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Week 2 of the NFL season is underway and the Monday night football showdown slate features the Las Vegas Raiders and the New Orleans Saints! This game currently has a 48.5 over/under with the Saints being favored by 5.5 points.
In this article, I will be providing you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for Monday Night Football on September 21st, 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
This matchup features the top two completion percentage leaders from the 2019 season. Drew Brees will be a popular choice on this slate and rightfully so. The Raiders defense allowed Teddy Bridgewater to throw for 269 yards and one touchdown while completing 22 total passes. The biggest knock on the Raiders defense is that they struggled to rush the passer and with having such a young inexperienced secondary, that could lead to success for Brees. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Taysom Hill in a showdown slate article. The offensive wild card for the Saints does it all and is worth consideration in large-field tournaments due to his multiple roles in the Saints offense.
On the other side of this game sits Derek Carr. Carr has personally improved since Jon Gruden took over as the head coach and now has the best support he has had in his entire career. The Saints Defense presents a very tough challenge for Carr as they are a very aggressive unit and are able to get after the opposing quarterbacks. In week 1, they were able to get to Brady three times while also generating two turnovers so in order for the Raiders to compete in this game, Carr will need to protect the ball and the offensive line will need to block to the best of their abilities. The Saints know that the Raiders offense will run through Josh Jacobs which means they might force Carr to beat them with his arm.
Summary: Brees has the higher upside of the two quarterbacks and is viable in both cash and tournaments. Carr draws lower ownership by far which means he would be a deep flier in large-field tournaments.
DFS Running Backs
This game features some of the better running backs in the league. On the Saints side of the ball, they have a great 1-2 punch in Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray who will both be heavily involved in the gameplan with Michael Thomas most likely being out for this game. The Raiders defense went up against the top running back in the league against Christain McCaffrey in week 1 and now have to turn around and face an elite running back in Kamara. With the Saints potentially being out of their top receiver, we could see more pass-catching opportunities for Kamara which also means Murray could also see an uptick in snaps as well (nice little revenge narrative for Murray who first started his NFL career with the Raiders).
For the Raiders, it really is a one-man show with Josh Jacobs. Jacobs had 25 rushing attempts for 93 yards while also logging three rushing touchdowns in a Raiders win. Coach Gruden said in the off-season that he wanted to get Jacobs more involved in the passing game and he was right as he hauled in four receptions on six targets for 46 yards. The Saints did a great job bottling up Tampa Bay's rushing attack in week 1 and limiting them to 86 rushing yards but the Raiders offensive line and rushing attack present a whole different challenge for New Orleans.
Summary: Kamara and Jacobs are the two safest options for cash games. Both warrant tournament consideration while Murray could be a lower owned tournament play if used in the same lineup as Kamara.
DFS Wide Receivers
The biggest news as we head into this game is the status of Michael Thomas. He has been officially ruled out which means you can give bumps to Emmanuel Sanders, Tre'Quan Smith, Jared Cook, and even Alvin Kamara. Smith could have himself a big day as he actually out-snapped Sanders in week 1 and will be relied on heavily by Brees. Sanders has had experience against this Raiders defense as he has faced them over the years while he was a member of the Denver Broncos. Over his two most recent games played against the Raiders, he has combined for nine catches and racked up 182 yards and a touchdown. A deep flier for the Saints could be the Deonte Harris who is a speedster and could see an increase in snaps while Thomas is out.
The Raiders restocked their receiving room this off-season by drafting Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards while also signing veteran Nelson Agholor. Ruggs III made his presence felt early on in week 1 as he was involved in both the passing and running game (sweep plays). He did bang his knee awkwardly which seemed to affect him in the second half and comes into this game listed as questionable. With the attention going to Ruggs III, guys like Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards, Zay Jones, and Nelson Agholor are all in play with Renfrow and Edwards having the most carved out roles amongst this group.
Summary: Sanders, Smith, and Ruggs III are the best options when it comes to rostering receivers in this game. They are all viable for cash and tournament builds while Edwards, Renfrow, Jones, Agholor, and Harris are worth looking at in tournaments to diversify your lineups.
DFS Tight Ends
This game features some great tight end play which could be the position that makes or break the slate. On the Saints, you have Jared Cook going up against his former team where he got his first pro-bowl bid. If you are one for revenge narratives, this would be a matchup to target. Cook could see an uptick in targets in this matchup and with the Raiders linebacking group having their hands full with Kamara and Murray, Cook could see some favorable matchups against the Raiders safeties. Behind Jared Cook on the depth chart sits Josh Hill. Hill actually saw more snaps than Cook but is not the receiving threat that Cook is.
For the Raiders, they have one of the deeper tight end rooms in the league. They are led by Darren Waller who is a tough matchup for most defenses based on his size and athletic ability. Behind Waller, the Raiders have veteran Jason Witten and two young tight ends in Foster Moreau and Derek Carrier. Moreau led the tight end room in touchdown receptions last season with five before he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Witten looks to have surpassed Moreau on the depth chart and even saw a red zone target last week.
Summary: Both Cook and Waller are viable options for cash games and tournament builds with Waller being the safest option. Witten, Moreau, and Hill are all long shot tournament fliers if needing salary.
DFS Defense/Special Teams
With this being a higher-totaled game and both offenses looking good in week 1, it looks like it would be best to fade rostering a defense. If I was forced to pick rostering a defense, I would lean going with the Saints defense just because the Raiders fall behind early in the game which means the Saints defense could pin their ears back and go after Carr which would generate potential sacks and turnovers. From the kicking game perspective, both kickers are viable since this game is taking place indoors and both offenses should be able to move the ball into their opponent's side of the field.
Summary: Both defenses could be risky to use with the Saints being the safer choice. Both Lutz and Carlson have strong legs and could be lower owned tournament plays.
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!
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