DFS NFL WR Coach: Week 2

We’re still piecing together the data right now as the sample size of just one game doesn’t really cut it. We’ve got a general idea of which pass defenses are likely to give up the most yards and touchdowns, but often things like Pass Defense Rank can be misleading. DO we really thing the 49ers have the No. 1 pass defense in the league? Maybe if they play the Rams for 17-straight weeks they do, but facing much stronger offensive teams will help level things off.

As for this week’s wide receiver selections, I’m going to give you a broad cross-section here of my top 25 DFS plays for NFL Week 2. We’ll narrow the list in the coming weeks and in an effort to help you along, I’ll keep breaking down my plays based on their pricing across the different daily sites. As I usually do, the receivers on the data table are listed in order of highest to lowest cost according to FanDuel. They are not weekly rankings. If you’re in need of rankings, just go here to the NFL Week 2 Fantasy Football Player Rankings page.

High-Priced Talent

Odell Beckham, NYG – There’s really no doubt that the Saints pass defense is atrocious and just like the Raiders dominated their secondary, so too will the Giants. Beckham, to me, is a must-play this week.

Julio Jones, ATL – And just like we saw the Saints pick apart the Raiders secondary in Week 1, so too will the Falcons. The Raiders didn’t have the horses to run with Brandin Cooks or Willie Snead last week, so if Jones’ ankle doesn’t keep him off the field, keep him in your daily lineup.

A.J. Green, CIN – Either Revis Island is more myth than fact or Green is just that good. I’m going with the latter here and looking at the fact that the Steelers still gave up over 320 passing yards to the Redskins.

Brandin Cooks, NO – It’s going to be a shootout with the Giants and while Big Blue tried to revamp their defense and shut down the Cowboys, Drew Brees is no Dak Prescott. The big knock on Cooks was the lack of red zone looks and TDs, but that change already started late last year and will continue to change through this one.

Allen Robinson, JAC – Led the league in targets last week while facing Green Bay. Those targets should continue and against a weaker secondary here, you can expect that catch rate to improve as well.

Mike Evans, TB – Arizona’s pass defense allowed Jimmy Garoppolo a 106.1 passer rating and Jameis Winston not only has a stronger skill set but better receivers as well. Evans is going to be a target monster this season and will see a much bigger touchdown total than last year.

Pricey But Affordable

Amari Cooper, OAK – He faces a Falcons pass defense that allowed 281 passing yards and four touchdowns to Tampa Bay last week which definitely keeps Cooper on my short list of must-starts in Week 2.

Brandon Marshall, NYJ – The Bills secondary is simply not as strong as that of the Bengals. While Rex Ryan will try to contain him in the same fashion, he knows to keep a close watch on Eric Decker as well so Marshall should find himself in single-coverage plenty of times.

Kelvin Benjamin, CAR – As stated in the beginning, the 49ers pass defense means nothing to me after facing the Rams in Week 1. Benjamin is light years better than any Rams wideout and will expose the Niners defense for what it truly is this year.

Larry Fitzgerald, ARI – He’s a beast in the red zone and Carson Palmer looks to him as much as he possibly can. Michael Floyd will steal some targets, but Palmer will look to Fitz before anyone else.

Willie Snead, NO – He was sink or swim last year but posted a huge game against the Raiders last week. Brees is looking to him much more often right now and his speed and big play ability should see him active in a shootout against the Giants in Week 2.

Doug Baldwin, SEA – He’s Russell Wilson’s go-to guy and shouldn’t have much trouble with the Rams secondary. Both Tyler Lockett and Jermaine Kearse will help draw coverage which will afford Baldwin even more opportunities.

Demaryius Thomas, DEN – The Colts secondary is a disaster. An absolute disaster. A dumpster fire if you will. Injuries have already ravaged their secondary and while Trevor Siemien isn’t the greatest of QBs, his highly-skilled receivers will help him shine this week. Just watch the hip to make sure he’s not limited.

Solid Value

Emmanuel Sanders, DEN – See above. What goes for DT this week also goes for Sanders.

Marvin Jones, DET – Tennessee wasn’t exactly facing a high-powered offense in the Shaun Hill-led Vikings last week and will get a serious wake-up call from Jones and the rest of the Lions. He saw more targets than Golden Tate last week as well as more red zone looks.

Will Fuller, HOU – While Eric Berry spends his day helping to double-cover DeAndre Hopkins, Fuller should see plenty of one-on-one coverage which is very beatable for him. Look for strong targets and some nice red zone looks.

Sterling Shepard, NYG – He saw decent, but not great targets last week and still found the end zone. Look for more red zone action this week as the Giants get to air it out all day against a dismal Saints pass defense.

Michael Crabtree, OAK – Again, that Falcons secondary allowed four touchdown passes to the Bucs last week. Crabtree is Derek Carr’s go-to guy to move the chains and also see plenty of red zone work.

Mike Wallace, BAL – He broke a big play last week on some busted coverage and now gets a busted Cleveland team this week. Joe Flacco is going to look for Wallace plenty this season and that’s for both the red zone and between the 20s.

Tajae Sharpe, TEN – Marcu Mariota loves this kid and is going to continue feeding him the ball. The Lions gave up 368 passing yards and four TDs to the Colts last week, so look for Mariota to try and air it out early and often.

Bargain Hunting

Victor Cruz, NYG – At this price and against the Saints, he’s going to get a look from me in a few GPPs.

Tyrell Williams, SD – Most speculate that Dontrelle Inman will see the bulk of the work because he knows the system better. If that’s the case, how come Williams saw more targets? Inman may have the experience on the team, but Williams has the talent.

Robert Woods, BUF – With Sammy Watkins unlikely to play Thursday, Woods should see a ton of targets. He makes for a solid, cheap option on Draft Kings with its full-point PPR scoring.

Jamison Crowder – He saw the bulk of the red zone work last week and also had plenty of opportunities between the 20s. If he really does keep seeing the red zone work, he should hit pay-dirt this week against a Dallas secondary that gave up three touchdowns through the air last week.

Michael Thomas, NO – He’s a GPP dart at this point until we see the target distribution between him and Snead. But he’s not too bad a dart to throw in this anticipated shootout with the Giants.