How is everyone feeling? Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books, and we saw some great games. But of course, there are some games on the opposite side of the spectrum. We saw some players completely dominate their positions, and others turned in dud performances.
It’s time to turn the page to Week 2 of the season and another opportunity to completely dominate your DFS games. This week in NFL DFS, we again have some juicy matchups I’ll be targeting when picking a lineup. The players mentioned are ones I’m doing my best not to leave out of my lineups.
Last week was a mixed bag, and that will happen with the season’s first game. We use information and numbers from 2023 to the best of our ability. But we know things change in the offseason, which greatly affects teams’ attack, plan and everything in-between. So, as the 2024 season rolls on, we gather more information and numbers to do the best of our ability to project a winning lineup.
To quickly recap, if you took my advice, three out of the five players I recommended for your lineup produced 21 points or better. Tua Tagovailoa, Kenneth Walker and Mike Evans all helped you in NFL DFS cash games and tournaments last week. Granted, both Evan Engram and the Bengals D/ST had bad showings and were not a lot of help. But you should’ve done pretty well, depending on how you built the rest of your lineup. So, to start the season, we are sitting at a 60% hit rate, and I’m fine with that.
Let’s now turn the page to Week 2 and see if we can’t get some pieces of a game-winning NFL DFS lineup!
(NFL DFS prices are courtesy of DraftKings)
Week 2 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) | $5,900
Baker Mayfield had the second-best performance of the week in fantasy football and ended as the QB2 in most formats. He also accumulated 29.7 DFS points. Mayfield wasn’t my first choice for a quarterback last week, but he was definitely my second as I stated last week. Given that, I’m surprised the two-time Heisman Trophy winner only went up $300 in DraftKings prices. Nevertheless, I’m happy that’s the case.
This week once again gives him a solid matchup against the Lions. Although they only gave up 18.7 points to Stafford last week, they were the third-easiest matchup for fantasy quarterbacks last season. In 2023, the “Motor City Kitties” allowed 20.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. You also have to consider that Stafford lost one of his key weapons in Puka Nacua last week, which most likely played a part in the lower point total. But that’s not the case for Mayfield; he has his full arsenal.
This game also has the main slate’s highest points total (51.5). I’ve said it before: More points on the board means more points for your fantasy team. As a fantasy/NFL DFS player, you should want pieces of this game. So why not start with the QB2 from last week in Mayfield?
Running Back
Isiah Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs) | $6,900
Look I know, the price tag is high. Isiah Pacheco is the sixth-most expensive running back on the main slate. But I see it that if you pair him with Mayfield, you save cash instead of paying up more for a quarterback. This total sits at 47.5, with the Chiefs favored by six points. To me, that screams Pacheco. Honestly, I think Kansas City will mop up the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. It could get downright ugly. The Bengals looked atrocious last week against the Patriots, and we all know the Chiefs clear them by a mile.
Last week, Pacheco scored 15.8 points on DraftKings, while Rhamondre Stevenson stifled the Bengals with 24.6. I believe Pacheco is the more talented back, and I don’t see a world where he doesn’t duplicate those Stevenson numbers or at least gets close. As noted, the Chiefs are favored by six, which I think is low. That means they’ll have plenty of clock to burn and will do it with your man, Isiah Pacheco.
Wide Receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. (Arizona Cardinals) | $6,900
We’re about to get down and dirty. So, if you’re willing to throw out a bet on a player who can blow up at any moment, even after a terrible NFL debut, get in the truck. Why not Marvin Harrison Jr.? According to redraft fantasy football Average Draft Position (ADP), the rookie was supposed to light up the sky in his debut. Yet, he left us nearly empty-handed last week with a measly 1.4 points. It was a legendarily awful debut. So what the hell am I doing? I’m differentiating my roster from the field.
This week the Cardinals face the Rams. Last week, Los Angeles decided they didn’t want to play defense in the secondary, and they let Jameson Williams burn them for 27.4 points. In addition, Tre’Davious White is who should be covering Harrison Jr. downfield. He got torched by Williams on a 52-yard score. That in and of itself makes me want to put Harrison Jr. in my NFL DFS lineup. If he gets past White for a big play, watch your team shoot straight up the standings.
Subsequently, this comes back to my theory of approaching games with high totals. This matchup sits at 48.5 points, and the Cardinals are favored by only one. That screams shootout. Throw Harrison Jr. in the lineup. Buckle up. Roll the window down, and let’s ride.
Tight End
Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders) | $4,400
Even though the Raiders got run over by the Chargers last weekend, rookie tight end Brock Bowers showed a ton of promise in his NFL debut. Last week, Bowers lit up for 11.8 points, which is a solid start for a tight end.
Still, that’s not even the most exciting part of his game. In the game, Bowers led all Raiders receivers and tight ends in targets (eight). Across the league, Bowers ran the seventh-most routes amongst tight ends (31) and had the second-highest yards per route run (1.87). That’s fantastic work for a tight end, and a rookie one at that.
Bowers and company take on Baltimore this week and are underdogs by 8.5 points in a game with a 41.5-point total. With the Ravens’ defensive track record and the Raiders’ lack of one, I expect them to play from behind throughout this game. To me, that means throwing the ball and Bowers running a heck of a lot more routes. This could turn into another great showing for NFL DFS managers.
Defense/Special Teams
Los Angeles Chargers D/ST | $3,400
As noted, the Chargers laid the smackdown on the Raiders in Week 1. On defense, they accumulated three turnovers, forced four sacks and allowed just 10 points on offense. That’s an absolutely solid day for your D/ST.
It’s more of the same this week. Los Angeles takes on a Carolina Panthers team that is by far and away the worst offense in the NFL. Bryce Young, who I believe is quite possibly the worst quarterback in football, gave up a fumble, threw two interceptions and was sacked four times. The Panthers gained just 193 yards on offense and scored 10 points. It was terrible all around for that offensive attack. To say it was nonexistent is probably being nice about it. The best part is that the Chargers aren’t even that expensive, so I’ll most likely be using them in all my lineups.
Check out all of our content for Week 2 of the fantasy football season:
- Week 2 In the Scope Targets (2024)
- Week 2 Shore Thing Sleepers (2024)
- Week 2 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag
- NFL Week 2 Underdog Pick’Em Predictions
- Week 2 Fantasy Football Trade Targets (2024)
- Week 2 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
- NFL Week 2 PrizePicks Player Predictions (2024)
- Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 2 News & Notes (2024)
Thanks for reading my NFL DFS picks for Week 2 of the 2024 football season! Check out more of our fantasy football and other written content here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video. Be sure to also follow me on Twitter @snag1025 for more content.
*Photo Credit: Brad Rempel – USA TODAY Sports*