This article focuses on building lineups with a quality foundation by utilizing the powerful Groups and Rules/Limits tools within the industry’s optimization tools. All of the concepts and pairings included below can also apply to hand-building. The goal is to create lineups with strong correlations among likely point-scorers to maximize the gains from infrequent scoring events within stacks while limiting the likelihood of building inefficient or negatively correlated entries for a full slate of NFL DFS lineups.
This video was made in a former life and features a detailed demonstration of how to apply these concepts in one leading optimizer tool: Fantasy Cruncher – How-To Video
All references to Sims were done via friends of the site: acemind.io
Don’t miss the Above/Below feature article for a few of our top picks, coming Sunday morning
Game notes are updated during the week and initially posted as “work in progress” as they take a long time to create, if teams are missing notes simply check back later in the day/week and they should be updated.
2025 Week 2 DraftKings & FanDuel NFL DFS Stack Rankings
The following stack rankings were created by pairing each team quarterback with his top three scoring options, whether they are three wide receivers, two wide receivers and a tight end, a wide receiver, tight end, and running back, or any viable combination. In some cases, an expensive running back can push the overall price point of his team stack in the value rankings.
| TEAM | OPP | FD$ | FDpRank | FDvalRank | DK$ | DkpRank | DKvalRank | Vegas |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DET | CIN | $32,400 | 1 | 12 | $27,300 | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| IND | LV | $28,900 | 2 | 1 | $23,600 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| PHI | DEN | $29,900 | 4 | 6 | $25,300 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| LAC | WAS | $29,300 | 3 | 3 | $23,800 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| DAL | NYJ | $27,300 | 5 | 4 | $23,600 | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| NYJ | DAL | $27,200 | 7 | 8 | $20,100 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| MIA | CAR | $25,700 | 6 | 2 | $22,100 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| CIN | DET | $29,900 | 8 | 18 | $24,700 | 8 | 16 | 19 |
| LV | IND | $26,700 | 11 | 10 | $23,200 | 9 | 10 | 14 |
| SEA | TB | $28,000 | 9 | 16 | $23,100 | 10 | 11 | 6 |
| TB | SEA | $26,600 | 9 | 9 | $23,800 | 11 | 15 | 15 |
| NO | NYG | $25,200 | 12 | 7 | $20,400 | 12 | 3 | 10 |
| ARI | TEN | $25,100 | 14 | 11 | $21,100 | 13 | 9 | 5 |
| HOU | BAL | $25,700 | 13 | 13 | $21,700 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| WAS | LAC | $25,300 | 15 | 15 | $22,200 | 15 | 19 | 11 |
| NYG | NO | $24,600 | 16 | 14 | $20,900 | 16 | 13 | 17 |
| CAR | MIA | $22,800 | 17 | 5 | $18,400 | 17 | 5 | 12 |
| DEN | PHI | $26,500 | 19 | 19 | $21,200 | 18 | 18 | 17 |
| BAL | HOU | $27,300 | 18 | 20 | $21,500 | 19 | 20 | 16 |
| TEN | ARI | $23,000 | 20 | 17 | $18,900 | 20 | 17 | 20 |
Week 2 DraftKings & FanDuel NFL DFS Stacks & Optimizer Groups
Overview
Rules and limits are powerf ul tools for lineup creation for NFL DFS where our primary focus is creating highly correlated lineups via stacking players from the same game. Lineups will typically be coordinated around the quarterback selection, which informs at least one pass-catcher choice, establishes a budget, eliminates a defense, and sets the tone for the lineup. We will typically look to correlate a quarterback and at least one of his pass-catchers in every lineup, with many of those including a skill player from the opposing team. This player is included to support the stack in a high-scoring game that drives offense on both sides, creating additional correlated scoring potential. Stacking multiple pass-catchers in the same lineup is a sound approach, though there are typically overall ceilings on how much volume is available at any given position. While pass-catching running backs can be prioritized in stacks and group tools, including running backs who are not involved in the passing game is less important at this stage, they will fall naturally into shares as needed. High-volume backs and pass catchers out of the backfield can be included in the groups utilized below, but it is frequently not necessary to do so with the very best players, they arrive in lineups without help.
Rules and limits are typically applied in an optimizer’s Advanced Options menu. Notes are included to illustrate the reasons behind each rule and explain what it does during the lineup creation process. These settings can typically be saved for re-use, which is highly recommended. Saving the groups created below is also a good idea that will save time with updates instead of recreation each week. These groups are created manually, but most optimizers include automated group creators that can help accelerate the curation process.
DraftKings + FanDuel Settings & Advanced Options
Note – Terminology may vary from site to site but these are common functions across most industry tools.
Unique Players Per Lineup– This setting forces the optimizer to utilize at least X new players who were not in Lineup 1 when it creates Lineup 2, and so on. We recommend a setting of at least two unique players, more can be applied depending on the degree of differentiation desired within lineups.
Team Salary– a minimum or maximum salary spend can be applied here as needed, although leaving salary on the table is an easy path toward creating unique lineups while not necessarily making a negative expected value play.
FLEX position– allows restrictions on what positions can be rostered at the FLEX spot. The primary position to restrict is the tight end so that lineups do not include two players from the position. In many industry tools this is a separate option via a checkbox, it can also be handled specifically within groups.
Global Exposure Setting – allows caps on the maximum percentage of lineups a player can appear in within a given pool of lineup construction. This is a powerful tool for shaping lineups but if settings are too low, attempts to build a full set will fall short due to a lack of available players, one of the most common errors in optimizer building. Most optimizers include the ability to calculate ownership caps continuously or at the end of the pool creation process. If caps are calculated continuously, a player with a 25% cap who is utilized in Lineup 1 will not be available for use again until Lineup 5, we recommend turning OFF continuous calculation.
Randomness – provides a random multiplier to each player’s projected point total based on the set values. This valuable tool helps differentiate lineups instead of simply creating them in order of the highest median projected scores. Using some randomness for lineup generation is strongly recommended but the degree to which it is applied is down to personal preference, 15-25% is fine to get started. We suggest heavier randomness to more event-based players like wide receivers while tracking volume-based positions like running backs more toward their median or ceiling projections.
DraftKings + FanDuel Team Stack Rules
This set of rules will force optimizers to build lineups with certain combinations. We are looking to stack at least one skill player, almost always a pass-catcher, with his quarterback while frequently playing a skill player from the opposing team in the lineup. The theory behind this build is that a high-scoring stack will require some response from the opposing team to deliver a ceiling score in most situations. Most optimizers utilize a “complete the sentence” approach for rule creation with selections from drop-down menus following a very straightforward logic. Exceptions to these rules can be added for specific teams and players on most optimizer products.
- QB with at least one WR/TE from Same Team (note: It is fine to set this to two or to utilize two versions of this rule, one with WR/TE and one with RB/WR/TE, but we can also refine this via Groups)
- optional – QB with at least one RB/WR/TE from the Opposing Team (we typically prefer the pass-catchers but high-volume running backs can be effective here)
- QB with at most zero DST from the Same Team (this is a personal preference; high-scoring teams and quarterbacks tend to leave their defenses on the field, exposing them to simple point-scoring negatives)
Limits & Custom Rules and Requirements
Limit rules can be applied to restrict certain combinations from coming together. This is powerful for limiting multiple running backs from the same team or getting overweight to a certain stack within a lineup.
- Limit QB/RB/WR/TE from Same Team to three
- Limit RB/WR/TE from the Same Team to one unless paired with QB from the Same Team OR the Opposing Team (this prevents multiple players from a team that is not a primary quarterback-based stack)
- optional – Limit RB from Same Team to one (we can also do this with WR in a separate rule that adds an “unless paired with QB or opposing QB” but it’s a personal preference for NFL DFS, we typically do not want two pass-catchers from the same team without their quarterback)
We will maintain the list of rules and limits throughout the season, with occasional tweaks. Each week sees another fresh crop of value plays as situations change and injuries create opportunities around the league. These changing roles and emergent value plays are accounted for in creating these groups from week to week. After a large pool of lineups is created utilizing these groups, it is still critical to filter them for factors including ceiling projections and leverage potential. These groups should help ensure that a highly correlated premium set of options that rotates through various combinations is utilized to create the full lineup pool.
Sunday Updates
Any changes and recommended boosts to specific players will be provided in an early morning update each Sunday.
NFL DFS Week 2 Features & Projections
- Week 2 Projections
- Week 2 Above/Below
- Week 2 Quarterback Scoring & Value Rankings
- Week 2 Running Back Scoring & Value Rankings
- Week 2 Pass-Catcher Scoring & Value Rankings
- Week 2 Defense Scoring & Value Rankings
Construction Concept
Team groups are built by utilizing the quarterback as the KEY player in group settings. The quarterback decision is the driving factor in determining which stack the lineup utilizes and which corresponding plays are made to work within the structured requirements. In Fantasy Cruncher, built to specification, each team will have two groups, a team group, and an opponent group, both of which utilize the same quarterback as the key player. Each game will have a total of four groups. This is the best approach to truly capture the requirement of playing individual “run-back” plays from the opposing team. A more basic approach would be to include all of the skill players from a game in each quarterback’s group and rely on rules and limits to restrict any potential overflow. It is highly recommended to save the early season groups as a foundation that will be updated for the rest of the season. The recommended groups will include skill players who have an active role in their offense and provide significant correlation with their quarterback’s scoring, often bell-cow running backs who do not specialize in the passing game will not be included in groups as they are projected highly and appear on their own in basically correct distributions, while also not always providing the strongest positive correlation plays. Stacking quarterbacks with pass-catchers and allowing running backs to fall into the lanes created by settings, available salary, and randomness should create a well-distributed set of quality lineups. These groups are updated weekly to account for changes in utilization, schemes, injuries, target shares, and more.
Team Groups for DraftKings & FanDuel – Week 2
The goal is to create a large pool of well-built lineups that can be utilized in any large-field GPP contest. Our approach is to build far more lineups than needed and utilize a sorting table or sim process to filter to the best set of entries. The lineups created in these crunches should provide a broad distribution that includes some of the lower-owned high-upside skill players from each stack. Applying boosts is critical in pushing and pulling ownership to individual players within their team’s stacked lineups if they appear too much or too little.
The groups below are designed so that each quarterback will have two groups to create, one with his skill players and another with the opposing team. A more basic approach would be to add them all to one large group with an “at least three” and let rules and limits set things, but there is a more granular level of control in creating them separately.
Utilizing two groups also allows us to place running backs into the “run-back” position in certain teams while not including them in the primary stack for their team. This is useful when a situation has an extremely highly projected running back that does not necessarily fit into his team’s passing game. These players are threaded throughout the following construction recommendations.
Note for all optimizers the rules can be utilized to force bring-back plays in some sets of crunches and turned off for others as a global function instead of changing each group to “exactly one” bring-back play, wherever applicable, but it will apply to all teams.
Arizona Cardinals
Game Total: 44.5 / ARI -7.0 (25.75)
Plays: 44.26% rush / 55.74% pass / 20.0 ppg / 5.4 ypa rush / 5.6 ypa pass
oppDEF: 6.3 ypa rush / 5.7 ypa pass / 26.0 ppg / 0.0% sack / 3.23% int
Key Player: Kyler Murray
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, James Conner, Michael Wilson, Trey Benson (on/off), Zay Jones (large field), Greg Dortch (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Chuba Hubbard, Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Rico Dowdle (on/off), Hunter Renfrow (Q)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Kyler Murray ranks strongly across both sites atop a go-to Cardinals stack against Carolina this week. The Panthers’ limited defense should be fully exposed by the talented Murray and his cohort of capable pass-catchers, given their league-worst pressure rate in Week 1 and a healthy 6.3 yards allowed per rush attempt to pad offensive output. Murray, for his part, completed 21 of 29 pass attempts in Week 1, albeit for just 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The quarterback also ran the ball seven times for 5.4 yards per rush attempt, an integral part of his fantasy scoring potential. Murray ranks as a desirable QB5/11 on DraftKings and QB5/6 on FanDuel where he picks up value.
Running Backs
James “stop typing John, dummy” Conner checks in at a fair $6,600/$7,700 salary across sites, landing him as RB8/9 on DraftKings and RB8/14 on the blue site. Conner is a medium-volume running back option, he carried the ball a dozen times for 3.3 yards per rush attempt and caught four of four targets for 5.0 yards per target and a touchdown. Conner was in for 65% of the team’s snaps as the clear lead running back, with backup Trey Benson picking up a 33% snap share but carrying the ball only eight times and drawing one target. Carolina allowed 200 rushing yards (6.3 ypa) and a rushing touchdown in Week 1, there is plenty of upside for Arizona’s ground game.
Trey Benson gained a whopping 8.6 yards per rush attempt in his limited action, charging to 69.0 total rush yards with 5.1 yards before contact per attempt and 3.5 after. Benson is a low-opportunity running back who would need to break a big play to truly hit the board, he rates just inside the top-30 at the position in both categories across sites.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Marvin Harrison Jr. caught five of his six targets for 71.0 yards and a touchdown on a 12.7-yard average depth of target while posting 2.15 yards per route run with 38 routes over 54 offensive snaps (89% snap share) and a 15.8% target rate on his routes. Harrison Jr. remains the team’s lead option at wide receiver, he drew a target in the red zone and posted a big 45-yard play. As WR12/17 on DraftKings and WR12/12 on FanDuel, Harrison is showing value across both sites in Week 2.
Trey McBride is affordable for a productive option at a limited tight end position. McBride slots in as TE1/4 on DraftKings and TE1 across the board on the FanDuel slate. After 111 catches for 1,146 yards but only two touchdowns in 2024, McBride got off to something of a similar start this season with six catches on nine targets for 61 yards, 6.8 yards per target, but no touchdown in Week 1. McBride did draw a red zone target and made a catch of more than 20 yards in the game but his ability to reach a ceiling score as a popular option mostly rides on the ability to find the end zone against a bad defense.
Michael Wilson played 67% of the team’s snaps, drawing four targets on a significant 15.5-yard average depth of target but only hauling in one pass for a gain of five yards. Wilson is a big play waiting to happen against this defense, he is a worthwhile mix-in option in an abundance of Arizona stacks but he is easily third or fourth in the pecking order when it comes to targeting and he slips to WR49/49 and WR49/50.
Greg Dortch and Zay Jones played 47% and 30% of the snaps in Week 1. Dortch drew just one target despite seeing more action, converting the catch for four yards. Jones drew a pair of targets, making one catch for three yards. While Michael Wilson ran 27 routes over his 42 snaps, Jones ran 21 routes on 29 snaps and drew a 4.8% target rate and Dortch ran just eight routes on his 10 snaps.
Arizona is in a strong spot in Week 2, drawing an appealing 25.75-point implied team total against one of the lower-end squads in the league, the question is more how much Carolina will be able to hold serve offensively and how important a bring-back option in Arizona stacks will be. The Cardinals are Stack 7 for points and Stack 7 for value on DraftKings, they are Stack 7 for points and Stack 8 for value on FanDuel in Week 2
Baltimore Ravens
Game Total: 44.5 / BAL -11.5 (28.0)
Plays: 58.0% rush / 42.0% pass / 40.0 ppg / 8.2 ypa rush / 11.0 ypa pass
oppDEF: 2.0 ypa rush / 4.9 ypa pass / 17.0 ppg / 11.54% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Lamar Jackson
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds) / at most two (this will allow for “naked” Lamar Jackson lineups)
Team Group: Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins, Justice Hill (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Dylan Sampson, Harold Fannin Jr., David Njoku, Jerome Ford (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson led his team to a massive 40-point performance on Sunday Night Football in Week 1, the only problem was that his opponent managed to score 41. Jackson should be far better off in terms of booking a win against Browns than he was in Week 1 against the Bills, and he has every opportunity to post a massive DFS score in the process. The elite Ravens quarterback checks in among the slate leaders, as usual. Jackson threw for 209 yards on just 14-19 passing and came away with two touchdown passes while running for a third score in Week 1. The quarterback’s incredible ability to produce with his legs adds to the appeal of his excellent passing ability, Jackson padded his numbers with six carries for 11.7 yards per rush attempt, with 8.0 yards per attempt before and 3.7 after contact. Jackson heads an impressive offensive unit with weapons in every spot, he is QB1 across the board on both sides against a Browns defense that was very good in a 17-16 loss to the Bengals in the season’s first week with just 2.0 yards allowed per rush attempt and 4.9 yards allowed per pass while generating a fifth-rated 11.54% sack rate on 28.6% pressure. Cleveland will be hard pressed to find that type of performance with the Ravens landing at a 28.0-point implied team total as 11.5-point favorites.
Running Backs
If there is a reason to skip Lamar Jackson in deciding where to spend money in the Baltimore offense, his name is Derrick Henry. The dominant running back reminded everyone of his abilities in the opener, carrying the ball 18 times for 9.4 yards per rush attempt and 169 yards with two rushing touchdowns against the Bills. Henry broke several big plays and came away with a ridiculous 4.3 yards before and 5.1 yards after contact per rush attempt. While he is not overly involved in the passing game, Henry did catch his lone target for a solid 13.0-yard gain. The running back remains a potentially dominant force any given week, he is RB3 by points and RB13 by value on DraftKings while landing as RB3 by points and RB5 by value on the FanDuel slate where is a $9,000 option.
Justice Hill is a capable backup but not much more, given the volume that Henry draws with mouths to feed in the passing game as well. Hill played 45% of the team’s snaps in Week 1, carrying the ball just twice for -14 yards and catching two passes for 2.0 yards. While Hill is far more productive than that in most games, he simply does not draw enough volume without catastrophe above him on the depth chart.
Rasheen Ali carried the ball one time for five yards and played two percent of the snaps in Week 1.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Zay Flowers was once again the go-to option in this passing game. Flowers drew nine Week 1 targets, with no other player on the team drawing more than the four that went toward Rashod Bateman. As the clear volume leader, Flowers delivered with seven catches on a 10.1-yard average depth of target for a 143-yard day with a touchdown. The deep targeting and volume amounted to a ridiculous 52.6% share of the team’s air yards. While that sort of number will not, and should not, hold throughout the season, it is reasonable to expect an ongoing rate of around or better than 30% of the team’s air yards as the top option in the passing attack as well as a leading deep threat.
Mark Andrews played 75% of the snaps with the offense in Week 1 but ran only 13 routes over those 38 snaps, drawing just one target, which he hauled in for a five yard gain. Andrews’ performance disappointed many in a game with backup Isaiah Likely out of action. Andrews is typically a far better option at tight end, he is coming off of an 11-touchdown season with 9.8 yards per target on 55-69 receiving in 2024, and should not be suddenly finished at age 29. Andrews slots into the slate as TE6/9 on DraftKings and TE4/5 on FanDuel
Rashod Bateman’s four targets were second among wide receivers on this team in Week 1. Bateman turned the limited chances into just 10.0 yards, catching two passes on a 10.5-yard average depth of target for 0.56 yards per route run. While the output was underwhelming, the opportunity represented a 24.28% air yards share, by far second-best on the team. Bateman is a playable but lower-end touchdown-dependent wildcard as WR40/43 and WR39/39 against stout coverage in Week 2
DeAndre Hopkins was essentially an afterthought for the Ravens in Week 1. The veteran played just 35% of the snaps, drawing only two targets but catching them both for 35 yards on an interesting 16.5-yard average depth of target, and he put a receiving touchdown on the board. Hopkins garnered a 19.08% air yards share despite the extremely limited action, he could be worth a similar cheap dart throw look in Week 2
The Ravens are a top shelf offense once again in Week 2, they rate as Stack 3 by points on both sites while landing as Stack 9 by value on DraftKings but Stack 2 by value on FanDuel where they look very appealing. Baltimore offers major scoring upside with the top-rated quarterback of the week as well as a top-5 running back and quality pass catchers. Derrick Henry can stand alone in other lineups at the running back position, while the top level receivers are functional one-offs who are somewhat thin-sliced by Jackson’s individual ability to create scoring without them.
Buffalo Bills
Game Total: 46.0 / BUF -6.5 (26.25)
Plays: 39.74% rush / 60.26% pass / 41.0 ppg / 3.5 ypa rush / 8.6 ypa pass
oppDEF: 2.7 ypa rush / 8.1 ypa pass / 34.0 ppg / 11.76% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Josh Allen
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, James Cook, Dalton Kincaid, Joshua Palmer, Dawson Knox (Q; on/off), Ray Davis (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, Braelon Allen (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
When your archrival punches you in the face with 40 points on Sunday Night Football, the only thing to do is sweep the leg with a 41st point of your own at the wire, the trick Josh Allen and his Bills turned in a 41-40 victory over the Ravens in a Week 1 barnburner. Allen is one of the league’s elite talents at the quarterback position and one of our better creators of DFS scoring. Allen threw for a fantastic 394 yards on 33-46 passing with a pair of touchdown throws and another two scores coming on the ground. Allen ran the ball 14 times for 2.1 yards per attempt and the two crucial touchdowns, padding his slate-winning scoring potential. Allen aligns against a challenging Jets defense that will be looking to get right after an embarrassing start against former teammate Aaron Rodgers, in which they allowed 7.3 yards per pass attempt while generating just a 20.6% pressure rate. Allen is QB2 by points on both sites and QB8 by value on DraftKings and QB7 by value on FanDuel
Running Backs
James Cook carried the ball 13 times for 3.4 yards per rush attempt in a limited Week 1 performance but he did punch the ball in for a rushing touchdown. The versatile running back adds quality in the passing game, particularly in Full-PPR format scoring. Cook caught five of five targets to add 58.0 yards to his total from scrimmage, gaining 11.6 yards per target despite a -1.2-yard average depth of target. The running back should be involved for another 17-19 potential touches in Week 2, though the Jets defense is tough up front and limited the Steelers ground game to just 2.7 yards per rush attempt in Week 1. Given the limited yardage per attempt on the ground, notably just 1.8 yards after contact per attempt, Cook could struggle to get things going and would become dependent on catches and a potential touchdown to provide DFS scoring
Ray Davis played 12% of the snaps while Ty Johnson played 33%. The backups carried the ball a total of three times and drew three targets, they would not be interesting if they were one player, let alone as two.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Keon Coleman led the Bills with 112 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 1. The wideout was targeted 11 times to lead the team, playing 88% of the snaps and running 44 routes over those 68 chances. Coleman drew a 25% target rate over those routes run, he is easily the lead option in the passing game for strong-armed Josh Allen and he worked on an appealing 12.0-yard average depth of target that can create big scoring events. Coleman is a solid value as WR31/WR30 on DraftKings but WR30/WR8 on FanDuel
Khalil Shakir had a disappointing Week 1, though he did draw nine targets and was steadily involved in the offense. Shakir caught six of those opportunities, putting up 7.1 yards per target on a 9.4-yard ADOT for 21.25% of the air yards. Shakir was a productive receiver in 2024, posting 821 yards on 76 catches for 8.2 yards per target over 100 chances, though he only hit paydirt four times. The receiver is a weapon in the offense and makes for a strong DFS mixer to differentiate or cheapen a stack of Bills, he is a fine option but Coleman is the true lead
Joshua Palmer caught four of five passes on nine targets, equaling the opportunity given to Shakir in Week 1. Palmer turned his catches into a similar 61.0 yards on a deep 12.8-yard ADOT that keeps him involved for big play scoring potential. Palmer scored just once last year and has three touchdowns over the past two seasons, totaling just over 580 yards in each year. This is a limited but playable depth receiver in the Bills offense but Shakir is the more desirable play
Dalton Kincaid drew limited targeting while playing just 51% of the team’s snaps and running 28 routes on 41 snaps. The tight end caught all four of his targets for 48 yards and a touchdown, breaking a 15-yard score on the team’s first drive. Kincaid was a limited overall participant but he edges out other positional options in this offense and has weekly touchdown-dependent upside.
Dawson Knox played 56% of the team’s snaps but drew only two targets, he has very limited dart throw appeal that would require a touchdown. Elijah Moore was similarly limited on just a 14% snap share.
The Bills have the second-highest rated quarterback for scoring in Week 2 but they slot in as just Stack 10 overall by points this week against what should be a better version of the Jets’ pass defense. Buffalo lacks the superstar skill player to break through the top of projections and thrust the team further up the board but they are easily in play with visible ceiling potential as Stack 6 by value on FanDuel. On DraftKings they are a more limited Stack 17 by value.
Carolina Panthers
Game Total: 44.5 / CAR +7.0 (18.75)
Plays: 40.98% rush / 59.02% pass / 10.0 ppg / 4.5 ypa rush / 4.4 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.9 ypa rush / 4.7 ypa pass / 13.0 ppg / 2.13% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Bryce Young
Setting: exactly one / at most two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds with the “exactly” function locking down skinny stacks with Young)
Team Group: Tetairoa McMillan, Chuba Hubbard, Xavier Legette, Rico Dowdle (on/off), Ja’Tavion Sanders, Hunter Renfrow (Q), David Moore (large field)
Opposing Setting: exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, James Conner, Michael Wilson, Trey Benson (on/off), Zay Jones (large field), Greg Dortch (large field)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
With a nearly 60-40 split in favor of the passing attack in Week 1, one might expect better numbers from Bryce Young than 154 yards with one touchdown but the quarterback is simply not that good at this stage of his career. Young threw 35 passes, completing 18 f them for one touchdown and a pair of interceptions, gaining a concerning 4.4 yards per pass attempt on 7.7 intended air yards per attempt. Young added five carries for eight yards per rush attempt, adequate production if he did anything else and was padding stats but not nearly enough to rescue his bad day. The quarterback leads a low-end offense into a defense that is expected to remain strong against the pass this season. Arizona allowed just 4.5 yards per pass attempt and a bottom-third CPOE in Week 1. Bryce Young is QB23/22 on DraftKings and QB23/22 on FanDuel, which would be OK if there were 55 quarterbacks in play, with only 24 it is not great.
Running Backs
Chuba Hubbard will face a defense that was gutted for 4.9 yards per rush attempt in Week 1. The Cardinals missed several key tackles that could have made a difference in Week 1 output, meanwhile Hubbard failed to force a missed tackle in his first game. The running back put up just 3.6 yards per attempt on his 16 carries, gaining 1.8 before and after contact per attempt. Hubbard scored on a passing play and caught three of five opportunities, gaining 6.4 yards per target but his quality will live and die with bad throws. Hubbard is RB16/18 on both sites, he is a lower-mid option on this slate
Rico Dowdle was surprisingly uninvolved in the offense in Week 1, playing just 34% of the team’s snaps and carrying the ball only three times for 4.0 yards per attempt. Dowdle is a talented back who was far more involved in Dallas last year, he should see additional opportunity through the season but is currently the clear second banana to Hubbard.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Tetairoa McMillan is inexpensive and highly rated, given a solid total of nine targets in his NFL debut. McMillan gained 7.6 yards per target, catching five balls for 68.0 yards (1.94 yards per route run) on a significant 11.6-yard average depth of target that led to a massive 40.47% air yards share for the rookie. McMillan is another player whose quality will die on the vine in bad weeks for Young, but he is off to an encouraging start and slots in as WR18 by points but WR11 by value on DraftKings and WR20 by points with a leap to WR6 by value as a $5,700 FanDuel option. With Arizona’s tough pass defense likely to smother anything coming out of Young, this seems like a spot that may underperform, but McMillan’s first week puts him in the conversation for shares on both sites at cheap pricing, at a certain point it is simply worthwhile to pay for targets and chances
Xavier Legette barely won any of his routes in Week 1 while catching just three of seven targets in the offense. Legette posted a total of 10.0 yards on an 8.7-yard ADOT, he is very cheap but hardly worthwhile even as a value play
Ja’Tavion Sanders is TE18/15 and TE17/16 across sites, he stretches credulity as a DFS play against a solid pass defense, given the limited quarterback in question. Sanders caught two of his three targets on a solid 13.7-yard ADOT that garnered him 15.95% of the team’s air yards but he failed to score or post interesting fantasy numbers
Hunter Renfrow is third on the depth chart but drew six targets in Week 1. The veteran receiver caught just two of those passes for 11.0 yards on an 11.0-yard average depth of target, it is difficult to envision much success outside of low-quality low-cost volume to a receiver with hands, not “hands” in the sense that he catches the ball particularly well, he just physically has hands.
The Panthers are a low end lost cause of a stack as Stack 21/19 on DraftKings and Stack 23/18 on FanDuel this week
Chicago Bears
Game Total: 46.5 / CHI +6.0 (20.25)
Plays: 41.27% rush / 58.37% pass / 24.0 ppg / 4.6 ypa rush / 6.0 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.1 ypa rush / 8.5 ypa pass / 27.0 ppg / 0.0% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Caleb Williams
Setting: at least one / at most two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, D’Andre Swift, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Luther Burden III (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Issaac TeSlaa (large field)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The Bears are pulling the short-end of a 46.5-point game total at just 20.25 implied against a tough Lions team on Sunday. Chicago managed to put 24 points on the board despite a low-end performance from quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams completed just 21 of 35 pass attempts for 210 yards and threw one touchdown pass but gained a mere 6.0 yards per pass attempt on 7.5 intended air yards per attempt. Williams padded scoring with his ability to run the ball and could do so again this week, he gained 9.7 yards per rush attempt over 6.0 carries, including a touchdown run. Williams is a fair mixer with his skillset that can create fantasy points in bunches and a talented group of receivers. The quarterback had an up-and-down rookie season that failed to meet extreme expectations but he had multiple 300-yard games in 2024 and should bounce back during the season. A Lions defense that allowed 8.5 yards per pass attempt while failing to aggressively pressure the quarterback in their first game could be a good starting point, Williams’ team will need him to be in peak form to stand a chance. Caleb Williams is an uncomfortable QB9 by points and QB5 by value at $5,400 on DraftKings and ranks the same at $6,900 on FanDuel
Running Backs
D’Andre Swift gained just 3.1 yards per rush attempt on 17 carries, with 1.2 yards before and 1.9 yards after contact per attempt, this is a lousy indicator for his potential in Week 2 with the Lions defense allowing just 3.1 yards per rush attempt last week. Swift adds quality in the passing game, but only barely. He was targeted five times out of the backfield on a -0.6-degree average depth of target but caught only three passes for a total of 12.0 yards while failing to score. Swift is a volume-dependent running back option who only has to stay ahead of rookie Kyle Monangai and ailing Roschon Johnson, who is expected to be available, he should easily lead this team at the position, though that is not saying much. Swift is RB19/19 on DraftKings and RB19/20 on FanDuel
Kyle Monangai played just 13% of the snaps as the direct backup in Week 1, catching his lone target and not touching the ball otherwise, with Roschon Johnson due back on the depth chart neither running back appears playable unless role changes occur
Receivers & Tight Ends
Veteran DJ Moore is a solid pairing with Williams in skinny stacks of Bears. Moore was third on the team with five Week 1 targets and second on the team with a 84% snap share at the position, second-year receiver Rome Odunze played 94% of the snaps and drew nine targets to lead both categories. Moore picked up three of his chances, gaining a massive 13.6 yards per target given his 18.4-yard average depth of target and 35.21% air yards share, this big play ability alone makes the receiver playable as the trigger-pull option for Williams, even if the volume remains lower than teammates. If anything, the lack of volume could eventually push Moore to lower public ownership than some of his teammates, creating opportunity within stacks of Bears skill players
Rome Odunze led the team with nine targets and scored the lone receiving touchdown in the opener. The receiver was drafted ninth overall last year and failed to fully live up to expectations despite a somewhat productive 734 yards on 54 catches over 101 targets last year, had he scored more than three times things may have been viewed differently. Odunze has supreme skills and stands at 6’3″ 215lbs, he is everything one could want in a top wide receiver and could be in the process of seizing the role. As WR28 by points but WR8 by value on DraftKings, Odunze is a very appealing option both in and out of stacks this week, he is a mid-board WR28/WR19 on FanDuel
Olamide Zaccheaus created a stir in the run-up to draft season this year and was a big part of the Bears actual plans when it came time to execute in Week 1, finishing second on the team with seven targets on 26 routes over 28 snaps with the offense, when he was on the field he was almost certainly in play for a chance to put his hands on the ball. Zaccheaus caught just four of those opportunities for a less-than-impressive 42 yards and did not score, but he drew a target inside the 20 and has the skillset required to break big plays on a short-yardage ADOT
Rookie tight end Colston Loveland shared time and opportunities with Cole Kmet, who played 90% of the team’s snaps and drew four targets in Week 1. Loveland was on the field for 57% of the team’s snaps and picked up a pair of targets, catching both for 12 yards on a 2.5-yard average depth of target. Between the two options, Loveland remains the more appealing but the head-to-head has gotten far closer with the entire position falling down the board for quality given the mixed chances. Eventually Loveland will win out, given the draft capital involved, but it may not be immediate and Kmet is far from done as the top TE on the depth chart
Luther Burden III was far more limited than expected in Week 1. The buzzy rookie slots in as a low-end wait-and-see option in Week 2, coming off of just a 27% snap share with one target and one catch for -3.0 yards.
The Bears are a potentially high-risk high-reward stacking option this week, they rate as just Stack 12 by points but gain ground in value as Stack 6 on DraftKings and Stack 9 for value on FanDuel. D’Andre Swift functions as a limited RB in other lineups, he is OK to involve in stacks given some passing game action but he is low-end overall, meaning the success of the stack or of any viable one-offs in other lineups rides entirely with the performance of Caleb Williams
Cincinnati Bengals
Game Total: 49.5 / CIN -3.5 (26.5)
Plays: 46.94% rush / 53.06% pass / 17.0 ppg / 2.0 ypa rush / 4.9 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.5 ypa rush / 4.4 ypa pass / 10.0 ppg / 2.78% sack / 5.71% int
Key Player: Joe Burrow
Setting: at least one / at least two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki, Andrei Iosivas, Noah Fant, Samaje Perine (on/off), Jermaine Burton (large field), Tahj Brooks (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Etienne Jr., Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange, Dyami Brown (large field), Bhayshul Tuten (large field)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The Bengals flopped their way onto the table to open the 2025 season with star quarterback Joe Burrow managing just 113 yards on 14-23 passing with one touchdown throw in Week 1. Burrow was held to just 4.9 yards per pass attempt and 3.1 air yards per attempt on 7.3 intended air yards per attempt. The quarterback found Ja’Marr Chase only twice on five attempts and connected with Tee Higgins only three times in what will likely be the weakest performance of the season for all three members of the elite passing stack. Cincinnati more than warrants a mulligan in Week 2, they have an excellent matchup as 3.5-point favorites in a slate-leading 49.5-point game, drawing a 26.5-point implied total. The Jaguars allowed just 4.1 yards per pass attempt in Week 1 but were facing the extraordinarily limited Carolina passing game, against the run they coughed up 4.5 yards per attempt and should afford Burrow the chance to find his receivers, given just their limited pressure rate in Week 1. Burrow is QB3 by points on both sites, on DraftKings he is QB6 by value and he climbs to QB3 by value on the FanDuel slate. Burrow also gains ground by the talent and projections that are created for the full unit with his elite skill players, he is the head of the top stack on both sites this week.
Running Backs
Chase Brown gained just 2.0 yards per rush attempt on 21.0 carries, the volume was there but the production simply was not. Brown needs to be far better if he is going to continue to carry the ball that much, he added another three potential touches via involvement in the passing game, catching two of those targets for just eight yards. With the Jaguars offense potentially selling out to cover the pass, Brown could find easy success against an already soft opponent, this is a solid option both in and out of Bengals stacks, Brown rates as RB5 by points on both sites, he is RB4 by value on DraftKings and ascends to RB1 by value on the FanDuel slate
Samaje Perine drew just a 25% snap share in Week 1, with two targets and zero carries, he is not likely to find relevance.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Ja’Marr Chase is a standout receiver who was the most frequently picked option in the 1-1 spot in fantasy drafts all offseason, we are going right back to the well after a bad season opener and we would not expect the receiver to suddenly pop up low-owned, the public is sharper than that. Chase caught just two passes for 26.0 yards but had a monster 17.6-yard average depth of target for a 52.07% air yards share. The receiver is a no-brainer option in +1 or +2 configurations of Bengals stacks and as an expensive standalone player in other lineups. Chase is an easy WR1 by points on both sites, he is WR4 and WR3 by value across the industry.
Tee Higgins is a solid 1A to Chase, he would be the lead receiver in more than half of the offenses around the league. Higgins caught 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns playing alongside Chase last season, he has similar scoring potential in 2025 despite the rough first game. The receiver caught three of his four targets while running 26 routes over 39 snaps with the offense, seeing a 15.4% target share on his routes. Higgins is the clear second option behind Chase, he operates on a similarly strong average depth of target, and is capable of big plays and multiple-touchdown weeks. Tee Higgins is every bit of WR9 by points on both sites, he is WR15 and WR14 by value.
Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant split snaps on a 31%-50% share, with Drew Sample playing another 69% with less involvement in the passing game. Gesicki drew three targets and caught one, putting up 14 yards on an 8.7-yard ADOT, Fant was targeted five times and caught four of those passes but they all came on short attempts with just a 0.4-yard average depth of target. Gesicki would be the more interesting option despite lighter volume, simply given the shape of his opportunities, but neither tight end is particularly appealing beyond depth roles in stacks
Andrei Iosivas is another player who can go get the ball down the field, he was limited to just running 20 sprints over his 33 snaps with the offense in Week 1, drawing zero targets in the offense. Iosivas is talented enough that he scored six touchdowns on just 36 catches with 479 yards last season, posting 13.3 yards per reception with 20 plays of more than 20 yards, but the reliability will never be an attribute. This puts the receiver on the board as a cheap pivot and differentiator in Bengals stacks and makes him an appealing and realistic, though less probable, scorer in large field lineups. Iosivas is WR58/53 and WR57/55 and is a dart throw with upside
The Bengals are the leading stack on the slate, they have the highest scoring potential of the week in what will hopefully turn into a big shootout with the Jaguars. Cincinnati is Stack 1 across the board on both sites, Burrow is a premium option at QB, Chase is WR1 by points and only takes a slight value hit, Higgins is a top-10 option at WR by points, and the team has further depth with Brown and others in play
Cleveland Browns
Game Total: 44.5 / CLE +11.5 (16.5)
Plays: 33.8% rush / 66.20% pass / 16.0 ppg / 2.0 ypa rush / 6.4 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.5 ypa rush / 8.6 ypa pass / 41.0 ppg / 2.13% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Joe Flacco
Setting: exactly one / at most two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Dylan Sampson, Harold Fannin Jr., David Njoku, Jerome Ford (on/off), Jamari Thrash (large field)
Opposing Setting: exactly one
Opposing Group: Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins
Game Notes: Rookie Quinshon Judkins is signed and expected to be active but the team has stated that he will be brought along slowly, he is available on DraftKings but not FanDuel.
Quarterback
Joe Flacco is a low-end option at the quarterback position and not much will change about that in any given week this season. Flacco slotted in as a bottom-quarter option in the QB pool last week, posting just 6.4 yards per pass attempt, though he did throw for 290 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions on 31-45 passing. The volume should remain high and Flacco may find a quality DFS day here and there but he will not warrant more than value darts on either DFS site. The veteran lands as QB21/21 and QB21/20 across sites.
Running Backs
Jerome Ford underwhelmed last week as one of our leading “below” options in the Sunday morning Above/Below article. Ford slightly out-snapped Dylan Sampson but was badly outplayed on the field with just 1.3 yards per rush attempt, including just 0.3 yards per attempt after contact, and seven total touches. Sampson, by contrast, carried the ball a dozen times despite playing just 43% of the snaps, and drew another eight opportunities with heavy involvement in the passing game. With eight catches for 64.0 yards out of the backfield, at worse, Sampson will find separation via PPR scoring if the volume split continues this way. In either case, there is only limited appeal in the Cleveland backfield this week with Sampson leading the way as a less-than-appealing RB26/27 and RB26/25 and Ford rating worse.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman played an even 88.0% snap share and each drew eight targets, matching the targeting given to Sampson at running back, with tight end Harold Fannin Jr. leading the team with nine opportunities in the passing game. Jeudy managed 8.3 yards per target on a 12.1-yard average depth of target that sticks out from the more limited opportunities carried by his teammates. The receiver led the team as the first-read option and posted a fair but unspectacular 1.47 yards per route run for the game, he remains the top option in a limited but high-volume passing attack and will have a few good weeks when he finds the end zone this season.
Cedric Tillman was a buzzy receiver in the sleeper rounds of drafts and he delivered for owners in Week 1 for DFS and season-long play. Tillman drew steady volume on his 7.4-yard ADOT, garnering 27.69% of the team’s air yards and scoring the lone receiving touchdown that Flacco offered the group. Tillman is probably second, or even third, in the pecking order as targets are doled out but he is a talented receiver who can gain separation and post strong scoring. Tillman gained his buzz via three big games from Weeks 7 through 9 last season, catching 21 passes for three touchdowns over the stretch, he will see similar strong points in an ebb-and-flow scoring season in 2025.
David Njoku fell off the board in a big way despite playing 84% of the Browns snaps in Week 1. Njoku was targeted six times in the passing game but caught only three of those balls, gaining 6.2 yards per target on an OK 7.4-yard ADOT. Njoku will continue to see opportunities, he scored five times in just 11 games last year while putting up 505 yards on 64 catches and is just 28, but the emergence of Fannin Jr. will push him and take chances away.
Fannin slots in as an interesting TE10 by points and TE1 by value at just $3,100 on DraftKings, where his performance in Week 1 seems to have snuck past the price-makers, he is TE8/6 at a still fair price on FanDuel. Fannin Jr. caught seven of his nine looks for 7.0 yards per target on a 26.86% air yards and a 24% first-read share in Week 1. Fannin ran 30 routes over the 51 snaps he played with the offense, drawing a 30% target share over those routes, if the volume holds he is an absolute bargain simply for the opportunities, even if it does not he is both cheap and talented enough to make value
The Browns are a low-end Stack 24 by points and Stack 12 by value on DraftKings and slot in as Stack 24 by points and Stack 20 by value on FanDuel, where they play worse against the field. The team is a loose mixer for cheap stacking potential in a lineup that then uses salary to pad skill position one-offs but that is a limited approach, there is perhaps more playability in viewing the better Browns as standalone options in other lineups but all of those roads lead through Joe Flacco territory
Dallas Cowboys
Game Total: 44.5 / DAL -5.5 (25.0)
Plays: 39.29% rush / 60.71% pass / 20.0 ppg / 5.4 ypa rush / 5.5 ypa pass
oppDEF: 6.9 ypa rush / 7.8 ypa pass / 21.0 ppg / 9.09% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Dak Prescott
Setting: exactly one / at most two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jason Ferguson, Javonte Williams, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Miles Sanders (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at least one / at least two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Malik Nabers, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Wan’Dale Robinson, Theo Johnson, Darius Slayton, Cam Skattebo (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Dak Prescott disappointed those banking on a bounce-back season in the first week. Prescott threw for 188 yards on 21-34 passing and failed to find the end zone in the opener but will be coming off of a 10-day break to pick up the pieces. The quarterback has solid weapons in the passing game and should continue to be among the leaders in weekly passing attempts in the Cowboys’ high-volume attack. The Cowboys did score in Week 1 but the touchdowns both came on the ground and Prescott was victimized by some bad luck on good throws. The quarterback should improve his fantasy output this week against an incredibly gettable Giants defense that gave up plenty of Week 1 passing and failed to generate much pressure despite an almost fanatical organizational overcommitment to the defensive line. Prescott is in line for a big week against the divisional rival, he is QB6/4 on DraftKings and QB6/3 on FanDuel and is in play on both sites slotting in at the head of Stack 4 by points with his strong supporting cast in tow.
Running Backs
Javonte Williams surprised us with quality in Week 1. The running back picked up just 3.6 yards per rush attempt but punched the ball in for a pair of scores that made his fantasy scoring look better than the actual production may have been on the field. Williams carried the ball just 15 times and drew another three targets in the passing game for 18 potential touches. While that is good volume it is not enough to support the limited YPA that Williams typically posts, nor is his involvement in the passing game solid enough to fully support PPR scoring potential. Williams is a fair option at running back, he comes with easy touchdown poaching potential if nothing else, and lands as RB14/14 and RB13/11 across sites.
Mile Sanders was lightly involved as the backup running back in Week 1. The former Eagles rusher carried the ball four times for a huge 13.3 yards per rush attempt and added another catch but lost three yards on the play.
Receivers & Tight Ends
CeeDee Lamb caught seven of 13 targets in Week 1 and gained 110 tards, posting 8.5 yards per target. Lamb would have had a far better day that would have carried Dak Prescott to more success, had he not dropped several big passes in key spots. Lamb’s three drops were a big part of Prescott losing more than 60 expected passing yards. The receiver is a standout option at the position and, one can hope, he may go slightly under-owned for perceptions of underperformance in a great spot. Lamb is a dynamite option atop the receiver list as WR2 across the board on both sites and is in line for a major performance against a low-end Giants squad
George Pickens is WR27/38 and WR27/24 across sites, he is a quality option at a fair price in the middle of the board and should provide big scoring potential given the 13.0-yard ADOT at which he opened the season. Pickens was targeted only four times, catching three of those chances for 7.5 yards per target on a 15.71% air yards share, posting just 0.94 yards per route run. Pickens should match up very well against the lower-end part of the Giants’ pass coverage, the team allows significant scoring on the outside and if Lamb does not have a big day it seems almost certain that Pickens will. The receivers are playable in +2 configurations with Prescott as well.
Jake Ferguson was an involved target in the season opener. The tight end saw six chances in the passing game, catching five of them but gaining just 23.0 yards for 3.8 yards per target on a 5.8-yard ADOT. Ferguson had a down season, partly due to injury and absence, but he is a significant option in this passing game and he has ability both in the end zone and working down the field. The tight end ran 27 routes over 42 snaps last week, he should see ongoing volume in that range and is always on the board for a fairly priced touchdown. Ferguson is TE7 by points on both sites, he is TE2 by value on DraftKings and TE4 by value on FanDuel this week
Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin mix into the passing game here and there, both receivers are affordable and they each drew two targets on short yardage looks in Week 1. Turpin is a potential game-breaker when he touches the ball and he benefits slightly from his role as a return man but Tolbert should be the slightly more involved weekly option
The Cowboys are a strong option against the low-end Giants this week, if the Giants can hang in the game to push scoring at all this team could go off for DFS points in a big way, they are strong favorites with a 25-point implied total that they could easily crest. Dallas rates as Stack 4 by points on both sites, they are Stack 8 by value on DraftKings and Stack 3 by value in a big spot on FanDuel. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens can also easily operate as standalone receivers at different price and projection tiers, while Ferguson slots in as a playable standalone tight end with touchdown upside. Javonte Williams is in play as well but seems like a lower-end option who will be up and down despite steady work as the lead back.
Denver Broncos
Game Total: 43.0 / DEN -2.5 (22.75)
Plays: 42.25% rush / 57.75% pass / 20.0 ppg / 5.0 ypa rush / 4.4 ypa pass
oppDEF: 6.5 ypa rush / 4.7 ypa pass / 8.0 ppg / 8.82% sack / 6.45% int
Key Player: Bo Nix
Setting: at least one / at least two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Courtland Sutton, JK Dobbins, Evan Engram (Q), Marvin Mims Jr., RJ Harvey (on/off), Troy Franklin, Adam Trautman, Pat Bryant (large field), Lucas Krull (large field)
Opposing Setting: at one / at most two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The Broncos land as slight favorites in a mid-board game with a 43.0-point total and two solid squads in play. Bo Nix helms a capable Denver offense that will plow into a Colts defense that yielded a ridiculous 6.5 yards per rush attempt but only 4.3 yards per pass last week, while picking up three sacks and a pair of interceptions in the process. Indianapolis should be more beatable than that through the air going forward and Nix is a capable quarterback coming off of a bad Week 1. Last week, the second-year starter threw 40 passes but completed only 25 of them for 176 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Nix averaged just 4.4 yards per pass attempt on just 5.3 intended air yards per attempt, though his top target Courtland Sutton still got out to an 11.9-yard ADOT for big play potential. Nix will have to be far better this week, he did not make much happen on the ground in the opener but should put together a solid season with both his arm and on the ground. Nix is QB10 by points and QB17 by value on DraftKings, he is QB10 across the board at just $7,100 on FanDuel.
Running Backs
JK Dobbins carried the ball 16 times for 3.9 yards per rush attempt and a touchdown in Week 1, he was lightly involved with two chances in the passing game and could see a replication of that volume. Overall, Dobbins played 53% of the team’s snaps while RJ Harvey filled in for 29% and Tyler Badie stepped in for 18%. Dobbins is currently the lead rusher but Harvey posted a ridiculous 11.7 yards per attempt on his 6.0 carries after a big play, he gained 70 yards for the game and showed explosive play potential as the clear number two in the offense. Badie did not carry the ball but he did pick up six targets, coming away with only two catches for 16 total yards. The running back will see limited potential for PPR system scoring and not much more. Dobbins is RB22/21 and RB22/15 across sites, the others are less appealing despite a soft rush defense in opposition, though Harvey will eventually see more involvement.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Courtland Sutton did well as the team’s top receiving option, playing 95% of the snaps and running 41 routes with a 22% target share. Sutton caught six passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, drawing a huge portion of the air yards at an 11.9-yard ADOT. The receiver also drew a better than 35% first-read share in Week 1 and should continue to be the leading option that Nix looks for down the field. Sutton is WR17/WR33 and WR16/WR30 across sites, coming in at somewhat high pricing for the potential while retaining playability. If ownership dips for the mid-board game environment and the high price, Sutton becomes more interesting given the ceiling score potential
Marvin Mims Jr. slots into the second spot in the passing attack with four targets last week. Mims has game-breaking abilities but is limited for volume and catches in most of his NFL performances to date. The receiver is at best a mixer just inside the top-40 positionally.
Evan Engram is expected to be active after starting the week questionable, he slots in as TE8 by points and TE11 by value on DraftKings and TE9 across the board on the blue site. Engram’s first year in Denver comes off of a nine-game season in Jacksonville over which he scored just once while gaining 365 yards on 47 catches, following up a 963-yard season over 114 catches in 2023. Engram is a playable tight end who was targeted four times over 13 routes during the 21 snaps he played in Week 1.
Troy Franklin ran 26 routes on 41 snaps and was targeted six times, coming away with four catches for 44 yards on a 7.5-yard average depth of target. Franklin is likely ahead of Mims for opportunities and could scale up the board slightly ahead of Sunday, though neither receiver is truly appealing outside of dart throws within Broncos stacks
Adam Trautman would see opportunities if Engram is limited or absent, he picked up six targets but made only two catches in Week 1
Denver rates as Stack 15 by points and Stack 21 by value on DraftKings, they are similarly middling as Stack 14/15 on the blue site this week
Detroit Lions
Game Total: 46.5 / DET -6.0 (26.25)
Plays: 33.85% rush / 66.15% pass / 13.0 ppg / 2.1 ypa rush / 5.8 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4,6 ypa rush / 7.2 ypa pass / 27.0 ppg / 13.04% sack / 5.0% int
Key Player: Jared Goff
Setting: at least one / at least two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Sam LaPorta, Isaac TeSlaa (large field), Kalif Raymond (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: D’Andre Swift, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Olamide Zaccheaus, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Jared Goff projects for a big Sunday as QB4 by points on both sites. The head of one of the week’s premium stacks threw the ball 39 times in Week 1, completing a ridiculous 31 of his attempts for 225.0 yards and a touchdown, though he lost another one to an interception. Goff was oddly conservative in the season’s first game, dinking and dunking his way to just 4.2 intended air yards per attempt and 5.8 yards per attempt for the game. The quarterback found lead receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown four times but for just a total of 45 yards, his lone touchdown pass went to rookie Isaac TeSlaa on what was his lone catch of the game. Bigger things are likely ahead for Goff and co. against a beatable Chicago defense that comes in with a strong pressure rate that led to three Week 1 sacks but also allowed 6.7 yards per pass attempt. Goff has all of the weapons needed to beat the Bears but his team could be salting away an early lead if the Bears fail to hold up their end, the game got away from Chicago in the second half against Minnesota in Week 1 but the opposing passing game still had a fairly big day.
Running Backs
The two-headed Lions running back situation continues in earnest with David Montgomery still drawing 11 carries and four targets in the offense last week. Montgomery is the 1A behind lead Jahmyr Gibbs, who is a go-to option from slate to slate. Gibbs checks in as RB4 by points and RB6 by value on DraftKings and RB4/7 on FanDuel. The multi-faceted running back posted a light day on the ground in the opener, carrying the ball just nine times for 19 yards, but he picked up 10 targets in the passing game, contributing 31 yards but failing to score. Overall it was a weak day for both running backs, Montgomery came away with just 2.3 yards per rush attempt on his carries and did not impress in the passing game with 4.5 yards per target. Both running backs carry potential for big plays and scoring, though Gibbs has a bit more of both while Montgomery is a grinder who slots in as RB17 by points on both sites but sits as RB11 by value on DraftKings and RB12 by value on FanDuel and is always good for a touchdown or two.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Amon-Ra St. Brown drew a 32.32% air yards share on an 8.8-yard average depth of target in Week 1 but did not score. The receiver picked up just six targets, with Goff opting for more short opportunities last weekend, but he had a 115-catch 1,263-yard 12-touchdown season last year and should be in line for similar production given a fully healthy season. St. Brown is an easy go-to receiver among the best options on most slates, he is WR6 by points but falls to WR24 and WR29 by value across sites.
Jameson Williams plays second fiddle to St. Brown but not because of a significant talent gap. Williams is a capable downfield receiver with major big play ability, he caught four of five targets on a limited ADOT of just 5.2 yards while failing to gain much separation in a bottled up Week 1 but typically operates as much more of a downfield threat. Williams gained 1,001 yards, cracking the four-digit mark for the first time in year three of his career, and scored seven touchdowns last season with 11.0 yards per target for the season, he has potential in and out of stacks in Week 2 if he can shake coverage but he will be slammed into a fair amount of two-high coverage in which Chicago has been successful and against which he has been limited.
Sam LaPorta saw nine Week 1 targets, coming away with six catches and a team-leading 79.0 yards on just a 5.0 ADOT. With Goff’s short reads limiting most of the opportunities, LaPorta managed to make a bit of value of his sheer target volume. The tight end was targeted 83 times last year and 120 times the season before, he should continue to be heavily involved though it would be fair to expect fewer targets than at least St. Brown in most games.
Despite the touchdown on his one target, Isaac TeSlaa is nothing more than a very large field dart throw at a similar type of day, from down the depth chart Kalif Raymond actually significantly out-snapped the rookie playing a 66.0% share to TeSlaa’s 4.0% snaps, and drawing three targets on a 7.7-yard ADOT. Raymond was not overly involved or important, but he should be considered another dart in the quiver when shaking things up down the board in Lions +2 builds.
Detroit rates as one of the top stacks of the week with killer options across the board on offense. Gibbs is a standalone running back who is highly functional within stacks of Lions as well, while Montgomery provides wildcard touchdown value and still sees plenty of volume as the 1A running back in and out of stacks. Jared Goff profiles for a big week and he has two premium wide receivers and a top-5 overall tight end in tow, as well as a few cheap low-probability plays for giant GPPs. Detroit has everything needed for Week 2 success, they are a strong Stack 6 by points but Stack 14 by value on DraftKings and Stack 5/10 on FanDuel, where they pick up added value
Indianapolis Colts
Game Total: 43.0 / IND +2.5 (20.25)
Plays: 57.14% rush / 42.86% pass / 33.0 ppg / 3.9 ypa rush / 9.4 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.4 ypa rush / 4.0 ypa pass / 12.0 ppg / 17.65% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Daniel Jones
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Jonathan Taylor, Tyler Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Courtland Sutton, JK Dobbins, Evan Engram (Q), Marvin Mims Jr., RJ Harvey (on/off), Troy Franklin
Game Notes:
Quarterback
We will be the first to admit when we are wrong and Daniel Jones’ outlier Week 1 performance was definitely a surprise. While Jones will have to repeat the trick to get anyone fully convinced, his performance in the opener matched the player that people tend to think Jones is, rather than the player who anyone paying attention knows him to be. Jones threw 29 passes in Week 1, completing 22 of them for 272.0 yards and a touchdown and he padded scoring greatly by running the ball in twice despite gaining just 26 yards on 3.7 yards per rush attempt over his 7.0 carries, underwhelming numbers at best. Jones was good enough to exploit a terrible Miami defense that overused the blitz while not getting to the quarterback, allowing the quarterback to do things he almost certainly will have no chance of doing against Denver’s strong defense. The Broncos were one of the league’s top defenses in 2024 and they were elite against the pass again in Week 1, getting to the quarterback and greatly limiting completions over expectation. Jones flashes skills from time to time, we have seen this before. He is a capable rusher with an open field and saw a major scoring boost because of the rushing touchdowns, that opportunity may evaporate leaving us with a below-average passer in Week 2. This is a low-faith option that rates as QB18/QB19 and QB19/23 across sites.
Running Backs
Jonathan Taylor played 71% of the running back snaps for the Colts in Week 1 and has major volume-based opportunity on any given slate. Taylor carried the ball 18 times and added another three potential touches via targeting, catching all three opportunities. The running back came away with 98 yards from scrimmage on 21 touches but he did not score a touchdown. Taylor was involved in the passing game, running 24 routes but drawing just the three targets, in a more limited downfield games script from Jones we could see additional upside for passing game volume. Taylor is RB10/16 on DraftKings and RB9/22 on FanDuel at a high price.
DJ Giddens should see volume as the direct backup if Tyler Goodson is not available this week, they will share that role if Goodson suits up. With Taylor carrying a major workload the opportunity is limited but Giddens did carry the ball 12 times for 41 yards in the blowout victory over Miami.
Receivers & Tight Ends
The receiving group is where the Colts shine. Indianapolis features a premium rookie tight end in Tyler Warren as well as an excellent multi-headed wide receiver attack with Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce operating up and down the field and giving Daniel Jones several strong weapons and more than he ever had in New York. Jones connected with Pittman six times on eight opportunities for 10.0 yards per target and 2.86 yards per route run but did not stretch the field with just a 6.8-yard ADOT. Pittman did find the end zone on Jones’ lone touchdown pass and he leads the group again as WR34/36 and WR35/41 across sites. Pittman draws tough coverage from the strong Denver pass defense, he could be in for a long day.
Josh Downs picked up just a 4.3-yard average depth of target which is reminiscent of his typical package, the primary concern around his Week 1 performance is the limited 49% snap share and 45% route share. Downs gained 803 yards and scored five times on 107 targets while gaining 7.5 yards per target last season but immediately takes a back seat if he is limited for opportunities in the Colts offense
Alec Pierce is an interesting deep threat dart in GPP play, he sees limited targeting in the offense but his opportunities tend to be of the explosive variety. Pierce saw a 20.3-yard average depth of target in Week 1, he did not score but he caught one of three targets for a 36-yard gain that is representative of his big play ability. Pierce is a boom-or-bust option of the first order, he is always a solid mixer and functions well in or out of Colts stacks at a cheap price despite not rating particularly well on the board.
Tyler Warren is an appealing tight end option right out of the shell in his rookie season. Warren gained a solid 76.0 yards on seven catches over his nine targets in Week 1, immediately seizing a premium role in this passing game as one of Daniel Jones’ go-to targets. Warren averaged 5.2 yards of depth on his targets, good for a 23.98% air yards share last week, he should see opportunities to make plays throughout, his nose for the end zone will determine his weekly value at the limited position. Warren comes into Week 2 as TE3 by points and TE5 by value on DraftKings, he is TE3 across the board on FanDuel
The Colts land as Stack 18 by points and Stack 20 by value on DraftKings and Stack 17/23 on FanDuel in a much more difficult matchup than they faced in Week 1. With Jones gaining popularity after last week’s QB2 performance, the Colts are likely to be over-owned across sites this week, the supporting skill players could easily function more highly separated into different lineups rather than stacked with Jones
Jacksonville Jaguars
Game Total: 49.5 / JAC +3.5 (23.0)
Plays: 50.79% rush / 49.21% pass / 26.0 ppg / 6.3 ypa rush / 5.7 ypa pass
oppDEF: 2.0 ypa rush / 6.4 ypa pass / 16.0 ppg / 4.26% sack / 4.44% int
Key Player: Trevor Lawrence
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Etienne Jr., Travis Hunter, Brenton Strange, Dyami Brown, Bhayshul Tuten (on/off), Parker Washington (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Chase Brown, Mike Gesicki, Andrei Iosivas, Noah Fant, Samaje Perine (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence was only as good as he needed to be and, unfortunately, did not get carried away with scoring in his Week 1 victory. Lawrence’s life was made easier by the monster game posted by running back Travis Etienne in reclaiming his prime spot in the offense but the quarterback still managed a modest 178.0 yards on 19-31 passing for 5.7 yards per attempt on 7.2 intended air yards per attempt. Lawrence threw one touchdown but also lost an interception in the season’s first game, he will need to be better in what looks like a shootout against the allegedly high-flying Bengals. The quarterback has weapons across the board in the offense and all of the tools needed to make the leap, we just need him to actually go do it. Lawrence rates highly again this week, he is QB7 by points on both sites and lands as QB2 by value for $5,600 on DraftKings and QB4 by value for $7,000 on FanDuel.
Running Backs
Travis Etienne Jr. was so good in Week 1 that the Jaguars wasted no time in shipping Tank Bigsby to Philadelphia for a pair of draft picks. Etienne still has competition for touches in the backfield with rookie Bhayshul Tuten and LaQuint Allen Jr. lurking, but he is free and clear to another 18-20 touch opportunity. The running back carried the ball 16 times in Week 1, gaining a ridiculous 8.9 yards per attempt for 143 rushing yards with another 13.0 yards gained on 3-3 receiving. Tuten and Allen Jr. are afterthoughts on the ground, this offense is likely to need to take to the skies to stay in the game, but Etienne rates as RB11/10 and RB12/16 across sites.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Brian Thomas Jr. had a quiet first week, catching just one of seven targets for 11.0 yards. The Jaguars number one with a bullet did garner a 40.0% air yards share on his 13.1-yard average depth of target, he should bounce back in a big way if this game goes off as expected. Thomas Jr. broke out in a big way as a rookie last year, scoring 10 times and posting 1,282 yards on 87 catches over 133 targets, he is poised to go further in Year 2. Thomas is WR5 by points on both sites, he is WR3 by value on DraftKings and WR4 by value on FanDuel and is a top priority receiver in any lineup across both sites.
Two-way Travis Hunter checks in as the team’s second option at the wide receiver position. Hunter is a highly touted rookie who picked up four catches on four targets in his debut but gained just 33 yards, 1.32 per route run. The versatile Hunter was on the field for 39 snaps (64.0%) and ran 31 routes, getting out down the field on most of the plays in which he participated. With a 25.8% target rate over those routes there is plenty of visible opportunity on deck for the rookie at a fair price. Hunter slots in as WR24/20 on DraftKings and WR24 by points and WR16 by value on the FanDuel slate. Hunter’s upside could be somewhat impacted by his two-way play and his still-developing ability to win routes.
Brenton Strange was a popular sleeper option at the tight end position and a popular waiver wire pick up after Week 1. The tight end was targeted four times in the offense, picking up an excellent 14.8 yards per target on a 9.0 yard ADOT but failing to score. Strange saw the team’s only passing touchdown go to backup Hunter Long on the player’s lone target, a lost opportunity that should have helped to pad the starter’s scoring. Assuming that opportunity goes in Strange’s direction more often than not, one has to like his upside at cheap pricing as a last man in for a +2 build around Lawrence and a top skill player. Strange is a potential contributor who rates as TE11/13 and TE12/16 across sites this week but has a higher ceiling in what could be an electrifying game for DFS scoring
Dyami Brown drew four targets from down the depth chart while playing 71% of the snaps and running 25 routes over 46 snaps with a 16% target share on those routes. Parker Washington ran just four routes while playing only 15 snaps with the offense, Brown is the more interesting of the two low-end dart throws, his 13.5-yard ADOT and 23.48% air yards share are at least a compelling differentiator
The Jaguars are an interesting option as Stack 8 by points and Stack 4 by value on both sites in Week 2. Trevor Lawrence is a breakout candidate with weapons in every role in his offense and the Jaguars are on the downside of a 49.5-point total which should compel them to throw the ball more aggressively. This game is excellent for stacking and individual options, including for bring-back plays in either direction.
Kansas City Chiefs
Game Total: 46.5 / KC +1.0 (22.75)
Plays: 29.31% rush / 70.69% pass / 21.0 ppg / 5.8 ypa rush / 6.6 ypa pass
oppDEF: 5.4 ypa rush / 5.5 ypa pass / 20.0 ppg / 0.0% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Patrick Mahomes
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Hollywood Brown, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Noah Gray (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes ripped through 39 passing attempts in the Chiefs’ Week 1 matchup, completing 24 of them for 258.0 yards but throwing only one touchdown in the process. Mahomes was relatively conservative with only 6.6 yards per pass attempt with 6.9 intended air yards per attempt, he added to his DFS day with a rushing touchdown, scoring on one of his six attempts over which he posted 9.5 yards per attempt. The quarterback remains a premium option at his position on both volume and talent but he lacks the true star power skill player to help loft him to the elite weekly totals of years gone by, his best option for that production fell off the table in Week 1. The Chiefs took a major hit with the injury to Xavier Worthy, a big play weapon from anywhere on the field. Following Worthy’s early exit, Mahomes proceeded to throw the ball to Hollywood Brown 16 times, completing 10 of the attempts for 6.2 yards per target on a 99.0-yard day for the receiver. Mahomes failed to target anyone else more than five times but he did spread the volume around to his remaining options. Of those most concern is the ongoing lack of production from the Chiefs ground game and the lack of engagement with star tight end Travis Kelce who had a limited day despite a late touchdown grab. Mahomes slots in as QB8/14 on DraftKings and QB8/12 on FanDuel, he will have big weeks and disappointing weeks throughout the season but he is always worthy of consideration on his formidable talent alone.
Running Backs
The ground game is a big problem for the Chiefs. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt basically split duties with a 51% snap share going to Pacheco and Hunt pulling a 38% share with matching totals of five carries and three targets each. Pacheco produced a steady 5.0 yards per rush attempt for exactly 25 yards, gaining a noteworthy 2.2 yards per attempt after contact, while Hunt contributed just 3.2 yards per attempt and added 3.3 yards per target on 2-3 receiving to Pacheco’s 1.0 yards per target. Neither running back offers significant appeal, particularly if they are splitting already limited touches in an offense that favored the pass at a 70-30 margin last week.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Even with limited volume, Travis Kelce remains a standout in this offense. Kelce has had down seasons two years in a row and seems somewhat disengag… errr… somewhat less interested in football these days. Despite the noise, the player still delivered a touchdown on 2-4 receiving for 11.8 yards per target but just an 8.86% air yards share in Week 1. Kelce did run 37 routes over 49 snaps but he drew just a 10.8% target share over those routes, given better performance getting open against a pliable Eagles defense, Kelce should be aligned for better days.
If Hollywood Brown approaches his blockbuster target totals from last week he will be a strong go-to in the Chiefs offense again in Week 2, consider us skeptical. Brown rates well on the board on expectations of decent but more common volume in the passing game, he is WR23/18 and WR21/28 across sites in Week 2. The receiver delivered 2.25 yards per route run las week and was the first read on 40% of his routes, posting a top-10 fantasy week that he could match in Week 2 at a still-fair price.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was targeted five times on a 5.8-yard average depth of target as a limited play who would need to find success after the catch, he should see similar chances with Worthy out this week but is a lower-end mixer by comparison to some teammates.
Tyquan Thornton is an interesting depth option who got down the field for a ridiculous 28.8-yard average depth of target over his four looks in Week 1. Thornton came on for a few designed big play attempts and came away with a pair of catches for 41.0 yards while garnering a 42.44% air yards share. At just $3,600 on DraftKings and $4,800 on FanDuel, Thornton is WR63/66 and WR60/58, he does not stand out but he could go off as a sneaky sleeper option down the board somewhat at a cheap price and low popularity.
Kansas City is ever-present on the stacks board but they take an overall quality hit for lack of star power at the skill positions, sliding to Stack 14 by points and Stack 16 by value on DraftKings and Stack 13/17 on FanDuel, they are perhaps a better source of skinny stacks in Mahomes+1 builds with the tight end, Brown, or Thornton
Los Angeles Rams
Game Total: 41.0 / LAR -5.5 (23.25)
Plays: 43.86% rush / 56.14% pass / 14.0 ppg / 2.9 ypa rush / 8.4 ypa pass
oppDEF: 5.0 ypa rush / 4.4 ypa pass / 20.0 ppg / 2.44% sack / 5.0% int
Key Player: Matthew Stafford
Setting: at least one / at least two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, Tyler Higbee, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington (large field), Blake Corum (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, Chig Okonkwo, Tyler Lockett
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford is a veteran playing with a back injury who looks like a veteran playing with a back injury. He threw for 245.0 unspectacular yards in Week 1 on 21-29 passing, throwing one touchdown pass in the light-scoring week while posting 8.4 yards per pass attempt with several strong pass-catchers doing their part. Stafford will likely live and die with the quality of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams down the field, both receivers make for excellent targets running any route and the trio pushes this stack up the board for scoring potential. Stafford rates as just QB16 by fantasy points and he loses ground by value ratings but remains playable on raw scoring potential and the big-upside receivers who carry weight for him.
Running Backs
Kyren Williams is a volume-dependent running back of limited appeal. Williams put up a typical 3.7 yards per rush attempt in Week 1 but his 18 carries helped balloon his total to 66.0 rushing yards and he found the end zone to pad scoring, another attribute of this running back. Williams is a playable piece but he tends to disappoint any time his price gets high. He rates well against a defense that allowed a ridiculous 5.0 yards per rush attempt in Week 1, the Titans are one of the lower-end teams in football and Williams should be able to find success assuming he sees his typical allotment of 20 potential touches. At or about our magic number for potential volume, Williams slots in as RB7 by points and RB3 by value on DraftKings, he is RB6/RB9 on the FanDuel slate where he has slightly less value.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Puka Nacua is WR3 by points on both sites this week, coming off of yet another big PPR performance. Nacua drew 11 targets last week, catching 10 of them for 11.8 yards per target and earning a huge 42.79% air yards share. Nacua is an extreme high-volume receiver with sticky hands, he is excellent at racking up major catch totals and yardage, as long as he is capable of staying on the field. The receiver is a fair play on both sites this week, landing as WR10 by value on DraftKings and WR7 by value on FanDuel.
While he did not break out for quality as the number two role in the passing game, veteran receiver Davante Adams was not exactly buried in the role either. Adams gained 1.96 yards per route run with nearly a 30% first-read share over 29 routes and 51 snaps. Adams caught four of eight targets for 51 yards but did not score. His 30.57% air yards share means that nearly three-quarters of the team’s air yards went through Adams and Nacua in Week 1. Adams remains a highly-capable route runner who should be in line for a strong day against a weak Titans defensive scheme with an over-reliance on beatable zone coverage.
With three extremely heavy volume options at the top three skill spots, the remaining players on the roster are mostly depth options, including Tyler Higbee, who saw zero targets over a 42% snap share in Week 1 while fellow tight end Davis Allen scored the team’s lone touchdown as one of week’s Joe Random Touchdown specials. Assuming that target finds its way to Higbee more often in the future, the tight end remains a loosely playable last man in for stacking purposes. Tutu Atwell picked up just one target which he caught for four yards, there is very little to work with on this end of the depth chart.
The Rams rate as Stack 5 by points and Stack 11 by value on DraftKings and they land as Stack 6 by points and Stack 13 by value on FanDuel. This is a team with clear-cut options, the Stafford+2 stacks with Nacua and Adams build themselves, anyone else is simply a mixer, while Kyren Williams is mostly a standalone running back who succeeds on heavy usage.
Miami Dolphins
Game Total: 43.0 / MIA -1.0 (22.0)
Plays: 26.09% rush / 73.91% pass / 8.0 ppg / 6.5 ypa rush / 4.7 ypa pass
oppDEF: 2.3 ypa rush / 10.6 ypa pass / 20.0 ppg / 10.53% sack / 2.94% int
Key Player: Tua Tagovailoa
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Malik Washington, Ollie Gordon II (on/off), Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (large field), Tanner Conner (on/off), Julian Hill (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: TreVeyon Henderson, Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, Rhamondre Stevenson (on/off), DeMario Douglas, Hunter Henry
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa led his Dolphins to a whopping 8.0 points in the season opener. The flop came on the back of a 14-23 passing performance that saw the quarterback throw for a limited 114 yards with one touchdown and pair of interceptions, gaining just 5.0 yards per pass attempt and 3.0 air yards per attempt. Tagovailoa has weapons in the offense with Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane, Jaylen Waddle, and more, but the Dolphins showed nothing in a bad loss on both sides of the ball. For his part, Tagovailoa ranked poorly in accuracy metrics and CPOE while providing limited fantasy scoring last week but he falls into a quality matchup against a Patriots defense that yielded a huge 9.8 yards per pass attempt just last week. With Tagovailoa operating an offense that only demands the least of him in putting the ball in the hands of an explosive teammate there is always the opportunity for success against a gettable defense, Tagovailoa is a mid-board option as QB14/12 and QB14/11 across sites.
Running Backs
De’Von Achane is RB6/RB5 on DraftKings and RB7/RB8 on FanDuel this week. The explosive runner came away with 7.9 yards per rush attempt on limited action in Week 1, carrying the ball just 7.0 times but gaining 55.0 yards in the effort. Achane is highly involved in the passing attack, he picked up four targets in the opener and caught three of them for 5.0 yards per target and receiving touchdown. Achane has multi-touchdown upside on any given slate with his burst and big play ability, given an expectation of additional touches in a better game flow this week he should be a strong option even against a stout Patriots rush defense that allowed just 2.3 yards per attempt in Week 1.
Ollie Gordon II played 25% of the snaps to the 73% that Achane drew last week, carrying the ball only two times and adding a target to the mix. Gordon is a low-end low-volume player as the depth chart currently stands.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Tyreek Hill slides into Week 2 as WR7 by points on DraftKings and WR8 by points on FanDuel. As WR19 and WR13 by value, Hill is a mixed-bag of an option with massive ceiling-score potential. With a team-leading six targets in Week 1, Hill produced only 6.7 yards per target on four catches, though he did have a significant 14.3-yard average depth of target for 38.57% of the air yards. Hill has the ability to break a play from anywhere on the field, he is always in play in and out of stacks.
Jaylen Waddle is a solid bounce-back candidate for season-long play in 2025, he was a cheap investment in drafts which makes him a name that people will remember to click when building lineups by hand with this team. Waddle drops in as a highly-skilled third option in this offense, he is coming off of a bad Week 1 that did not meet expectations for a return to form, gaining just 6.0 yards per target on 4-5 receiving. Waddle played to just a 4.2-yard ADOT for 9.42% of the team’s air yards, further limiting his potential scoring. Still, the player has a compelling skill set for DFS scoring and he lands as a prime value option on one site. Waddle is WR26/27 on the DraftKings slate where he is simply playable, on the blue site he is an appealing WR29/WR9 with strong points-per-dollar potential at just $5,400.
Malik Washington picked up third-receiver volume with five targets while playing 58% of the team’s snaps. Washington ran 26 routes on 28 snaps, if he is on the field he is probably getting out for a potential opportunity. Given the surprising number of targets on a limited day of attempts for Miami there is at least encouraging upside that Washington could be an interesting cheap mixer if this team is in a good spot. In Week 2 he is just WR60/52 and WR61/57 with a bit of sneaky ceiling potential.
Tanner Conner and Julian Hill each drew 58% snap shares at tight end but Conner was targeted four times on 19 routes to Hill’s two targets on 10 routes. In the absence of Darren Waller we should lean slightly toward Conner, if drawing a tight end from this team at all.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine drew two targets in an insubstantial fourth receiver role, he is at best a limited dart throw.
Miami is on the board on both sites, they land as Stack 9 by points and Stack 10 by value on DraftKings and Stack 9 by points and Stack 7 by value on the FanDuel slate. De’Von Achane plays up in a big way as a standalone running back but he has tons of appeal in stacks as well, given his involvement in the passing game. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle work as individual receivers in +1 builds or together in +2 shares, with Hill looking like the better upside player in standalone lineups and with Waddle providing quiet top-10 value upside on FanDuel.
New England Patriots
Game Total: 43.0 / NE +1.0 (21.0)
Plays: 26.47% rush / 73.53% pass / 13.0 ppg / 3.3 ypa rush / 6.2 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.9 ypa rush / 9.4 ypa pass / 33.0 ppg / 3.33% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Drake Maye
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Kayshon Boutte, Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson (on/off), DeMario Douglas, Hunter Harvey, Kyle Williams (large field), Mack Hollins (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Malik Washington, Ollie Gordon II (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw the ball 46 times for 287 yards on 30-46 passing in Week 1 but managed just one touchdown and threw an interception in a game in which his team somehow scored only 13 points. Maye delivered 6.20 yards per pass attempt on 7.9 intended air yards per attempt and added a limited 2.8 yards per rush attempt on 4.0 carries. The quarterback has ability on the ground and the volume could push him to huge DFS scoring days this season if it resembles anything like the 73.53% passing share we saw overall in Week 1. Maye is facing a Dolphins defense that just coughed up what would be our blueprint game for success to Daniel Jones, allowing the mediocre ex-Giant to throw for one touchdown and run another two into the end zone. If Maye can chase that performance we may see another slate winner come out of the Dolphins’ opponent. At worst, Maye lands as QB11 by points but QB3 by value on DraftKings, he is QB11/9 on the FanDuel slate and is very interesting this week.
Running Backs
TreVeyon Henderson is affordable as RB23 by points on both sites, he lands as RB13 by value on FanDuel where he costs just $5,300. The running back gained an excellent 5.4 yards per rush attempt on his limited five opportunities last week, though 4.6 yards per attempt came before contact with only 0.8 after contact. Henderson drew heavy involvement in the robust passing attack as well, he ran 18 routes and was targeted on a whopping 33.3% of those, catching six of six passes for 24 yards and 4.0 yards per target.
Rhamondre Stevenson ranks a few spots below his teammate on our board but above him on the depth chart. Stevenson picked up 7.0 carries but gained just 2.1 yards per rush attempt in Week 1 while catching two of three targets for limited output. After a limited 2024 that saw him gain just 801 yards and score seven touchdowns on 207 carries (3.9 ypa), Stevenson simply lacks upside and reliability on a weekly basis.
Receivers & Tight Ends
While Week 1 action clearly favored hot waiver wire commodity Kayshon Boutte in this passing attack, veteran Stefon Diggs quietly drew seven targets and caught six of them in his Patriots debut. Diggs gained 8.1 yards per target and had 17.68% of the team’s air yards on an 8.7 yard ADOT. The aging receiver is certainly not what he once was, and many would argue that he was overrated then, but he retains any-given-slate upside, particularly if everyone is riding with the guy on the other side of the field. Diggs gained 1.73 yards per route run but was limited by advanced route metrics and is losing the ability to truly find separation from defenders. Against a bad overall secondary in Week 2 this simply matters less. Diggs has the opportunity to blow the doors off of this spot if circumstances come together correctly, the volume should rise somewhat from last week’s already at least sturdy effort and more of the field will skip him than should.
Kayshon Boutte gained top billing in this offense with a strong first week of action this season. Boutte was on the board as a depth option after gaining 589 yards and 8.7 per target on 68 opportunities with three touchdowns last season, gaining 20+ yards on 11 different passing plays and posting a 100+ yard game during the season on limited involvement. In the first game of this season he rang up 103 receiving yards with six catches on eight targets, playing 82% of the snaps and running 40 routes with a 20% target share over those routes. With 2.58 yards per route run and strong route-win numbers, Boutte earned the hype going into the season’s second week but it is important to note that the performance was good but the individual volume was not special on a heavy passing day, if Diggs draws more this week we could see an undercut.
DeMario Douglas played out of the slot in Week 1, rolling with the offense for 63% of the snaps and drawing seven targets in the heavy passing attack. Douglas scored the team’s lone receiving touchdown and was targeted twice in the end zone during the game. The receiver put up 7.1 yards per target and scored three times on 87 chances last year and should remain involved as the third option with scoring potential behind Diggs and Boutte.
Mack Hollins is a deep threat who was on the field for 54% of the team’s snaps last week. Hollins drew just two chances and operated on an atypical 6.5-yard ADOT, he produced very little in the limited role but could hit the board if he is unleashed down the field at low ownership and a low price. Hollins is no more than a low-expectation dart throw on this slate for $3,000/$4,300, he did run 19 routes over 38 snaps last week and should warrant the occasional chance at success. Hollins had a 12.6-yard ADOT in Buffalo last year and scored five times on just 31 catches over 50 targets.
Hunter Henry is also on the board as TE13/20 and TE13/TE12 on the FanDuel slate. Henry joins a light pool at tight end this week coming off of a Week 1 game that saw him draw eight targets on a 14.5-yard ADOT for a surprising 33.91% air yards share. Henry did not hit paydirt but the volume and big play potential the targeting creates against a weak defense could easily lead to a big week if this team connects.
The Patriots are a very interesting value mixer against a bad Dolphins defense, they could put up a game that very much resembles what Daniel Jones and the Colts did last week, given Drake Maye’s general skillset. New England has the depth of options for significant inclusion as a value play on either site, though they rate as just Stack 22/18 on DraftKings and Stack 21/16 on FanDuel.
New Orleans Saints
Game Total: 40.5 / NO +3.5 (18.5)
Plays: 31.88% rush / 68.12% pass / 13.0 ppg / 4.9 ypa rush / 4.7 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.2 ypa rush / 6.5 ypa pass / 13.0 ppg / 4.17% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Spencer Rattler
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson, Brandin Cooks, Kendre Miller (on/off), Devaughn Vele (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Brian Robinson Jr. (on/off), Jake Tonges, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (large field)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The most impressive thing about Spencer Rattler’s first week of 2025 was that he managed to throw neither a touchdown nor an interception despite 46 pass attempts. Rattler did total 214 passing yards but was otherwise entirely uninteresting with 4.7 yards per pass attempt. The quarterback padded output slightly with 7.3 yards per attempt on the ground over four carries but he was exactly as uninspiring a play as expected. Rattler rates as QB22/16 and QB22/19 and seems less interesting than that outside of playing alongside talented skill players.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara carried the ball just 11 times in the opener, though he did gain 4.1 yards per rush attempt and punched in a rushing touchdown. Kamara gained 2.4 yards before and 1.7 yards after contact per attempt and added 6.0 yards per target in the passing game. The running back played 79.0% of the snaps and should see ongoing action at or above that level of involvement, with more touches in the future. Kamara typically lands in the 20+ touch range, unless things have changed dramatically we should revert to that expectation shortly. Kamara is RB9/8 on DraftKings and RB10/17 on FanDuel.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Chris Olave was interesting despite leaving the field multiple times with potential injuries, making it back to action each time. Olave finished the day with seven catches on a team-leading 13 targets, posting 4.2 yards per target and garnering a 32.77% air yards share over 85% of the team’s snaps. The receiver failed to gain significant separation in Week 1 but he has always been a high-quality option in that department and should re-emerge going forward. Olave is a strong play at the position who gains significant ground if one assigns him anything approaching the number of targets he saw in the first game. As it stands, he is WR25 by points but WR6 by value on DraftKings and WR26/22 on FanDuel. Olave’s two biggest detriments are his inability to stay on the field and the fact that he shares it with Spencer Rattler at quarterback.
Rashid Shaheed is an excellent downfield option who lacks a quality quarterback to throw him the ball. Shaheed caught six of his nine targets on an 8.8-yard ADOT that is limited by comparison to his depth of target just last season. The receiver came away with just 3.7 yards per target with 33.0 yards on six catches for the game for 0.80 yards per route run. The receiver is limited by other potential options in the offense and by the quality of the targets he does receive but there is big play potential on any given slate.
Juwan Johnson drew a pair of red zone targets in Week 1 but neither resulted in a touchdown. The capable tight end had an 8.1-yard average depth of target and a 30.07% air yards share over 11 opportunities that landed him second on the team to Olave’s total. On sheer chances the passing game should find success from time to time if the volume remains at this level, Johnson is TE14/16 on DraftKings and a more interesting TE11/11 on FanDuel.
Brandin Cooks is a limited fourth option who picked up four targets on a 4.5-yard ADOT in Week 1, he is not much more than a dart throw. Kendre Miller saw 5.0 carries and gained a quality 4.8 yards per attempt in Week 1 but does not see enough action behind Kamara to truly hit as a value play.
While we do not frequently discuss defense in this space, it is worth noting that the Saints defense rates as D13 by points but D3 by value against a 49ers team with the backup QB at the helm and several major missing components. They are D13 by points and D1 by value on FanDuel.
The Saints are a limited Stack 17 by points and Stack 13 by value on DraftKings and Stack 19/19 on FanDuel, they are better for drawing one-off shares around Kamara and Olave with mix-in value shares of Shaheed and Johnson.
New York Giants
Game Total: 44.5 / NYG +5.5 (19.5)
Plays: 37.10% rush / 62.90% pass / 6.0 ppg / 3.2 ypa rush / 4.5 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.2 ypa rush / 6.6 ypa pass / 24.0 ppg / 4.17% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Russell Wilson
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Malik Nabers, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Wan’Dale Robinson (Q), Darius Slayton (Q), Theo Johnson, Jalin Hyatt (large field), Cam Skattebo (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson, Javonte Williams, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Miles Sanders (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The Giants were awful in Week 1 and not much more should be expected with a 19.5-point implied team total on the short side of a divisional rivalry game against Dallas. New York will go with Russell Wilson at quarterback again, despite early calls for rookie Jaxson Dart. Wilson threw the ball 37 times in his Giants debut, coming away with 17 completions (46%) for 168.0 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Giants gained just 4.5 yards per pass attempt on Wilson’s 4.5 intended air yards per attempt. The quarterback gained a bit of ground with 5.5 yards per rush attempt on 8.0 carries for 44.0 yards but the total lack of scoring tends to hamper any potential to win slates. Wilson is QB19/18 and QB18/15 across sites, if he succeeds it is almost certainly because he was dragged there by Malik Nabers breaking big plays.
Running Backs
Tyrone Tracy Jr. is cheap but he lands as RB18 by points on both sites. He is RB12 by value on DraftKings and RB10 by value on FanDuel, keeping him loosely involved in the conversation as a secondary running back or flex play. Tracy Jr. gained just 24 yards on 10 carries in Week 1 with 0.9 yards before and 1.5 yards after contact per attempt. The running back did pick up five targets out of the backfield on a 0.0-yard ADOT but he gained just 2.2 yards per target catching just two of those chances. Tracy gained 839 rushing yards and scored five times on the ground and once in the passing game last season in a nice story for an otherwise hapless hopeless helpless Giants team in 2024 as a 5th round value pickup in the draft, his ability to meet even those pedestrian numbers is shaky at best this year
Cam Skattebo is an inexpensive mixer who did not see the expected volume in Week 1, he and Devin Singeltary are low-end options splitting the backup work in this offense but Skattebo would be the better player if all things were equal.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Malik Nabers is the first, second, third, and fourth best option in this offense. Nabers is everything for the Giants, they lack quality at every other position on offense. The receiver, unfortunately, cannot do everything alone. Nabers played 94% of the snaps and ran 42 routes with a 28.6% target share on those routes, he caught five of 12 targets for 71 yards. Nabers was hampered by the limited quarterback play he will deal with all season, against a high-quality pass defense the situation should not improve and things will get no better if we do see Dart at some point this week or this season. Unfortunately, the best hope for Nabers to truly succeed would be for the Giants to blow the dust off of Jameis Winston, who is relegated to third on the depth chart. Nabers is WR4/5 on both sites this week but he could be subtly more limited than that ranking depending on how all of his teammates play.
Wan’Dale Robinson is questionable to play in Week 2. The receiver caught six of eight targets in Week 1, gaining 6.9 yards per target for 55.0 yards on a 14.29% air yards share on just a 3.1-yard ADOT. Robinson is, at best, a mix-in receiver with a bit of full-PPR scoring value but little else as WR41/40 and WR42/43 across sites.
Theo Johnson picked up just three targets and caught only one of them for a gain of five yards in Week 1, he is not a threat for quality at the tight end position and is limited except for his $2,900 price tag on DraftKings. If he picks up a few catches in the offense the PPR scoring alone could pay value to that price tag.
Darius Slayton is WR51/47 and WR50/48 across sites, he saw one target of 16 yards and did not haul it in during Week 1. Slayton played 16 games last year, he caught 39 of 70 passes for 573 yards and two touchdowns and he has never had more than 770 yards or 50 catches in a season. This is not a high-end player.
Jalin Hyatt is worse than that.
The Giants are a low-end Stack 13/15 on DraftKings and Stack 15/14 on FanDuel, they are probably best deployed as Malik Nabers shares in one-off or bring-back roles.
New York Jets
Game Total: 46.0 / NYJ +6.5 (19.75)
Plays: 62.90% rush / 37.10% pass / 32.0 ppg / 4.7 ypa rush / 9.9 ypa pass
oppDEF: 8.2 ypa rush / 11.0 ypa pass / 40.0 ppg / 9.52% sack / 0.0 int
Key Player: Justin Fields
Setting: at least one / at most two (this allows for “naked” Fields lineups)
Team Group: Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Mason Taylor (Q), Braelon Allen, Jeremy Ruckert (on/off), Arian Smith (very large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: James Cook, Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Dalton Kincaid
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Justin Fields and the Jets offense shocked the world almost as much as Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh did last week in the only game to hit the Over on Sunday afternoon, naturally it was the lowest-totaled game of the weekend going into the slate. Fields led his new team to a solid fantasy scoring day with 218 passing yards and a touchdown for an outstanding 9.9 yards per pass attempt over just 16-22 passing that ranked him top of the heap in CPOE. Fields gained 4.0 yards per rush attempt on his 12.0 carries, adding 48 yards and a pair of touchdown runs to his DFS scoring day. The quarterback tends to hang quality on his ability to run the ball into the end zone, he has demonstrable slate-winning potential in any given week and the Bills high-end offense should draw the most out of the opportunity for the Jets, with Fields determining the quality. The quarterback is more limited as a passer than a runner but he has solid options for stacking with quality skill players in each spot, he is QB12/13 on DraftKings and QB12/14 on FanDuel this week but could go higher in the right mix once the games begin.
Running Backs
Breece Hall had a nice return to form in the season opener. The running back put up an excellent 5.6 yards per rush attempt on 19 carries, gaining 107 yards with 2.9 before and 2.7 after contact per attempt and adding another four potential touches via targeting in the passing game. Hall and Fields are a dynamic rushing tandem that should develop as a pairing as they gain familiarity with one another and in the offense. Hall caught two of his four targets and broke them for 9.5 yards per target despite a -3.3-yard ADOT on the plays. Hall joins a long tradition of frustrating running backs who lose touches in the red zone, backup Braelon Allen picked up just six total carries but three of them came in the red zone and he poached a touchdown from the starter despite gaining just nine yards in the game. Hall’s huge potential volume and talent should lead to big days ahead, he is RB11/11 on DraftKings and RB10/19 on FanDuel.
Braelon Allen carried the ball just six times, gaining just 1.5 yards per rush attempt but he did pick off a valuable touchdown, demonstrating that his main contribution to DFS scoring on a weekly basis could be taking opportunities away from Hall.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Garrett Wilson checks in as WR15 by points on DraftKings and WR18 by points on FanDuel in Week 2 after posting 10.6 yards per target over nine chances in the opener. Wilson is the team’s easy top option, he will draw quality from Fields even on limited passing days as the only true go-to option in the passing attack. Wilson leads a group in which the next-best option is a backup tight end or an aging Allen Lazard, he is the passing attack for New York with a 55.48% air yards share in the first contest of the season. Wilson scored the Jets’ lone receiving touchdown in Week 1, he is primed for another if the team goes off in an effort to keep pace with Buffalo.
Mason Taylor was targeted one time while playing 88.0% of the snaps and running 24 routes over those 54 plays. Taylor is questionable in Week 2, which would only thrust this position further down the quality board with Jeremy Ruckert in play.
Allen Lazard and Tyler Johnson are expected to play, with Josh Reynolds sitting out in Week 2. Neither option is particularly appealing, Lazard was a healthy scratch in Week 1 and Johnson managed two catches for 31.0 yards on a 10.0-yard ADOT.
The Jets land as Stack 20/24 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week, they have clear scoring potential, including the quarterback, but they will remain a low-ranked ceiling play in large field tournaments throughout the season. Hall and Wilson are easy-in options as standalone players in other lineups and the priority plays in stacks with Fields.
Philadelphia Eagles
Game Total: 46.5 / PHI -1.0 (23.75)
Plays: 61.29% rush / 38.71% pass / 24.0 ppg / 4.2 ypa rush / 6.6 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.6 ypa rush / 9.4 ypa pass / 27.0 ppg / 8.11% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Jalen Hurts
Setting: at least one / at most two (this allows for “naked” Hurts lineups)
Team Group: Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Grant Calcaterra
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Hollywood Brown, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Noah Gray (on/off)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was his typically outstanding self in the team’s Week 1 game, completing an elite 19 of 23 passing attempts, though he threw for only 152 yards (6.6 ypa) and did not throw a touchdown pass. Hurts did his scoring on the ground, as is frequently his move. The quarterback ran the ball a whopping 14 times for 4.4 yards per attempt, gaining 2.0 yards before and 2.4 yards after contact per attempt and scoring twice on the ground. Hurts is capable of breaking a run or punching one in from close on plays ranging from the infamous “tush push” to bootlegs. The quarterback is a capable passer who needs to remember his demanding receivers from time to time, he should have no trouble connecting iwth AJ Brown and Devonta Smith in this one. On the slightly favored side of a Superbowl rematch, Hurts checks in as QB4 by points on both sites, he is QB9 by value on DraftKings and QB8 by value on FanDuel this week.
Running Backs
Superstar Saquon Barkley has an insuppressibly high DraftKings projection pushed up by outstanding PPR potential in the site’s scoring system, he is easily RB1 across the board on the DraftKings slate and scores as RB1 by points but RB2 by value on FanDuel. Barkley is an elite option on any given slate given his massive weekly touch and scoring potential. The running back was somewhat limited in Week 1 action, gaining just 3.3 yards per rush attempt on 18 carries but punching in his first rushing touchdown of the season. Barkley was targeted five times in the passing game, catching four of those opportunities and returning 4.8 yards per target out of the backfield. With Will Shipley out and Tank Bigsby just joining the team, Barkley could pick up an additional touch or two for lack of high-quality backups, AJ Dillon is the only other name behind him on the depth chart.
Neither Bigsby nor Dillon looks particularly interesting until volume is established. The Eagles originally claimed they were acquiring Bigsby to operate as a kick returner but the changing status of Shipley could impact the role significantly.
Receivers & Tight Ends
AJ Brown had a frustrating week for fantasy owners and DFS gamers alike. The highly drafted and highly-owned star receiver picked up just one catch for eight yards on a shocking single target despite running 31 routes over 54 snaps (87%). Brown’s incredibly low volume came with a limited 10% first-read share, he was truly off the board for reasons about which we can only speculate and monitor. If Brown is truly limited on the field the upside swings further toward Barkley and 1A receiver Devonta Smith. Still, Brown rates as WR8 by points on DraftKings and WR7 by points on FanDuel if he sees regular action. He is lower-rated for value at typically high pricing but would be interesting if popularity dips.
DeVonta Smith lands as WR 22/25 and WR23/28 with upside for more on both sites. The premium second option in the passing attack was limited to just three opportunities in the opener and saw just a 1.3-yard average depth of target and a 4.49% air yards share, but he offers far more than that in the average game. Smith won a fair number of his routes in Week 1, something that Brown cannot say on similar chances, if we see an uptick in overall passing volume it could be an interesting week at a fair price for Smith.
Jahan Dotson saw a few chances in a third receiver role, he could gain more ground with tight end Dallas Goedert out of action and Grant Calcaterra filling in. If a few targets swing in Dotson’s direction he has the ability to convert a big play. Dotson also led the team with a 16.0-yard average depth of target on his three chances last week, a 53.93% air yards share that we are certain will not hold in this mix of receivers. Dotson is a dart throw for value as the second skill player in a +2 build, he is on the board to mix things up but not as a top priority like his teammates.
Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson will see chances at the tight end spot, either could fall into the end zone at a cheap price as stack filler.
In a premium matchup against Kansas City, the Eagles land as Stack 2 by points and Stack 3 by value on DraftKings, they are Stack 2 by points and Stack 5 by value on FanDuel and should be considered a high priority option on both sites in Week 2
Pittsburgh Steelers
Game Total: 40.5 / PIT -3.0 (21.75)
Plays: 37.04% rush / 62.96% pass / 34.0 ppg / 2.7 ypa rush / 8.1 ypa pass
oppDEF: 3.3 ypa rush / 7.9 ypa pass / 17.0 ppg / 2.78% sack / 5.71% int
Key Player: Aaron Rodgers
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Jaylen Warren, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, Kenneth Gainwell (on/off), Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth, Roman Wilson (large field), Kaleb Johnson (large field)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Tory Horton, AJ Barner
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The third of a trio of surprising starting quarterbacks chasing redemption stories in new homes, Aaron Rodgers had possibly the most surprising performance of Week 1. The ancient quarterback may not be someone we want to hang out with, but his DFS scoring potential remains intact as he demonstrated by twirling four touchdown passes on 22-30 passing for 8.1 yards per attempt and a totall of 244.0 yards. Rodgers exceeded all expectations in connecting with four different targets for scores, despite playing in a game that checked in at the lowest overall total of the week. Rodgers finished just in the middle of the board via CPOE for the week, however, and his accuracy on deep balls did not measure up to par with a bottom-third rating in catchable targets on deep opportunities. Rodgers rates as just QB20/23 and QB20/24 against a Seattle team that should allow plenty of success to opposing passing games this season. Rodgers could beat conservative projections once again but this remains a l0w faith option.
Running Backs
The job share in the Pittsburgh backfield twisted somewhat with Kenneth Gainwell outdrawing rookie Kaleb Johnson in the number two role. Jaylen Warren did not distinguish himself from the top of the board with merely 3.4 yards per rush attempt and 37 yards for the game, though he did pick up 2.4 yards after contact per rushing attempt. Warren was only involved in two passing plays but he turned one of the chances into a touchdown and gained 11.0 yards per target.
Kenneth Gainwell carried the ball seven times and gained 2.7 yards per rush attempt while adding another four yards on 3-4 receiving out of the backfield. The lack of quality despite a fair shake might swing chances in Kaleb Johnson’s direction but odds are that Gainwell approaches his 54% Week 1 snap share again in Week 2.
Receivers & Tight Ends
With Rodgers throwing touchdowns to four different targets, the Steelers landed on the board as fair but less mandatory supporting options for their quarterback. Among the wide receivers, DK Metcalf drew seven targets and gained 11.9 yards per target over his four catches but was relegated to just a 4.0-yard average depth of target amounting to a 21.88% air yards share. Metcalf did not score despite leading the team in target share and first-read rate and gaining 3.07 yards per route run. Metcalf is WR16/22 and WR14/20 across sites, putting him in play in and out of stacks in Week 2.
Calvin Austin III is inexpensive but lands at just a mid-slate ranking across sites this week. Austin gained 70 yards on 4-6 receiving as the deep threat in the receiving corps. Austin posted a 14.0-yard average depth of target for a gargantuan and wildly unsustainable 65.63% air yards share. The receiver’s output will come and go with the questionable accuracy on deep paces and the erratic nature of those throws in general but he seems likely to spike a few quality weeks along the way and he was one of the Steelers to reach paydirt in Week 1.
Tight end Jonnu Smith also scored in the opener. Smith picked up six targets and converted five of them for a limited 15.0 yards on a -1.0-yard ADOT as more of a safety-valve and short yardage option. Smith remains a touchdown dependent mixer as TE9/12 and TE10/10 across sites.
Pat Freiermuth played 50% of the team’s snaps but drew only three targets on a 6.7-yard ADOT. Between the two tight ends, Friermuth saw more downfield chances but Smith is equally capable of taking them. As the second-straw in the offense, this is nothing more than a dart at a cheap touchdown.
Ben Skowronek got on the board for a cheap unowned touchdown on his lone target, a 22-yard grab, in the first game of the season. Skowronek is unlikey to see any advanced volume or opportunity unless things change dramatically, he is just a dart for depth in a low-end offense
The Steelers are Stack 23 by points and value on DraftKings, they are Stack 22/21 on FanDuel with skinny stacks of Rodgers+1 looking like the prime approach. Rodgers demonstrating the ability to find multiple receivers without a clear-cut primary option in the passing attack intrigues slightly for standalone quarterback play, but we would prefer more rushing potential in that move
Seattle Seahawks
Game Total: 40.5 / SEA +3.0 (18.75)
Plays: 52.00% rush / 48.00% pass / 13.0 ppg / 3.2 ypa rush / 6.5 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.7 ypa rush / 9.9 ypa pass / 32.0 ppg / 4.35% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Sam Darnold
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Tory Horton, AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Jaylen Warren, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, Kenneth Gainwell (on/off), Calvin Austin III, Pat Freiermuth, Roman Wilson (large field), Kaleb Johnson (large field)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Sam Darnold did not do much to silence the skeptics in Week 1. The former Vikings breakout quarterback landed in his new job and proceeded to post a mere 150 passing yards on 23 attempts, good for 6.50 yards per attempt with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions on a solid 8.6 yard intended air yards per target that is at least encouraging. Darnold was highly accurate last season in a prime job for passing, he was helped to success by elite talent but his contributions were real on the field. Despite bad numbers for accuracy in Week 1 we expect far more from the quarterback against a Steelers defense that was not good against the Jets last week. Darnold has all the necessary weapons for success including premium running backs and a solid number one receiver. For DFS purposes the quarterback and stack are mere mixers, Darnold is QB17/15 and QB17/21 across sites.
Running Backs
Kenneth Walker III is inexpensive but rates as just RB21/18 and RB21/22 across the industry. Walker gained just 2.0 yards per rush attempt on 10.0 carries while playing 40% of the snaps and ceding ground to a more productive Zach Charbonnet in the ground game. Walker did see three targets in the passing attack but his output there was similarly limited with just 1.3 yards per target out of the backfield. Walker dealt with injury issues through camp and could still be ailing but even at his best he is in a significant job share with a potentially more explosive running back.
Zach Charbonnet is RB25/24 and RB25/25 across sites, he is limited by Walker’s presence as much as he is a limiting force on his teammate, but Charbonnet won the volume battle in the first game while posting a low-end 3.9 yards per rush attempt over 12 carries but picking up a touchdown along the way. Charbonnet is less involved in the passing game than Walker and both running backs are rough fits unless someone runs away with the role.
Receivers & Tight Ends
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is WR11 by points on DraftKings and WR13 by points on FanDuel while dipping to WR21 and WR31 by value on the respective sites. The receiver broke out last year, morphing from a short yardage receiver into a true threat up and down the field. In Week 1, Smith-Njigba garnered an absurd 90.36% of the team’s air yards on 13 targets with a 13.7-yard ADOT. “JSN” hauled in nine of those chances for 124 yards and 9.5 yards per target but failed to get into the end zone. The receiver rates as a premium play in and out of Seattle stacks this week, he is a likely touchdown scorer and should remain a force in full PPR scoring formats as the clear-cut leader for opportunities.
Cooper Kupp drew a 10.15% air yards share on a 6.7-yard ADOT with two catches over three targets in his Seattle debut, a low-key performance for the former standout and volume monster. Kupp needs to pick up the opportunities and Darnold needs to throw more than 23 passes for him to get there, otherwise there is not enough upside to support a big day for multiple receivers. Kupp is not entirely finished but he did not have an encouraging debut. Kupp is WR36/42 and WR38/40.
Tory Horton slots in as a cheap option at the receiver position but he went untargeted in Week 1 despite playing 26 snaps and running 14 routes. Horton is a fifth-round rookie out of Colorado State who stands at 6’2″ and 196lbs, he should present a reasonable third option in the passing game at times this season but the focus is clearly on the top two options.
AJ Barner caught one of two targets on a limited ADOT for 1.52% of the team’s air yards in Week 1, Elijah Arroyo was similarly uninteresting. The tight end position in Seattle is not an overly productive spot and they did not look that way in the opener, neither option rates well.
The Seahawks rate as Stack 16 by points and Stack 22 by value on both sites, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is by far the most interesting piece given the huge volume potential with touchdown upside.
San Francisco 49ers
Game Total: 40.5 / SF -3.5 (22.0)
Plays: 50.00% rush / 50.00% pass / 17.0 ppg / 3.3 ypa rush / 7.9 ypa pass
oppDEF: 5.4 ypa rush / 5.6 ypa pass / 20.0 ppg / 14.71% sack / 0.0% int
Key Player: Mac Jones (Brock Purdy is out for several weeks)
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Christian McCaffrey, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings (Q), Jake Tonges, Brian Robinson Jr. (on/off), Luke Farrell (on/off), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (large field), Kendrick Bourne (large field/DK only)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Chris Olave, Alvin Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson, Brandin Cooks, Kendre Miller (on/off), Devaughn Vele (large field)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
The 49ers took multiple punches in Week 1 with injuries to crucial players including quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, both of whom are out for multiple weeks. Mac Jones will take the reins as the interim signal caller in an offense that seems likely to lean heavily into Christian McCaffrey, whose legs might be made of glass. Mac Jones was not overly relevant in 2024, throwing eight touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 171 of 282 passes filling in for Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. Jones has never beaten the 17-game performance he posted as a rookie in 2021, when he threw for 3,801 yards on 352-521 passing for 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The backup is in the mix for value at a very cheap $4,000 on DraftKings but he rates as QB24 by points and QB7 by value. On FanDuel he is QB24/18 and is more difficult to reach.
Running Backs
Despite widespread concerns about his potential demise after yet another reported calf issue, Christian McCaffrey played and turned in a relatively productive day. McCaffrey caught nine of 10 passes for 73 yards out of the backfield but came away with just 3.1 yards per rush attempt across his 22 carries. Given more cracks at similar volume we would expect better production from the still-talented running back. McCaffrey draws a New Orleans team that was gouged for 5.4 yards per rush attempt in Week 1 he could be in for a strong day with some many crucial missing pieces but he will be popular for the chance. McCaffrey is a clear-cut RB2 across the board on DraftKings and lands as RB2/3 on FanDuel, he is a potentially elite producer of DFS points on both sites this week and sees additional upside in full PPR scoring
Brian Robinson Jr. will play backup to McCaffrey, he got on the field for 24% of the team’s snaps in Week 1 picking up nine carries and a pair of targets but turning in mixed results with 3.7 yards per rush attempt and 2.0 yards per target. Robinson Jr. is a mixer with a bit of touchdown-poaching potential but Isaac Guerendo remains the more explosive and more truly talented back between the backups.
Receivers & Tight Ends
The receiver room will be challenged to make up for the absence of star tight end George Kittle, with both Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings likely commanding strong target volume in conjunction with Mac Jones. Pearsall picked up seven targets and caught four of them in the Week 1 matchup, gaining a terrific 108 yards for 15.4 per target on his big play 19.4-yard average depth of target. Jennings worked somewhat closer to home on an 8.4-yard ADOT while catching just two of his five targets but he will continue to get chances and should end up as at worst a 1A to Pearsall, if not the true number one in the offense. Jennings is questionable for Sunday but practiced on Friday after sitting out twice during the week, he is likely to play but could be limited by a shoulder injury suffered in Week 1. The receiver is coming off of a 975-yard six-touchdown season that thrust him into a more prominent role in the wake of a roster shakeup, he should deliver throughout the year and makes a strong pairing with Jones if Pearsall draws more popularity.
Jake Tonges will provide work as the lead option at tight end, he scored an anonymous unowned touchdown on the Week 1 slate and should increase his target total from the three he saw in the opener as the team features the tight end prominently in the offense. Luke Farrell will also provide relief work at the position but Tonges should be the more engaged receiver. Kyle Juszczyk is also on the board for low volume scoring opportunities.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kendrick Bourne should occupy depth roles if they are active at all.
The 49ers are Stack 11 by points on both sites and the leap up the board for value with the cheap backup QB in play. San Francisco is Stack 2 by value on DraftKings. On FanDuel the team is Stack 11/12 with a more expensive Mac Jones. McCaffrey is a standout option both in stacks and as a one-off in other lineups, he will be popular but seems worth the effort with expectation of major opportunity.
Tennessee Titans
Game Total: 41.0 / TEN +5.5 (17.75)
Plays: 38.18% rush / 61.82% pass / 12.0 ppg / 3.4 ypa rush / 4.0 ypa pass
oppDEF: 4.2 ypa rush / 7.0 ypa pass / 9.0 ppg / 10.00% sack / 3.70% int
Key Player: Cam Ward
Setting: at least one / exactly two (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Team Group: Tony Pollard, Calvin Ridley, Elic Ayomanor, Tyler Lockett, Chig Okonkwo, Chimere Dike, Gunnar Helm (on/off), Julius Chestnut (on/off)
Opposing Setting: at most one / exactly one (these can be alternated in a variety of lineup builds)
Opposing Group: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Kyren Williams, Tyler Higbee, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington (large field)
Game Notes:
Quarterback
Cam Ward did not look NFL ready in his debut. The quarterback completed just 12 of 28 pass attempts for 112 yards and 4.0 yards per attempt. Ward did post a terrific 10.5-yard intended air yards per attempt mark that promises future quality and big performances but he was unable to reliably connect with his receivers. An interesting development in the offense was the targeting that went toward rookie Elic Ayomanor, who was second in the group with seven targets. A connection between the two young players would become interesting in stack building but this is a very low-end team that does not rate well outside of cost considerations. Ward gets a bit of a mulligan in what should be a good passing spot after facing the high-end Denver defense last week, and with talented supporting players in tow, he is QB15 by points but QB10 by value on DraftKings and QB15/16 on FanDuel where he is less interesting.
Running Backs
Veteran Tony Pollard carried the ball 18 times in Week 1, meeting expectations for steady volume in the rushing game, but he underwhelmed with just 3.3 yards per rush attempt and failed to score. Pollard gained just 1.5 yards after contact per attempt and added only one catch, though it did go for a 29-yard gain to pad scoring somewhat. Pollard should be a better play going forward, he has standalone value on the back of cheap touches at just $5,900 on either site. The running back lands as an interesting RB16/16 on DraftKings but RB15/RB6 on FanDuel. Pollard played 89% of the snaps and dominated volume in a lousy Week 1 for the Titans, he could do the same in a more productive Week 2
Receivers & Tight Ends
Calvin Ridley was targeted eight times in the offense, leading the team by a single target over Ayomanor. The veteran receiver operated on an 8.6-yard ADOT but caught only four passes for 3.4 yards per target. Ridley will be limited to what Ward can do in getting him the ball. The receiver was bogged down in coverage in Week 1 as well, he should have the opportunity to run slightly more free but the Rams offer up a pass defense that kept opponents to just 5.6 yards per pass attempt last week. Ridley was on the field for 95% of the team’s offensive snaps and he drew a 26.3% first-read share over the course of the game, he remains a premium option and is only a year removed from 1,017 yards and four touchdowns. Ridley has gained more than 1,000 yards in three of the past four seasons with only his five-game 2021 campaign in between.
Elic Ayomanor outgunned Tyler Lockett in his debut and looks like the number two in this offense after drawing a 25.9% target share over his 27 routes on 43 snaps. Ayomanor caught just two of those seven chances of course, which could immediately limit him in the pecking order in Week 2, but with a go-nowhere development season underway and 4th-round draft capital in the player, one would expect the volume to keep up at a reasonable pace for an inexpensive receiver. Ayomanor worked at a massive 19.0-yard ADOT for the season, garnering 45.86% of the air yards in Week 1, he is an interesting cheap mixer as a standalone or in Titans value stacks.
Tyler Lockett is inexpensive for a veteran receiver of his renown. Lockett was targeted only once and made zero catches in a limited Week 1 but he should get back in the mix more effectively in Week 2 with a better quarterback performance and simply more pass attempts.
Chig Okonkwo is an affordable option at tight end, he rates as TE15 by points but TE7 by value on DraftKings and is TE15/14 on the FanDuel slate. Okonkwo caught three of four opportunities for 4.8 yards per target but failed to score in Week 1 while running 26 routes. Okonkwo scored just twice last season despite playing 17 games, his reputation as a pass-catcher is somewhat undeserved in a bad offense
Tennessee is Stack 19 by points but Stack 5 by value on the back of very pricing on DraftKings. They are just Stack 18/11 on the FanDuel slate where they are less desirable
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