Ladies and Gentlemen, girls and boys, people of all ages; Week 2 is upon us. With players like Michael Thomas getting hurt, the Eagles offensive line looking like crap, and running back committees ruining our sleep, I bring to you Week 2 of Money Makers and Heart Breakers. Hopefully this will help you get to your happy place, which I hope is the win column.
If you follow me on Twitter, you will see a longer thread of who is a Money Maker and who will be a Heart Breaker. The beauty of this article is you get to see more of the “WHY” someone is more likely to produce (or not) each week.
Money Maker – I think this person will perform well this week and be better than expectations
Heart Breaker – These players will not have a good week
Quarterbacks
💰 Money Makers
Matt Ryan – Against the Cowboys, Ryan is a super high-floor and high-ceiling play. As we saw in Week 1, he has an amazing trio of wide receivers and throws often and equally to all three. Ryan had 54 attempts in Week 1, with 450 yards and 2 TDs. If these numbers continue, he is going to be a top-3 QB for the season. ($7,700 on FanDuel)
Dak Prescott – Dak also has a very good trio of wide receivers. They easily rival the Falcons in talent. This should be a shoot out. Last week, the Falcons defense gave up 322 yards and 4 TDs to Wilson and the Seahawks; I would expect to see comparative numbers for Dak this week. ($8,300 on FanDuel)
Philip Rivers – With Marlon Mack out of the lineup, the Colts threw even more. Rivers had 363 yards and a TD in Week 1. The Vikings secondary is remade and was eviscerated by Aaron Rodgers last week. The Colts are going to throw, and all of their pass catchers are upgraded. Rivers will have a big day. Kyle Larson writes more on why you may want to stream him in the Stream Option. ($7,100 on FanDuel)
Other quarterbacks I like in Week 2:
- There are the obvious: Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson.
- The not so obvious: Daniel Jones, Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins.
💔 Heart Breakers
Ryan Fitzpatrick – Fitzpatrick threw 3 interceptions and had only 191 yards last week against the Patriots. The Bills defense isn’t going to give him a respite from what he saw Week 1. With DeVante Parker banged up and Preston Williams still recovering, it could be a very long day for Fitzmagic.
Baker Mayfield – Mayfield threw 36 passes in Week 1 for 23 completions, 193 yards with an interception and 3 sacks. This looks like it could be a bounce-back week for him, but his history against the Bengals is abysmal. Maybe you could play him in a 2QB league.
Others quarterbacks I am not super high on Week 2: Darnold, Lock, Carr, Taylor, and Wentz.
Running Backs
💰 Money Makers
Derrick Henry – Henry rushed 31 times for 116 yards in Week 1. They are going to run him and run him some more in this offense. The Jaguars were destroyed by the Colts running backs, more in the passing game than the running game, but that shouldn’t matter. Henry has essentially owned the Jaguars over the past two years, and that isn’t about to stop Week 2 at home. Big day coming. ($8,300 on FanDuel)
Jonathan Taylor (and Nyheim Hines) – With the advent of Mack having a season-ending injury, Taylor is now the primary ball carrier for the Colts. In Week 1 he did most of his damage through the air. Week 2 will see him get yards on the ground as well. We also know the offense and the quarterback will be targeting both of these running backs often. If you are playing PPR, I recommend playing Taylor and Hines. Week 2 is looking bright for both in Indy. (Taylor is $5,800 on FanDuel and Hines is $5,000 on FanDuel)
Adrian Peterson – I know, I can’t believe I just typed that. If you are in need of a running back, he had 93 yards rushing last week and 3 catches for 21 yards, out-touching and out-producing Swift in the Lions backfield. This week he is playing the Packers, who gave up 134 yards on the ground and 2 touchdowns to the Vikings. As surprised as I am, he is useful. ($5,500 on FanDuel)
Nick Chubb – Despite what people may think, Chubb played well in Week 1. 10 carries for 60 yards is pretty damn impressive. This week, the Browns will be ahead, and Chubb will run more. The Bengals are missing their defensive tackle and gave up 148 yards and a touchdown last week to Chargers RBs. Chubb is the Thursday night Special (Bang Bang).
Other running backs to play:
- The obvious: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chris Carson, Alvin Kamara, Saquon Barkley, Christian McCaffrey, and Ezekiel Elliott
💔 Heart Breakers
Melvin Gordon – Gordon was okay Week 1. He had only 78 yards rushing and a TD. The Steelers bottled up the Giants run game and Saquon Barkley, allowing him 6 yards rushing. I expect to see that happen to the Broncos run game as well. If Gordon produces, it will most likely be through receiving. Sit him if you have better options.
Joe Mixon – Mixon didn’t look stellar in week 1. If you know me, you know I constantly say #NeverMixon. On top of my personal feeling towards Mixon, he is playing against the Browns, which were stingy in Week 1 to the Ravens (yes, the “we run on everyone” Ravens.) The Ravens running backs only had 63 yards on the ground, although they did produce 2 TDs. Unless a touchdown saves the day, you can expect Mixon to struggle in Week 2. #NeverMixon lives on!
Joshua Kelley – He had a productive Week 1 in his split with Ekeler. 60 yards and a rushing touchdown. This week brings up the Chiefs, and what will surely be a negative game script for the Chargers chasing points on the board. Expect the Chargers to throw the ball a lot. The only way I see Kelley producing is with goal line scores, which are unpredictable at best.
Other running backs that will cost you in Week 2: Mark Ingram, David Montgomery, D’Andre Swift, and all Patriots running backs.
Wide Receivers
💰 Money Makers
John Brown – Brown led the Bills in targets and air yards in Week 1. He finished with 6 receptions for 70 yards and a touchdown. Last season Brown owned the Dolphins, finishing those games with 5/83/1 and 9/137/2. I would expect Brown to continue his great play since joining the Bills. ($6,400 on FanDuel)
Juju Smith-Schuster – The return of Roethlisberger meant the return to elite WR play for Juju. Last week we saw 6 targets for 6 receptions, 69 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The Broncos watched Cory Davis make 7 catches for 101 yards in Week 1. Diontae Johnson is also a nice play here after he was targeted 10 times in Week 1. ($7,100 on FanDuel)
Darius Slayton – I was afraid last week to play him. I sat him myself against that Steelers defense. The Bears are also a good defense. But last week Slayton caught 6 passes for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. I am not chasing points here. I highly doubt Slayton will repeat with 2 touchdowns in Week 2, but he is the primary option in the passing attack; he and Daniel Jones have some “je ne sais quoi”, and I don’t want to question it. ($5,300 on FanDuel)
Other wide receivers to play:
- The obvious: Adam Thielen, DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Julio Jones, and Chris Godwin
- The not so obvious: Will Fuller, T.Y. Hilton, and Parris Campbell
NOTE: Play those Cowboys and Falcons WRs. It should be a very fun game for us.
💔 Heart Breakers
Odell Beckham Jr. – OBJ typically does his damage running downfield outside the numbers, and when he played with Eli that was a dangerous proposition for other teams to allow. He doesn’t play with Eli anymore, he plays with Baker Mayfield who is completely inaccurate outside the numbers. Beckham was targeted 10 times in Week 1, and he had 3 receptions for 22 yards. He and Mayfield go together like filet mignon and peanut butter: not at all.
Tyler Boyd – Boyd saw 5 targets in Week 1. Burrow only threw for 193 yards. I am not very high on any Bengals wide receiver. Boyd may have some weeks of production during the season, but I want to see it before I believe. The Browns were beat by a burner last week (Marquise Brown) for 5 receptions and 101 yards. Seems like A.J. Green may be the guy and not Boyd in Cincy.
Eagles Wide Receivers – Do you really want me to name them? All of them. If someone is playing wide receiver for the Eagles, just ignore that player.
Tight Ends
💰 Money Makers
Dallas Goedert – Strike up the bandwagon for Goedert and Ertz. They are playing the Rams, they line up out wide a lot, and will lead the team in targets. Essentially, the Eagles tight ends are everything the Eagles wide receivers are not. I would play both Ertz and Goedert where needed. In Week 1 Goedert led the team in targets (9), receptions (8), and yards (101). He also had a touchdown. (Ertz is $6,300 on FanDuel and Goedert is $5,500 on FanDuel)
Noah Fant – Week 1 we watched Fant have 5 receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. I wasn’t sure what to expect from him in the preseason. He was everything all my friends on Twitter told me he would be in Week 1. If Sutton is out, someone has to catch the ball and it appears Fant is that someone. ($5,300 on FanDuel)
Hunter Henry – In Week 1, Henry had 5 receptions for 73 yards. The Chiefs gave up 4 receptions for 58 yards and a TD to tight ends in Week 1. I would expect a high floor for Henry in Week 2. ($6,100 on FanDuel)
Jared Cook – Week 1 Cook saw 7 targets for 5 receptions and 80 yards. Michael Thomas is OUT, so someone has to help Kamara pick up the passing game. Cook is that guy.
Other tight ends to play:
- The obvious: Mark Andrews, Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Darren Waller.
- The not so obvious: O.J. Howard, Tyler Higbee, Logan Thomas, (mentioned on Unscripted in July) and T.J. Hockenson.
💔 Heart Breakers
Austin Hooper – In Week 1 Hooper saw 2 targets, which he turned into 2 receptions for 15 yards. Njoku did get hurt and is OUT, so there is hope here for Hooper. I think I need to see it before I plug him in a DFS or redraft line up though.
NOTE: If Landry doesn’t suit up on Thursday night, Hooper becomes a money maker and not a heart breaker for me.
Hayden Hurst – He was the fifth option in the passing game in Week 1, garnering 5 targets for 3 receptions and 38 yards. The Cowboys are up next; they only allowed 5 receptions for 47 yards to the Rams tight ends last week. Hurst may be the victim of simply being behind more talented guys right now in Jones, Ridley, Gage, and Gurley when looking for targets and production.
Thanks for checking out our Money Makers and Heart Breakers column. For more great content from the Undroppables, follow us on Twitter, follow @MikeReedyFF for more great content, and visit back soon for Mike’s weekly UNtangling the Wire (waiver wire) article.
