FanDuel advice: Follow the changing salaries

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On Saturday, I wrote about how FanDuel games get harder after Week 1. Lo and behold, whereas I came out with money on every game I played in Week 1, I lost every Week 2 investment possible.

Part of that was outside any reasonable control -- I had Tony Romo and Tevin Coleman in one game, I stacked Drew Brees and Brandin Cooks in another -- but of course risk of injury and/or rampant ineffectiveness is one of the things you have to deal with in any fantasy game.

Matt Ryan ($8,800 in Week 1, $8,700 in Week 2, $8,300 in Week 3): Ryan improved from Week 1 to Week 2 in standard fantasy scoring, going from 15 points to 18. Sunday, he travels to Texas to face a Dallas defense that I've been calling underrated all along. But even if it is underrated, Ryan and Julio Jones perform such a potent 1-2 combination that him falling $500 over two weeks strikes me as a place to find a small bargain.

Tyrod Taylor ($5,000 to $6,300 to $7,000): A big part of the appeal of Taylor the first couple weeks in FanDuel-style games was the fact that he presented sneaky value -- getting a quarterback at five grand lets you spend a lot elsewhere, and someone like Taylor who has running ability and some weapons around him could help you capitalize. He's risen $2,000 in two weeks, though, taking him from a sneaky play to one where he basically has to perform to be worth it. There's nothing sneaky here anymore.

Russell Wilson ($8,800 to $8,500 to $8,400): Wilson has put up 36 fantasy points -- perfectly adequate numbers -- across two games against St. Louis and Green Bay, two above-average defenses. On Sunday, he gets a home game against a garbage Bears team, and his price is going down? Love.

Jeremy Hill ($8,600 to $8,400 to $7,600) and Giovani Bernard ($7,200 to $7,000 to $7,200): Okay, each of these might make sense in isolation. Hill was quasi-benched in Week 2 thanks to fumbles, which might explain his sudden discount. Bernard, meanwhile, is a backup who might not get a plethora of touches. But together, doesn't something have to give? If Hill is cheaper, shouldn't Bernard be more expensive? If Bernard's value is static, shouldn't Hill's largely be static, as well? Basically, if you think Hill bounces back, he's at a cheaper price. But if you think it's become a timeshare, Bernard makes sense.

David Johnson ($5,300 to $6,600 to $6,000): Johnson's value has been salvaged by his two touchdowns. Through two games, he has seven total touches. The price drop surprised me, as a glance at his fantasy production shows he's one of only five running backs with double-digit fantasy production both weeks (joined by DeAngelo Williams, Jamaal Charles, Dion Lewis and Matt Forte), but his usage just hasn't matched that. Bruce Arians says that will rise, but seven touches in two games explains the discount.

Adrian Peterson ($9,200 to $9,000 to $8,900): You would think that 192 total yards from scrimmage would cement the impression that Peterson is back and send his price rising, especially heading into a home game against a San Diego team that gave up 139 yards to Giovani Bernard last week. The argument, and yes I know I'm always the Peterson Downer, is that his 49-yard reception last week was almost entirely a fluke on a broken play, that his last touchdown was seven games and 668 days ago, that he kept running into fumbles last week. Peterson looked okay in Week 2, but it was only okay.

Pierre Garcon ($5,500 to $5,400 to $5,900): The absence of DeSean Jackson didn't materially change Garcon's FanDuel salary -- in fact it dropped in the first week of Jackson's injury. The team has at most four weapons right now: Garcon, Jordan Reed, Alfred Morris and Matt Jones. Morris and Jones have combined for five catches in two games. This week, in a game against the Giants that promises to be something of a shootout, Garcon will see a heavy dose of targets. He's a nice bargain play in Week 3.

Andre Johnson ($6,900 to $6,800 to $6,800): The rare occasion where a price not changing is interesting. Through two weeks, the popular opinion on Johnson has gone from "superstar wide receiver with the best quarterback of his career" to "over-the-hill guy who has lost it." The odds are one of those was too high and the other was too low, but the fact that either (a) FanDuel didn't buy in on Johnson to begin with, or (b) doesn't buy that he's done tells me something.

Torrey Smith ($6,100 to $5,900 to $6,400): This almost exactly follows Smith's productivity: In Week 1, he had one catch for 11 yards and his value fell off; in Week 2, he caught six for 120 and a score, and his salary shoots up. So, basically, you have to ask yourself which of Smith's games is more likely to repeat. Well, Sunday's 120-yarder was Smith's first since Week 5 of 2013. He finds some touchdowns, but he's just not a huge accumulator. Seems like a dodgy Week 3 investment.

Gavin Escobar ($4,500 to $4,500 to $4,500): No change in Escobar's dirt-cheap price over three weeks. This despite every warm body around him dropping like flies. Dez Bryant and Tony Romo are gone. We don't know if Jason Witten will play in Week 3, but even if he does he won't be 100 percent. Escobar had a few moments last year. He's never going to be worth it if he's priced like the elite tight ends, but at the cheapest possible price, he carries intrigue.

Jimmy Graham ($6,900 to $7,100 to $6,300): Are people really that worried about Graham? He had eight targets in Week 1, which is totally within his normal range. And he scored. So the panic is almost entirely based on two targets and 11 yards in Week 2. Yes, that wasn't great, but come on, this is still Jimmy Graham. He's going to be fine, and at $6,300, he is going to be a steal.

New York Jets ($4,400 to $4,300 to $4,500): I guess FanDuel thinks the Jets' defense is a fluke, which is crazy. This unit won't continue to get turnovers at this rate, but it's a strong defense going against a Philadelphia offense helmed by Sam Bradford, who hasn't been able to get out of his own way through two weeks. The Jets should be far more expensive.