2017 NFL DraftKings GPP Plays for Week 2

Week 1 of the fantasy season kicked off with a bang with the debut of Kareem Hunt, but sort of sizzled once Sunday approached. We even saw a devastating loss of fantasy’s #1 overall player David Johnson to injury. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t any excitement though as the NFL is almost certain to guarantee excitement on a week-to-week basis. Rookies were the hot talk of the fantasy preseason, and that topic is only getting hotter after some very impressive debuts in Week 1. While many leagues are rushing to the waiver wire to try and cash on these new faces, let’s see which ones are worth a spot in our GPP lineups.

The Gamefly DraftKings GPP Plays for Week 2

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady (NE) @ NO $7,900

Right out the gate, I’m ponying up the dough on Brady. From experience, we know that when Brady gets mad other teams generally pay. It was clear that Brady was not happy after the Patriots opening loss. It was even more clear that he did not play well. Even for the great Tom Brady, these things happen, but I’ll bet that he takes it all out on the horrific New Orleans secondary, who just made Sam Bradford look elite.

Jameis Winston (TB) vs. CHI $6,300

Winston is ready for action after his team’s unplanned bye week. The Bucs now open with the Bears, who surprisingly, made it interesting last week against the NFC champions. The Bears looked exciting on offense, but there were some obvious missed assignments on the defensive side. Chicago looks to be improving, but so does Winston. Setup for a favorable season, Winston should find a lot of success against this Bears team at home.

Other Notables: Russell Wilson (SEA) vs. SF $6,800, Jared Goff (LAR) vs. WAS $5,100

Running Backs

Kareem Hunt (KC) vs. PHI $6,800

As someone who drafted Hunt in nearly every league that I could, I’m more than all-in on the Kareem Hunt bandwagon. His performance against New England was one for the ages, and he has the chance to finish the season as fantasy’s #1 running back. Yes, it’s only been one week, but everyone knows that Andy Reid likes to feed his featured back, whomever that may be at the time. Hunt is the next man up after Spencer Ware‘s season-ending injury and is considered an early front-runner for Rookie of the Year.

Leonard Fournette (JAX) vs. TEN $6,500

Volume, Volume, Volume. That’s what it’s all about in fantasy football, and Leonard Fournette is going to see a lot of it out of Jacksonville’s backfield. Against the Texans, Fournette had 29 touches for a total of 124 yards. It’s unclear as to whether or not T.J. Yeldon will be able to suit up on Sunday as he tries to recover from a hamstring injury that kept him out last week. If he is able to go, however, it should not diminish Fournette’s touches much, if at all. Fournette owners should still expect to see 20-25 touches for the rookie.

Other Notables: Kerwynn Williams (ARI) @ IND $4,800, Jacquizz Rodgers (TB) vs. CHI $4,400

Wide Receivers

Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) @ IND $6,500

Fitzgerald was targeted a whopping 13 times in the Cardinals loss to the Lions in Week 1, but only caught six of them for 74 yards. He has a great chance, however, to bounce back this week against a pitiful Colts defense that just got torched by the Rams. As the Cardinals’ #1 receiving threat, Fitzgerald is likely to see double digit targets each and every week. A lot of his production will depend on the accuracy of Carson Palmer, but with David Johnson now on IR, Bruce Arians may look to air it out more.

DeVante Parker (MIA) @ LAC $5,400

Parker and the Dolphins are aching to get on the field after their Week 1 game had to be rescheduled because of Hurricane Irma. All offseason Parker has been a huge bounce back candidate, and he’ll finally gets his chance to show why this week on the West Coast. The Chargers lost a heartbreaker Monday night, and although they played well, showed they still have weaknesses on defense. Parker has quickly become Jay Cutler‘s favorite target, and with his speed and size, there’s a good chance he finds the end zone at least once in this contest.

Adam Thielen (MIN) @ PIT $5,000

Marked at just $5,000, it appears that DraftKings has not yet received the memo that this Thielen guy is pretty good. Thielen was targeted ten times on Monday, catching nine of those for a staggering 157 yards. Since the end of last season, Thielen has only gotten better. Sam Bradford has targeted Thielen just as much, if not more, than teammate Stefon Diggs, and comes at a cheaper rate. Opportunities should be there again this week for Thielen as the Steelers defense is far from the dominant force that it once was.

Other Notables: DeSean Jackson (TB) vs. CHI $4,900, Cooper Kupp (LAR) vs. WAS $4,100

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski (NE) @ NO $6,900

The Chiefs, particularly Eric Berry, did a superb job of shutting down Gronk. I’m not so optimistic that the Saints can do the same. As part of Brady’s redemption for the Patriots loss last week, look for the star quarterback to get the #1 tight end in football heavily involved on Sunday. The asking price may be steep, but the Saints don’t have anyone that can cover a player like Gronk, which leads me to believe that he will have a field day in the Superdome. If he doesn’t, then there may be room for concern in New England.

Other Notables: Martellus Bennett (GB) @ ATL $3,900, Cameron Brate (TB) vs. CHI $3,000

Defense

Baltimore vs. CLE $3,700

Prior to last season, the Ravens defense had been one of the most fierce since the turn of the century. Their Week 1 shutout of the Bengals in Cincinnati could be an early indicator that they are back. It’s very unlikely that they are back to that elite status, but the good news is they draw the Browns in Week 2. Cleveland gave Pittsburgh a tough battle last week before the Steelers eventually pulled away. They are young, however, and are almost certain to make mistakes that Baltimore should capitalize on. The Ravens have a real shot to shut out their opponent in back-to-back weeks to start the season.

Other Notables: Seattle vs. SF $4,000, Oakland vs. NYJ $3,500

ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.