Fantasy Football Prediction Week 2: Odell Beckham Jr.

In the fantasy football world, half of the owners are basking in the glory of a Week 1 victory, while the other half is ready to pack it in for the season with a season opening loss. Owners of Odell Beckham Jr. were probably on the losing end, as the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys offenses weren’t as explosive as expected. But, Week 2 is another chance for the uber talented Beckham Jr. to show what he has, and it is an even better matchup than he had in Week 1, as he will be going up against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.

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In 2014, the Falcons were in the bottom five of the NFL in pass defense. While they hung with the explosive Philadelphia Eagles offense, which had some kinks to work out, the Falcons did very little to stop the passing game. Sam Bradford attempting 52 passes compared to only 16 rushing attempts on the night should be all you need to know about the Falcons pass defense.

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While the Giants will not have Eli Manning drop back 52 times for a pass, this is still a juicy matchup for fantasy football owners of Beckham. While a lot of Bradford’s success came from throwing to his running backs, such as Darren Sproles out of the backfield, you will see Jordan Matthews sitting atop the Eagles’ receiving list from Week 1. Matthews tore up the Falcons, catching 10-of-13 targets for 102 yards. That is the kind of volume you love to see for your WR1 in fantasy, and is something the Giants should consider doing with Beckham against the Falcons.

Matthews lined up all over the field for the Eagles, and their offensive tempo was as big a reason for their success Monday night. The Giants don’t play as fast as the Eagles do, but against the Cowboys they ran a lot of no huddle offense, which will help them against the Falcons as well. Like Matthews, the Giants can line Beckham Jr. up at multiple positions and take advantage of the coverage the Falcons play against them.

Outside of Desmond Trufant, the Falcons pass defense is very poor. If the Giants can move Beckham Jr. around the formation enough, he should be able to avoid Trufan and feast on weaker players such as Phillip Adams and Robert Alford.

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Beckham Jr. will be looking to replicate the success and more he had against the Falcons last season as well. Beckham Jr. made his NFL debut in Week 5 last season against these Falcons, coming away with four receptions for 44 yards and a touchdown.

Beckham Jr. will be sure to put on a show in his first home game of the season. He will not want to be outdone by Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones either, who showed he is one of the best in the game as well after dominating the Eagles Week 1.

In addition to a plus matchup, Beckham Jr. will be looking to improve upon his disappointing Week 1 performance. That will surely motivate him, as the Giants offense as a whole would like to come out stronger in Week 2. Hopefully playing in front of their home crowd for the first time this season will get them going and give them that little extra to perform better.

Prediction: 10 catches, 115 yards, one touchdown

Next: New York Giants Studs and Duds vs. Dallas Cowboys Week 1

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