After an exciting kickoff week, the NFL season rolls into Week 2 with a second consecutive 12-game main DFS slate that kicks off Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET. Without a Friday game like in Week 1, Week 2 features a Monday Night Football doubleheader that keeps the main slate at 24 teams. Nine of Sunday’s games start in the early wave, including five divisional matchups, followed by three games in the second wave of games, including a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl as the Chiefs host the Eagles.
The matchup between the Jaguars and Bengals has the highest over/under for Sunday afternoon’s games, just ahead of the Bears and Lions. The Ravens have the highest implied team total on the board in their matchup with the Browns. 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.
Finally, make sure to check out all the projections available for purchase (Chris Raybon’s come included with a FantasyLabs subscription) within the FantasyLabs Models. Subscribers now have the option to purchase Derek Carty’s THE BLITZ from our Marketplace. Projections from One Week Season and Establish the Run are available if you’re a subscriber to those specific sites (our optimizer is a separate add-on feature).
You can also combine them to create your own aggregate projections:
NFL DFS Quarterback Values
Justin Fields ($5,700) New York Jets (+2) vs. Buffalo Bills (46.5 total)
Each of the three main projections has a different quarterback atop their Projected Plus/Minus for Week 2. Koerner picks Josh Allen, and Karty goes with Joe Burrow, but I agree with Raybon and love the upside that Justin Fields brings against the Bills this week.
In his Jets debut, Fields threw for 218 yards and a touchdown while running for 48 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. He was the second-highest-scoring fantasy QB of the week, behind only his opponent in this matchup, Josh Allen.
Fields finished with 29.52 DraftKings points and seemed very comfortable in his new offense under coordinator Tanner Engstrand. Fields did a great job keeping his eyes downfield and taking off when the time was right. He was also extremely efficient, completing 16 of his 22 passes.
He’ll take on the Bills in Week 2, who gave up 70 rushing yards and a touchdown run to Lamar Jackson in their high-scoring Sunday Night Football game in Week 1. Both teams put up plenty of points in Week 1, but also allowed plenty of points. It seems unlikely this divisional game features as many fantasy points, but there should be chances for Fields to make plays.
Last week, Fields looked very ready to make all those plays, and his rushing potential gives him a sky-high ceiling whenever he’s on the slate. He is a great deal under $6,000 and has the potential to go off once again and post a big total in Week 2.
NFL DFS Wide Receiver Values
Hollywood Brown ($5,200) Kansas City Chiefs (+1.5) at Kansas City Chiefs (46.5 total)
The Chiefs lost their Week 1 matchup to the Chargers and also potentially lost Xavier Worthy (shoulder) for a few weeks to a dislocated shoulder. Brown could step into an expanded role as a result, and he has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all receivers in the aggregated projections for Week 2.
Worthy was expected to carry a lot of the workload while Rashee Rice (suspension) missed the first six games of the season, but if Worthy is unavailable, there should be plenty of work for Brown, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and rookie Jalen Royals (knee) if he can get healthy. In Week 1, Brown led the Chiefs in receptions, receiving yards, and targets.
In the loss to the Chargers, Brown was targeted a total of 16 times, hauling in 10 catches for 99 yards and finishing with 19.9 DraftKings points, just one yard short of the 100-yard bonus points. Brown’s target load was huge compared to last season, when he averaged 5.6 targets in his five games in the regular season and postseason.
If Worthy is ruled out, Brown will be the clear No. 1 receiver again in this week’s matchup against the Eagles. Brown had two catches for 15 yards in the Super Bowl, but he’ll likely be much more involved in this rematch, and getting him at just over $5,000 makes him a great value to watch this week.
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NFL DFS Running Back Values
Christian McCaffrey ($7,500) San Francisco 49ers (-4.5) at New Orleans Saints (42.5 total)
Value doesn’t always mean going with a cheap play since even expensive options can be good values if they go off. They have to rake in more total DraftKings points to return value, but McCaffrey looks poised to do just that in what should be a great matchup for him on Sunday in New Orleans.
After an injury scare last week when he popped on as a limited participant in practice with a calf injury, McCaffrey was able to play no problem on Sunday and took a heavy workload against the Seahawks. He finished with 23.2 DraftKings points on 69 rushing yards and 73 receiving yards and he made up for his lack of a touchdown by hauling in nine catches.
With George Kittle (hamstring) on IR and Jauan Jennings (shoulder) and Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder) also banged up, it’s uncertain exactly what the 49ers offense will look like in Week 2. Whoever is available, though, CMC should be set to carry the load much like he did last week in the 49ers’ road win.
San Francisco is on the road again this week, traveling to the Big Easy to take on the Saints, who allowed 108 rushing yards and five catches for 11 yards to Cardinals’ running backs in their Week 1 loss. Facing the Saints at the Superdome should be a good spot for the 49ers to lean on CMC as a playmaker and the fantasy star to shine bright.
Given his upside and heavy workload expectations, McCaffrey seems like a great value with his salary under $8,000. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus in each of the three main projections used for this post, as well as the three-way aggregate.
Don’t forget to check out our SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NFL DFS Tight End Values
Harold Fannin Jr. ($3,100) Cleveland Browns (+11.5) at Baltimore Ravens (45.5 total)
While pay-up play Trey McBride is in a juicy matchup against the Panthers and should definitely be able to return value, I’m going with a less expensive play at this spot and highlighting rookie Harold Fannin Jr. of the Browns, who has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position in Raybon’s projections and the third-highest in the three-way aggregate.
Fannin looks like a steal at the start of the third round for the Browns, who drafted the prolific pass-catcher out of Bowling Green. Fannin got rave reviews all training camp and preseason, and the team has built in ways for him to get on the field along with starting tight end David Njoku.
In Week 1, Fannin played 72% of the team’s offensive snaps, compared to 84% for Njoku. He got nine targets from veteran QB Joe Flacco and hauled in seven of those passes for a total of 63 receiving yards. Njoku was also involved, catching 3 of 6 targets for 37 yards, and it looks like the Browns will use plenty of two-tight-end formations to get both big targets on the field for Flacco.
Fannin and the Browns have a tall task in Week 2 against the Ravens in Baltimore, who are sure to be fired up after last week’s late loss to the Bills. In that game, the Bills’ tight ends had seven catches on seven targets for 97 yards and a touchdown.
The rookie’s Week 1 performance was no fluke, and I think he’ll stay central to Cleveland’s plans on offense all season long. He’s a great value play to consider heading into Week 2.
Pictured: Hollywood Brown
Photo Credit: Imagn
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