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Quarterbacks
Derek Carr: $6,800 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel
The Raiders’ implied team total sits at 29.0, which is easily the highest mark in the small two-game slate. Carr is in a great spot against a Redskins defense that has allowed 545 passing yards this season and 8.0 adjusted net yards per attempt to opposing quarterbacks; both are bottom-seven marks in the league. Carr has been one of the most efficient quarterbacks this season, averaging 0.63 fantasy points per dropback — the fourth-best mark in the league (PFF). He could be in for another efficient outing against a Redskins defense that ranked 24th in pass Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) in 2016. Since the Raiders have one of the highest-implied team totals this week, they may garner high ownership, which Pro subscribers can view via our DFS Ownership Dashboard after contests have locked.
Kirk Cousins: $6,100 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel
On this two-game slate, the two-most appealing quarterback options are featured Sunday night in a game with a 55-point over/under — 7.5 points higher than the Monday night game. The Redskins have the second-highest implied team total at 26.0 points, trailing the Raiders’ mark by three points. Cousins has been off to a slow start this season, averaging just 253 passing yards per game while completing only 61 percent of his passes. However, he’ll have his best matchup of the year: The Raiders ranked 25th in pass defense DVOA last season. Cousins is particularly valuable on DraftKings, where he comes with an 80 percent Bargain Rating.
Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott: $8,300 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel
On a slate with only two games, it’s difficult to pass on a running back who will see 25-plus touches per game most weeks. The Cardinals defense has allowed just 2.9 yards per carry this season to opposing backfields, but even if the Cowboys struggle to get going on the ground, they’re still willing to target Elliott in the passing game. He leads all running backs in routes run (76, via PFF), and he’s averaging 5.0 targets per game through the first two weeks. Elliott has a solid floor, but this certainly is a negative matchup: The Cardinals have held running backs to 3.6 points below salary-based expectations on FanDuel (per our proprietary Opponent Plus/Minus metric found within Models). That said, Elliott is still sporting a +2.1 Projected Plus/Minus on FanDuel, where he has a Bargain Rating of 95 percent.
Chris Thompson: $4,500 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
Even though Thompson isn’t very involved in the running game (six carries through two weeks), he is targeted quite consistently in the passing game; he’s tied for the third-most targets on the team with Jamison Crowder. Thompson has spent 42 of his 59 snaps this season running a pass route. As three-point underdogs, this would be an ideal spot to target him. He’s averaging 1.93 yards per route run (PFF), which is the eighth-highest mark among running backs. Thompson is an intriguing contrarian RB2/flex option if you’re looking to pay up at wide receiver.
Wide Receivers
Amari Cooper: $7,100 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
Cooper had a quiet Week 2 as Michael Crabtree reeled in three touchdowns against the Jets. Crabtree pulled ahead of Cooper in price on DraftKings, but they each cost $7,700 on FanDuel. While Crabtree has dominated in the red zone, Cooper has immense big-play ability to along with his team-high 30 percent target share. Josh Norman will likely be planted on the left side as the Redskins don’t use him to shadow, so Cooper should see mostly Bashaud Breeland, which is a winnable matchup for Cooper with his 4.42-second 40 speed. The Redskins ranked 22nd and 29th in pass DVOA last year against No. 1 and No. 2 receivers.
Jamison Crowder: $4,900 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
Outside of Terrelle Pryor, the snaps have been fairly spread out among the Redskins receivers. After playing 78 percent of the snaps in Week 1, Crowder slumped to 54 percent in Week 2 while Josh Doctson saw an increased role. That said, Crowder is still second on the team with 65 percent of the snaps. He has a plus matchup in the slot against slot corner T.J. Carrie. Crowder scored all seven of his touchdowns from the slot last season. He has a Bargain Rating of 80 percent on FanDuel.
Tight Ends
Jason Witten: $4,500 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Through two weeks, the 35-year-old Witten is leading all tight ends in fantasy points. Both DraftKings and FanDuel refuse to price old dad tight ends up as Witten has a True Bargain Rating of at least 75 percent on both sites. With Dez Bryant left to tangle with Patrick Peterson for most of this game, more targets could be funneled toward Witten. QB Dak Prescott has really zoned in this season on his two main pass-catchers: Bryant and Witten have combined for 53 percent of the target share. The Cardinals just gave up 99 yards and nine receptions to tight ends last week; Witten may be in store for another busy game.
Jared Cook: $3,100 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
Cook is in a great spot on Sunday night as the Redskins have already allowed back-to-back 100-yard games to tight ends this season. He’s typically low-owned but has been an important part of the Raiders offense, sitting third with an 18.33 percent target share. Cook is sporting a 90 percent catch rate and 1.65 yards per route run, which is the eighth-highest mark among tight ends (PFF). He currently ranks as the top tight end in the Adam Levitan Model for DraftKings.
Good luck this week and be sure to research for yourself with our entire suite of Tools.
News Updates
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players herein mentioned. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our NFL news feed:
