After a great start to the new NFL season with a week packed with drama and storylines, let’s run it back with a huge Week 2! All 32 teams are in action once again this week and Sunday afternoon features 12 games on DraftKings’ main slate. With 24 teams to choose from, there are plenty of great options to consider as you assemble your Week 2 NFL DFS squad. Whether you’re looking to bounce back from a rough Week 1 or build on the momentum from a strong showing, there are lots of great value options emerging from the early Week 2 projections.
Let’s take a look at a few players who stand out for Week 2, 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 — the most accurate fantasy ranker in the industry from 2019-2021 — BUT that’s not all. This year, Chris Raybon’s projections will also be available in our NFL Player Models.
For full access to our models, you’ll need to sign up for a FantasyLabs subscription:
NFL DFS Quarterback Values
Baker Mayfield ($5,100) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) vs. Chicago Bears (41.5 total)
Mayfield had a great Bucs debut in Week 1, leading his new team to a road win in Minnesota. He’ll face another NFC North opponent this week, and he’s a great option if you choose to pay down at QB and spend big on superstars in other spots.
Using THE BLITZ projections, Baker has the highest Projected Plus/Minus and the most projected Points per Salary of all quarterbacks on Sunday’s slate.
In Week 1, Baker was the 16th highest-scoring QB with 16.02 DraftKings points. He completed 21-of-34 passes for 173 yards and a pair of touchdowns while adding 11 yards on eight carries. He started slowly but settled in as the game went along, finishing with some clutch first-down conversions to lock down the win. He showed a strong connection with top target Mike Evans and also has good secondary playmakers in Chris Godwin and rookie Trey Palmer, who caught his first NFL touchdown in his debut.
Mayfield gets a huge matchup upgrade this week as he faces the Bears. Chicago’s defense looked outmatched last week by first-year starter Jordan Love. Love tore them up for 245 yards, three passing touchdowns, and 23 DraftKings points, the third-most allowed by any team in Week 1. Last season, they also struggled against opposing QBs, allowing the sixth-most DraftKings points. Due to the matchup, Mayfield has the second-best Opponents Plus/Minus on the whole slate.
While Mayfield didn’t have gaudy numbers in Week 1, his matchup and extremely affordable price make him an attractive value play. The Bucs have a healthy 22.3 implied team total, which is good enough to put them into the top 10 on this slate. If they have that many points, Mayfield should return above-average value, especially if he continues to get work on the ground. It’s definitely within the range of outcomes that he tacks on a rushing score as well, based on his Week 1 usage.
I’m not sure I’m buying Baker as a long-term solution or the Bucs as a legitimate offense to use for fantasy. However, since this is for just one week, it’s a good chance to take a shot on him at this salary.
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NFL DFS Wide Receiver Values
Josh Reynolds ($3,700) Detroit Lions (+5.5) at Seattle Seahawks (46 total)
The Lions also got a big win as an underdog in Week 1, and they’ll be looking to prove their legitimacy this week as they go on the road as favorites to face the Seahawks. There is a lot of value to consider in the Detroit passing game in this matchup, including Jared Goff, pay-up play Amon-Ra St. Brown, and rookie TE Sam LaPorta. The best option, though, appears to be Reynolds, who comes at a great salary under $4K.
Using the FantasyLabs projections, Reynolds has the third-highest projected Plus/Minus of all wide receivers and the highest of any priced under $5K.
Reynolds operated as the team’s clear second option in the passing game in Week 1’s win over the Chiefs. He finished behind only St. Brown in terms of snaps played, targets, catches, and receiving yards at wide receiver. He outproduced his salary-based expectations and finished with 12 DraftKings points on four catches for 80 yards.
Last season, Reynolds battled a variety of injuries but still had some big performances. He finished behind only St. Brown and the now-departed D’Andre Swift in red zone targets, showing that Goff and coach Dan Campbell see him as one of the team’s best options for receiving touchdowns. If he’s able to stay healthy, the seven-year veteran has a good chance to put up the best numbers of his career in his role in this improving offense.
One of the reasons that Reynolds is popping in the early projections is that he gets a great matchup against the Seahawks. Seattle’s secondary was gashed by the Rams in Week 1, allowing 30 points to the Rams and over 100 receiving yards to both Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua.
Some of that production was the Rams’ offense looking better than expected, but some was also due to the Seahawks’ secondary struggling. If the Lions can exploit the same weaknesses, Reynolds should be a great Week 2 value.
NFL DFS Running Back Values
Dameon Pierce ($5,600) Houston Texans (+1.5) vs. Indianapolis Colts (40 total)
THE BLITZ projections give Pierce the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all running backs on Week 2’s main slate, and the FantasyLabs projections also have him in the top six at the position. Pierce actually cracks the top 10 in ceiling projection, according to THE BLITZ as well, which is a high ceiling at this salary since there are 20 running backs priced higher than him this week.
Pierce played 45% of the Texans’ snaps in Week 1 and is clearly the lead back over Devin Singletary (21%) and Mike Boone (31%). He finished Houston’s loss to the Ravens with just 38 rushing yards on 11 carries and caught 2-of-3 targets for nine more yards. Singletary didn’t receive a single target, so it looks like Pierce will get most of the receiving work out of the backfield.
As long as he gets a similar workload this week, Pierce is poised for a big bounceback. The Colts were the eighth-most generous team to opposing RBs last season, and last week they gave up 113 combined yards (rushing and receiving) to the Jaguars’ running backs and a pair of rushing scores.
New Texans coach DeMeco Ryans and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik are from the 49ers coaching tree, and they will likely lean heavily on Pierce if they can keep this week’s game close in Indy. Pierce’s slow start may keep him under the radar, but a matchup upgrade and better game script should set him up for a big week.
NFL DFS Tight End Values
Luke Musgrave ($3,200) Green Bay Packers (-1.5) at Atlanta Falcons (41 total)
The Packers got the Jordan Love era off to a great start with a win in Chicago, and they were able to put up good numbers without top wide receiver Christian Watson. One of the players stepping into a larger role with Watson sidelined was rookie Tight End Luke Musgrave, who the Packers snagged in the second round out of Oregon State.
Musgrave ranks in the top four of Projected Plus/Minus this week at TE in both FantasyLabs and THE BLITZ projections.
In Week 1, Musgrave played 75% of the Packers’ offensive snaps and finished second on the team with 50 receiving yards while hauling in 3-of-4 targets. He could have had a touchdown as well if he hadn’t fallen down on a relatively routine reception.
The Packers offense as a whole looked very good against the Bears, and they’ll get another soft matchup this week against the Falcons. Last week, the Falcons were one of six teams to give up a receiving touchdown to a tight end, and they surrendered six catches for 43 yards to the position in their win over the Panthers.
If Watson returns, Musgrave’s target share could dip a bit, but most of Watson’s work will come from other wide receivers. There should be enough work for the rookie to be a good value either way. He definitely has top-five tight end upside in this matchup this week, but he’s only the 17th most expensive play at the position on Sunday’s slate.
