DraftKings NFL: Week 2 Breakdown

This article is part of our DraftKings NFL series.

Sunday's Week 2 slate features 12 games. The ARI-LV matchup is the only one with a total higher than 50, which means it's sure to be a popular target. The Broncos and Rams have high implied totals in games where they're both double-digit favorites. The WAS-DET matchup is gaining some steam based on its 48.5 total and some decent options on each side. The other eight games will go mostly overlooked and any type of stack from them would provide nice leverage in tournaments. I plan on eating the Davante Adams chalk, but other than that, Week 2 is a good week to do things differently than the field as people will overreact to what happened in Week 1.  

Note: All prices listed come from DraftKings, but most of the logic can be applied to other sites across the DFS industry. Discussion is limited to players from the "main slate" of games kicking off at 1 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday. The strategy below is meant for large-field tournaments, where payouts typically are limited to ~20 percent of lineups, with the majority concentrated at the very top.

The Games

Point-Per-Dollar Value

These are the players with the best projections relative to their salaries — good plays both for cash games and large-field tournaments. While we don't want our GPP lineups to look like cash-game lineups top to bottom, there's nothing wrong with using a few chalky plays. These players, combined with passing-game stacks, tend to form the core that remains fairly consistent throughout my lineups.

• RB Saquon Barkley vs. CAR ($7,300)

Barkley exploded in Week 1 for 164 yards and a touchdown on the ground and he added six catches on seven targets for another 30 yards. Most important, he looked healthy and all indications are the Giants plan to give him as much work as he can handle. Sunday's matchup at home against the Panthers is a favorable one. Barkley will be popular in cash games, so it's better to just roster him in that format than try to overthink it.  

• WR Brandin Cooks at DEN ($6,000)

Cooks caught seven of 12 targets for 82 yards in last week's tie with the Colts. He should continue to draw upward of 10 targets per game as he's really the only legitimate weapon the Texans have. Consider their prominent players. Rex Burkhead, Nico Collins, O.J. Howard and Brevin Jordan. Davis Mills looks to be a pretty decent QB and doesn't have many places to look besides Cooks. They're likely to play from behind against Denver, which favors the passing game. If you don't feel like rostering a Texan (their team total is 17.75), Christian Kirk ($5,700) also projects well this week after catching six of 12 targets for 117 yards.

Other Cash-Game Options

QB Lamar Jackson vs. MIA ($7,400)

QB Derek Carr vs. ARI ($6,200)

QB Trey Lance vs. SEA ($5,700)

QB Daniel Jones vs. CAR ($5,100)

RB Christian McCaffrey at NYG ($8,900

RB Saquon Barkley vs. CAR ($7,300)

RB Joe Mixon at DAL ($7,200)

RB D'Andre Swift vs. WAS ($7,000)

RB James Conner at LV ($6,900)

RB Leonard Fournette at NO ($6,700)

RB Darrell Henderson vs. ATL ($5,700)

WR Davante Adams vs. ARI ($8,600)

WR Tyreek Hill at BAL ($7,100)

WR Mike Evans at NO ($6,800)

WR Michael Pittman at JAX ($6,700)

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. WAS ($6,500)

WR Brandin Cooks at DEN ($6,000)

WR Christian Kirk vs. IND ($5,700)

WR Jerry Jeudy vs. HOU ($5,600)

WR Greg Dortch at LV ($3,500)

TE Darren Waller vs. ARI ($5,400)

TE Tyler Higbee vs. ATL ($4,200)

TE Albert Okwuegbunam vs. HOU ($3,700)

TE Logan Thomas at DET ($3,400)

D/ST Cincinatti Bengals at DAL ($2,200)

Passing-Game Stacks

Stacks are the centerpiece of most tournament lineups, seeking to take advantage of positive correlations between players. It rarely makes sense to use a quarterback without one or two of his pass catchers, even if the player in question scores a decent portion of his fantasy points with his legs. Ideally, a stack also includes a pass catcher from the other side of the game, hoping to take advantage of a back-and-forth shootout. (Implied team totals are listed in parentheses.)

Arizona Cardinals (23) at Las Vegas Raiders (28.5)

CARDINALS

The ARI-LV game will be the most popular target on the slate, as it's the only game with a total above 50. The Cardinals will be less popular as road underdogs coming off a blowout loss but they have plenty good DFS options. Kyler Murray ($7,500) will go overlooked as the most expensive QB, but his rushing upside always gives him a chance to be the highest scoring player at the position. James Conner ($7,000) projects as one of the top RBs on the slate from a point-per-dollar standpoint as he's expected to feature heavily as a three-down back. Marquise Brown ($6,200) caught a touchdown in his Cards debut last week and should see a bump in target share with Rondale Moore expected to be out again. Greg Dortch ($3,500) got the bump last week when he caught seven of nine targets for 63 yards. Should Moore miss again, Dortch would play that role and project as one the top cheap values at WR. A.J. Green ($4,300) disappointed last week, catching two of four targets for 13 yards. If you still believe in him, this is a pretty good spot and his salary is even cheaper now. Zach Ertz ($4,500) is apparently healthy and is expected to play more. We saw Murray target him quite a bit when Hopkins was out last year. All these guys are relatively cheap, so paring Murray with one or two and running it back with Adams or Waller is feasible. 

RAIDERS

It's hard not to like the Raiders in this spot after what we saw in Week 1 from both teams. Mahomes tore up the Cards defense and Derek Carr ($6,200) showed plenty of promise with the new-look Raiders offense. He targeted Davante Adams ($8,600) a whopping 17 times and Adams caught 10 for 141 yards and a TD. Darren Waller ($5,600) caught four of six for 79 yards. I'm going to avoid Hunter Renfrow ($5,500) at that price because I expect Adams to get most of the goal-line looks that he got last season. It's just hard to see him finding the end zone that often as the third option. Depending on the game script, it could be a very nice spot for Josh Jacobs ($5,800). He's cheaper than we normally see him and has upside for 100-plus yards and a TD if the Raiders cruise. Rostering Jacobs instead of Adams or Waller in Cardinals stacks would be an easy way to get leverage in GPPs. I tried to keep this short because its pretty simple. This is a great spot for Carr, Adams and Waller, and they will be popular as a result. 

• Favorite Stack: QB Carr + WR Adams + WR Dortch + TE Waller   

Houston Texans (17.5) at Denver Broncos (27.5)

TEXANS

This stack is mostly about the Broncos side, but the Texans have some a few pretty good options worth considering. Davis Mills ($5,200) continues to look like a decent QB as he nearly beat the Colts last weekend with 240 yards, two TDs and no picks. Rex Burkhead ($4,900) carried 14 times and caught five of eight targets out of the backfield. Brandin Cooks ($6,000) caught seven of 12 targets and projects as one of the better WRs on the slate from a point-per-dollar standpoint. You could even take a chance Nico Collins ($4,100) for some leverage. Keep an eye on the status of Brevin Jordan ($2,600), who played 42 of 70 snaps last week as he dealt with an ankle injury. O.J. Howard ($3,000) played 12 snaps and caught two TDs. Howard could see more playing time as he gets more familiar with the offense, especially if Jordan is limited. 

BRONCOS

The Broncos should feel like they have a point to prove after losing to the Seahawks on Monday night. Russell Wilson ($7,200) looked pretty good against his old team, throwing for 340 yards and a TD. A matchup against the Texans is a nice spot for his first game in front of the Denver fans, and the Broncos 27.5 implied total is third-highest on the slate. Courtland Sutton ($6,100) and Jerry Jeudy ($5,600) are still relatively cheap. I'd expect those salaries to rise as the season goes. They are a similar duo to what Wilson had in Seattle with Metcalf and Lockett. Jeudy had 102 yards and a TD on Monday and he projects as one of the better value WRs on the slate based on the salary discount. Albert Okwuegbunam ($3,700) will be one of the TE options this week after he caught five of six targets on Monday night. Similar to the WRs, his salary is just a bit too cheap for such a favorable matchup. Not as many people will pair Wilson with Javonte Williams ($6,500) but Williams featured heavily in the passing game on Monday, catching 11 of 12 targets for 65 yards. That combination plus one or two pass catchers would be an easy way to get leverage in GPPs. 

• Favorite Stack: QB Wilson + WR Jeudy + WR Cooks + TE Okwuegbunam 
• Favorite Stack: QB Wilson + WR Jeudy + WR Sutton +/- TE Okwuegbunam (blowout, Russ throws four or five TDs)

Other Stacks to Consider

QB Kyler Murray + RB Josh Jacobs + WR Marquise Brown + WR Greg Dortch or TE Zach Ertz

QB Kyler Murray + WR Davante Adams + WR Greg Dortch + WR Marquise Brown or TE Zach Ertz

QB Lamar Jackson + TE Mark Andrews + WR Tyreek Hill or RB Chase Edmonds

QB Russell Wilson + RB Rex Burkhead + WR Jerry Jeudy + WR Courtland Sutton and/or TE Albert O

QB Matthew Stafford + WR Cooper Kupp + TE Tyler Higbee +/- WR Drake London

QB Derek Carr + RB James Conner + WR Davante Adams + WR Greg Dortch or TE Zach Ertz

High-Priced Heroes

• WR Davante Adams vs. ARI ($8,600)

Adams' connection with Derek Carr looked good in Week 1 as he caught 10 of 17 targets for 141 yards and a TD. Now he gets a matchup against a Cardinals defense that was just shredded by Patrick Mahomes and company. He projects as the top WR on the slate in terms of point-per-dollar value which means he'll a popular option on Sunday. I have no problem eating that chalk, especially considering that he's $1,300 cheaper than Cooper Kupp ($9,900).

• RB Joe Mixon at DAL ($7,200)

Mixon is coming off 34 touches in Week 1, which include catching seven of nine targets for 63 yards. That type of usage is encouraging, and so is the matchup against Dallas. The Cowboys are without Dak Prescott and I expect Cooper Rush to struggle. The Bengals should have plenty of opportunities to score and Mixon should benefit from a positive game script. He has upside for 150-plus yards and two TDs in this spot. 

Honorable Mentions: QB Russell Wilson, DEN vs. HOU; TE Darren Waller, LV vs. ARI; RB James Conner, ARI at LV ($6,900)

Fading the Field

Every week we see at least one or two players who are popular without the backing of a top point-per-dollar projection. In some cases it even makes sense to fade a player with a strong projection, particularly when there are good alternatives at the same position and price range.

***UPDATE***

I'm not fading Taylor anymore now that Pittman has been ruled out.

• RB Jonathan Taylor at JAX ($9,900) Christian McCaffrey at NYG ($8,900)

I faded Taylor last week and he ended up having a big game as he touched the ball 35 times for 175 scrimmage yards and a TD. Some of those touches came in overtime as the Colts were held to a tie by the Texans. I really like Taylor as a player and this a good spot against the Jags but I faded him last week based on price and now he's $800 more expensive, the same price as Cooper Kupp. He scored 30 points and wasn't even on the winning lineup in most GPPs. The best reason to roster Taylor this week is because he won't be popular due to the inflated salary. That means fading him really isn't that big of a deal anyway, which is why I'm likely to fade Christian McCaffrey as well. He busted last week with Baker Mayfield as his new QB, touching the ball only 14 times. Now he's more expensive for the Panthers trip to the Giants. There are plenty of good RB options for cheaper. 

The Smash Spot

(Players in favorable spots to significantly outperform their salary.)

• WR Jerry Jeudy vs. HOU ($5,600)

Jeudy caught four of seven targets for 102 yards and a TD in his first game with Russell Wilson on Monday night. Expect that connection to get even better with more reps as season goes along. Now the Broncos get a soft matchup against the Texans for Wilson's home debut and Jeudy is still underpriced. He has a good chance for 100-plus yards and TD again. It could just as easily be Courtland Sutton ($6,100) who has a big game as well. 

Honorable Mentions: WR Courtland Sutton, DEN vs. HOU; WR Mike Evans, TB at NO

The Bargain Bin

QB Jared Goff vs. WAS ($5,400)

QB Trevor Lawrence vs. IND ($5,300)

QB Daniel Jones vs. CAR ($5,100)

RB Chase Edmonds at BAL ($5,200)

RB Jeff Wilson vs. SEA ($5,100)

RB Rex Burkhead at DEN ($4,900)

WR Russell Gage at NO ($4,800)

WR Curtis Samuel at DET ($4,600)

WR Marvin Jones vs. IND ($4,400)

WR Zay Jones vs. IND ($4,300)

WR Jahan Dotson at DET ($4,200)

WR Parris Campbell at JAX ($3,700)

WR George Pickens vs. NE ($3,600)

TE Juwan Johnson vs. TB ($2,600)

D/ST Miami Dolphins at BAL ($2,300)

D/ST New York Jets at CLE ($2,200)

Injuries to Monitor 

• WR Chris Godwin at NO

Godwin will miss Sunday's game with a hamstring injury, meaning Mike Evans should see a bump in target share. Julio Jones and Russell Gage are also listed as questionable. The banged-up WR core could have Brady looking Leonard Fournette's way more often as well.  

• WR Rondale Moore at LV

Moore is out, which means that Greg Dortch will fill that role again. Dortch caught seven of nine targets in Week 1 and now projects as one of the better cheap values on the slate. Zach Ertz and A.J. Green could also benefit from Moore's absence. 

Weather

There could be some rain in San Francisco on Sunday, which could make it tough on Trey Lance and the 49ers' passing attack. It's something to monitor if you plan on rostering Lance and/or his pass catchers.