Week 2 NFL DFS WR Breakdown: Top Cash Game and Tournament Picks

Wide receivers are the backbone of your NFL DFS lineups. It’s a spot where you’ll need massive production if you’re going to take down a GPP, but it’s also a spot where you can save money on occasion. Some of the best values in a given week are likely to be found at the receiver position.

In this piece, I highlight wide receivers who stand out in our large suite of analytical fantasy tools, most specifically, our FantasyLabs Player Models. While the models are built for DFS contests, this is an all-purpose fantasy article with actionable information for all formats.

As news breaks throughout the week and we adjust our projections (powered by 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 (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:

Top NFL DFS Cash Game Options

Tetairoa McMillan ($5,400 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel)

The Panthers entered this season with loftier expectations than usual. Bryce Young showed some real promise down the stretch, and they gave him a legit No. 1 receiver in the draft with McMillan. They also drew a fantastic Week 1 matchup vs. the Jaguars, who were dead last in pass defense EPA.

Unfortunately, Carolina fell flat on their face. They managed just 10 points and 255 yards of total offense, so they complete erased any goodwill that they built up at the end of 2024.

While our expectations for the Panthers might need to be lowered moving forward, McMillan at least looked the part. He garnered a 27% target share in his first professional contest, and he also led the team with a 39% air yards share. McMillan finished his day with nine targets, five catches, and 68 yards, good for 11.8 DraftKings points. While McMillan won’t reach his ceiling unless Young plays a bit better, the fact that he operated as a legit No. 1 receiver is promising for his fantasy prospects.

McMillan gets another decent matchup in Week 2, with the Cardinals ranking 24th in pass defense EPA last year. They might be a bit improved in 2025, but this play is more about price than anything else. It’s not common to get a legit No. 1 receiver at his current salary across the industry, and until those are adjusted, McMillan will warrant consideration. He leads the position in projected Plus/Minus on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Calvin Ridley ($4,900 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel)

Ridley is arguably an even better value than McMillan. His season got off to a brutal start, finishing with just four catches for 27 yards against the Broncos. However, he had to navigate one of the toughest possible matchups. Denver has an elite pass defense, and Ridley saw a lot of top cornerback Patrick Surtain. It was also Cam Ward’s first professional start, so it was always going to be an uphill battle.

Things should get better for Ridley moving forward. He still had a massive 32% target share in Week 1, and he led the team in air yards. If he can maintain that level of volume as Ward gets more comfortable, Ridley should have plenty of usable fantasy weeks.

He stands out as an outstanding source of savings in Week 2. His matchup vs. the Rams should be significantly friendlier, with the Rams ranking 28th in pass defense EPA in 2024. It’s an excellent buy-low opportunity.

Tee Higgins ($6,100 DraftKings, $7,100 FanDuel)

At this point, the way the Bengals start the season is becoming comical. They tried to combat their usual early-season malaise by playing their starters a bit in the preseason, but they still had a dreadful showing vs. Cleveland. They at least managed to escape with a win, but the team managed just 141 yards of total offense. That was the second-fewest in Week 1, and they had just seven yards after halftime.

Of course, there’s no real cause for concern with the Bengals overall. They were an absolute juggernaut offensively in 2024, with Joe Burrow leading the league in passing attempts, yards, and touchdowns.

Higgins is the clear No. 2 behind Ja’Marr Chase in Cincinnati, but the gap between them isn’t as large as you might think. Higgins had a very healthy 24% target share for the Bengals last season, and he actually racked up a higher percentage of air yards than Chase (36% vs. 33%). His average depth of target (aDOT) checked in at 11.2 yards, while Chase was at merely 9.0.

Ultimately, there’s more than enough to go around for both players. Chase finished as the WR1 in fantasy last season, but Higgins was WR6 in PPR points per game. Higgins is merely the 12th-priciest receiver on DraftKings’ main slate, so he stands out as a clear value.

Puka Nacua ($7,600 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel)

Nacua could be poised for a monster season in Los Angeles. The team did add Davante Adams this offseason to give Matthew Stafford another option in the passing attack, but Nacua was unstoppable in Week 1. He racked up a massive 41% target share, and he had 39% of the team’s air yards. He ultimately finished with 11 targets, and he caught 10 of them for 130 yards.

This offense has the potential to be extremely condensed. Adams also had a target share north of 30%, and the team’s other receivers managed just two targets combined. If that’s going to be the norm in Los Angeles, Stafford-Nacua-Adams double stacks could pay off handsomely.

Still, Nacua stands out as the best option of the bunch. His price tag is slightly lower than some of the other top options at the position, but Nacua has more volume upside than all of them. He owns the top projected Plus/Minus among all receivers priced above $6,100 on DraftKings, and he trails only McMillan and Ridley in that department on FanDuel.

Now available: our NFL DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

Top NFL DFS Tournament Options

Zay Flowers ($6,200 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel)

The Ravens had a collapse in the fourth quarter of their first game this season, but their offense was still firing on all cylinders. The running game looked unstoppable, which allowed Lamar Jackson to pick apart the Bills’ secondary. He only threw the ball 19 times, but he still managed 205 yards and two touchdowns.

The low passing volume isn’t ideal for Flowers, but he made up for it with a massive 50% target share. He also had 56% of the team’s air yards, and he finished with nine targets, seven receptions, 143 yards, and a touchdown. The Ravens will have weeks where they throw the ball a bit more often, and Flowers has established himself as the clear No. 1 option in their passing attack.

Baltimore is in an outstanding bounce-back spot this week vs. the Browns. Cleveland’s defense has some talent, and they looked good in Week 1 vs. Cincinnati. However, the Ravens seem basically unstoppable at this point. Their 28.25 implied team total is the top mark on the slate by a decent margin, and they averaged just under 30 points in their two matchups vs. the Browns last year.

Flowers stands out as a massive value at just $6,300 on FanDuel. It’s only $100 more than his salary on DraftKings, despite the fact that the salary cap is $10,000 higher. The result is a 98% Bargain Rating, which is the top mark at the receiver position.

Ja’Marr Chase ($8,100 DraftKings, $9,000 FanDuel)

While Higgins might be the best pure “value” in the Bengals’ receiving corps, there’s no denying Chase’s upside. He had a poor showing in Week 1 – catching just two passes for 26 yards – but he still owns the top ceiling and median projections in our NFL Models.

Chase is coming off a historically good 2024 campaign. He led the league in basically every receiving metric of note, including catches (127), yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17). When he hits his ceiling, no receiver in fantasy can come close to matching it. He had four games with at least 32.8 DraftKings points last season, and he has at least one game with more than 55 DraftKings points in three straight years.

The Bengals will square off with the aforementioned Jaguars pass defense in Week 2. While they looked improved in Week 1, it’s hard to know how much that has to do with the Jaguars’ defense and how much is due to the Panthers’ ineptitude. That game also featured a weather delay, so it was a tough game to get a feel for overall.

Ultimately, the Jaguars still figure to be an above-average matchup. They allowed the fifth-most PPR points per game to opposing receivers last year, so it’s a phenomenal bounce-back spot.

Keon Coleman ($5,100 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel)

Could we be seeing a changing of the guard in Buffalo? Coleman had a quiet rookie season that was marred by injuries, but he appears poised for a breakout in Year Two. He generated buzz throughout training camp, and that carried into his first game of the regular season. He finished with eight catches, 112 yards, and a touchdown, good for 28.2 DraftKings points.

Coleman’s underlying metrics also look strong. He had a 26% target share and 33% air yards share, both of which led the team. Some of his separation metrics are a bit questionable, but that ultimately doesn’t matter if you can come down with the football.If Coleman can solidify his status as the No. 1 receiver in Buffalo, he has a chance to be one of the steals of the Summer. There are worse gigs than being the top pass-catcher for Josh Allen. His price tag has yet to adjust to reflect his new role, making him a clear target.

Contrarian NFL DFS Tournament Options With Upside

CeeDee Lamb ($7,800 DraftKings, $8,700 FanDuel)

The Cowboys brought in some target competition for Lamb this offseason, acquiring George Pickens from the Steelers. That said, it didn’t really impact Lamb in Week 1. If anything, Lamb saw more targets than usual in his first game with his new teammate. He finished with an elite 41% target share and 51% air yards share vs. a tough Eagles’ defense.

Lamb ultimately hauled in seven passes for 110 yards, but that doesn’t tell the full story. He also had a few drops in that contest, so he could’ve had an even bigger stat line.

Now, he gets a matchup vs. a much friendlier Giants’ defense. While they have a strong pass-rush on paper, their secondary is definitely exploitable. As long as the Cowboys’ offensive line can give Dak Prescott time, Lamb should be able to pick them apart.

Travis Hunter ($5,200 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel)

There were some question marks about how Hunter would be deployed for the Jaguars this season, but the coaching staff said all offseason that he would be a full-time offensive player. Sure enough, he was on the field for 82% of the team’s pass plays, and he played just six total snaps on defense.

Head coach Liam Coen said Hunter would play a bit more on defense in Week 2, but he’s still going to be used primarily as a receiver. That’s very appealing for fantasy purposes. Hunter had 96 catches, 1,258 yards, and 15 receiving touchdowns in his final collegiate season, so he’s still a weapon on that side of the ball.

Hunter racked up a 29% target share in Week 1, which was more than established No. 1 receiver Brian Thomas Jr. While that probably won’t continue all year, the gap between the two players might not be as big as anticipated. It makes Hunter an interesting tournament option vs. a leaky Bengals’ secondary. His DraftKings optimal lineup rate is around 11% in Sim Labs, but he’s currently projected for just 5.5% ownership. That’s one of the biggest discrepancies at the position.

Hollywood Brown ($5,200 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel)

Here we go again with the Chiefs. Last year, star receiver Rashee Rice went down with an injury early in the year, and the Chiefs’ offense struggled to rebound. Rice is currently out of the lineup with a suspension, but Xavier Worthy was expected to pick up the slack in his second professional season. He ended the year extremely strong – including a monster performance in the Super Bowl – but Worthy hurt his shoulder in Week 1. It seems as though he avoided a serious injury, but there’s still a chance he’s sidelined in Week 2’s Super Bowl rematch vs. the Eagles.

With Worthy and Rice both out of the picture in Week 1, Brown took over as the team’s clear No. 1 option. He finished with a massive 16 targets, good for a 40% target share, and he racked up 10 catches for 99 yards.

Despite all that volume, Brown is not getting much attention heading into Week 2. He’s projected for roughly 11% ownership on DraftKings and closer to 6% ownership on FanDuel. The Eagles are a tough matchup, but as Lamb proved last week, they’re not infallible.

Jaxson Smith-Njigba ($6,000 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel)

If Week 1 is any indication, Smith-Njigba is going to be extremely busy this season. The team traded away DK Metcalf in the offseason, and they didn’t do much to replace him in the rotation. They brought in a past-his-prime Cooper Kupp, and they didn’t add anyone in the draft until the fourth round.

That leaves JSN to handle a gigantic workload. He saw a 59% target share in Week 1 and did not disappoint, catching nine of 13 targets for 124 yards.

He’ll get a matchup vs. the Steelers in Week 2, who had some issues defensively in their first game of the season. They allowed the Jets to rack up 29 points and 394 yards of total offense, and Garrett Wilson had seven catches for 95 yards and a score. It’s possible they’re not quite as formidable on that end as they’ve been in previous years, and if that’s the case, JSN would be a steal at just $6,000 on DraftKings.

Pictured: Puka Nacua
Photo Credit: Imagn