The Steelers, Packers, and 49ers are notable offenses who underwhelmed in Week 1. Who are you buying in Week 2?
PHIL ALEXANDER
- The Steelers offense isn't as bad as it looked on Sunday Night Football. Provided JuJu Smith-Schuster's toe injury doesn't keep him out, he's a viable play in Week 2. It will be interesting to see what happens at WR2 in Pittsburgh. Rarely has a receiver looked worse on double-digit targets than Donte Moncrief did against New England (10-3-7-0). James Washington was only on the field for 56% of the snaps but picked up where he left off in the preseason by catching a 45-yard bomb from Ben Roethlisberger. After watching how easily John Ross got behind the Seahawks defense, getting some GPP exposure to Washington's splash-play ability feels like a good idea this week.
- James Conner and Aaron Jones should be better with both of their respective teams favored on their home fields. Conner, in particular, looks like a bargain after his price dropped by $500 (DraftKings) following a quiet opener. His snap-rate was down with Pittsburgh trailing the entire game, but Conner still handled 82% of the team's backfield touches. Jones is a low-end GPP play due to the strength of Minnesota's rush defense and desire to slow the game down. Some exposure to his big-play upside is warranted, however, as long as he continues receiving about 15 touches per game.
- Davante Adams has to deal with coverage from Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who did a nice job locking down Julio Jones in Week 1. But if you believe the Packers will score about 24 points this week, as the Vegas line implies, it's tough to see them getting there without at least one score from Adams.
JAMES BRIMACOMBE
I am still in a wait and see approach with the Packers this week as they very well could be in for another low scoring defensive Division battle against the Vikings. To get the big names in Green Bay you have to pay a premium price so only a small percentage of bankroll should be going to them in GPPs.
JASON WOOD
I'm nervous about the Packers, at least for this week. It's amazing what a win does to the narrative of a Week 1 matchup. The Bears were eviscerated for their offensive ineptitude in the loss, while the Packers were given a pass. It's possible the Bears are the toughest defense Green Bay will face this season, but why should we assume the Packers offensive display was an anomaly? New coach LaFleur hasn't proven anything, yet. I need to see him -- and the team -- do it for a week or two before I'm putting DFS dollars behind them.
WILL GRANT
Green Bay - if you watched that game with Chicago on Opening Night, you saw two teams who hate each other play sloppy football in a ham-handed yawner that ended with Green Bay winning. They have some extra days to practice and face a 'weaker' defense at home against Minnesota but I don't think that translates into big numbers for Davante Adams or Aaron Jones. The Packers didn't look good, so much as 'less bad' last week - and I don't see that as a reason to run out and fill your lineup with their players until we see something different.
Chad Parsons
I will bet on the Steelers of the three as I trust the entirety of the skill position pieces the most. Vance McDonald was surprisingly invisible in Week 1 and James Conner was a non-factor on the ground. With the Packers, their No.2 receiver questions (not a believer in Marquez Valdes-Scantling big picture) and not being a big gan of Aaron Jones is a tough ask overall. I will bet on clear workhorse James Conner in a game with a far better game script and at home against Seattle traveling across the country in a bounce-back Week 2 for the Steelers.