The 2022 NFL regular season started with a bang last week and plenty of shocks. Week 2 kicked off with a banger on Thursday, with AFC West divisional foes the Chargers and Chiefs going at it. Chargers QB Justin Herbert had a costly 4th quarter interception as the Chiefs run out 27-24 winners.
Twelve games await us on the DraftKings Sunday main slate. Today’s article will highlight the games with the highest over/under scores according to Vegas, favourite stacks, and players I like per position on DraftKings.
I will aim to take something from the previous week and improve my process each week. In week 2, it will be important not to overreact to what happened in week one as teams try to find themselves early in the year. So I will not be chasing the fringe players who found the endzone in week 1.
DraftKings Main Slate
The NFL Sunday main slate is easy enough to understand; simply pick nine players, one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one flex position (RB, WR, TE) and one defence within a $50,000 budget.
Whatever contests you are playing, the best advice I can give for these slates is to look at projected ownerships, over/under game totals, stacking, create a player pool (about 30 players max for me) and stick to your decisions.
Check out our weekly contest at https://www.draftkings.co.uk/draft/contest/132204542
Over/Under totals
Looking at the over/under Vegas game totals is well worthwhile as it’s a way we can highlight a high or low fantasy scoring environment.
Week 2
- Miami Dolphins vs Baltimore Ravens: 44.5
- Cleveland Browns vs New York Jets: 39.5
- Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions: 48.5
- Indianapolis Colts vs Jacksonville Jaguars: 45.0
- Tampa Bay Bucs vs New Orleans Saints: 44.0
- Carolina Panthers vs New York Giants: 43.5
- New England Patriots vs Pittsburgh Steelers: 40.5
- Atlanta Falcons vs Los Angeles Rams: 46.5
- Seattle Seahawks vs San Fransico 49ers: 40.5
- Cincinnati Bengals vs Dallas Cowboys: 41.5
- Houston Texans vs Denver Bengals: 45.5
- Arizona Cardinals vs Las Vegas Raiders: 51.5
With the over/under out the way, let’s take a look at some of my favourite plays and stacking options, shall we?
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson $7,400 – Lamar got it done with his arm in week one against the Jets, throwing for 213 yards and three touchdowns. What was odd with this performance is that the dual-threat QB only had 17 rushing yards. There is a thought that Jackson might be saving himself as he looks to hit free agency next year. Lamar might not have a choice this week as no team blitzed more than the Dolphins in week one. If Lamar gets out of the pocket like we are used to, I like this game as a sneaky high, scoring affair. The weapons on both sides make for great stacking and bring-backs and make Lamar my favourite top-priced option at quarterback in week two.
Russell Wilson $7,200 – The moment looks like it got to Russ and the Broncos in Week One, but I’m expecting a big bounce back in week two. A favourable matchup in week two awaits Russ and the Broncos against a Houston Texans team that gave up the second most passing yards in week one to Matt Ryan and the Colts. The play calling will have to improve in Denver this week, but with Jeudy, Sutton and Javonte at Russ’s disposal, I’m expecting a big fantasy performance.
Other options I like are Derek Carr, $6,200; Carson Wentz, $5,800; Trey Lance, $5,700; and Tua Tagovailoa, $5,600.
Safe to say, I’m just going to pay up at quarterback this week.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey $8,900 – You want to get unique this week? Then play both running backs from this Panthers-Giants game. McCaffery saved his fantasy day in week one by finding the end zone, despite an unusual rushing day. Panthers OC Ben McAdoo commented on the usage and said they must get CMC more involved, and this matchup against the Giants could be the start. The Giants gave up the 7th most fantasy points to running backs in 2021, and even tho they halted Derrick Henry (game script) last week, CMC has proven that he is game script proof with his usage in the passing game. If playing large field contests using the best weapons on these two teams in the same lineup could get you one up on the field.
Saquon Barkley $7,300 – You know when I said I would not overreact? Well, I am here; Saquon is back! Saquon’s 194 all-purpose yards in week one were the best I’ve seen since I watched him in college at Penn State. A monster fantasy day, and this week he gets the Panthers, who gave up 187 yards and two touchdowns to both Jags running backs in week one. It could have been four touchdowns had Etienne not dropped a pass which would have given him a clear path to the end zone. It’s clear after one week that Daboll wants to run the Giants’ best offensive weapon hard, and with another favourable matchup this week, Barkley should put up big numbers again.
Other options I like are Joe Mixon, $7,200; D’Andre Swift, $7,000; James Conner, $6,900; Leonard Fournette, $6,700; Javonte Williams, $6,500; Antonio Gibson, $6,200; Josh Jacobs, $5,800; Travis Etienne, $5,600; Nyheim Hines, $5,300; Chase Edmonds, $5,200; Jeff Wilson, $5,100; and Dameon Pierce, $4,700.
Wide Receiver
Cooper Kupp $9,900 – This will be short and sweet. If you can get Kupp into a lineup, then do it! In week one against a tough Bills defence, Kupp put up 128 yards and a touchdown. In week two, Kupp faces a Falcons team who allowed the sixth most fantasy points to wide receivers in 2021. Kupp has not been shut down in 14 games now, and you’d be a brave person if you were going against him here.
Tyreek Hill $7,100 – New team, same old Tyreek? It would seem that way with the wideout posting 100 all-purpose yards in week one. This week Tyreek gets a Ravens defence that has lost Kyle Fuller, Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. The Ravens will be playing rookies in the secondary so that Tyreek could go Nuclear, and I want to ensure I have exposure to him. I’ve made it no secret I like this game for stacking, and with Tyreek’s massive upside, I will be taken advantage at this price.
Other options are Davante Adams, $8,600; Ja’Marr Chase, $8,000; Amon-Ra St. Brown, $6,500; Jalen Waddle, $6,400; Marquise Brown, $6,200; Courtland Sutton, $6,100; Brandin Cooks, $6,000, Chris Kirk, $5,700; Jerry Jeudy, $5,600; Rashad Bateman, $5,500; Julio Jones, $5,500; Tyler Boyd, $5,400; Brandon Aiyuk, $5,100; Jahan Dotson, $4,200; Noah Brown, $3,800; Greg Dortch, $3,500; and Ben Skowronek, $3,300.
Tight End
Mark Andrews $6,400 – Back to this game again. Andrews had a down game for his high standards in week one but still saw 25% of the target share in Baltimore. The Dolphin’s defence looks tough on paper, but more so for the wide receivers. Bateman is likely to be shadowed in this game by Xavien Howard, which should see Andrews get peppered with targets and create mismatches over the middle. No one on this Dolphins defence concerns me regarding Andrews, who should see plenty of red-zone looks from Lamar.
Darren Waller $5,600 – The Raiders/Cardinals game has the highest projected points total on the slate, so I want some exposure to it. The Cardinal’s defence was absolutely shredded in week One by the Chiefs, particularly Travis Kelce. This trend goes back to last year with Arizona against opposing tight ends, so we have a huge sample size to work with. There was a worry that with the addition of DeVante Adams that Waller would see fewer targets, but he still got his fair share in week one with four catches for 79 yards. The points total in this game and the massive sample size of Arizona against opposing tight ends make Waller a fantastic option in week two.
Other options I like are George Kittle, $5,900; Dalton Schultz, $5,200; Zach Ertz, $4,500; Pat Freiermuth, $4,400; Albert Okwuegbunam, $3,700; Logan Thomas, $3,400; and Mo. Alie-Cox, $3,200.
D/ST
Rams $4,000 – The Ram’s defence will have a massive chip on their shoulder after Buffalo destroyed them in week one, and lucky for them, they get the perfect get-right game against Atlanta and Marcus Mariota. The Falcons put up 26 points in week one, but I’ve seen a large enough sample size of Mariota to know he crumbles under pressure.
Tampa $3,300 – Tampa are hurting all over at the moment with injuries, but the defence looked as impressive as ever in week one, scoring 13 DraftKings points. In week two, they get Jameis Winston, who we know can turn the ball over multiple times in a game. I’m expecting the Saints to be down in this game which will see Jameis throw more; this is a dangerous game against a strong Tampa defensive unit.
Other options I like are Raiders, $3,100; Patriots, $2,900; Steelers, $2,800; Seahawks, $2,500; and Bengals, $2,200
Stacking and Bring backs
Below is a list of my top three stack options with a bring-back on the other side.
- Lamar Jackson, $7,400; Mark Andrews, $6,400; and Tyreek Hill, $7,100.
- Russell Wilson, $7,600; Jerry Jeudy, $5,600; and Brandin Cooks, $6,000.
- Derek Carr, $6,200; Darren Waller, $5,600; and Marquise Brown, $6,200.
Thanks, and good luck. I will be back next week to look at week two and break down what we learned from week two.
Jack Humphrey @JackHumphreyKM
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