NFL Slate Breakdown: Week 2

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos (Thursday, 8:30 p.m.)

Vegas: O/U: 42 pts, Broncos Total: 23.5 pts, Chiefs Total: 21 pts

As strange as it feels to write these words about a Denver game, I don't see much DFS appeal in Week 2's game in Kansas City. It's not just that the Broncos' offense seems to be hampered by an ineffective Peyton Manning shoehorned into an offensive system that might not fit him; it's also that Denver's defense is legit, making it unlikely that the Broncos will have to chase points this year.

The Broncos' defense was the top-graded defense on Pro Football Focus in Week 1. No other defense was close. Still, if I had to deploy a defense from this game, it would be Kansas City at home against an offense that looks limited and unlikely to withstand pressure that will be applied by a tough Chiefs' pass rush.

Jamaal Charles reminded us last week that he doesn't need to do much on the ground to meet his DFS price, as he caught five balls for 46 yards and a score against Houston. Charles had 59 yards on 14 touches in his only full game against Denver last season – a performance he salvaged with a receiving score. It's a bad matchup and Vegas projects a low score here. I see Charles as an easy Week 2 fade.

The Chiefs' receivers figure to be outmatched in this one. If KC is going to advance the ball through the air against Denver, it'll have to be through Kelce. I can't see Kelce being as brutally efficient as he usually is, but we could see the Gronkian one see a couple handfuls of targets on Thursday.

I don't see any reason in the wide world of sports to fire up Peyton Manning for this one. His price is still fairly high and he has a horrendous matchup with a banged-up C.J. Anderson lining up behind him. It might make good sense to jump into a little Thursday night action – daily contests that start on Thursday – hoping that less-than-savvy gamers will toss in a few Broncos hoping for a return to glory. It ain't happening here.

Buffalo Bills vs. New England Patriots (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)

Vegas O/U: 45 pts, Bills Total: 22.5 pts, Patriots Total: 22.5 pts

Beware deploying any players in games at Buffalo this season. The Bills' defense appears to be a buzz saw at home – and possibly away from upstate New York – making them a major factor in how we evaluate DFS values.

Rob Gronkowski met his DFS price and a whole lot more against the black and gold sieve that we call the Steelers secondary. This week is different though. No team was stingier against opposing tight ends than the Bills in 2014 and Gronk remains priced in a different galaxy than the rest of the tight end field. Buffalo in 2014 held tight ends to 3.8 catches for 34.2 yards and 0.12 touchdowns per contest.

I'm not fading Gronk everywhere, but I don't think he'll see a worse matchup than this one in 2015. Rex Ryan's Jets last year held Gronkowski to 11 receptions, 98 yards and a touchdown in two games, shutting down the behemoth in their early-season matchup. That would be fantastic if we were talking about a more reasonably priced tight end play, but we're not.

Tyrod Taylor benefited from positive game script, as we suspected he might, in his solid performance against the Colts in Week 1, and with Buffalo's defense being so brutal, I wouldn't expect Taylor to face too many negative scripts in 2015. That goes double for Bills home games. New England's secondary was marshmallow soft in their first game against Pittsburgh, as the Steelers gained 352 yards via the air and picked up chunks of yardage well before garbage time commenced.

There are still 31 quarterbacks priced ahead of Taylor, who showed last week that he can boost his fantasy floor with rushing yardage. I like him a lot here, though I don't think there are any clear and present stacking options. Taylor once again makes for a better cash game play than a tournament option because his floor is so high and his ceiling is capped, as we saw last week.

Carolina Panthers vs. Houston Texans (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)

Vegas O/U: 41 pts, Panthers Total: 22.5 pts, Texans Total: 18.5 pts

My favorite stack in this mostly unappealing contest is Jonathan Stewart paired with the Carolina defense.

Stewart didn't exactly light the world on fire against Jacksonville in Week 1, but he got plenty of action (18 carries and four receptions) in resuming his workhorse role from late in 2014. JStew forced five missed tackles against the Jaguars, per Pro Football Focus. Cam Newton's propensity to run – as seen in Week 1 – only helps Stewart's long-term prospects as defenses will be forced to remain wary of Newton taking off out of the read-option. Stewart is the 17th highest priced Week 2 runner on DraftKings.

If things go the way Vegas thinks they will – and I fully believe they will – Stewart should once again get a nice number of touches as the Panthers handle the atrocious Houston offense headed by whichever inaccurate, turnover-prone quarterback is under center this Sunday.

DeAndre Hopkins showed that he might (will) be immune to the flaming wreckage that is the Texans offense. Both Houston quarterbacks have said over the past week that they have every confidence in Nuk, no matter the coverage. Hopkins remains outside the 10 priciest receivers in DFS, making him an appealing play for anyone fading the position's top-priced options.

Carolina cornerback Josh Norman shut down Allen Robinson last week, but I'm not sure that's any indication that he can stifle Nuk this week. Hopkins saw 13 targets on Sunday, and with the Texans likely chasing teams all season, I think 13-15 targets for Hopkins will become a regular occurrence.

Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.)

Vegas O/U: 45 pts, Cardinals Total: 23.5 pts, Bears Total: 21.5 pts

Any concerns that Matt Forte wouldn't be force fed the ball in the Bears' new offensive system were quelled last week as the elderly runner racked up 29 touches against Green Bay. Forte was targeted eight times, which might not come as a surprise to anyone who heard offensive coordinator Adam Gase say that Forte could and should be used like Wes Welker in the aerial attack.

Forte, now the most expensive running back play on DraftKings, faces a stout Arizona defense that shut down the Saints' running game in Week 1, but allowed a combined 14 receptions to New Orleans runners. Arizona linebackers struggled in coverage, opening the way to what could be a big-time pass-catching performance from Forte. He's my favorite top-end running back play of Week 2.

The stack generator has Jay Cutler and Forte as the week's second highest-scoring QB-RB stack.

Carson Palmer remains a mid-priced DFS option after roasting the Saints' secondary on a spit in Week 1, completing 19 of his 30 aimed throws for 307 yards and three scores. Nothing about Chicago's defense scares me, and with John Brown constantly threatening to blow the top off of opposing secondaries and Larry Fitzgerald gobbling up underneath passes, I think Palmer is once again a super safe play in Week 2.

The stack generator has the Palmer-Fitzgerald stack as slightly better than the Palmer-Brown stack. In GPP games, the former is your best play, and will be for the remainder of the year.

No one was targeted in the end zone last week more than Alshon Jeffery, who had a touchdown called back against the Packers. His DFS price didn't change much despite the pedestrian Week 1 stat line and he'll likely see a lot of Patrick Peterson in coverage, so I won't have a ton of exposure to the Bears' No. 1 receiver this week. If you suspect Arizona might build a hefty lead against Cutty and gang, Alshon becomes a much more appealing play among receivers in his price range (outside of Hopkins).