After a great first Sunday of NFL action, let’s run it back with a massive 13-game slate for Sunday afternoon of Week 2. DraftKings has more huge contests to get involved in, and with 26 teams in the player pool, there are plenty of options to choose from. Just like last week, eight games kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET, but this week, five games make up the second wave after just four games in that time slot last week. Which breakouts in Week 1 were legitimate, and which were fakeouts? Let’s take a look at which players the early projections are pointing to as values to target this week to find out.
From a game script perspective, the San Francisco 49ers have the highest implied team total on the board as they host the Dolphins, with the Ravens, Cowboys, and Bears also over 25 points in their implied team totals. The Cowboys and Commanders have the highest over/under on the slate in one of the games with a later kickoff. While kickoff is still a few days away, it’s never too early to start strategizing for your NFL DFS lineups for Week 2. Even in the middle of the week, some potential values are already popping in our early projections, and you definitely want to have these values on your radar.
Throughout the season, every Wednesday, I’ll be taking a look at the players who are standing out as top values for the coming week by using the early projections in our NFL Player Models. Of course, these models update frequently.
Things will likely change between now and Sunday, but it’s still good to have a plan of attack.
If there’s news between now and lock — and there will be — the models will update to reflect that.
As always, they’re powered by Sean Koerner — one of the most accurate fantasy rankers in the industry.
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 Values
Carson Wentz ($4,600) Minnesota Vikings (+5.5) at Chicago Bears (48 total)
In the FantasyLabs projections, Carson Wentz has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at quarterback by a significant margin over Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, and Jayden Daniels, who are all in potentially high-scoring games as well. Wentz is worth considering, though, since he comes in so much cheaper than all the other expected starters and showed good upside last week.
Wentz has a 98% Bargain Rating on DraftKings and the highest Pts/Sal of all players at all positions on this week’s slate. Wentz is expected to get the start in Week 2 on the road against the Bears after Kyler Murray (concussion) took a big hit and entered the NFL Concussion Protocol. While he hasn’t been ruled out, he seems a long shot to clear the protocol, leaving Wentz to likely get the start in Chicago.
In relief of Murray last week, Wentz racked up 19.2 DraftKings points on 133 passing yards and three touchdowns. He completed 12 of his 19 pass attempts and did a good job managing the game and relying on the running game and the defense to carry most of the load against the Packers.
His three passing touchdowns show his upside, though, especially since he has a strong group of pass-catchers in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and free-agent addition Jauan Jennings at receiver and T.J. Hockenson at tight end.
Coach Kevin O’Connell runs a QB-friendly scheme, and the Vikings will have to be aggressive in this divisional matchup against the high-scoring Bears. Chicago gave up a huge week to Bryce Young and the Panthers last week, and Wentz brings too much value to be overlooked in the same matchup in Week 2.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Values
DeMario Douglas ($3,800) New England Patriots (-4.5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (45.5 total)
It seems like a long time ago, but the Patriots’ loss to the Seahawks started their season on a sour note. To add injury to insult, free-agent addition A.J. Brown (ankle) will miss some time and has already been placed on IR, opening the door for DeMario Douglas to step into an even bigger role in New England’s passing game.
Without Brown, Romeo Doubs, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams will all likely get more work on the outside, while Douglas could get more targets out of the slot. In Week 1, Douglas drew seven targets and converted them into five catches for 20 yards and 7.0 DraftKings points.
Douglas played 62% of the snaps, which was the second-highest mark among the team’s WRs, and he led the WR group with a 22.6% target share and 21 YAC. While Brown is down, the 25-year-old could quickly become Drake Maye‘s top target, so getting him in your lineup as a bargain option makes a lot of sense. Despite his small size, he has been an effective red-zone target and also brings the potential to make big plays down the field.
He has the second-highest Plus/Minus projection of all receivers this week due to his very low salary under $4,000, and he brings a very high ceiling even though the Steelers’ pass defense looked good in Week 1 (facing Cooper Rush).
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NFL DFS Running Back Values
Bijan Robinson ($8,200) Atlanta Falcons (+2.5) vs. Carolina Panthers (43.5 total)
Value plays don’t always mean cheap plays since players with big salaries can also bring good value if they really go off for a big total. Last week, the stars led the way across the board at the position, and this week, the FantasyLabs projections point to Bijan Robinson as an elite source of pay-up value as he leads the Falcons against the Panthers.
Robinson played without Tua Tagovailoa in the opener against the Steelers, and it isn’t clear if Tua will return in Week 2 or if Cooper Rush will get another start. Either way, though, Robinson will be the focus of the offense and bring an extremely high ceiling. He has the highest ceiling projection and the highest Projected Plus/Minus at all FLEX positions in an evenly blended aggregate of Koerner’s and Carty’s projections.
In Week 1, Robinson totaled over 170 rushing and receiving yards and found the end zone for a massive total of 31.3 DraftKings points. He finished the game with 21 carries for 83 yards and brought in eight of his 10 targets for 90 yards and his touchdown.
While Robinson was trying to carry the Dirty Birds against the Steelers, the Panthers’ run defense was getting absolutely flattened by the Bears’ running backs, who combined for 58.8 DraftKings points on their way to a 59-37 victory.
In such a great matchup and with a huge workload, Robinson looks to be an elite pay-up value play to build around in Week 2.
NFL DFS Tight End Values
Dalton Schultz ($3,200) Houston Texans (-2.5) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (46.5 total)
In one of the most exciting early games last Sunday, Dalton Schultz and the Texans went back and forth with the Bills before a late C.J. Stroud fumble ended their final chance to get the win. Schultz finished with 7.5 DraftKings points by catching four of his eight targets for 35 yards. While that total isn’t jaw-dropping, it is a good sign for the veteran tight end going forward.
The Texans’ offense is without Jayden Higgins (knee) for the season and is looking for pass-catchers to step up. Schultz played 66% of the snaps and ran 34 routes, drawing a 21.6% target share that was second on the team behind only Nico Collins. He didn’t get any looks in the red zone in Week 1, but he has proven he can be a good option in scoring positions in the past.
He will be facing the Bengals, who were a good tight-end matchup last season. In Week 1, the Bucs didn’t involve their tight ends much, but with Stroud and the Texans looking to bounce back, the Texans will likely try to put up points early and be more aggressive. If they throw the ball more, Schultz could be set for plenty of targets and thrive based on both volume and efficiency.
Schultz has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all tight ends in the FantasyLabs projections this week and in the aggregate projections as well. He comes at a great salary and allows you the space to build around stars at other roster spots while still bringing a good ceiling himself.
Pictured: Bijan Robinson
Photo Credit: Imagn
