By: @Ryan_Humphries | LineStar Chat: @N1TRO

Catch up on all other LineStar NFL content:

📰 Week 1 NFL Takeaways (Recapping last week's games & storylines)

🏈 2020 NFL Season Preview & Strategy Guide

🔊 PreSnap Podcast every Tuesday, Thursday & Friday!

👇 Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts! 👇

iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRADIO | Stitcher | YouTube

Welcome back for the week two NFL Primetime Preview! We'll be looking ahead to this week's three primetime games and focusing on some avenues to attack each match-up from a single-game DFS perspective. Due to how the rosters are constructed for single-game NFL slates, this is more geared towards a DraftKings GPP approach.

For anyone looking for some lineup construction tips and other strategies specific to single-game NFL slates, feel free to refer back to the top portion of week one’s “Primetime Preview” for some info and advice!

Thursday Night Football

Cincinnati Bengals @ Cleveland Browns (-6) | 43/5 O/U

CIN: 18.8 implied points | CLE: 24.8 implied points

TNF brings us an AFC North battle between the Bengals and Browns -- two teams anxious to prove that they’re not content with being bottom dwellers below the Ravens and Steelers within their division. The Bengals, led by rookie QB Joe Burrow, narrowly missed out on the week one upset against the Chargers, due to a debatable OPI call which was followed by a short missed FG that would have forced overtime. Burrow only passed for 193 yards on 36 attempts (5.4 YPA) and one score, but he flashed the same dual-threat ability he showed at LSU while scrambling for 46 yards on eight rushes (5.8 YPC) and a rushing TD. Quarterbacks who can add value with their legs are DFS gold, so don’t be surprised if Burrow turns in some stellar fantasy performances throughout this season if he keeps running 5-10 times a game. Burrow did look to spread the ball around quite a bit, and the week one Cincy target leaders were as follows: AJ Green (9), Gio Bernard (5), Tyler Boyd (5), John Ross III (5), CJ Uzomah (5), and Joe Mixon (2). Early on, it is clear (and also not much of a surprise) that Burrow will be looking to get the ball first and foremost to a healthy AJ Green. In the backfield, Joe Mixon didn’t have a remarkable day (71 total yards & one lost fumble), but the important note is that he received 20 touches.

The Browns, even by their standards, looked awful (sorry Browns fans). But the Super Bowl contending Ravens will make several teams look awful this season, so perhaps we can give them somewhat of a pass. One thing is certain -- Baker Mayfield will need to show much more than he did in week one (21-39, 189 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 53.8% comp%, 4.8 YPA). OBJ caught just three of his team-leading ten targets as Mayfield erratically chucked the football his way throughout that game. Following OBJ in targets were: Jarvis Landry (6), Kareem Hunt (6), and KhaDarel Hodge (3). TE Austin Hooper only saw two targets, which is concerning. But you have to think with David Njoku on IR, Hooper’s involvement will grow, and he did lead all CLE TEs with 56 snaps (Bryant - 31, Njoku - 17). The Browns backfield situation was also noteworthy, as Kareem Hunt out-snapped Nick Chubb 36 to 35 and saw 17 touches to Chubb’s 11. It’s likely that was driven by game script, but it’s worth remembering if the Browns go into a week where they’ll likely be playing from behind.

Offensive injury notes: WR Jarvis Landry - questionable with a hip injury, TE David Njoku - sent to IR due to a knee sprain.

Lineup Construction: We probably shouldn’t expect an offensive explosion here and this could be another sloppy Thursday night game, but the obvious (and probably safest) build would be a 3-3 even split. Though, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Bengals come out more polished on offense and win this game by a decent margin. Thus, I also like a 4-2 (CIN-CLE) build for showdown GPPs.

Players to Consider:

No-brainer captain selections: Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham Jr., AJ Green

RB Kareem Hunt | GPP Captain Rating: ★★★★☆

As mentioned above, the offensive snap split between Hunt and Chubb was pretty identical but Hunt received the most touches, 17 to 11. More notably, it would seem the Browns are looking to utilize Hunt much more on passing downs. The Browns also signed Hunt to a two-year contract worth over $13 million a little over a week ago, indicating he should have a significant role in this offense regardless of the score. The Browns are going to score more than six points this week and if Hunt sees upwards of 15+ touches again, he can definitely turn in a high-end fantasy performance against this lackluster Bengals defense.

WR John Ross III | GPP Captain Rating: ★★★☆☆

Everyone knows the knock on Ross is his ability, or lack thereof, to stay healthy. But if he can stay healthy, at some point his blazing 4.22 speed he showed off in the 2017 NFL combine will help him become a semi-reliable big play threat. Ross only caught two of his five targets for 17 yards last Sunday, but his 83.8% snap rate was actually tops among all Cincy WRs (Boyd - 80.9%, Green - 66.2%, Thomas/Tate/Higgins - 22.1%). All Ross would need to do would be to make a couple big plays and he’s instantly an optimal DFS showdown selection.

TE Austin Hooper | GPP Captain Selection: ★★☆☆☆

Unless their name is Kelce or Kittle, tight ends usually don’t end up being the optimal captain selection, but Hooper’s role almost has to increase by default this week and he could be worth some consideration, especially if he’s going to go under-owned. Hooper was on the field plenty (77% snap rate) but obviously nothing was working for Cleveland against the stout Raven’s defense. As mentioned above, with David Njoku (knee) out on IR, Hooper should further secure more involvement in the passing game.

Sunday Night Football

New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks (-4) | 45 O/U

NE: 20.5 implied points | SEA: 24.5 implied points

I think we’ll all be anxious to see how this one pans out for Cam Newton and the Pats. Winning by ten points at home against Miami is a promising start to the post-Brady era in New England but traveling on the road to Seattle, even without the 12th man present, is an entirely different challenge. The New England offensive attack looked day and night different under Cam Newton than it did under Brady, but that’s not much of a shocker. Newton completed as many passes (15) as he had rush attempts, and only threw 19 times total. If they happen to fall behind on the scoreboard, it’ll be interesting to see just how that game plan changes. Russell Wilson looked about as impressive as he ever has, after completing 31/35 passes (88.6%) for 322 yards (9.2 YPA) with 4 TDs, no picks, and he threw in 29 yards on three runs (9.7 YPC) as well. But Wilson and the Seahawks will be taking on a major oppositional change from week one, going from Atlanta’s porous defense to the lockdown Patriots defense.

Offensive injury issues: No notable injuries as of Wednesday.

Lineup Construction: The Seahawks are home favorites and have more overall playmakers, so I could see leaning in the direction of a 4-2 (SEA-NE) build. If you can find the right two players to pair with Cam Newton, I could see a 3-3 working out well, as this game *should* play fairly close, and the Patriots could certainly pull of the slight upset.

Players to Consider:

No-brainer captain selections: Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Chris Carson, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Julian Edelman

Note: Stephon Gilmore could likely shadow DK Metcalf in this game, so Lockett would be my preferred Seattle WR to roll with.

WR N’Keal Harry | GPP Captain Rating: ★★★☆☆

Harry only had a 3.5 yard aDOT (average depth of target) against Miami, but his five targets did represent a 26% target share. Newton will almost certainly attempt more than 19 passes moving forward, and if Harry is locked into a target share near 25%, he’ll be worth a look in an offense that should be able to move the ball well against this good, but not overly dominant, Seattle defense.

WR Damiere Byrd | GPP Captain Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Byrd received no targets from Cam Newton in week one but his 56 offensive snaps (87.5% snap rate) were actually more than both N’Keal Harry (51 - 79.7%) and Julian Edelman (37 - 57.8%). Byrd has just 44 career NFL receptions as he plays into his 5th season but he has 4.3 speed and could potentially be the intended go-to downfield threat for the Patriots. Regardless, if he continues to see a snap rate near 90%, at some point the targets are going to come his way. It’s a risky situation to diagnose from a one week sample size, but I believe I’d target him in some GPP showdown builds.

TE Greg Olsen | GPP Captain Rating: ★★☆☆☆

The optimal captain in this game will almost certainly come from the above “no-brainer” list. But if reigning NFL defensive player of the year, Stephon Gilmore, does indeed lock down DK Metcalf, then Olsen could end up being possibly the second-most targeted receiver on Seattle. Is that likely? No. Possible? Absolutely. Olsen was in on 66.1% of snaps in week one and caught all four of his targets for 24 yards and a touchdown. At this point, the 35-year-old veteran tight end isn’t going to be busting off 100+ yard receiving games, but catching a couple redzone touchdowns is well within the realm of possibilities.

Monday Night Football

New Orleans Saints (-6) @ Las Vegas Raiders | 49.5 O/U

NO: 27.8 implied points | LV: 21.8 implied points

The NFL wraps up week two with a possible high-scoring affair as the Saints visit the Raiders at the brand new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both teams are coming off of 34-point winning performances in week one. The major news in this game comes from the Saints side of the ball, as all-world wide receiver Michael Thomas is reportedly set to miss ‘several weeks’ due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered against the Bucs. Thomas is coming off of a historical 2019 season where he saw a massive 32% target share, so obviously other receivers will be required to soak up the targets he’ll leave behind. That is, of course, assuming he doesn’t attempt to play through that injury this week, but he is currently listed as ‘doubtful’. On the Raiders side, it’s tough to judge just how good their offense is after running all over a depleted Panthers defense, but one thing is pretty obvious -- the potential for them to be a complete top 10 offense is there. I could actually see this being a really fun game to watch, especially since Drew Brees and the Saints typically aren’t as dominant when they’re on the road.

Offensive injury issues: WR Michael Thomas - listed as doubtful with that high-ankle sprain.

Lineup Construction: I believe we'll see a fair amount of points come from both sides in this one and an even 3-3 build seems to be the most favorable approach to take.

Players to Consider:

No-brainer captain selections: Drew Brees, Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Josh Jacobs, Jared Cook*

*If Michael Thomas does end up sitting out.

WR Tre’Quan Smith | GPP Captain Selection: ★★★★☆

I am assuming Thomas sits this week so Smith lands on my radar for this showdown slate and could end up being the optimal captain selection, under the right circumstances. While he only saw one target in week one, he also received a 64.7% snap rate, which trailed Michael Thomas (80.9%) but was ahead of Emmanuel Sanders (48.5%). Both receivers will be in line to see a major uptick in snaps due to MT’s injury, but Smith could arguably be the bigger playmaker with his career 9.5 yards/target (vs. 8.0 yards/target for Sanders). You also have to remember that Sanders is a 33-year-old receiver whose speed in the open field these days probably doesn’t stack up against the 24-year-old Smith’s 4.4 speed. Smith is also 6’2” (Sanders 5’11”) and could be viewed as more of a target in the redzone. I’ve been a big Emmanuel Sanders fan for a while and believe he is still a really solid NFL receiver, so I’m not saying he’s definitely going to play second fiddle to Smith, but it’s a possibility.

WR Henry Ruggs III | GPP Captain Rating: ★★★★★

Despite a somewhat quiet rookie debut (5 tgt., 3 rec., 55 yds - 2 rush, 11 yds), Ruggs saw a 60.48% share of his team’s total air yards (per NFL Next Gen Stats), which led all receivers in week one. The Raiders are obviously going to try to get their electric rookie playmaker the ball, as evidenced by those two rushing attempts. If the Raiders get caught up playing from behind, or if they simply can’t be content with handing Josh Jacobs the ball 25+ times, then Ruggs should be featured prominently and is 100% worth some consideration in the captain roster spot.

RB Latavius Murray | GPP Captain Rating: ★★★☆☆

Kamara is ‘the man’ in this backfield, no one is questioning that. However, Murray still garnered 15 carries (and one target) last week. He didn’t turn those carries into much production (48 yards, 3.2 YPC) but Tampa Bay does possess a stout run defense… Oakland does not. If the Saints end up getting up by multiple scores, I would imagine they’ll continue to give Murray a solid workload and, hey, who knows… maybe he finds the endzone a time or two. Sean Payton and the Saints really know how to keep you guessing on who will be scoring touchdowns for them in any given week.

That will wrap us up for the Week 2 Primtime Preview! Be on the look out for the full main slate breakdown tomorrow. Once again, you can find me on Twitter @Ryan_Humphries or in the LineStar NFL chat by tagging me @N1TRO. Good luck this week!

Let us know if you enjoyed the issue with a 👍/👎!

🚨 Get 3 Free Months of LineStar Premium 🚨

Get 3-months of LineStar Premium for new users to SuperDraft who deposit/play $10!

Terms: Partnership offers do NOT renew. See SuperDraft landing page for full terms and conditions. Must be a new user to SuperDraft and deposit and play a minimum of $10 to qualify. If you have an existing LineStar Premium subscription you get a Hat/Tee/Pen combo instead of the 3-months.