Here I am, back again with another rendition of my Underdog draft plays! Last week was fairly successful, with several of my plays finishing as a top performer at their respective position. Trevor Lawrence finished as the QB13 with 25.1 fantasy points. It wasn’t a smashing success like I thought it would be, but 25 points are nothing to complain about, especially as a last pick off the board.
My second pick from last week was the Rams’ tight end, Tyler Higbee. Higbee had a very nice outing and proved to be one of the favorite targets of QB Matthew Stafford finishing with 5 catches for 68 yards and 11.8 fantasy points. That was good for the TE10 on the week. Again, not a smash, but a good value if you happened to leave TE too long.
Next… I don’t want to talk about it. Brandon Aiyuk was poised to have a hell of a week one against a soft Detroit secondary. Instead, he was benched and didn’t see any offensive snaps. It was a gut punch to anyone with Aiyuk shares across the board. I expect he will be inserted back into the lineup for Week 2 and will return to dominant form.
Last but not least was my pick of Damien Harris. Harris had a very reassuring Week 1. It proved to everyone that he is for sure the bell cow back in New England. His stat line boasted 23 attempts for 100 yards and 2 catches for 17 more yards. He, unfortunately, did not find the end zone and coughed up a fumble bringing him down to 11.7 fantasy points.
These picks were not smash hits, but at the ADP you could get them at in Draft contests, you were happy with what you got. That is what I hope to do yet again this week. So… Here we go!
Value #1 – Teddy Bridgewater – QB Denver Broncos
Who would have thought that Teddy Bridgewater would be the surprise QB to come out of Week 1? Bridgewater looked immensely comfortable in his new offense and was able to utilize several of his different weapons. He faces an even softer Jacksonville defense this week and should be able to put up big numbers, even with Jerry Jeudy missing time. He currently is going as quarterback #15 in Underdog draft contests.
Value #2 – Ty’Son Williams – RB Baltimore Ravens
Ty’Son Williams was somewhat of a question mark heading into Week 1 as the rookie was called upon to step into a starting role after the loss of both JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Williams shined in his first game as a starter against a respectable rush defense in Las Vegas. This week, he faces a poor Kansas City rushing defense that allowed 3 (!) total rushing touchdowns to Cleveland in Week 1. I love the value on Williams this week and I love his outlook for the remainder of the season.
Value #3 – Ja’Marr Chase – WR Cincinnati Bengals
Ja’Marr Chase had a phenomenal Week 1. His chemistry with QB Joe Burrow looked like it hadn’t skipped a beat from their time at LSU together. I look for Chase to put up another big statistical day against a Chicago defense that was surprisingly porous against the Rams passing attack. Pair that with the fact that Chase is going in the later rounds of Underdog draft contests and it makes for a sweet, sweet value.
Value #4 – Jared Cook – TE – Los Angeles Chargers
Okay, I know I know. This is quite possibly the least sexy TE pick of all time. Jared Cook is vanilla ice cream when it comes to fantasy football. Super bland, but you know what you’re going to get. Cook and the Chargers matchup with the Dallas Cowboys this week, a team that allowed Rob Gronkowski 29 fantasy points just a week ago. The TE position is a weakness for the Dallas defense, and I look for the Chargers to exploit it again this week.
