NFL DFS Week 2 First Look: Saquon Barkley Is BACK and in a Prime Matchup to Run Wild in Week 2

For Week 2, DFS players get a 12-game slate on Sunday. This NFL DFS first look article takes an early look at the main slates on DraftKings and FanDuel and breaks down some of the best options at each major position.

NFL First Look: Week 2 NFL DFS Picks

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Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford, LAR vs. ATL ($6,300 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel)

Forget about Stafford’s weak performance against the Bills and trust the quarterback this week against the Falcons. With Von Miller now on the team that allowed the fewest yards per pass last season (5.5), Buffalo is the best defense in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Falcons are a subpar group that gave up the 10th-most yards per pass last season (6.8) and was exposed for 27 points by the Saints on Sunday.

In this perfect bounce-back spot at home, the Rams carry the highest implied team total on the slate (29 points). Since joining Los Angeles, Stafford has eclipsed 20 DraftKings points in 7 of 11 starts at home, with a pair of performances north of 30 DraftKings points.

Carson Wentz, WAS vs. DET ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel)

Wentz was stellar in his Washington debut this past Sunday, finishing with 313 yards (7.6 per attempt), four touchdowns and two interceptions against the Jaguars, resulting in 32.72 DraftKings points. With Wentz under center, the Commanders passed the ball on 68% of their plays, resulting in 41 attempts for Wentz.

Heading to Detroit this week as a two-point underdog in a game with the second-highest total on the board (48.5 points), the heavy volume should continue for Wentz. Plus, this is a juicy matchup for him, considering the Lions yielded the most yards per pass attempt last season (7.6) and were the third-worst-graded defense on PFF for Week 1. Wentz is a solid bet to throw for over 300 yards and multiple touchdowns again, making him an outstanding value at these price points.

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Running Backs

Saquon Barkley, NYG vs. CAR ($7,300 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel)

Nearly two years removed from tearing his ACL, Barkley looked like his old self Sunday against the Titans, producing 194 scrimmage yards, a touchdown and 36.4 DraftKings points. Barkley played 82% of the snaps and received 18 carries, five of which came in the red zone. He also ran a route on 75% of dropbacks and was targeted on a team-best 33% of his routes.

Now, Barkley and the Giants are 2.5-point home favorites with a 22.5-point implied team total against the Panthers. This Carolina defense got shredded for 217 rushing yards by the Browns last week, and Barkley has historically been a stud when a favorite throughout his career, generating a whopping 28.1 DraftKings points per game. While Barkley is a strong choice on both sites, he is a near must-play at only $7,300 on DraftKings.

Leonard Fournette, TB vs. NO ($6,700 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel)

In the Week 1 win over the Cowboys, Fournette operated as a true workhorse back for the Buccaneers. With 21 carries, he rushed for 127 yards while playing 72% of the snaps. No other back for Tampa Bay saw a carry, and two of his touches came in the red zone. In the receiving department, Fournette ran a route on 76% of dropbacks and hauled in both of his targets.

While the Saints defense ranked first in fewest yards per carry last season (3.7), the Buccaneers have a solid implied team total of 23.75 points and are three-point favorites. In this situation, Fournette is a lock for 20 touches and a tough play to overlook at his current salaries.

Jeff Wilson Jr., SF vs. SEA ($5,100 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel)

In the wake of Elijah Mitchell (knee) heading to IR, Wilson has to be considered. After Mitchell exited during the second quarter last week against the Bears, Wilson was the only 49ers running back to see a carry. He had nine, including three red zone carries, while playing 58% of the snaps. Additionally, Wilson ran a route on 49% of dropbacks and garnered two targets.

While the end result was only 5 DraftKings points for Wilson, this was very encouraging usage, considering he essentially only played one half without Mitchell. Plus, on top of this data, there are statistics from last season that absolutely suggest Wilson will see a large role with Mitchell sidelined. In the final three games of the 2021 season that Mitchell missed, Wilson averaged 17.7 touches and 14.4 DraftKings points per game. At home and playing behind the fourth-largest implied team total on the slate (25.5 points), Wilson is one of the best value plays.

Wide Receivers

Davante Adams, LV vs ARI ($8,600 DraftKings, $8,800 FanDuel)

After seeing incredible volume for years in Green Bay, Adams’ target dominance continued in his Raiders debut. While running a route on all but one dropback, Adams saw an eye-popping 17 targets, including three red zone targets and two targets over 20 yards. This translated into a league-best 48.6% target share, 10 catches, 141 yards and a touchdown, for 33.1 DraftKings points.

Next, he will be competing against the Cardinals in the highest total on the board (51.5 points). In this uptempo spot, the Raiders have the second-largest implied team total on the slate (28.5 points). Adams has contributed an absurd 36.1 DraftKings points per game in totals of 50 points or greater over the last two seasons (five games). On both DraftKings and FanDuel, he is an awesome high-end investment.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET vs. WAS (6,500 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel)

In Week 1, St. Brown picked up right where he left off last season, hauling in 8 of his team-high 12 targets for 64 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles while running a route on 92% of dropbacks. He now has double-digit targets in seven straight starts and has topped 20 DraftKings points in six of these games.

This matchup between the Lions and Commanders presents the second-highest total on the slate (48.5 points). The Lions also sport the fifth-highest implied team total on the board (25.25 points), going against a Washington defense that gave up the fifth-most yards per pass last season (7.3) and was the ninth-worst-graded unit on PFF for Week 1. St. Brown is vastly underpriced for his ceiling in this environment and is a terrific bring-back option for Wentz stacks.

Curtis Samuel, WAS vs. DET ($4,600 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel)

Speaking of Wentz stacks, Samuel is a great option to pair with him in this high-scoring environment in Detroit. In the Week 1 win over the Jaguars, Samuel finished with eight catches for 55 yards and a touchdown, thanks to a team-high 11 targets. He a route on 80% of dropbacks – 81% of which came in the slot – and was targeted on 31% of his routes. Particularly on DraftKings, where receivers are rewarded a full point per reception, Samuel is an appealing, inexpensive combination of safety and upside.

Tight Ends

Zach Ertz, ARI vs. LV ($4,500 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel)

With Travis Kelce off the slate, paying down at tight end is the most optimal route for roster construction. After catching two of his four targets for 14 yards, a touchdown and a 2-point conversion last week against the Chiefs, Ertz is averaging 11.7 DraftKings points per game in the six starts he has made with Kyler Murray active and Deandre Hopkins (suspended) inactive. In these six games, Ertz ran a route on 94% of dropbacks and was targeted on 22% of these routes, including nine red zone targets.

Ertz is clearly mispriced for his compelling role sans Hopkins, and to put the icing on the cake, Ertz is in a beautiful spot against the Raiders. After allowing the third-most touchdowns (10) to tight ends last season, Las Vegas just surrendered three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown to Gerald Everett in Week 1.

Tyler Higbee, LAR vs. ATL ($4,200 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel)

Last week against the Bills, Higbee ran a route on 92% of Stafford’s dropbacks and saw 11 targets, including a red zone look. While he will not likely see double-digit targets again, Higbee could easily outproduce these low price tags in this plus spot against the Falcons and is an awesome, cheap way to gain exposure to the Rams’ slate-high implied team total (29.5 points). For GPPs, the combination of the Stafford and Higbee will without a doubt will be a strategy used by very few.

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