Everyday we will post a Market Check, which is a summary of our research on a different position for the week.
This is not the end of our advice for the week. At the end of the week, we’ll make our picks at each position. Some of the picks will not be discussed in the Market Check.
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BULL MARKET
Players we believe will out-perform their salary for the week. These guys will give you the most bang for your buck when you are building lineups.
TYLER EIFERT
DraftKings: $4,200 / FanDuel: $6,900
We told you about Eifert last week, and if you listened to our advice Eifert made you lots of cash, scoring over 34 points in DraftKings!!! Now I’m going to tell you that he is not a one week wonder, and he is STILL under priced! Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson lined Eifert up all over the place and created mismatches all over the field. It was reported during camp that Dalton had great trust in his big TE and it was very evident Sunday. With 12 targets, and a ridiculous 35.3% target percentage and 2 TD’s, it is clear that Dalton loves throwing to this big freak. And with so many other weapons surrounding him, it will be impossible for defenses to give him the special attention needed to shut him down. eifert will continue to be a TD threat every time the Bengals reach the red zone. He will continue to impress this week, against a secondary that already got torched by Eric Ebron for a TD in week 1.
JORDAN REED
DraftKings: $3,700 / FanDuel: $5,000
The DeSean Jackson injury deprives an already talent-lacking offense of another play maker. Reed is very athletic for the tight end position and is now one of the only weapons that the Redskins will have available this week. Pro Football Focus shows us that Reed was split out 29.2% and his 11 targets put him at a 35.5% of the team total. They also face an elite defense that will be putting pressure on Cousins. The game sets up to be a defensive battle and Redskins will be trailing. That will force Cousins to have to throw, and he will be looking for his favorite target, Reed, at all opportunities. Based on usage alone, Reed is safe bet to exceed his still low salaries on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
LADARIUS GREEN
DraftKings: $3,500 / FanDuel: $5,600
Ladarius Green was on the field for 66 of 79 plays of the game. He was very impressive in his first start, showing great athleticism and strength in the absence of Gates. His 6 targets were sure to build trust with Rivers who will have to rely on him more this week against a much better defense. The Bengals D is for real, and their corners will do a much better job on Keenan Allen and Stevie Johnson which will force Rivers to look underneath where Ladarius will create mismatches. The Chargers will also be trailing the high powered Bengals O which means Green will get plenty of extra targets. I like Green to continue his coming out party in the the jungle.
DWAYNE ALLEN
DraftKings: $3,300 / FanDuel: $5,200
If TY Hilton doesn’t play, Allen’s usage will increase. Why? Andre Johnson will likely be on Revis island and Moncrief will have trouble shaking underrated CB Buster Skrine who will start in Cromartie place. The Bills D-line lived in the backfield and put pressure on Luck almost every dropback, and there will be no let up with the Jets D-line. Luck will be constantly under pressure and looking to dump it off to his safety valve, Allen. Also, Jets head coach todd Bowles is known for his aggressive man pressures, this will likely leave Allen on a LB, a matchup that Luck knows he will win. While not safe enough for cash games, I love Dwayne in tournament contests.
GAVIN ESCOBAR
DraftKings: $2,500 / FanDuel: $4,500
The Dez injury is left everyone to wonder who will get the fantasy boost while he heals up? The Cowboys will put even more of an emphasis on the run game, which will mean more 12 personnel (2 tight end sets). This means that Escobar’s usage will skyrocket from the 9 snaps he saw on Sunday night. In those 9 snaps Gavin had two catches and one touchdown. Which leaves me to wonder what he could produce when he gets more playing time? While Gavin is on the field the Cowboys will use the run game to set up play action, where he will be a threat down the seam. Dez was a red zone monster, and the Cowboys will fill his void by making defenses matchup up against Witten and Escobar. This game against the Eagles will be high scoring, and I’m going to grab a stock or two of Escobar in tournament contests, knowing that a big game will separate me from the majority.
BEAR MARKET
Players we don’t believe will perform up to their salaries. We think you can find better value elsewhere.
MARTELLUS BENNETT
DraftKings: $4,500 / FanDuel: $6,100
Martellus was only used in the slot 14.6% of the time…down from 49.6% of the time last season. So far Gase has shown a lot of multiple TE sets where Bennett is used to block. It may have been a week 1 game plan only to keep Aaron Rodgers off the field, but the Bears showed a lot big personnel sets to run the ball with Forte. Martellus was barely utilized in the pass game until he broke a late garbage time TD. Right now this offense is run 100% though Forte and Alshon and until we see Martellus split out more often and Gase feature him in the offense I won’t take the risk at such a high salary.
AUSTIN SEFERIAN-JENKINS
DraftKings: $4,100 / FanDuel: $4,500
Great player, bright future. However, his high salary is a bit much for a guy on an struggling offense and an erratic young QB. Austin also made the Bear Market because it is likely that Mike Evans will return from injury which will decrease his usage, and especially in the red zone where ASJ did his damage last week. ASJ stats were a little blown out of proportion, with his 41 yard TD coming in garbage time. There are many other TE values this week that present higher upside.
GREG OLSEN
DraftKings: $4,800 / FanDuel: $6,000
Despite offensive coordinator Mike Shula stating today that they will find way to utilize Olsen, I still can’t trust him after rewatching their game. It is clear that the Jags game planned to take Olsen away and invited them to use their garbage WR’s. Jags defenders got a jam on Olsen at the line of scrimmage the majority of the game because they had no fear of the Ginn, Brown or Cotchery. Unfortunately, I expect this extra attention to continue unless Funchess or a Panthers WR can step and demand more than man to man respect. And until Shula proves that he will force feed Olsen targets and receptions, I’m going to pass on Olsen and opt for the other bargains at the position.
