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The second week of the NFL season is all about opportunity in DFS and player prop betting. Markets are still adjusting to figure out which Week 1 performances were a smokescreen and which will be indicative of what is to come.
Each week we use matchup data from PFF to determine wide receivers to target based on who they will be primarily lining up against that week. Our picks last week provided the WR1, WR6, and WR11 in full PPR. This week we will lean more heavily into the lower-mid tier of wide receiver salaries, where more of the value lies in this early part of the season.
Below are five of the top WR vs. CB matchups for Week 2. Use these to set season-long lineups, make player-prop picks, and gain an edge in DFS.
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Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
$7,800 on DraftKings, $8,100 on FanDuel; vs. Tre Brown and Coby Bryant
Amon-Ra St. Brown started the 2023 NFL campaign on a high note with a top-12 fantasy WR performance. On opening night against the Chiefs, he caught six of nine targets for 71 yards and a touchdown. As expected St. Brown led all Lions receivers on the night, commanding a 28% target share including a red zone target that turned into six points.
St. Brown faces off with the Seahawks in Week 2, the seventh-best matchup for opposing fantasy receivers according to PFF’s Strength of Schedule metric. The 23-year-old lines up in the slot about 58% of the time, meaning he is projected to match up most often against Seattle’s nickel corner Coby Bryant. A slower defensive back with a below-average 37.3 PFF defensive grade.
With an attractive matchup in an explosive offense with the fourth-largest implied point total of any team in Week 2, St. Brown has one of the highest floors of the top WR options on the main slate. That makes the Sun God an excellent option for DFS this week, particularly in cash and head-to-head contests.
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
$5,800 on DraftKings, $7,500 on FanDuel; vs. Derion Kendrick
Last week Brandon Aiyuk showed that his strong rapport with QB Brock Purdy last year was no fluke, catching all eight of his passes for 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers. Despite having a lower floor in Kyle Shanahan’s run-first offense, the 31% target share Aiyuk commanded in Week 1 showed he is ready to lead the San Francisco receiving corps in 2023.
The 2020 first-round pick lined up predominantly as the X receiver last week, and projects to match up most often against Rams CB Derion Kendrick in Week 2. Aiyuk’s 92.9 PFF offensive grade in Week 1 was second only to Tyreek Hill’s 93.0 grade, and his 1.1 fantasy points per route run was third among all receivers.
While the 25-year-old will come at a premium on FanDuel this week, he is a steal at $5,800 on DraftKings. Use Aiyuk to help save salary for other positions in your Week 2 DFS lineups.
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
$4,900 on DraftKings, $6,100 on FanDuel; vs. Essang Bassey, Damarri Mathis
Washington’s primary slot receiver had a relatively quiet Week 1, catching five of seven passes for 40 receiving yards against the Arizona Cardinals. Despite the mundane stat line, there was a lot to like about Jahan Dotson’s performance last week, including a 24% target share in a come-from-behind victory.
Dotson and the Commanders travel to Denver in Week 2, in what is expected to be another close game (-3.5 point spread favoring the Broncos as of this writing). Commanders will look to take advantage of a secondary that gave up 147 yards to Las Vegas Raiders wide receivers last week. Denver ranks as the 12th-best matchup for opposing WRs according to PFF.
The 2022 first-round pick comes at a discount this week as he has the 34th-highest salary among receivers on the DraftKings main slate despite WR2 upside. Buy low on Dotson in Week 2.
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
$4,800 on DraftKings, $6,200 on FanDuel; vs. Dallis Flowers
Nico Collins had an impressive first game with rookie signal-caller C.J. Stroud last week against the Ravens, catching six of 11 targets for 80 receiving yards. Collins led the Texans in targets in a game that saw Stroud throw 44 times.
Collins and the Houston receivers will be excited to welcome the Colts to town on Sunday, the best WR matchup according to PFF Strength of Schedule in Week 2. As the team’s primary X-receiver, the 2021 third-round pick will match up most often opposite Colts DB Dallis Flowers. Flowers and the Colts secondary struggled mightily last week against Calvin Ridley and the Jaguars, with Ridley tallying eight catches for 101 yards and a touchdown.
Collins is a particular value in DraftKings this week as the 36th most expensive WR despite top-24 upside at the position. Target Collins in cash or tournament contests in Week 2.
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints
$4,100 on DraftKings, $5,900 on FanDuel; vs. Donte Jackson and C.J. Henderson
The Saints are missing from the main slate this week as they travel to Carolina on Monday night, but don’t let that stop you from leveraging their upside in Week 2 DFS.
Shaheed comes into this weekend fresh off of a five-catch performance against the Titans, where he totaled 89 receiving yards, one touchdown, and 3.56 yards per route run (good for third among all NFL receivers in that metric last week). The second-year receiver will look to build on that performance in a matchup with the second-easiest opponent for receivers according to PFF’s strength of schedule metric.
With a $4,100 price tag on DraftKings, Shaheed is an excellent option in Monday Night Football DFS contests.
All data is from PFF. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your DFS contests!
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