With a week of film and data to review, week 2 feels like the official start of the season for daily fantasy players. Before we jump into our optimal lineup for the week 2 Millionaire contest, it’s worth reviewing what we see as the chalk lineup for this week.
These picks make for a great cash game lineup, and are worth sprinkling into your Millionaire lineups, but will have way too high of ownership to the base for your GPP lineups this week.
QB – Derek Carr
QB – Carson Wentz
RB – Christian McCaffrey
RB – Javonte Williams
RB – Antonio Gibson
WR – Davante Adams
WR – Julio Jones
WR – Paris Campbell
TE – Zach Ertz
NFL Week 2 Optimal Lineup
While we will have shares of the chalk players listed above, we are looking for a bounce-back week from a number of players in our optimal lineup for week 2. This includes our QB pick, Trey Lance, who will look to rebound from a disappointing week 1 performance.
QB: Trey Lance, $5,700
Trey Lance’s 2022 season did no get off to the start he likely imagined, thanks in large part to the monsoon conditions in Chicago. We expect him to get back on track at home against the Seahawks here in week 2.
Seattle’s pass defense was bottom 10 in the league in yards-per-attempt and completion percentage last season and did not look improved in week 1, despite picking up the win. Russell Wilson averaged 7.9 YPA and threw for 330 yards against Seattle in week 1.
Of course, Lance’s real upside comes on the ground, and with Elijah Mitchell out, we expect him to see double-digit carries again here in week 2.
RB: Saquon Barkley, $7,300
While we think McCaffrey’s ownership will be slightly higher in this matchup, we’ll take the $1,600 savings and roster Barkley for week 2. The combination of being another year removed from his ACL injury, an improved offensive line, and Brian Daboll’s arrival have Barkley looking like the guy we saw early in his career.
Carolina was great against the run last season but gave up 217 rushing yards at 5.6 YPC to the Browns in week 1. Combine that with the fact that Barkley caught 6 passes on 7 targets last week, and we think he is in line for another big performance here in week 2.
RB: Josh Jacobs, $5,800
Jacobs was on the field for over 60% of the Raiders’ snaps in week 1, and that number could climb even higher this week with Brandon Bolden out. The addition and week 1 performance of Davante Adams on the outside should create even more space for Jacobs against the Cardinals.
Arizona was one of the worst run defenses in the NFL last season, giving up 4.6 YPC on the season. They allowed 5.5 YPC to the Chiefs running backs last week and an additional 6 receptions for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. We expect McDaniels will have a gameplan put together that features Jacobs, setting him up for a big week 2 performance.
WR: Deebo Samuel, $7,200
Samuel is the clear stack in Lance lineups for week 2. With Mitchell out, Deebo is likely in line for added RB snaps this week, but it is worth noting he averaged nearly 23 DraftKings PPG when he got at least 5 carries last season.
This is a matchup Samuel loves. He scored 38.7 DraftKings points in his lone start against Seattle last season.
WR: Marquise Brown, $6,100
Hollywood’s first game with the Cardinals was up-and-down, or rather down-and-up. After being shut out in the first half, he found the end zone in the second half and managed to put up a solid 4/43/1 line. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense made things tough on Murray and Brown, but we don’t see the Raiders defense being able to find similar success here in week 2.
It is worth noting that Murray is the top-priced QB option for this slate, despite not having DeAndre Hopkins or Rondale Moore. If Murray has a big game, it should mean a monster game for his #1 wide receiver.
WR: Brandon Aiyuk, $5,100
With Samuel providing value as both a RB and WR in week 2, it makes sense to stack an additional 49ers pass catcher with Lance. Aiyuk’s big play ability and snap count makes him the ideal play for us, but it is worth considering Kittle, who we know is capable of massive GPP-friendly performances when healthy.
We were told throughout the offseason that Aiyuk and Lance have a great connection, which matches up with the limited film we have of the two last season. The weather conditions clearly played a role in what we saw from the two in week 1, but we expect to see a much better week 2 performance out of Aiyuk against a porous Seattle secondary.
TE: Tyler Higbee, $4,200
Tyler Higbee was targeted 11 times in week 1, unfortunately, those targets came against a Bills’ defense that allowed just 4.7 fantasy PPG to tight ends last season. His matchup this week comes against a Falcons defense that has arguably the weakest safety room in the NFL. We expect big rebound games for both Higbee and Robinson here in week 2.
Flex: DJ Moore, $5,700
Speaking of players that should rebound from poor week 1 performances, we expect Baker Mayfield and DJ Moore to find their footing at the Giants in week 2. In week 1, the Giants gave up 8.1 YPA to a Titans passing attack that looks like it has zero viable pass catchers.
Moore’s week 1 DraftKings salary was $6,000 against a tough Titans defense, so seeing a drop to $5,700 is enough for us to take the bait in this favorable matchup.
