Upside Plays

Six of Marquise Brown’s 18 targets have registered as Deep Targets, which ranks No. 7 among qualified wide receivers. Lamar Jackson has targeted him on six of his nine (No. 17) Deep Ball Attempts. Brown has also earned a 35.1-percent (No. 12) Air Yards Share. He’s seeing the downfield looks and there is still more meat on the bone, evidenced by his 125 (No. 28) Completed Air Yards and 114 (No. 25) Unrealized Air Yards. This dynamic duo looks primed to hook up on a few signature plays.

A.J. Green ranks No. 2 with 386 Air Yards and No. 1 with 283 Unrealized Air Yards, and has drawn seven (No. 4) Deep Targets. His low projected rostership on the main slate makes him a mouth-watering play, and he’s in a much better spot matchup-wise this week, too. Green will continue to see a high volume of targets and find his footing working against rookie C.J. Henderson. This week, he oozes with the potential to eclipse 100 receiving yards and end his touchdown drought.

Cooper Kupp is affordable with a projected rostership low enough to take down a GPP if he pops facing off against good, but beatable Buffalo coverage. He boasts a 30-point fantasy ceiling and should garner a higher Target Share while Robert Woods squares off against Tre’Davious White. Get exposure to this week to Kupp, who packs tournament-winning upside. He also makes for a solid stack with Jared Goff.

Having Jeff Driskel under center is keeping Jerry Jeudy’s roster percentage down, but the QB is not afraid to sling it. He averaged 9.0 (78th-percentile) yards per attempt in college and registered 12 Deep Ball Attempts in only three games last season. Jeudy’s status needs to monitored due to a rib injury that kept him limited in practice, but it does not appear to be serious. A big-time playmaker at Alabama, his NFL coronation is coming sooner than later.

Parris Campbell is priced at $4,500 on Draftkings for a matchup with a vulnerable Vikings secondary that was shredded for 364 yards and four touchdowns in Week 1. The Colts are three point underdogs in one of the higher over/under games on the slate. It sets up nicely to be another high-volume game for Campbell and the passing attack. He’s one evaded tackle away from a long score and massive fantasy outing.

When identifying wide receivers with GPP-winning upside, we look for guys seeing downfield and red zone targets. That’s Mike Williams’ game all the way. He perfectly fits the mold of a good tournament play. Los Angeles is an 8.5-point home underdog against the league’s best offense, so Game Script should work in his favor. At $4,200 on Draftkings, we won’t find a much better value in Week 2.

Certain advanced metrics signal that Keenan Allen will rebound this week against the Chiefs. That makes him an appealing play at his price point ($5,700 on DraftKings) and projected low ownership. He played 97.1-percent of the snaps in Week 1 and earned 47.6-percent of the Chargers’ Air Yards. More importantly, Allen’s 75 Unrealized Air Yards ranked No. 7 among qualified wide receivers, signaling that there’s more meat on the bone.

Tyler Lockett sets up as an intriguing mid-tier price point play ($6,300 on DraftKings) who projects to garner slim ownership this week. With 4.40 (92nd-percentile) speed, Lockett lives his life one play away from a touchdown. It’s a big part of the reason he ranked No. 9 in Target Separation last season. It’s also why he shows a penchant for booming and busting, posting the No. 7-ranked Weekly Volatility score (10.8) among receivers with at least 40 catches.

Fantasy gamers should forget about DeSean Jackson and instead consider the oft-neglected Marvin Jones at home against the Bears for $5,500. With a 10.8 Weekly Volatility mark last season, Jones ranked No. 6 among receivers with at least 40 catches. Kenny Golladay earned a 21.1-percent (No. 33 among qualified wide receivers) Target Share in 2019, while Jones posted a 20.2-percent (No. 39) mark. If Golladay fails to suit up, Jones’ ownership percentage may creep into unplayable territory, so it’s a situation to monitor.

Henr Ruggs projects to carry a high degree of Weekly Volatility this season, to be sure. Dial him up against the Panthers in his first NFL game action before the masses become infatuated with him. He oozes with upside and the Raiders will move him all over the field and design plays to get him the ball in space. That’s why he will find the end zone in his first NFL game. The price is right on DraftKings ($5,100) and he doesn’t figure to garner huge ownership.

We can naturally anticipate a more pass-friendly offense from the Ravens in 2020, which will only bode well for the man they call Hollywood. With no serious competition for targets outside of Mark Andrews, Marquie Brown is in line for a significant share of the passing offense. Priced at $5,200 (WR32) on DraftKings, Hollywood is a great play vs a vulnerable Browns secondary.

For the second-straight season, Terry McLaurin will see the Eagles on opening day. He torched them for 255 yards and two touchdowns in two games last year. He’s slightly underpriced as the WR25 on the slate on DraftKings but has clear top-10 upside for the week with a safe floor and high ceiling.