DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Week 2 Main Slate

September 18, 2026

Doug's DraftKings NFL DFS Week 2 picks, value plays, DFS sleepers for the main slate (2026). His top DK plays and value picks for daily fantasy football lineups.

Happy Week 2, RotoBallers! Week 1 was wildly exciting, with offensive explosions across the league like we haven’t seen in years. Will that trend continue this week, or will the defenses finally catch up? 

One of the most common strategies for Week 2 in the NFL is to ignore everything you saw in Week 1. That holds in many cases; we saw plenty last week that we need to factor into our week-to-week DFS lineups.

Be sure to jump into our RotoBaller Discord! We have so many different channels devoted to whatever you're playing in fantasy football. We also have plenty of great NFL DFS articles and tools to help you win MORE this season! Good luck with your DraftKings DFS lineups -- let's dominate this Week 2 slate together!

DraftKings Quarterbacks - Week 2 DFS Picks

TOP PLAY: Caleb Williams, CHI vs MIN ($6,800)

The Chicago Bears are a perfect example of what we saw in Week 1 that shouldn't be ignored in Week 2. Coach Ben Johnson stated before the season that he wanted to break the all-time points record in a season, and then the team put 59 points on the board against the Carolina Panthers. While Carolina isn’t the best defense in the league, 59 points is still a monster number and correlates exactly with what Johnson expects from his team. 

Johnson is a psychopath in the best possible way and will scheme an offense to beat any defense. That playcalling genius will come in handy against a Minnesota Vikings squad being coached by the best defensive mind in football, Brian Flores. If you watched the second half of their game last week, they had Jordan Love in fits. 

Before that, though, the Packers threw all over the Vikings. Caleb Williams is a much better playmaker than Love, with arguably better weapons, and is much more adept at running the football. He had 10 carries in Week 1, showing that he’s not afraid to scramble out of the pocket and take yards when it’s the best option.

If you take the time to really watch the game, he is the closest thing to Patrick Mahomes that we have outside of the man himself. Minnesota should be able to score on Chicago, meaning the Bears will need to keep their foot on the gas all game. This game has the second-highest projected total on the slate, and could be one of many shootouts for Chicago this year. While he’s a little expensive for cash games, I’m going to eat the chalk in tournaments and have tons of Williams exposure at the quarterback position and get different elsewhere.

VALUE PLAY: Carson Wentz, MIN at CHI ($4,600)

Speaking of cash games, if Carson Wentz does indeed get the start this week in place of an injured Kyler Murray, he is the best points per dollar value at the quarterback position. He had a huge game last weekend against Green Bay, and now he'll face the most generous defense in the NFL. 

While he doesn’t run as much as he did earlier in his career, he does have the ability to get out of the pocket and provide somewhat of a rushing floor. He’s also become a more adept passer, and his connection with Justin Jefferson is undeniable. With a full week of first-team reps under his belt, we should start to develop more of a connection with the likes of Jordan Addison and TJ Hockenson. 

This will allow him to spread the ball more efficiently against a defense that will give up points. If you want to get different tournaments, this is the first place I look, and there is no other option at the position for cash games this weekend. Take the value and use that money elsewhere to get studs at skill positions.

Other options: Brock Purdy, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield

DraftKings Running Backs - Week 2 DFS Picks

TOP PLAY: Bijan Robinson, ATL vs CAR ($8,200)

Another trend that we saw in the first week of the season was massive usage for Bijan Robinson in the passing game. We know he's a great runner, and he'll keep getting his carries, but his upside comes from that passing-game efficiency. Last week he saw 10 targets in the passing game, and if you take out handoffs and only count his work as a receiver, he was still one of the top-scoring running backs in Week 1 with 23 DraftKings points. That’s the kind of floor I want from my cash game running back. 

Bijan Robinson did everything he could against Pittsburgh today

21 CAR, 83 RUYDS, 8 REC, 90 REC YDS, 1 TD, 173 Total YDS https://t.co/vq8kcw1ivX pic.twitter.com/5HyEp0RRcK

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 13, 2026

Now take a look at what the Bears did on offense against Carolina last weekend; both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai rushed for 100 yards, as Chicago scored a total of six rushing touchdowns. While we can’t project that kind of success for every team, it does speak to how poor the Panthers defense projects to be this year. Robinson should carry one of the highest roster percentages on the slate, but that is chalk I will eat in both tournaments and cash games.

VALUE PLAY: Ashton Jeanty, LV at LAC ($6,800)

I guess he wasn’t so injured after all. $6,800 isn't a typical price I would look at for “value,” but there aren’t many lower-priced options at running back, and given his upside, this is a value price for someone with Ashton Jeanty's talent. The Raiders offense looked strong, and while it was against a bad Miami team, Jeanty's usage was very encouraging. 

People don’t realize how adept he is in the passing game, but that was on full display last weekend as he caught all six of his targets and scored two touchdowns through the air. The Chargers may be better than what we saw last weekend, but defensive disappointment isn't new for them, and they might just be a bad football team. 

Regardless of that, Jeanty is matchup-proof and should be the focal point of the offense once again. We also can’t overstate how differently this team will play under its new coach. Klint Kubiak is a fantastic play caller, and he brought in some of the league's best offensive line coaches. That means the running game should stay strong. 

The Raiders will want to keep the pace slow to limit Justin Herbert's possessions. We will have to see what the roster percentage looks like for Jeanty, but if we can make it work, I’m not opposed to having him in cash game lineups, and he is a top tournament option at just $6800. 

Other options: Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Breece Hall, David Montgomery, Javonte Williams

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DraftKings Wide Receivers - Week 2 DFS Picks

TOP PLAY: Justin Jefferson, MIN at CHI ($7,800)

It’s amazing what competent quarterback play can do for a talent like Justin Jefferson. With JJ McCarthy no longer at the helm for Minnesota, Jefferson looked like the stud of old as he tore up the Packers defense for a monster game last weekend. Jefferson has had Wentz as his quarterback for six career games, none of which saw Jefferson receive fewer than seven targets. Overall, he’s averaged 9.8 targets, seven receptions, and 94.8 yards per game with Wentz as his quarterback. 

Justin Jefferson came up huge in Minnesota’s comeback win over Green Bay

8 REC, 92 YDS, 2 TD, 1 2PT https://t.co/XuFwBIRfHm pic.twitter.com/TtqcIiwJKn

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 13, 2026

This week they get the benefit of facing the Chicago defense that everyone will be throwing at this year. Bryce Young isn’t nearly as bad as people want to make him out to be, but he’s also not the next coming of Peyton Manning, and he looked exactly like that against Chicago last weekend. Wentz should be able to have his way in this game, and Minnesota will need to score points to keep up with the high-scoring Bears offense. 

Jalen Coker torched Chicago last weekend, and he is nowhere near as talented as Jefferson. I expect another game with 10+ targets and multiple downfield shots. Given his upside, I would consider him underpriced by a few hundred dollars, making him a value in cash games and a top tournament option as a stacking partner with Wentz or as a bring-back to a Chicago stack.

VALUE PLAY: Matthew Golden, GB at NYJ ($4,700)

Christian Watson may have gotten the numbers in the first half, but it was Matthew Golden who was the focal point of the Packers' passing game. He had one of the most efficient games at the position in Week 1, and should continue to see a massive target share starting opposite Watson. The Jets defense looked much improved against Tennessee last weekend, but this is still a secondary that played poorly last season. 

Green Bay will want to bounce back after a horrendous second half in Minnesota last weekend, and they have no running game to speak of with Josh Jacobs still away from the team. Jordan Love looked like prime Jets Sam Darnold as Dallas Turner was running him down last weekend, but he is a talented arm and one of the league's most efficient passers when he gets a clean pocket. 

He won’t have Brian Flores calling plays on the other side in this one, and the Jets pass rush is nothing like the Vikings'. I expect Love to have plenty of time to find the open receiver, and if last weekend is any indication, it will be Golden who he is looking for. We will not get him at $4700 for much longer if he continues to lead the team in target share, so I am locking Golden into cash games this weekend at that price. He should see more than enough volume to provide a strong return on value. 

Other options: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Emeka Egbuka, George Pickens, Parker Washington, Luther Burden III, Deebo Samuel Sr.

DraftKings Tight Ends - Week 1 DFS Picks

TOP PLAY: Trey McBride, ARI vs SEA ($6,900)

If I ever need to save money, the first position I look to is tight end, but sometimes you just play the best guy. Trey McBride continues to put up ridiculous numbers at the tight end position, and with Brock Bowers injured, he is the unquestioned best in the NFL. He saw 13 targets in Week 1, and there’s no reason for that to change going forward. 

He can dominate any middle linebacker over the middle, and he’s too big to be covered by a cornerback. The Arizona offense is far better than anyone gives them credit for, and while Jacoby Brissett may not be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, he’s more than competent enough to move the ball down the field. Mike Lafleur is an excellent offensive play caller, and this team is going to be trouble for their opponents all year long. 

Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) has been saying it all summer, and he’s not wrong; the Cardinals are better than you think. New England used the tight end position against Seattle on opening night, and we know Arizona will have to throw to keep up with the defending champions. If you find value elsewhere, there is no better spend up at this position than McBride. 

VALUE PLAY: Evan Engram, DEN vs JAX ($3,300)

As early as April of this year, Denver Coach Sean Payton said that he planned to get Evan Engram more involved in the offense this year. He followed that up during Training Camp, where he said Engram would have “a big role in the offense” during one of his press conferences. 

He followed through on that in Week 1 and gave his tight end five targets, including one that went for a touchdown. That is more than enough volume for a player priced so inexpensively, and it puts Engram squarely in the discussion for a top cash game value option at the tight end position. The Jaguars have one of the better offenses in the AFC, which means Denver will need to score to stay in the game. 

Other options - Dallas Goedert, Jake Ferguson, Mark Andrews, Michael Mayer

DraftKings D/ST - Week 1 DFS Picks

Top Five Defenses For Cash Games

1. Arizona Cardinals ($2,500)
2. New York Jets ($2,400)
3. Baltimore Ravens ($3,300)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers ($2,800)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($3,600)

Thanks for reading, and good luck in your contests this weekend!

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