Week 2 of the NFL season is officially in the books, and Tom Brady proved he's still one of the top QBs in the league. He torched the Saints defense, completing 30 of 39 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns. It was a vintage performance from arguably the greatest of all time, and the Patriots will now turn their attention to the Houston Texans.
The Texans present a much greater test on the defensive end, and the health of Rob Gronkowski could be a crucial factor in the Pats success in Week 3. Gronk left the game in Week 2 after dominating the New Orleans secondary; he totaled six catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. He's stated the injury is "nothing serious," and he's listed as day-to-day in early week reports.
As I mentioned, it's a much tougher test for the Pats offense this week, but Tom Brady has proven he's capable of producing massive fantasy totals against even the league's best defenses. If he does break down the Houston D, Chris Hogan will likely be the beneficiary. Hogan had five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown against the Saints, and he's been one of Brady's most trusted targets.
Will all that said, let's jump right in and preview Week 3! As always, you can reach me on the ol' Twitter machine **@SBuchanan24**.
GAME NOTES
Highest Scoring Game
Oakland Raiders vs. Washington Redskins - 54 projected points
The highest projected total of the week once again belongs to the Sunday Night primetime game featuring the Raiders at the Redskins. The Raiders opened up as 3.5 favorites on the road in Washington. Derek Carr has been fantastic so far this season, averaging 19.9 fantasy points in the first two games of the season, completing 75% of his passes for 492 yards and five touchdowns. Carr is a very reasonable $6,800, which is a $400 drop from Week 2. While this isn't a slam dunk matchup for him, Carr has looked very impressive thus far and has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal. One aspect that may go overlooked this week is the usage of TE Jared Cook. The Raiders tight end has received 11 targets through two weeks, and the Redskins have thus far allowed the most receiving yards at 208 with 13 receptions to the position. Josh Norman will most certainly be on Amari Cooper and/or Michael Crabtree, so Cook could be a sneaky value at $3,100.
Lowest Scoring Game
Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills - 40 projected points
The Broncos are slight favorites in this game which has a total of 40 projected points. Even though the Broncos are middle-of-the-road against WRs through two games, they're still arguably the best defensive unit in the league. Also, the lack of options in the Buffalo passing game is worrisome. LeSean McCoy leads the team in targets, while rookie Zay Jones is the WR leader. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has posted 30.26 total fantasy points through the first two weeks, but 31% of those points have come from his 93 rushing yards.
On the Denver side, Trevor Siemian has been lights out to start the 2017 season. He already has six passing touchdowns to only two interceptions. The Bills have been decent against the pass through the first two games, but keep in mind they've played the lowly Jets pass attack and struggling Carolina offense.
DVP MATCHUPS
All DvP numbers will be used from the 2016 season until Week 4 when we will then switch to the current 2017 statistics.
Worst QB Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia Eagles | New York Giants | 1st |
| Buffalo Bills | Denver Broncos | 2nd |
| New England Patriots | Houston Texans | 3rd |
Best QB Matchups
| Team | opp | dvp rank |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | Cleveland Browns | 32nd |
| Detroit Lions | Atlanta Falcons | 31st |
| Atlanta Falcons | Detroit Lions | 30th |
Worst RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | New England Patriots | 1st |
| Seattle Seahawks | Tennessee Titans | 3rd |
| Tennessee Titans | Seattle Seahawks | 4th |
Best RB Matchups
| team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | Cleveland Browns | 31st |
| Carolina Panthers | New Orleans Saints | 30th |
| Denver Broncos | Buffalo Bills | 29th |
Worst WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | Denver Broncos | 1st |
| Chicago Bears | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2nd |
| Green Bay Packers | Cincinnati Bengals | 3rd |
Best WR Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | Green Bay Packers | 32nd |
| Seattle Seahawks | Tennessee Titans | 31st |
| New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | 30th |
Worst TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | Philadelphia Eagles | 2nd |
| New England Patriots | Houston Texans | 3rd |
| Houston Texans | New England Patriots | 4th |
Best TE Matchups
| Team | OPP | DVP RANK |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | Cleveland Browns | 32nd |
| New Orleans Saints | Carolina Panters | 30th |
| Atlanta Falcons | Detroit Lions | 29th |
LINEUP QUICK HITS
QB To Build Lineups Around...
Matthew Stafford ($6,200) -We have a lot to like about the Lions this week going up against the Falcons. First and foremost, the Lions are slight underdogs in a projected 48.5 point game with Detroit owning a 22.75 total. The Falcons have allowed a total of 556 passing yards and three touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks through two week's, but this includes a week against Mike Glennon, who threw for 213 yards and a touchdown. Stafford, despite only throwing for 122 yards against the Giants, has thrown six touchdowns thus far and is completing 70% of his 62 passes. He's a bargain at $6,200 this week.
WR To Pair Him With...
Golden Tate ($6,900) - Tate has been Stafford's go-to guy thus far, playing out of the slot and receiving 16 targets to lead the team. While none of the Lions' wide receivers have necessarily received more attention in the red zone than others, I'm intrigued by the matchups. Tate should see plenty of Brian Poole, who has allowed 14 catches on 17 targets for 118 yards. Marvin Jones ($4,200) is also in a favorable spot against CB Robert Alford, who's allowed 12 catches on 19 targets for 135 yards and a touchdown.
The Top Running Back Will Be...
Jay Ajayi ($7,700) - Ajayi looked fantastic in his season debut against the Chargers last week, rushing for 122 yards on 28 attempts and catching both of his targets. It was an impressive day, scoring 17.6 fantasy points without the benefit of reaching the end zone. He's in a favorable matchup in Week 3 against the Jets, who have allowed a total of 275 rushing yards on the year with an average of 4.7 YPC. Ajayi isn't overly active through the air, averaging just 2.3 targets per game in 2016, but his volume is high enough that he can post big numbers on a weekly basis. Last season, Ajayi averaged 17.3 carries for 84.8 yards per game.
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