DFS Roundtable: Offenses Buy or Sell?

The Cowboys, Ravens, and Bengals were significant offenses in Week 1 compared to expectations. Who are you buying and/or selling heading into Week 2?

Phil Alexander

• Ravens - No one should be buying 324 passing yards, an 85% completion rate, and five touchdowns from Lamar Jackson this week. But no one should be thinking about entering GPPs without at least matching the crowd's exposure either. Arizona's defense isn't as bad as Miami's but the Cardinals certainly didn't look good while allowing 30+ DraftKings points to Matthew Stafford in their home opener. Jackson's passing numbers will regress but we didn't even see him run last week and this game will be up in pace. A repeat QB1 finish is well within the range of possible outcomes this week.
• Cowboys - Roasting the Giants defense in a home game isn't cause for much celebration, but Washington doesn't present a much tougher challenge for Dak Prescott in Week 2. New Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore made life easier for Prescott by calling frequent shots all over the field, more play-action and RPO plays, and using lots of pre-snap motion. If Prescott's protection remains as good as it was last week, and cornerback Fabian Moreau remains sidelined for Washington, Prescott is in play for another 25+ point performance. Stacking the whole Cowboys offense with Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and either Amari Cooper or Mike Gallup is recommended in tournaments.
• Bengals - There is a chance we just witnessed Andy Dalton's best game of the season, but make no mistake -- this is no longer the Marvin Lewis-era Cincinnati offense. In their first game under rookie head coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals ran 70 plays against the Seahawks, which is even more impressive when you consider Seattle got off the third-fewest plays of any team last week (49). The 49ers defensive backfield was ranked last in the NFL by Pro Football Focus last year and the team did little to address the weakness during the off-season. One strong game against a dazed and confused Jameis Winston does not change things. Dalton, Tyler Boyd, and John Ross -- who looked like he was playing in fast forward in Week 1 -- all look like great plays against San Francisco.

James Brimacombe

Jason Wood

I agree with Phil that Lamar Jackson probably had the best passing game of his season, against a Dolphins team that barely warrants its NFL designation. However, Jackson was expected to make his fantasy hay with his legs, and that didn't happen in Week 1 -- but it will quite a bit going forward. Jackson's salary isn't the most attractive on the slate. He doesn't rank in my Top 3 for the week, but he certainly is fair game for DFS players who build a wide range of diverse GPP lineups. On the other hand, I love going back to the Mark Ingram well this week as his salary remains attractive and his role as the bell-cow should be unquestioned after what we saw last week.

Even though I'm an Eagles fan, it's hard to deny how good the Dallas Cowboys looked against the Giants. It's too early to crown Kellen Moore the league's next great play-caller, but he passed his entrance exam with flying colors. Moore emphasized a faster pace of play and a more diverse set of formations. Both worked like a charm. With the Cowboys offensive line back to form, it's fair to say every Cowboy is worthy of DFS consideration this week. Dak Prescott is one of my Top 3 quarterback options in both cash and GPPs this week, and I suspect Ezekiel Elliott's ownership won't be as high as it should be because of his part-time workload in Week 1. Michael Gallup may be on par with Amari Cooper -- talent-wise -- so I prefer Gallup to Cooper; who should have higher ownership.

I'm least convinced about the Bengals, even though Zac Taylor's first game at the helm was intriguing. John Ross has always been a deep threat, but to see him targeted 12 times was jaw-dropping. Andy Dalton threw for 400+ yards, against a Seahawks defense that isn't elite anymore but isn't supposed to be terrible, either. With Joe Mixon hurt, Geovani Bernard becomes a compelling value play who opens up salary elsewhere. I also like Tyler Boyd this week as his ownership will be down after last week's shortfall.

BJ VanderWoude

You cannot expect Lamar Jackson to repeat his week one performance from a passing perspective, but as Phil mentioned, Jackson did not even register a full point with his legs, which is just as rare as his prolific passing output. The Ravens went out and drafted the perfect receiver in Marquise Brown to take advantage of Jackson's skill set as a passer. Brown has elite speed and quickness and defenses will need to pick their poison, either drop back enough defenders in coverage to provide help over the top or spy Jackson /stack the box and try to take away the Ravens strength as a running team. Jackson's salary is a bit on the high side, but his upside is as high as any quarterback on the main slate and deserves exposure in large GPP's.

I will have significant exposure to the Cowboys this week, specifically Prescott, Cooper, and Gallup. Elliott's salary is among the highest at the position, and when you combine the fact that he will also be a very popular play, I would prefer to leverage against him with Cowboys passing game.

As we saw in week one, Joe Mixon's injury opens the door for the Bengals offensive balance to be heavily skewed towards the passing game. John Ross was finally able to stay on the field and his speed jumped off the screen. I was impressed by his willingness to attack the ball in the air, which bodes well for his chances to continue the stellar play we saw from him in week one. Andy Dalton's affordable salary combined with a great matchup makes him an attractive option this week and one where you can stack either Boyd, Ross or both and feel good about seeing a 3x+ return on their combined salaries.

Will Grant

• Buying Lamar Jackson to repeat against Arizona?

• Zeke back up to speed and are you buying Dak Prescott's passing uptick now on the road in Washington Week 2?

• Andy Dalton with career day in Seattle and John Ross' huge game and now get 49ers at home in Week 2.