Over/Under: 56.00
Chiefs Implied Team Total: 31.25
49ers Implied Team Total: 24.75
Buckle up, folks. With the over/under set at 56, we've got a serious shootout on our hands. Last week's Steelers/Chiefs shootout had originally set the season-high when it was set at 53, and that game ended up providing an absurd 79 points. The Chiefs' defense has allowed 65 points through 2 games while the Niners' unit hasn't fared much better, allowing 51 total points. We saw last week that targeting the highest over/under pays huge dividends in daily fantasy. The question here isn't whether to target this game, but how.
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers
FanDuel Price: $7,400
If you read this last week (you probably won money!), you know that I was high on Ben Roethlisberger in this same matchup. He was coming off a down week in a seemingly good matchup and was priced much higher than Patrick Mahomes, seemingly ensuring lower ownership. Sure enough, Big Ben's GPP ownership was less than a third of his head-to-head ownership, giving you a massive edge at the position considering he scored 38.98 FanDuel points and delivered 5x value. Jimmy Garoppolo makes for a similar investment. Everyone will again be clamoring to play Mahomes, the matchup is juicy, and in this case Jimmy G is actually cheaper. Garoppolo was talked about enough in the DFS world last week to have burned some owners, making him a classic post-hype candidate, especially if he's able to get lead receiver Marquise Goodwin back from a quad injury. At this price, I'll have exposure to Jimmy G in both GPPs and cash.
George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers
FanDuel Price: $5,800
Back to the well here. George Kittle flamed out last week, so this is another mouth-watering post-hype spot with assured low ownership because nobody likes getting bitten by the same snake twice. Kittle only managed 2 catches for 22 yards on 4 targets, but he did play 78% of the Niners' snaps and was unfortunately vultured by Garrett Celek on a touchdown. It's important to remember that last week's game script led to only 26 passes for the offense, which makes Kittle's four-target total more understandable. The lumbering Jesse James just ripped the Eric Berry-less Chiefs defense for 5 catches, 138 yards and a touchdown, obliterating his previous best in single-game yardage. If Berry is out again, fire up Kittle with confidence.
Other to Consider:
You pretty much have to play Patrick Mahomes ($8,900) in at least one GPP lineup every week, but with Tom Brady playing Sunday night Mahomes is the most expensive quarterback on the main slate. The hope is that his slate-high price depresses ownership a tad, but I imagine people will still find a way to play him. Until it stops working, stacking him with Tyreek Hill ($8,200) is a high-ceiling -- albeit high-owned -- GPP option.
Pardon me, but I'm going to take my Week 2 victory lap for writing up Travis Kelce ($7,500). Coming off a one-catch Week 1 stinker, Kelce was a classic low-owned bounce-back candidate at a slightly depressed price. If you played him at below single-digit ownership, it differentiated your lineup because of how strongly he outperformed the dreadful tight end position. The problem is that everyone will be points-chasing his monster game. Similar to Mahomes, with Rob Gronkowski off the slate, Kelce is now the most expensive option at his price. Hopefully it will lower his ownership a tad. I like the idea of pairing Kelce with Garoppolo in cash to get in on the action without paying up too far at quarterback.
Sammy Watkins ($6,200) is the cheapest way to attach your lineup to the largest team total of the week. He had a great game at understandably low ownership last week, and it would've been much bigger had Mahomes not missed him wide open in the end zone. With a low target floor, though, he's still strictly a GPP option.
Kareem Hunt ($7,900) is a very intriguing GPP play this week. With Mahomes, Hill and Kelce stealing the show, nobody has talked much about him. While the lack of receiving usage is a concern, playing at home as a 6.5-point favorite in a high-powered offense is ideal. Hunt hasn't blown up so far, but he's still seen 16 and 19 touches across 2 games. That alone makes him worthy of cash consideration, while the high team total and secure role makes him playable in GPPs, too. The Detroit Lions' anemic running game managed 5.44 yards per carry against the Niners last week.
My favorite sneaky GPP play from this game is Pierre Garcon ($5,600). Garcon hasn't done much to this point, but he's also had to battle with top corners Xavier Rhodes and Darius Slay. Kansas City doesn't have any corner in the same realm of talent as those two, and it's also worth pointing out Garcon never played a game with Garoppolo last year. There is no other player in this price range with Garcon's projected volume.
As strong as my affinity for Matt Breida ($6,200) is, he's tough to roster after still splitting touches last week. He's definitely the better option than Alfred Morris ($5,500), but with Joe Mixon out and Jay Ajayi looking likely to sit, there are clearly better options in this lower price range.