Break The Slate: DraftKings NFL DFS Lineup Picks - Week 2

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 read this article regularly, 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 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. After a sluggish start in Week 1, we're looking to get things firing in Week 2! Remember, the NFL is ever-evolving from week to week, which gives us an opportunity to apply what we've learned on the next slate.

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!

DraftKings DFS Quarterbacks - Week 2 Picks

Dak Prescott - ATL @ DAL ($6,800)

Not exactly a spectacular start to the Mike McCarthy era for the Dallas Cowboys, as they went down to the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Despite the loss, I'm still encouraged by Dak Prescott's prospects in Week 2. The matchup is much better than the one he faced last week, as a home game against the Atlanta Falcons - one that carries the highest O/U of the week (52.5) - offers a true breakout spot for Dak and this 'Boys offense.

Atlanta tried to retool their struggling secondary during the offseason, but those changes didn't appear to be an upgrade in Week 1, as Russell Wilson shredded this Falcons unit to the tune of 322 yards and 4 TDs while completing 31 of 35 pass attempts. Wilson's 34.78 DK point total against Atlanta was the most allowed to a QB on the main slate. In addition to the patchwork Atlanta secondary, they are also a fairly stark funnel defense, as they've been efficient at stopping the run over the course of last season and in Week 1 of 2020. They allowed just 2.69 yards per carry to the Seattle rushing attack last week, which should force Dak to the air sooner rather than later. Throw in the fact that Atlanta's offense is more than capable of putting up points on this spotty Dallas defensive unit and we have all the makings of a good old-fashioned shootout.

Josh Allen - BUF @ MIA ($6,700)

Maybe it's just my personal perception, but it feels like Josh Allen continues to be overlooked. Personally, I'm pumped to roster the big Bills QB in Week 2 against a retooling Miami defense. The Dolphins secondary certainly appears to be upgraded this year, but this defensive unit proved unable to stop Cam Newton on the ground last week, as Newton rolled the Dolphins for 75 yards with his legs - the second-most yards rushing allowed to a QB on the Main Slate - and 2 TDs on 15 attempts.

This matchup should be right down Allen's alley, as he once again looked great when running the ball in the opener, notching 57 yards and a TD on 14 attempts. His 14 carries trailed just...Cam Newton's 15 for most by a QB in Week 1. While we can expect Allen to produce some fantasy goodness on the ground due to the juicy nature of this matchup, let me also remind you that his 316 passing yards last week was a career high for a Buffalo offense that appears to be trending in the right direction.

*SATURDAY UPDATE: I feel as though it goes without saying that both Lamar Jackson ($8.2k) and Patrick Mahomes ($7.7k) are always in play (especially on a week with all this unbelievable value spread throughout the slate!). I'll be keeping my QB pool tight with those two, the two QBs mentioned in the original writeup, and Matt Ryan ($6.6k) being the signal callers that I'll turn to on this slate.

DraftKings DFS Running Backs - Week 2 Picks

Aaron Jones - DET @ GB ($7,100)

There's some volatility that comes with rostering Aaron Jones, but I like the upside he brings to GPP rosters. That's especially true in this spot against a Detroit run defense that is now without Snacks Harrison and looked soft against the Bears in Week 1. The Lions relinquished a massive 5.25 yards per carry to Chicago rushers, the fourth-most in the NFL last week and now must face a Packers team that's favored by 6.5 points at Lambeau Field.

We know Jones' usage in this Packers offense can be frustrating from a fantasy perspective, but his workload last week is encouraging. He toted the rock 16 times against Minnesota, but perhaps more importantly from a DK scoring perspective, he was targeted six times in the passing game (with four of those coming in the Red Zone).

Jonathan Taylor - MIN @ IND ($5,700)

Nothing groundbreaking here, as Jonathan Taylor will be one of the most popular RBs on this slate. However, not all chalk is created equal and Taylor is a play that we should roster with confidence. Many were excited about the talented rookies prospects in Indy already, but his stock is now undoubtedly through the roof with Marlon Mack's season-ending Achilles injury suffered in Week 1. Taylor will lose some work to Nyheim Hines, but the exciting thing about his debut last week was that he was targeted six times in just over two quarters of action, corralling every one of them for 67 yards and we can expect Colts QB Phillip Rivers to continue peppering his backfield with checkdowns. The matchup against the Vikes sounds worse than it truly is. Minnesota relinquished a massive 4.96 yards per carry to Green Bay backs in Week 1, while also allowing an 81.8% catch rate to Packers running backs in the pass game.

Benny Snell Jr. - DEN @ PIT ($4,500)

This one we'll have to keep an eye on as the week progresses, as Benny Snell's DFS viability is directly tied to James Conner's injury status. Snell stepped into the Steelers backfield due to Conner's absence Monday night and rumbled for 113 yards on 19 carries against the Giants. If Conner is unable to go in Week 2, we can project that Snell would once again step into the workhorse role for Pittsburgh against a Denver Broncos Defense that allowed 116 rushing yards to the RB position in their opener.

*SATURDAY UPDATE: A you will see throughout the Saturday Updates this week, this slate offers perhaps the most "viable value" that I have ever seen! This is true at both the RB and WR positions, so a lot of these guys I'm simply just going to list, because diving into reasoning would basically double the size of this article. First, circling back around to the original write-up, it looks as though James Conner will give it a go, so we can scratch Benny Snell off our list. The top of the RB board is juicy, with Derrick Henry ($7,900) being perhaps my favorite "spend up" option, while both Ezekiel Elliott ($8.2k) and Dalvin Cook ($7.6k) are also in play. Miles Sanders ($6.0k) is returning for the Eagles...he and Kenyan Drake ($5.9k) might be forgotten men as all eyes turn to Jonathan Taylor this week, and are very intriguing contrarian options in GPPs. As we slide down the salary scale two options really stick out, with Ronald Jones II ($5.2k) going from a difficult Week 1 matchup against the Saints to a very easy Week 2 matchup against the Panthers. It's easy to forget about Jones on this star-studded Bucs offense, but he received 20 touches in the season opener, while Leonard Fournette only garnered five carries. At the same price, Melvin Gordon III ($5.2k) draws an extremely difficult matchup against the Steelers, but figures to get tons of work with Phillip Lindsay now officially ruled "Out".

DraftKings DFS Wide Receivers - Week 2 Picks

Davante Adams - DET @ GB ($8,100)

Davante Adams is a no-brainer if you're spending up at WR this week. The Packers stud blitzed Minnesota in the opener, posting 14 catches on 17 targets for 156 yards and 2 TDs. Adams' position as Aaron Rodgers' favorite target means that he'll continue to be fed 10+ plus targets per game. In addition to his monster usage percentage, he draws a dream-scenario matchup this week against a Detroit Lions secondary that could be missing all three of their starting CBs. If that indeed happens, Adams would be covered by second-year reserve Amani Oruwariye.

Amari Cooper - ATL @ DAL ($6,300)

We've already touched on some reasons why Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is a strong play this week and I'm also on board with his top wideout, Amari Cooper. Cooper sticks out to me as grossly underpriced at just $6.3k. He handled himself nicely in a tough matchup against Jalen Ramsey last week, picking up 81 yards on 10 catches. Perhaps more impressive than his final stat line is the fact that he was targeted 14 times. Cooper should once again be Prescott's main target as he draws a juicy matchup against Falcons rookie AJ Terrell, who was shredded by Seattle in Week 1 and allowed six catches for 100 yards and a TD on passes thrown his way in coverage. Lots of factors point to a shootout in this one and Cooper should be a main cog in this Cowboys offense that's projected to score 28.5 points by oddsmakers.

Parris Campbell - MIN @ IND ($4,500)

Many of us were excited about Parris Campbell heading in to last season, but the burner out of Ohio St. suffered through a rookie season that was marred by a seemingly never ending string of injuries. Campbell drew the start in the slot for Indy last week and looked like the receiver that we were pining for in 2019. He was tied with T.Y. Hilton for the team-high in targets with nine, bringing in six catches for 71 yards. He'll square off against a Vikings secondary that allowed a ridiculous 82.40 DK points to the WR position last week - the second-most points allowed to the position in Week 1 - and was routinely torched from the slot position. It's tough to predict if Campbell's usage in the Colts' offense is for real or simply a Week 1 outlier, but he was on the field for nearly 83% of Indy's offensive snaps last week, so we have to love the potential volume that he brings to the table at just $4.5k.

*SATURDAY UPDATE: Ok...the WR position is absolutely nuts this week, with viable plays throughout the salary scale. I'll be heavily targeting the ATL/DAL game here and will look to mix and match combinations of Julio Jones ($7.4k), Calvin Ridley ($6.8k), Cooper, Michael Gallup ($5.6k), Russell Gage ($4.8k), and CeeDee Lamb ($4.7k) in TONS of lineups (the large majority of them will be in stacks with Dak or Matt Ryan) and I really can't emphasize enough what a great game environment this should be, with concentrated usage and explosiveness on both of these offenses. Minnesota's Adam Thielen ($7.2k) is a great way to run back Taylor, Campbell, or TY Hilton ($5.7k) lineups. Not sure what to make of the Tampa Bay injury report, but with Chris Godwin listed as "Doubtful", Mike Evans ($6.4k) screams UNDERPRICED UPSIDE, while Scotty Miller ($4.1) might be Tom Brady's new "favorite". JuJu Smith-Schuster ($6.5k) is a different player with Big Ben at QB and Diontae Johnson ($4.5k) was targeted 10 times (!) on Monday night.  There were some injury concerns around LA's Mike Williams ($4.2k) before the opener, but he looked good (in spite of Tyrod) last week and the Chargers will most likely be playing catch-up against the Chiefs. Tennessee will lean on Derrick Henry this week, but with AJ Brown officially "Out", Corey Davis ($4.0k) will be their top receiver. There are even a couple of viable plays below $4k this week, as injuries should thrust both Quintez Cephus ($3.8k) and Breshad Perriman ($3.8k) into larger roles for the Lions and Jets.

DraftKings DFS Tight Ends - Week 2 Picks

Mark Andrews - BAL @ HOU ($6,300)

Mark Andrews picked up right where he left off last season in Week 1 against the Browns. Andrews continued to be ruthlessly efficient, grabbing five of six targets for 58 yards and 2 TDs. With Hayden Hurst off to the Falcons, Andrews solidified atop the Baltimore TE depth chart and was on the field for a more-than-last-year 71% of the Ravens offensive snaps. We would love to see more volume, but we must also consider that the Ravens were in control of the game early and let off the gas as a result. Andrews draws an intriguing matchup this week against the Houston Texans, a defense that yielded a 100% catch rate to the TE position in Week 1 and allowed 50 yards and a TD on six TE targets.

Logan Thomas - WAS @ ARI ($3,600)

I'm personally always looking for an opportunity to pay down at the TE spot and Logan Thomas represents perhaps the best value at the position in Week 2. We had heard murmurs out of the Washington Football Team's training camp that Thomas might surprise this year and he looked good in Week 1, grabbing four of eight targets for 37 yards and a TD. That stat line doesn't blow us away, but the volume is there. Thomas gets a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, a team that was epically-bad against the TE position in 2019 and allowed the most fantasy points to opposing TEs by a wide margin last season.

*SATURDAY UPDATE: With Kenny Golladay out once again, TJ Hockenson ($5.2k) becomes intriguing, though Matt Stafford seems to refuse to throw him the ball. The Chargers offense looked #NotGood in Week 1, but Hunter Henry ($5.1k) was one of the bright spots and appears to be a favorite target of Tyrod Taylor. We know that Zach Ertz is the man in Philly, but Dallas Goedert ($5.0k) actually received more targets than Ertz in Week 1, converting his nine looks into a big 8/101/1 line against Washington. Hayden Hurst ($4.6k) disappointed as a popular play in his Atlanta debut, but you guys know how much I love this ATL/DAL game and he's in a tremendous bounce-back spot this week.

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