Here is where we attempt to make the big bucks! Last week, the Dart Throws section of the article completely smashed. James Robinson, Braxton Berrios, and Jordan Reed all had great games. Hopefully, we can nail some picks again this week and stack up some W’s like the 2-0 Chicago Bears. Sorry, I just had to get that in there.
Let’s start by saying, any picks used or mentioned for cash games can be played in tournaments. That’s an important thing to know and can sometimes get confusing when the two are discussed separately. For that reason, I’ve tried to avoid mentioning my cash game plays for this article.
There’s merit to using or fading individual players in tournaments, whether it be ownership expectations, bust potential, etc. But, as I said earlier, just about all of the cash game plays are viable for tournaments. If you’d like to see Cash Game Plays, you can check that out here. With that said, let’s get to some other picks for tournaments. Getting a mixture of popular and lower-owned players could be the best way to go.
Quarterback
Cam Newton ($6,700 DK, $7,700 FD)
Cam Newton might be going a bit under-owned compared to New England’s efficiency and the misconception of Las Vegas’s defensive efficiency. The Raiders rank 30th in overall defense DVOA (18.8%), whereas the Patriots rank fourth in offensive DVOA (27.5%). You don’t need to stack Newton with any of his receivers if you don’t want to; he has been going for the end zone himself when they get the opportunities.
Other Options: Justin Herbert, Mitchell Trubisky, Ben Roethlisberger, any Cash Game QB.
Running Back
David Montgomery ($5,700 DK, $6,100 FD)
I’ve been an enormous Monty supporter since he was drafted. The Chicago Bears offensive line was horrible last season. Head coach Matt Nagy was overly reluctant to run the football. There was just a combination of different things working against Monty. This season, he looks explosive, the O-line looks improved, and Nagy is actually dialing up quite a few running plays. Monty saw nearly 20 touches last week and took a short toss from Trubisky 28 yards to the house. The Atlanta Falcons have allowed 30.2 DK points per game to opposing RBs this season, including two receiving touchdowns. I like Monty at his price point and low ownership level.
Other Options: Austin Ekeler, Chris Carson, James Conner, Derrick Henry any Cash Game RB
Wide Receiver
Andy Isabella ($3,800 DK, $4,500 FD)
With Christian Kirk out, Isabella could be the one who steps in and gets all of his deep throws. He might be going up against Lions corner Darryl Roberts and that’s a matchup he can certainly win.
Other Options: A.J. Green, D.J. Moore, Adam Thielen, any Cash Game WR
Tight End
Drew Sample ($3,500 DK, $4,800 FD)
Joe Burrow targeted his tight end nine times, completing seven passes for 45 yards. I know it’s a small sample size (couldn’t help myself, sorry), but maybe that is a sign of things to come. Additionally, the Philadelphia Eagles have given up the most touchdowns to the tight end position this year. Let’s hope the small sample size we’ve seen can earn us some big bucks.
Other Options: Noah Fant, Tyler Higbee, Evan Engram, Jordan Reed, any Cash Game TE
Game Stacks
SEA vs DAL
The Dallas Cowboys are running at the fastest pace of play out of any team in the NFL so far with an average of 19.69 seconds per play. That’s almost four full seconds faster than any other team. They allowed 39 points to the Atlanta Falcons and should have lost that game. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is, they can give up points and put up points. Not to mention, they are facing a team that has a quarterback who is “cooking” at an MVP level. Stack and attack this game with everyone; Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, Russell Wilson, Chris Carson, Tyler Lockett, and D.K. Metcalf. I don’t even mind playing David Moore or Greg Olsen in tournaments just to be different.
ARI vs DET
Following suit with another game that’s expected to be high scoring. Both of these teams play at a fast rate, ranking seventh and eighth, respectively, for pace of play so far. Kyler Murray should be able to have a field day with this defense and I think Matthew Stafford could keep the game competitive. Kenny Golladay returns to action but we don’t know how useful he will be. If nothing more, at least he can serve as a solid decoy, and maybe things will open up for Marvin Jones and T.J. Hockenson.
ATL vs CHI
The Bears have a good defense, but they’ve yielded some yardage late in each of their first two games. Matt Ryan is basically throwing for 300 yards every time he steps on the field these days. I’ll look to attack him with Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage, and Hayden Hurst. I think Trubisky will build on each of his first two games and come out firing. The Falcons have allowed an average of 372 yards passing per game (second-most in the NFL). Stack up Trubisky with Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, and…
Dart Throws
WR Darnell Mooney ($3,000 DK, $4,800 FD)
Mooney has impressed many Bears faithful with his quick cuts, hands, and speed. There seem to be some clear cut minimum priced favorites at wide receiver this week. Mooney is not one of those guys. That’s a clear pivot advantage if he happens to go off in what could be a higher scoring game, given of course the Bears can actually put up points. Mooney has gotten in on the action each of his first two NFL games, and his play led to Ted Ginn being a healthy scratch in Week 2. The rookie looks crisp and quick in and out of his cuts, and he’s a perfect six for six on passes thrown in his direction. We mentioned how poor the Falcons secondary has been, I’ll take a flier on the young speedster here.
TE Jordan Akins ($3,400 DK, $5,000 FD)
Up until last week, Akins hadn’t been a target monster. However, he did catch a touchdown in Week 1 and was thrown to seven times last week. He’s a perfect nine for nine on the season. Roll the dice with him, coming in at low ownership.
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