Week 2 Game Scripts to Target in Daily Fantasy Football

San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions

Over/Under: 48

49ers Implied Team Total: 26.75
Lions Implied Team Total: 21.25

So, technically this game does have the third-highest over/under of the week, which certainly qualifies as being DFS-able (I just made that word up but let's roll with it). But in addition to the high point total, this game is worth highlighting because of how poorly both teams played last week. One of the strongest edges we can get in DFS and fantasy football is preying on recency bias and small sample size overreactions. If you were high on Jimmy Garoppolo and Matthew Stafford this offseason, then I sincerely hope one bad game hasn't significantly changed your outlook. The bet here is that players in this game will go under-owned relative to the high projected total.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers
FanDuel Price: $7,300

Maybe I'm underestimating the public, but after last week's three-interception performance and with many good quarterback options this week, it feels like Garoppolo will be under-owned. Regardless, the matchup is good. Sam Darnold was the youngest starting quarterback ever, playing on the road in primetime, and only threw five incompletions against Matt Patricia's new defense. All of Stafford's interceptions certainly didn't put the Lions defense in position to succeed, but they still graded second-worst according to numberFire's metrics. You can bet Kyle Shanahan will use all of that glorious tape to his advantage.

If San Francisco can run the ball effectively, something Shanahan's offenses have always done, then it will open up play-action opportunities for Jimmy G. Garoppolo averaged 2.3 more fantasy points per game at home last season and that includes a date with the Jacksonville Jaguars. At home in a good matchup with likely low ownership, Garoppolo is playable in both cash and GPPs.

George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
FanDuel Price: $5,600

The stack with Garoppolo has to be tight end George Kittle. Kittle was one of the few tight ends who did well last week despite a touch matchup, managing five catches for 90 yards en route to the TE6 performance. Amazingly, he could have done much more than that as Jimmy G overthrew him on a beautiful end zone route, and Kittle dropped what could have been an 80-yard touchdown pass. Still, Kittle's 9 targets and 27.27% target market share are elite tight end numbers. He is clearly Garoppolo's primary end zone target and his price will only go up with this usage. He's a great GPP option.

Others to Consider

There are a ton of options left on the board here. The best one is probably Golden Tate ($7,100). Not only did he see a massive 32.6% target market share, but he lines up most in the slot where Adam Thielen ($7,600) torched the Niners last week. He makes for a great cash option with such a strong target floor.

Kenny Golladay ($5,700), aka BabyTron (shoutout to numberFire's Editor In Chief JJ Zachariason), is going to be the sexy play here after a monstrous 12 target, 7 catch, 114 yard performance in Week 1. As good as Golladay is, that target share feels pretty game-script driven, and while we're obviously targeting a high-scoring game, the Lions are still just 4.5-point underdogs, so it's not likely things will be that one-sided. Golladay is only a GPP option and could be worth fading with likely high ownership.

Marvin Jones ($6,800) is strictly GPP-only given his boom/bust nature, but he's an intriguing option here. Detroit again showed almost zero ability to run the ball, and Jones could've had a much larger week had he secured even one of the long touchdowns that he almost had. He's likely to have the lowest ownership of the bunch given Golladay's breakout and Tate's secure role.

All of this means Stafford ($7,700) is firmly in play. His ownership will be low given last week's disaster, but his price is a bit higher than you'd like. He's probably not a cash play until we see if the Lions look better, but he's a great contrarian GPP option with almost assuredly low ownership.

The question remains: Who else should we target on the Niners? After all, they do have the fourth-highest implied total on the slate. Pierre Garcon's ($5,600) price remains attractive, but he figures to do the most battle with Darius Slay, Detroit's best corner. That makes him a contrarian GPP play only. We'll need to learn a lot more about Marquise Goodwin's ($5,800) health before comfortably using him, as he is day-to-day with a thigh bruise. If he plays, he's definitely on the GPP radar at that price. Rookie Dante Pettis ($4,500) becomes the bargain-basement GPP dart if Goodwin sits.

The backfield is the last piece of the puzzle. Alfred Morris ($5,800) had 12 carries but 0 targets in a negative game script, while Matt Breida ($6,100) had 11 carries and 2 targets. Given how poorly the Lions run defense looked on Monday night, it's likely that one of these guys has a good game. However, it will be difficult to predict until we get more clear usage. It is worth noting that Morris was the goal line back and had two chances to punch in a short touchdown, but unfortunately fumbled. At the lower price, he is the likely lower-owned GPP option if fishing in that price range.

Eli Weiner is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Eli Weiner also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Eweiner2. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.