RADIO
Joe Nicely's DraftKings NFL DFS picks and lineup sleepers for Week 2. His top daily fantasy football recommendations to target for DraftKings DFS contests.
Hi there, RotoBallers, and welcome back to Break The Slate! If you've read this article in the past then you know what we're about here, but if you are a new reader, let me quickly summarize our goals with this article. We'll spend each week discussing a few NFL DFS plays at each position for the DraftKings main slate. I'll highlight my favorite players and breakdown my reasoning behind them.
I try to update the article on Saturdays to reflect any significant injuries or late-breaking news, as the landscape of the slate can change quickly in the NFL throughout the course of a week, so I hope that you will drop in to check those out before finalizing your lineups. With the excitement of Week 1 now out of the way, the real work begins, as we know a little more about each team in the league and can evaluate some statistics from the season's first week of action.
These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based on matchups, projected ownership, overall upside/talent levels, opportunity, and other factors such as Vegas odds, home-field advantage, and more. There are quite a few great plays available, so read on to find out which players are the best for Week 2. Be sure to also check out our weekly FanDuel DFS lineup picks and lots of other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win big! Good luck with your DraftKings DFS lineups, let's Break The Slate together!
Editor's Note: The FFPC Playoff Challenge is back with a massive $500,000 grand prize and $1.35 million total prize pool, paying down to 800th place. Here's the deal: no salary cap, no draft, no pickups, no subs. Choose 10 players, and as NFL teams get knocked out so will your players, so choose your team wisely. The 7,250 entries will sell out quickly, and registrations will close on Saturday January 10th at 4:30 pm ET . Don't wait - get your team now and end your fantasy football season with a shot at $500,000! Sign Up Now!
DraftKings DFS Quarterbacks - Week 2 Picks
Dak Prescott - DAL @ LAC ($6,800)
According to my wife, I spend way too much time on DFS research, so you can believe me when I tell you that the process to determine which players end up in this article each week isn't taken lightly. All that said, Dak Prescott at $6.8k on the Week 2 Main Slate is about as close as I ever get to an "insta-click".
The Cowboys signal caller came roaring back from a devastating ankle injury that prematurely ended his 2020 campaign by racking up 31.4 DK points against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Bucs in the 2021 season opener last Thursday night. How did he get there? Well, Dak threw the ball a few times. Prescott finished with 403 yards and 3 TDs on a MASSIVE 58 pass attempts.
While we probably can't expect him to throw the ball 58 times again when he faces the Chargers in Week 2, his Week 1 volume isn't that much of an outlier, as Prescott attempted 222 passes in just five games last year for an average of 44.4 pass attempts per game. Listen, Cowboys back Ezekiel Elliott will certainly see an increase in usage in comparison to Week 1, but this Mike McCarthy offense belongs to and runs through Prescott. With a defense that looked to be still horrible in the opener (you can certainly take a look at Justin Herbert in this matchup as well), we can again expect lots of shootouts for this year's version of the Cowboys.
Jalen Hurts - SF @ PHI ($6,500)
No, you are not experiencing deja vu. Jalen Hurts is back in this article for the second straight week. At the risk of being repetitive I had to include Hurts again because after dropping what looked like the easiest 28.8 DK points ever scored against Atlanta last week at $6.4k, the brain trust over at DraftKings decided to increase his salary to...$6.5k!
There's no doubt that his Week 2 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers is unequivocally tougher than the one he faced in Week 1...but is it that much tougher? San Fran's pass rush is no joke, but Hurts' ability to run the football will make their lives tougher, while the Niners are already down Jason Verrett and Emmanuel Moseley in the secondary. We talked in last week's article just how much Hurts' rushing prowess raises his DFS floor on a weekly basis, but it was the second-year QB's sharp passing that really caught my attention in Week 1. He went 27/35 for 264 and 3 TDs against the Falcons, indicating to me that he has the capability to be much more than "just" a running quarterback.
SATURDAY UPDATE: My love for this Cowboys vs Chargers matchup is expressed throughout this week's article, so no big surprise that Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert remain my 1A and 1B options on this slate. However, if you want to go outside of that game there are tons of viable options at the QB position, with Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, & Josh Allen being the high-floor/high-ceiling standouts. If you're looking for a salary saver at QB, Miami's Tua Tagovailoa pops for me at just $5.5k.
DraftKings DFS Running Backs - Week 2 Picks
Alvin Kamara - NO @ CAR ($8,800)
When New Orleans gave Latavius Murray his walking papers prior to the start of the season, we all hoped that this Saints backfield would finally be Alvin Kamara's all to himself. Those hopes and expectations came to fruition in Week 1, as this new, Drew Brees-less offense ran completely through Kamara. He logged 24 total opportunities - which included 20 carries, the second-most of his career in a single game - and was on the field for 72.58% of New Orleans' offensive snaps in a blowout win. Despite the copious workload, the former Tennessee Volunteer logged a solid, but unspectacular 18.1 DK Points, a final line that has helped to keep his DFS price tag in check, as Kamara's salary has increased just $200 from his $8.6k Week 1 price tag. The Saints star has as much upside as any player in the NFL, and while the Carolina defense looked improved against the hapless Jets in Week 1, I have absolutely no matchup concerns here. Grab him at this price while you still can.
Darrell Henderson Jr. - LAR @ IND ($5,700)
While most people's takeaway from the Rams Week 1 victory over the Chicago Bears was just how awesome this Matthew Stafford-led passing attack looked, I was impressed with Darrell Henderson's quiet efficiency as L.A.'s lead back. And make no mistake, Henderson is the lead back in this offense. He logged a massive 94.23% of the Rams offensive snaps, the highest percentage for any RB in Week 1, while new addition Sony Michel saw a mere three offensive snaps in his Rams debut. Yes, this Rams passing offense is impressive, but let's not forget that HC Sean McVay is a sneaky proponent of the run game. In McVay's four seasons in L.A., the Rams have finished inside the top-10 in the NFL in rushing play percentage three times. So while we can expect plenty of big weeks from Stafford and company, Henderson will also have some spike games in this offense. This week he draws a winnable matchup against a Colts defense that allowed an eye-opening 5.47 yards per carry in Week 1.
SATURDAY UPDATES: The "Three Musketeers" (CMC, Kamara, Dalvin) are obviously always in play, but there are also some very intriguing mid-priced options at the RB position on this slate. Cincy's Joe Mixon comes in at just $7k after topping all running backs with a massive 33 total opportunities last week. On the other side of that matchup, Chicago's David Montgomery looked sharp despite running behind a bad offensive line. We expected Pittsburgh rookie, Najee Harris, to be a true workhorse and that was indeed the case, as he logged 100% of the Steelers' offensive snaps in the opener. All eyes are focused on the passing attacks in the highly-anticipated Cowboys vs Chargers game...a contrarian play for GPPs is to bet on the running backs, as both Ezekiel Elliott and Austin Ekeler are capable of explosive output. Chris Carson and Damien Harris aren't exactly sexy plays but are rock-solid price-considered options. Not much injury news in Week 2, but Raiders' RB Josh Jacobs has been ruled out, which should mean more opportunities for Las Vegas' offseason acquisition, Kenyan Drake. Niners back Raheem Mostert has been ruled out for the year. Eli Mitchell starred in his absence in Week 1, but highly-touted rookie Trey Sermon will be active against Philadelphia, which makes this backfield a guessing game - as it always seems to be with Kyle Shanahan.
DraftKings DFS Wide Receivers - Week 2 Picks
Keenan Allen - DAL @ LAC ($7,000)
This week's article has a definite Cowboys vs Chargers flavor to it. We'll kick off the WR position with L.A.'s route-running extraordinaire, Keenan Allen. This Dallas Cowboys secondary - and defense as a whole - is one that I'm eager to target, as the unit continued to look lost in Dan Quinn's (LOL) debut as Dallas' defensive coordinator. The 'Boys relinquished 379 yards through the air to Tom Brady and company in the season opener, and I think we can expect more of the same this week. Allen looked sharp in Week 1 en route to a nine-catch, 100-yard day. He was peppered with 13 targets, good for a 28.3% target share in this Chargers offense that has finally shed Anthony Lynn. Many will opt to take the salary savings with Allen's teammate Mike Williams after he also posted strong numbers in Week 1, but we've seen Williams come and go over the years, while the tried and true Allen will continue to be the consistent top option for rising star Justin Herbert.
CeeDee Lamb - DAL @ LAC ($6,400)
DraftKings DFS Tight Ends - Week 2 Picks
Darren Waller - LV @ PIT ($7,600)
Well..."The Kelce Rule" proved to be effective in Week 1, as the Chiefs star posted 25.60 DK Points to lead all tight ends on the Main Slate. Why are we talking about Travis Kelce when he's not even on the Week 2 Main Slate? Because in his absence, it feels as though Darren Waller casts a Kelce-like shadow over the TE position this week, and the same "Always Play Kelce" thought process can be applied to the Raiders stud. Waller constitutes basically the whole of the Las Vegas passing attack at this point. He led the entire NFL in Week 1 targets with a hard-to-fathom 19 against Baltimore, which was good for a laughable 36.5% target share in this Raiders pass offense. His Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers should be tougher, as the Steelers were one of the best teams in the NFL at defending TEs last year, but with Waller's combination of talent and expected volume, I'm honestly not sure if the matchup even matters all that much.
Tyler Higbee - LAR @ IND ($4,100)
After years of sharing snaps with Gerald Everett, Tyler Higbee is now the clear-cut tight end option for the Rams. He was the only L.A. TE to see a target in their opener, as Matt Stafford looked his way six times with Higbee snagging five balls for 68 yards. Those numbers don't necessarily blow us away, but it represents solid volume for an inexpensive TE at a DraftKings position that's always tough to peg. We also must consider that Higbee is playing on a good offense that's currently projected to score 25.75 points in Week 2. The matchup against Indy would appear to be a plus one, as they were horrible against the position in Week 1. The Colts allowed a 100% catch rate to Seattle tight ends in the opener and relinquished a whopping 11.40 yards per target to the position.
SATURDAY UPDATE: The seemingly always-tough TE position actually presents us with some solid options this week. George Kittle is always in play, as is his counterpart in the SF vs PHI matchup, Dallas Goedert. Rookie Kyle Pitts' final Week 1 stat line underwhelmed, but the usage we wanted to see was there. Denver's Noah Fant should be the passing attack's primary target with Jerry Jeudy on the shelf. L.A.'s Jared Cook is yet another playable piece from the DFS game of the week. A one-game sample size can't be trusted, but Adam Trautman led the Saints in targets against Green Bay in the opener and comes in at just $3k for Week 2.
