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Week 2 Breakdown - Attack Angles

QB:

• Tom Brady, NE (@NO) - CASH The Patriots just got EMBARRASSED on national TV to start the NFL season. I would not want to be the Saints, at this very moment Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have gone into full mad professor mode in order to conjure up magic potions that are going to be used to obliterate the Saints Defense. Yes, the Saints defense looked faster and more competent than last year (that's not hard), but they still got run over in the end by the Minnesota Vikings, allowing Sam Bradford to throw for 3 TDs and 346 yards. While it's well past July, expect the Patriots to boldly exclaim that they will not go quietly into the night, and not vanish without a fight!

• Carson Palmer, ARI (@IND) - TOURNAMENT As everyone knows, David Johnson is out and is going to miss a significant amount of time. The Cardinals running game will not be the same without him, replaced by an ugly committee of at least 3 players. Losing DJ is significant, and Palmer is going to be forced to throw the ball more. In 2015 Palmer had one of the best seasons of his career with 4,671 yards and 35 TDs, where David Johnson only started the final 5 games. Head into 2016 where DJ was the unquestioned starter heading into the season, and Palmer threw 9 less Touchdowns with David Johnson eating into that total. Come back to this week where Palmer will be facing the Colts, one of the worst pass defenses in the league. The Arizona Cardinals are going to want to show the league that they aren't going to be knocked down by a single injury. Expect Palmer to throw early and often, and make a statement this week.

• Joe Flacco, BAL (vs CLE) - Uncle Pete’s Contrarian Pick He just threw for a paltry 121 yards against the Bengals in Week 1, where the Ravens offense did not seem to be on the same page, losing Danny Woodhead did not help the situation. Expect Flacco to be low owned in a week where many good QB matchups are available. Flacco himself has a good matchup against the Browns, against which he's had 4 solid games in a row dating back to 2015 where he's scored 21 or more DK fantasy points. Expect the Ravens passing offense to bounce back this week.

Other QBs to consider: Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett (if he starts)

RB:

• Melvin Gordon, LAC (vs. MIA) - CASH The Chargers new coach, Anthony Lynn was previously a Running Back coach, and from the looks of Week 1 they intend to have a heavy commitment to their running game. The Miami Dolphins have given up 1.3 TDs/Game and 163 rush YDS/Game to running backs over the last 4 games dating back to last year. The Chargers have a very balanced team, with a good pass and rush offense which will make the run game nearly impossible to stop. Expect Melvin Gordon to see around 20 rush attempts this game for over a 100 yards and TD. 

• Jacquizz Rodgers, TB (vs CHI) - TOURNAMENT Jacquizz Rodgers will be filling in for the suspended Doug Martin for this week 2 opener for Tampa Bay. Chicago may have stifled Atlanta last week only allowing 2.8 yards per carry to the team over 23 attempts, but going back to last year they were going torched against the run, allowing 9 rushing TDs and 672 rushing yards over the final 4 games of 2016. After a disappointing loss for Chicago, where 3 passes were dropped in the endzone to close out the game, look for Chicago to revert to what they were last year, after putting everything they had into week 1. 

• James White, NE (@NO) - Contrarian After his 3 TD performance, everyone will likely be on Mike Gillislee this week. However, if there's one thing we know, the Patriots love to change things up and will take what the defense gives them. The Saints defense gives up lots of passing yards to the the running back, to the tune of 117 yards per game over the last 4 games. Danny Amendola looks unlikely to return this week after suffering another concussion, and Brady is going to need some safe quick passing options and White can be that guy.

Other RBs to consider: Ezekiel Elliott, Tarik Cohen, Ty Montgomery

WR:

• Larry Fitzgerald, ARI (@IND) - CASH Carson Palmer might be our tournament target, but Larry Fitzgerald should be about as safe as it gets this week. As noted in the Palmer section above, they are going to need to throw the ball more without David Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald figures to pickup a couple extra targets without DJ on the field. The Colts rank near the bottom of the league in defense versus WRs, allowing 191 yards per game to them over the last 4 games. Lock and load with old man Larry Fitzgerald, who was looking as young as ever, while he stays healthy he figures to put up good numbers as long as DJ remains out. 

• T.Y. Hilton, IND (vs ARI) - TOURNAMENT Everyone and their mother knows how bad the Colts are without Andrew Luck, and Hilton is being avoided like the black plague. However we expect Jacoby Brissett to get the start this week, having him on the field gives the Colts a chance to actually move the ball down the field with his big arm. He's sure to turn the ball over plenty, which just means even more opportunity to throw the ball down the field in garbage time. Add onto this, the Arizona Cardinals have given up 234 Yards/Game to wide receivers over the last 4 weeks, the worst in the league over that time span. Hilton is certainly no guarantee, but he's going to be low owned and has big upside in this matchup. 

• Brandon Marshall, NYG (vs DET) [CONTRARIAN] Are you crazy?!? Yes, this is the 2nd week we've had Marshall here, but hear us out... The Detroit defense has allowed a league high 2.3 TDs/Game to WRs over the last 4 games. Brandon Marshall is a big buy, and his primary purpose on this team is to be a large body in the redzone for Eli Manning. There is no doubt about it, the Giants were an absolute disaster in Week 1, they only made it into the redzone a single time, which prevented Marshall to show off his redzone skills. OBJ will likely be back this week, even if he's at 80%, the Giants are going to be able to move the ball much easier with him on the field. With more redzone opportunities, and softer coverage, expect Marshall to bounce back.

Other WRs to consider: Mohamed Sanu, Jeremy Maclin

• Delanie Walker, TEN (@JAX) - CASH Virtually no Tight End has been more consistent over the last 2 years than Walker. He caught 7 of 9 targets for 76 yards in week 1. Walker has a softer matchup against the Jaguars who have allowed TEs .8 TD and 63 yards per game. Yes, the Jaguars defense just embarrassed the Houston Texans but that was against Tom Savage. The Jags are going to have a much harder time on defense this week facing off against the Titans with Marcus Mariota at the helm, having to stop a good run and pass attack this week. 

• Julius Thomas, MIA (@LAC) - TOURNAMENT If there's one thing Jay Cutler hates, is taking hits, unless it's a hit from a tobacco-pipe, which means TEs in this offense are going to get plenty of quick passes. Julius Thomas is a veteran tight end and Cutler is going to be flustered at points in his first Miami start, he's going to need a safe target to rely on and Thomas can be that guy.

Other TEs to consider: Zach Miller, Charles Clay

Def:

• Arizona Cardinals (@Indianapolis Colts)  The Arizona Cardinals defense has been one of the most consistent over the last year. Most of the time we're looking to target a defense at home, but since the Colts are so bad we'll take them on the road this week. The Cardinals will be either facing Jacoby Brissett or Scott Tolzien, and it really doesn't matter which. If it's Brissett, he's likely to get some points on the board, but more likely to throw a couple of interceptions. If it's Tolzien, the Cardinals could shut out the Colts and have a couple turnovers in the process. In either case, the Cardinals are going to be a popular pick this weekend.

• Baltimore Ravens (vs Cleveland Browns) The Ravens, on the road, just made the veteran Andy Dalton look like a 1st game rookie Quarterback after forcing him to throw 4 interceptions. This week, at home, the Ravens defense gets to feast upon the Cleveland Browns who have given up near a league high number of fantasy points to opposing defenses over the last few years. Yes, the Browns are a better team this year. Yes, DeShone Kizer has a good chance to be a good QB eventually, but he hasn't figured out the NFL yet. If last week is any indication, he is holding onto the ball way too long, which means sacks and potentially fumbles. If the Ravens can turn Dalton over 4 times, there is a good chance DeShone Kizer throws at least 1 or 2 as well.

Other DEF to consider: Seahawks

INJURIES TO WATCH (New):

• John Ross, CIN WR - Looks like he's going to play this week

• Odell Beckham, NYG WR - Still dealing with a high ankle sprain. We think he'll play this week, but would not touch him until he proves he's healthy

• Thomas Rawls, SEA RB - Expected to suit up in week 2

Week 1 Recap:

• Winner of the DraftKings W1 million dollar contest "bearsfan247" and he proved it with rostering Cohen (0.2% owned). Congrats!!! 🤑

• Billion dollar contest winner "xxxcbxxx" (only $500 bc it wasn't Perfect LU) scored 198.44. Would've been 2nd place in Million contest $250k.

• David Johnson and Le'Veon Bell had 21 carries and 55 rushing yards. COMBINED.

Here's what the Week 1, PERFECT Lineup would've looked like...

You can always watch it come together every week in real-time:

https://www.FantasySportsCo.com/Perfect/Sport/NFL/

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