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Jorge Pucks highlights the top NFL DFS lineup picks for Thursday Night Football for Week 2 of the 2020 season, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building TNF daily fantasy rosters on FanDuel and DraftKings.
Week 2 of the NFL season is underway and the Thursday night football showdown slate features the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns! This game has a low 43.5 point over/under with the Browns being favored by 6 points. Looking back at the 2019 season, the season series was split 1-1 as both Cleveland and Cincinnati won when they were hosting the matchup. Another interesting thing to note is that both games last year hit the over when comparing to this year's total of 43.5
In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for Thursday Night Football on September 17th, 2020 (Week 2). These lineups can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. Lineup construction can differ greatly from FanDuel to DraftKings with the biggest difference being the Captain and MVP slots. On DK, you'll pay 1.5x the salary of a player in order to roster them as your captain while the price doesn't change on FanDuel.
If you have any questions you can follow me on Twitter @jorgepucks and fire away, or sign up for a premium RotoBaller NFL package and chat with myself and other NFL DFS analysts any time you'd like! Now let's break this slate down and make some cash as we get ready for the full Sunday slate of games!
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DFS Quarterbacks
While this isn't as exciting of a matchup as Mahomes and Watson were last week, Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow should have some opportunities to put up points here in week 2. Baker is coming off of a lackluster performance against the Ravens but once again, he was facing a top defense in a brand new offensive system so that does play a factor. Joe Burrow got his first official start in the NFL and while his team did get the loss, Burrow did enough to put his team in a position to possibly tie the score at the end of the game (thanks a lot Randy Bullock).
With the low total, people might gravitate away from playing these quarterbacks but a contrarian move is to roll both guys in tournament lineups. Baker had 39 passing attempts against Baltimore and while a lot of that was in the second half trying to catch up to the Ravens, it showed that they are not afraid to rely on Mayfield's arm talent to keep them in games regardless of the opponent. Joe Burrow attempted 36 passes against the Chargers in week 1 and while he didn't light it up in terms of passing touchdowns or even passing yardage, Burrow showed his upside by rushing eight times for 46 yards and a touchdown.
Summary: Both QBs are viable in tournaments and stacking them together to be different. Both make viable captain/MVP choices.
DFS Running Backs
Both teams have young stud running backs that should be in consideration for your showdown lineups. Joe Mixon had himself a field day last season against the Browns as he rushed for over 300 yards and three rushing touchdowns in just two regular-season games. On the other side of the ball, Nick Chubb carried the rock for the Browns 28 times while accumulating 147 yards in his two games against the Bengals.
In the first game of the 2020 season, Kareem Hunt actually had more rushing attempts (13) than starting running back Nick Chubb (10) which is worth noting. The Browns signed Hunt to a two-year extension before the start of the season so this means we might see a little bit less of a workload for Chubb and an increased workload for Hunt. For the Bengals, Mixon saw a bulk of the carries as he had 19 rushing attempts but accumulated only 69 rushing yards. Backing him up is the long-time vet Gio Bernard. While Bernard is not a threat to take any rushing attempts away from Mixon, he was targeted five times in the passing game which tells us he is still finding ways to be involved in the offensive gameplan.
Summary: Mixon is the safest back on the slate for cash. Gio Bernard is an excellent value on DK. The Browns RB situation is a little more split with the workload so both are better off in tournaments.
DFS Wide Receivers
There are some really intriguing receiving options on this slate that could be viable for both cash games and tournament lineups. When looking at the Bengals side of things, A.J. Green is the first guy to mention. In his first game back in action since 2018, Green saw nine targets and hauled in five catches from rookie QB Joe Burrow. While it wasn't a monster type of performance we are used to seeing from him, it was encouraging to see Green back out there and being involved in the Bengals offense. Behind Green, Tyler Boyd and John Ross III saw five targets each with Boyd hauling four of those targets while Ross was only able to bring in two of them for catches.
For Cleveland, Odell Beckham Jr. led all receivers with 10 targets but was only able to haul in three of them for catches in game 1. Jarvis Landry hauled in five catches on six targets and is still viewed as one of the better points per reception receivers in the league based on his shorter routes and consistent hands. Outside of the big two receivers, the running backs were involved in the passing game and so were the tight ends so other receivers like KhaDarel Hodge are nothing more than tournament fliers.
Summary: ODB and Green are the two safest receivers when it comes to targets so they are viable for both cash and tournament builds. Landry has one of the best floors on the slate and is great for cash games. Boyd and Ross provide high-upside options in tournament builds while Hodge, Higgins, Tate, and Thomas are all low-floor tournament options.
DFS Tight Ends
The tight end position isn't as strong as last week's Thursday showdown but there are still some viable options. With David Njoku getting placed on the IR, this opens the door for Austin Hooper to really emerge as the top tight end option in Cleveland. In the opening game against the Ravens, Hooper was limited to just two targets and 15 receiving yards while Njoku recorded three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown.
On the Bengals side, CJ Uzomah saw a solid volume of passes as he hauled in four catches on five targets while recording 45 receiving yards. In 2019, Uzomah racked up six catches for 29 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Browns but with the Bengals spreading the ball around more, Uzomah could end up being in some favorable mismatches.
Summary: Play Hooper in all formats. Uzomah makes for a solid GPP value option, especially when pairing with Burrow.
DFS Defense/Special Teams
Defenses do get overlooked when it comes to showdown slates but when glancing at this matchup, I think we can avoid these defenses entirely. Even though Vegas is projecting the over/under to be a lower scoring game, something tells me this could end up being a higher-scoring affair like we saw in 2019. Both teams faced very good defenses in week 1 and with little turn around time to fully prepare, it might be tough to see either defense be full prepared for the opposing offenses.
If you like dealing with kicker drama, this game is full of it. Austin Seibert had a rough week 1 against Baltimore as he missed both a field goal and an extra point attempt and was released yesterday afternoon. He was picked up by the Bengals to back up Randy Bullock who was dealing with a calf issue (yes, the calf issue that flared up on the game-tying attempt that he missed) against the Chargers. Cody "Double Doink" Parkey was swept up by the Browns after releasing Seibert and will take over the field goal kicking duties for Cleveland come Thursday night.
Summary: Both defenses look to be nothing but tournament fliers. Parkey looks to be the best option is looking to use a kicker.
Good luck, RotoBallers, and remember to mix it up and don't be afraid to be different in these large field GPPs on opening night!
