43 yards, totaling just 9.6 fantasy points on DraftKings, he has a great matchup. Not only did the Oakland Raiders allow 127 rushing yards last week, but Forsett will likely get overlooked and will have a low usage rate.

Forte on the other hand, was a monster in Week 1. He tallied 30.6 fantasy points, but the problem is, he faces an Arizona Cardinals defense that's stellar against the run. Just looking at Week 1 they gave up only 54 yards on the ground. The argument for using Forte is simple, though, as he's an excellent receiver out of the backfield. I think quarterback Jay Cutler hits Forte early and often this week.

Value Plays

Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($5,600)

Let's try to make this as clear as possible. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and quarterback Jameis Winston want to have any success this year, they need to run the ball. Unfortunately, they were so far behind against the Tennessee Titans before we could even blink, that they couldn't take advantage of the strong start by Martin.

Martin rushed 11 times for 52 yards before the Buccaneers essentially had to go to an all-pass offense to try to catch up with the Titans. This week, Tampa Bay draws the New Orleans Saints, who allowed 120 rushing yards in Week 1. Expect Martin to breakout and have the big game many expected from him in Week 1.

Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers ($5,100)

Hey, just because it's obvious, doesn't make it wrong. Hyde probably won't replicate his 35.2-point performance on DraftKings in Week 1. Fortunately, to be worth that $5,100 price tag, he doesn't have to. Hyde proved on Monday Night Football that he's the real deal, now he draws a Pittsburgh Steelers defense who allowed a rushing average of 4.6 yards to Dion Lewis of the New England Patriots in Week 1.

No disrespect intended towards Lewis, but Hyde should be able to run right through this Pittsburgh defense and put together another big game.

Ameer Abdullah, Detroit Lions ($4,500)

Apparently Abdullah's 24-yard touchdown on his first touch didn't impress enough to shoot his cost up too much for DFS players. He cost $4,000 in Week 1, so a $500 raise is still a fairly large jump. With that said, $4,500 is still a great value for a player as talented as Abdullah, especially against the Minnesota Vikings.

We watched the Vikings get absolutely shredded by the 49ers run game last week, giving up 230 yards on the ground. Abdullah will excel when given the ball this week, but best of all, his ability to catch the ball (four catches for 44 yards in Week 1) gives him even more added value.

Wide Receiver Rankings and Value Plays

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

1. Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers ($8,800)
2. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons ($8,900)
3. Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants ($8,800)
4. A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals ($7,500)
5. Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints ($7,500)

For the first three guys on this list, Brown, Jones and Beckham, you simply can't go wrong with them this week. Yes, Beckham was surprisingly held to just 9.4 fantasy points on DraftKings last weekend, but that won't happen in Week 2. All three players have matchups I'm fully confident in taking advantage of, especially since both the Steelers and Giants are 0-1, so I expect to see them come out gunning.

The cost of the top three may break your bank a bit, so pick and choose your sleepers in order to fit one or two of them in your lineup. From there, look at Green and Cooks, who are both priced pretty fairly and are fresh off mediocre showings. In Week 1, Green had 11.3 fantasy points, while Cooks had 9.3 fantasy points, so their usage percentage should be nice for DFS players.

Green lost a few targets in the end zone to tight end Tyler Eifert, but I believe he and Andy Dalton hook up at least once, if not twice this weekend for scores. As for Cooks, he's facing a Tampa Bay secondary that allowed rookie QB Marcus Mariota to literally be perfect in Week 1. WR Kendall Wright shredded Tampa Bay, so now it's Cooks' turn to do some damage.

Value Plays

Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans ($5,000)

There are some great value plays at wide receiver this weekend, but let's start with Marcus Mariota's favorite target. Wright and the Tennessee passing offense really only had to play until around the middle of the second quarter last week, yet Wright still caught four balls for 101 yards and a touchdown.

While Wright is the best pass-catcher in Tennessee, I simply that Mariota spreads the ball around enough to make it so defenses can't lock in on him. Wright should be able to top 100 yards once again Week 2 against a Cleveland Browns defense who allowed two touchdown passes and a 95.7 quarterback rating to Ryan Fitzpatrick last week.

Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys ($4,200)

Here's Dallas Cowboys WR No. 1 this week on the "value plays" list. Williams draws an absolutely stellar matchup against a Philadelphia Eagles defense who allowed the most fantasy points in the NFL to opposing receivers in 2014. On top of that, they allowed 38.1 DraftKings points to Julio Jones on Monday Night Football in Week 1.

Is Williams as talented as Jones? Absolutely not. Can he score 20 fantasy points and be more than worth his $4,200 price tag? You bet. Williams is now the go-to receiver for the Cowboys, and the matchup is a great one for him.

Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys ($3,300)

So you've used up too much of your cash and need to find a real steal at wide receiver. Look no further than my second Cowboy, Beasley. Against the Giants in Week 1, Beasley caught four balls for 49 yards. His fumble that he wound up losing hurt him a bit in terms of second half production, as he didn't get a ton of looks after that.

With that said, Beasley and Jason Witten are going to be safety blankets for Tony Romo while Dez Bryant is sidelined. If Beasley gets going, the Eagles simply won't be able to slow him down. At the cost of just $3,300, I'm loving an option like Beasley in Week 2.

Tight End Rankings and Value Plays

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots ($7,300)
2. Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers ($4,900)
3. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys ($4,300)
4. Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks ($5,800)
5. Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals ($4,200)

Gronkowski may be facing the dreaded Buffalo Bills defense, but what are the chances that slows down Tom Brady and his star tight end? Let's not overlook the fact that the we have a QB in Brady, who still has that huge chip on his shoulder throwing to Gronkowski. I'm simply not going to run away from a dominate force like him in almost any situation.

Olsen, Witten and Graham are the most valuable targets offensively for their teams at this point. While Olsen had a brutal first game, scoring just 2.1 fantasy points, I fully expect the Panthers to find a way to get him the ball in Week 2. They're also facing a Houston Texans defense who allowed 160 yards and two scores to tight end Travis Kelce last week.

As for Graham, you know what you're getting there, especially against a Green Bay Packers team who can put some serious points on the board. Martellus Bennett had a strong showing with five catches for 55 yards and a score against the Packers last weekend. Expect Graham to put up 80-plus yards and tack on a touchdown.

Witten and Eifert are interesting, to say the least. With Dez Bryant now out for multiple weeks, it's going to be the Witten show in Dallas. Tony Romo's favorite target should get all the looks he can handle in Week 2 against the poor Eagles pass defense. Eifert exploded onto the scene last week, scoring 34.4 fantasy points. He won't hit that number this week, but 20-25 fantasy points is realistic.

Value Plays

Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins ($3,700)

We had a Reed sighting in Week 1, and it was a beautiful thing for daily fantasy players who penciled him into their lineups. Reed caught seven balls for 93 yards and a score last week, showing that his strong connection with QB Kirk Cousins is no joke. The oft-injured tight end led the Redskins in targets last week, which is expected to happen again in Week 2.

While the formerly mentioned Graham had a solid showing against the St. Louis Rams last weekend, the question now becomes, what can Reed do against the strong St. Louis defense? Reed should see the ball more than enough to be worth his $3,700 price tag.

Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans ($3,400)

Walker's Week 1 stat line of three catches for 43 yards and a score wasn't bad, but I believe Tennessee's dominant performance is being overlooked. The Titans truly didn't have to throw much after halftime, as they were just thrashing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The potential issue of Walker's wrist injury seems to be a non-factor, as he practiced on Friday, according to Jason Wolf of The Tennessean. Basically, what we're getting at here is that if the Titans and Cleveland Browns have a close game, which they should, Walker will get plenty of looks and should be worth his $3,400 price tag. No reason to not take a shot on the talented tight end.

Defense/Special Teams Rankings and Value Plays

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

1. St. Louis Rams ($3,100)
2. Miami Dolphins ($3,300)
3. Baltimore Ravens ($2,900)
4. Carolina Panthers ($3,100)
5. Arizona Cardinals ($2,800)

When it comes to defenses, I usually recommend picking the one you like the most, flat out. The difference in price on DraftKings between the lowest and highest priced defense is exactly $900. With that said, there are obviously plenty of teams who rank ahead of others due to their great matchups.

The Rams, Dolphins and Ravens are all looking at great situations. St. Louis faces the Washington Redskins, who scored 10 points in Week 1, while allowing 15 fantasy points to the Dolphins. The Dolphins are up against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who scored nine points last week and allowed 21 fantasy points to the Panthers.

As for the Ravens, they are getting a bit overlooked after losing Terrell Suggs. Even with the loss of Suggs, the Ravens have a great matchup against the Oakland Raiders. Oakland scored 13 points last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, while totaling just 246 yards offensively.

Next up is the Panthers defense mentioned above, who take on the mediocre offense of the Houston Texans. Houston recently made a quarterback change to Ryan Mallett, who should turn the ball over at least once or twice. No reason to shy away from Carolina, who was great in Week 1.

The Cardinals are a dark horse option here, though, as they get a Chicago Bears team who looked solid in Week 1. What didn't look solid for the Bears? QB Jay Cutler. Cutler completed 50 percent of his passes for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception. I expect to see the Cardinals defense get all over Cutler and the Bears.

Value Plays

New Orleans Saints ($2,800)

It's an interesting week for daily fantasy players when looking at defensive units. Fortunately, I believe two of the top five defenses this week could be considered "value plays." Aside from the five listed above, who obviously won't break the bank, I'd take a long, hard look at the Saints.

While New Orleans doesn't have the most dominant defense in the NFL, and they scored exactly one fantasy point on DraftKings last week, they may be worth a look in Week 2. The Saints are playing their home opener against rookie QB Jameis Winston, who threw two interceptions last week, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

The Titans tallied 15 fantasy points against the Buccaneers in Week 1. The question is, will Winston struggle as much in Week 2 as he did in Week 1? I don't believe so, and New Orleans isn't my favorite defense, but there's an argument to be made for them this weekend.

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Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings.com. All statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.

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