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Juan's top NFL DFS value plays for Week 2 of the 2023 season. These sleepers are cheap on FanDuel, DraftKings, and Yahoo daily fantasy football contests.
Welcome to the Week 2 main slate edition of RotoBaller's NFL DFS Bargain Bin, where the goal is to touch on some potentially mispriced players across the industry who find themselves in favorable matchups and/or suddenly expanded roles.
Each week, I’ll give you my thoughts on where there may be some value spots to exploit. On this second main slate of the 2023 campaign, I'm glad to report there is an abundance of value-salary players on Yahoo, FanDuel, and DraftKings.
In addition to offering multiple candidates at each position, I'll also list at least one more player to consider, along with some site-specific value plays when applicable.
NFL DFS Bargain Bin Intro
Before we go NFL DFS Bargain Bin hunting, a few particulars about format and content.
The nature of the beast with value plays is at least a modest amount (and sometimes substantially more) of risk. Therefore, the Bargain Bin may prove to be a bit more of a rollercoaster ride on some slates than your typical “tout” article! Naturally, that doesn’t mean there isn’t an upside to be had. All of these selections are therefore suitable for GPPs and can also often serve as solid cash game plays, while often helping you accommodate multiple higher-priced studs into your lineup.
Typically, I’ll suggest players that are value-priced across three major DFS sites (DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo). However, there are certainly occasions where one or more sites price a player significantly lower than others. Whenever possible, I’ll typically at least note those players as an “XYZ site special.”
This article is by no means intended to serve as an exhaustive list of all value options for the week. Rather, it’s meant to take a deeper dive into those I feel offer some of the best combinations of savings and upside.
The goal is to recommend truly affordable players, as opposed to, say, a player priced just $300-$400 away from the highest-priced option at his position. I don’t have set-in-stone price limits in mind for each site, but I do consider legitimate affordability a very important criterion.
Quarterback DFS Value Plays
Brock Purdy, SF at LAR | DK: $5,700, FD: $7,100, Yahoo: $22
Purdy dispelled any doubts about the health of his surgically repaired elbow during his Week 1 performance against the Steelers when he threw for 220 yards and two touchdowns on tidy 19-for-29, mistake-free passing. The second-year signal-caller immediately validated the team's confidence in choosing to move forward with him and cutting bait altogether with one-time third-overall pick Trey Lance.
Purdy actually could have had a much more eye-catching season-opening stat line had the game script required it. He could get such an opportunity in Week 2, as the Rams showed they had a lot more playmaking prowess than initially believed during a surprising Week 1 thumping of the Seahawks.
Baker Mayfield, TB vs. CHI | DK: $5,100, FD: $6,800, Yahoo: $23
Mayfield's Week 1 may not have been as noteworthy as Purdy's, but the oft-maligned veteran certainly acquitted himself well in his first game in the unenviable role of serving as Tom Brady's immediate successor. Mayfield threw a pair of touchdown passes, and most important, stayed away from any turnovers on the road against the Vikings.
He displayed immediate chemistry out of the gate with both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who were on the receiving end of 11 of his completions. The duo, along with speed assets such as Trey Palmer and Deven Thompkins, could enjoy even more success against a Bears defense that couldn't figure out Jordan Love and a short-handed receiving corps in Week 1.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jordan Love, GB at ATL | DK: $5,500, FD: $7,200, Yahoo: $26
DK-Yahoo Special: Anthony Richardson, IND at HOU | DK: $5,900, Yahoo: $27
Running Back DFS Value Plays
James Cook, BUF vs. LV | DK: $6,100, FD: $ , Yahoo: $
The Bills suffered another heartbreaking overtime defeat Monday night against the Jets, but that doesn't mean there weren't any bright spots for Buffalo. Cook was one such example, as the second-year back finished with 63 yards on 16 touches. He had a solid two-way role out of the backfield that could yield exponentially better results in softer matchups than that presented by New York's defense.
Such an instance could unfold as soon as Sunday when what will likely be a Buffalo offense looking to make a statement takes on a Raiders team likely to have its issues defensively in the Bills' home opener.
Tyler Allgeier, ATL vs. GB | DK: $5,500, FD: $7,100, Yahoo: $20
There's naturally no question Allgeier will be rostered at a much higher clip in Week 2 than he was in the opener, when the DFS community by and large expected spectacular rookie Bijan Robinson would dominate touches. It turns out there's plenty of room for both players to thrive in head coach Arthur Smith's run-heavy attack. Allgeier unquestionably proved it with 75 yards and two touchdowns, along with three catches, in Week 1.
While it may seem like chasing points to go back to the well, there's little question the second-year back will see his fair share of touches in the climate-controlled conditions of his home stadium. He could make an impact once again as both runner and receiver in what should be a competitive matchup.
ALSO CONSIDER: Breece Hall, NYJ at DAL | DK: $5,900, FD: $6,900, Yahoo: $16
DK/Yahoo Special: Travis Etienne, JAC vs. KC | DK: $6,900, Yahoo: $23
Wide Receiver DFS Value Plays
Mike Williams, LAC at TEN | DK: $5,700, FD: $6,700, Yahoo: $24
Williams had to exit the Week 1 loss to the Dolphins briefly after taking a shot to the head, but he returned and finished with a serviceable 4-45 line on five targets. Los Angeles appears intent on doing plenty of downfield passing under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Williams could certainly be a beneficiary, especially if he's able to play an entire game uninterrupted by the injury bug that's plagued him throughout his career. He could have a chance to exponentially build on his Week 1 figure on Sunday. Tennessee sports a pass-funnel defense that tends to give up plenty of chunk plays through the air.
Deebo Samuel, SF vs. LAR | DK: $5,600, FD: $6,900, Yahoo: $20
Samuel was significantly overshadowed by teammate Brandon Aiyuk in Week 1, but that means little in terms of what to expect the following game from a Kyle Shanahan offense that spread the wealth around. Samuel's role is too robust and his talent is too evident for him not to have his share of big days.
In fact, he wasn't bad by any means against the Steelers with 55 receiving yards and another eight on the ground. Samuel now faces a Rams defense that admittedly significantly outperformed expectations in Week 1 against Seattle but that has an even tougher group of playmakers to try and slow down Sunday.
Nico Collins, HOU vs. IND | DK: $4,800, FD: $6,200, Yahoo: $16
Collins may seem like a somewhat odd selection, even at his very appealing salaries at first glance. But the speedster could well be in line for a second straight productive afternoon. Lost in the solid numbers C.J. Stroud put up in his regular-season debut was that Collins was a big part of them, as he produced six receptions for 80 yards on 11 targets.
Rookie signal-callers often latch on to certain targets early in their careers. At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Collins certainly fits the bill of security blanket. The 2021 third-round pick should once again have a chance to log plenty of opportunities in a game between two AFC South division mates that could be more competitive than many might assume.
ALSO CONSIDER: DJ Moore, CHI at TB | DK: $5,500, FD: $6,100, Yahoo: $17
Tight End DFS Value Plays
Sam LaPorta, DET vs. SEA | DK: $3,900, FD: $5,100, Yahoo: $16
Somewhat flying under the radar in the Lions' season-opening upset of the Chiefs was LaPorta's solid pro debut, where he caught all five targets for 39 yards while operating as the unquestioned No. 1 tight end. On a Lions team that's in need of complementary playmakers that perhaps have a bit less tread on their tires than the likes of Josh Reynolds and Marvin Jones, LaPorta has the potential to develop into a true asset at various depths of target for Jared Goff.
A matchup against what appears to be a soft Seahawks pass defense could certainly serve as a springboard for the rookie, who has the size to make an impact all over the field.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, TEN vs. LAC | DK: $3,300, FD: $4,700, Yahoo: $12
Both season-long and daily fantasy players had plenty of reason to be disappointed in Okonkwo's Week 1 performance, where he failed to come up with either of his two targets. The workload was concerning out of the gate, but Okonkwo has already endeared himself to this coaching staff with his hybrid receiver/tight end skills and isn't about to be relegated to irrelevance.
Tennessee, and Ryan Tannehill in particular, is extremely frustrated with the offense's season-opening body of work. There could be a solid amount of opportunity for Okonkwo to begin making his mark downfield against a Chargers team that was scorched in Week 1 by the Dolphins but typically makes things difficult on wideouts not named Tyreek Hill.
ALSO CONSIDER: George Kittle, SF vs. LAR | DK: $5,300, FD: $6,200, Yahoo: $23
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