Cracking DraftKings Week 2

Ben Cummins's Cracking DraftKings Week 2 Ben Cummins Published 09/15/2023

Favorite Fantasy Game Environments

  • Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars - Over/Under 51.5
  • Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions - Over/Under 47.5
  • Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals - Over/Under 46.5
  • San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams - Over/Under 45

Favorite Additional Fantasy Spots

  • Bills at home vs. Raiders - Implied Team Total 28.3
  • Giants on the road against Cardinals - Implied Team Total 22.8
  • Chargers on the road against Titans - Implied Team Total 24.3
  • Cowboys at home vs. Jets - Implied Team Total 24
  • Buccaneers at home vs. Bears - Implied Team Total 21.5

CASH GAMES

Quarterbacks

Rank Play Opponent Salary
1 Justin Herbert at Titans $7,000
2 Jared Goff vs. Seahawks $6,200
3 Geno Smith at Lions $5,900

Despite missing his weapons for a large portion of the season and working with an offensive coordinator that had him throwing underneath way too often, Herbert still ranked fifth in passing yards per game (279) and tenth in pass touchdowns per game (1.5) last year. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are healthy for now (knock on wood) and Herbert gets to take aim against a Titans defense that ranked 27th in Dropback Expected Points Added (EPA) Allowed last season.

Ben Johnson is one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL. In his first year in the role in 2022, Johnson helped the Lions offense rank sixth in EPA/Play and tenth in Success Rate and Jared Goff rank tenth in passing yards per game (261) and seventh in pass touchdowns per game (1.7). Goff gets to play at home this week in the second highest Over/Under (47.5) on the main slate against a Seahawks defense that ranked 25th in EPA/Play Allowed and 23rd in Dropback EPA Allowed last year.

Geno Smith was a revelation last year, leading a Seahawks offense that shockingly ranked sixth in Pass Rate Over Expected (PROE) while ranking 12th in passing yards per game (252) and sixth in pass touchdowns per game (1.8). He's playing in the second-highest Over/Under (47.5) on the main slate against a Lions defense that ranked 29th in EPA/Play Allowed, 26th in Dropback EPA Allowed, and 28th in Success Rate last year. But it is important to note the Lions defense improved over the offseason and Smith might be without both his starting left and right tackles in this one.

Running Backs

Rank Play Opponent Salary
1 Christian McCaffrey at Rams $8,900
2 James Cook vs. Raiders $6,100
3 David Montgomery vs. Seahawks $5,800
4 Josh Jacobs at Bills $7,100
5 Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Chiefs $6,900
6 Joshua Kelley at Titans $5,000

Christian McCaffrey is playing in the right offense and has the ideal talent profile to go nuclear in any given week in DraftKings' full PPR scoring format. McCaffrey ranked fifth in opportunities per game (20.7) and third in total yards per game (110.6) last year and he leads the NFL in opportunities (27) after Week 1. He has an awesome matchup against a Rams defense that ranked 26th in EPA Allowed, 20th in Rush EPA Allowed, and 25th in Success Rate last season.

James Cook might be blocked at the goal line by Damien Harris and Latavius Murray played in the two-minute drill over him in Week 1. Still, he's a dual-threat and he saw 18 opportunities in Week 1. The Bills are 9.5-point home favorites against a bad Raiders defense that ranked 30th in EPA/Play Allowed, 15th in Rush EPA Allowed, and 28th in Success Rate last year.

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