We’ve got a supersized 13-game slate for Week 2 on the NFL season, with the standard 1:00 p.m. ET lock time.
In this article, I’ll be using various FantasyLabs tools and other industry metrics to break down the DFS slate.
As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by the award-winning expert ranker, Sean Koerner), player ratings in our Player Models will change as the projections change. For updates, visit the models directly.
And don’t forget about the tools that FantasyLabs has to offer, like our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Or you can just use our NFL DFS sims to effortlessly create advanced lineups.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace.
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:
NFL DFS Quarterback Picks
Stud: Caleb Williams ($6,800) Chicago Bears (-4.5) vs. Minnesota Vikings (48.5 Total)
The plays are far less obvious in Week 2 than they were last week, when salaries were well over a month old. This week, we have properly adjusted price points on most players, and very little injury news is creating obvious opportunities. I’m taking a bit of creative liberty in listing Williams, who ranks third in our median and ceiling projections, as the “stud” play at QB, but the top three players are separated by less than a point, and Williams is my favorite of the group.
Obviously, Chicago is a massive underdog to match its 59-point Week 1 performance, but this might be the best fantasy offense in the league by year’s end. Williams underperformed, if anything, in that contest, accounting for “only” four of the team’s eight total touchdowns in what was a blowout fairly early. He draws a much tougher defensive matchup this week, but a closer game script should have him throwing more than the 29 attempts he finished with last week.
The great thing about rostering Bears players is that their defense is bad, too. That means they’ll be in plenty of shootouts. Plus, head coach Ben Johnson is aware of this fact and will stay more aggressive than the game script calls for, knowing that leads might not be safe.
Williams is the better QB in the best game environment on the slate, with some relatively clear stacking and bring-back partners. The best part is that he’s projecting outside of the top five QBs in ownership. What more could you want?
Value: Carson Wentz ($4,600) Minnesota Vikings (+4.5) at Chicago Bears (48.5 Total)
The other side of the equation in Chicago is the Vikings, who will return Carson Wentz to starting duty after Kyler Murray was ruled out on Friday afternoon. Wentz went 12-for-19 with three touchdown passes as a backup in Week 1 against a Packers defense that projects to be much tougher than the one he faces this week.
Had Murray’s injury made it more obvious that he would miss Week 2, Wentz would likely be priced well above his $4,600 Week 2 salary. He’s one of the few, if not the only, players on the Week 2 slate with a noticeably “wrong” price tag due to injury, making him a key piece in cash games.
For the reasons stated above, I prefer Williams in tournaments, but the QBs here correlate, and the $2,200 in savings from rostering Wentz goes a long way elsewhere in the lineup. It’s hard to project a tournament-winning score with his complete lack of rushing upside, but he should do more than enough to be a strong play in cash games. He leads the position in Pts/Sal projection and is second among all players on the slate in that category.
Quick Hits
Lamar Jackson ($7,300): Jackson is projecting for about a point more than Williams, though he also comes with a $500 higher price tag and roughly double the ownership. The good news is that he’s seemingly healthy and running again, posting a 7/40/1 stat line on the ground in Week 1. The bad news is that the Ravens are favored by 8.5 and, unlike the Bears, are usually content to grind the clock and slow things down with a lead. I can see the case for Jackson, but a Saints bring-back is mandatory, as the only way he gets there is if New Orleans makes this competitive.
Dak Prescott ($6,400): The total in the Cowboys/Commanders game is a point higher than in Vikings-Bears with an identical spread, which is pushing much of the field to the cheaper Prescott over Williams. Prescott doesn’t have the rushing upside but has a better defensive matchup, so I can see the case. He also has a more narrowly distributed target tree than Williams, so stacks are easier, but I personally prefer to find the extra $4,000.
Cooper Rush ($4,200): The other cheap option is Cooper Rush, who performed poorly in Week 1 against the Steelers but now gets to face the Panthers team that allowed a Week 1-record 59 points to Chicago last week. Rush has some solid pass-catchers on paper and is a slight home underdog, so everything is pointing his way – except for the whole “being good at football” part of the equation. He’s worth some exposure at $4,200, but don’t get crazy.
NFL DFS Running Back Picks
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