To start the 2024 NFL season, the DFS landscape saw monster performances from top options like Tyreek Hill and clearance rack bargains like Jordan Mason.
Who are some of the best must-have fantasy picks and sleeper DFS options entering Week 2?
Who are the Top DFS Picks for Sunday of Week 2?
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions – $8,100
If you are worried about Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown’s disappointing three catches 13 yards in Week 1, I’m here to remind you not to panic.
I’m fully aware Brown’s 4.3 fantasy points in full-PPR formats against the Los Angeles Rams was rough, but far better days are ahead for the star receiver, which includes a Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs were absolutely brutalized at the cornerback position in Week 1, with starting cornerback Zyon McCollum (concussion) and Bryce Hall (carted off with an air cast on his leg) both exiting the game against the Washington Commanders. Additionally, All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. suffered a foot/ankle injury late in the fourth quarter and is expected to miss the next 3-4 weeks.
This means St. Brown should be able to feast on this vulnerable secondary in Week 2, especially when you combine the injuries on the back end of the defense with their troubles getting after the quarterback last year.
Last year, St. Brown went for 12 receptions, 124 yards, and a score in the regular season against the Bucs and followed it up with another eight receptions for 77 yards and a score in the Lions’ 31-23 win over Tampa Bay in the postseason.
St. Brown may be a top-dollar option, but he is firmly in the WR1 overall conversation entering Week 2, which makes him well worth the lofty price tag.
Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams – $7,600
If you found yourself having flashbacks of Cooper Kupp’s historic 2021 NFL season when was torching the Lions’ secondary to the tune of 14 receptions for 110 yards and a score on an absurd 21 targets, then please understand you weren’t the only one.
Puka Nacua aggravating a knee injury sustained in training camp has cleared the way for Kupp to be an elite target hog in the Los Angeles Rams’ offense over the next few weeks.
Making matters even more favorable for Kupp is a very banged-up offensive line for the Rams, which explains Matthew Stafford’s 5.9 air yards per passing attempt, which ranked 24th among quarterbacks to start the season, and Kupp’s low 7.4 average depth of target (aDOT) against the Lions.
This is an outstanding development for Kupp, whose aDOT rested at 8.3 over his 191 targets back in 2021 when he was heavily utilized on all three levels of the football field.
If the offensive line isn’t close to 100% entering the Rams’ matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, I could see Sean McVay leaning on Kupp in the quick passing game in the form of screens and option routes near the line of scrimmage as an extension of the running game.
Kupp’s price tag is also expensive at the fifth-highest dollar amount at the WR position on the Sunday slate, but one that could prove to be a discount if his volume even closely resembles what we saw from him in Week 1.
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers – $5,400
Can we all admit that the Carolina Panthers’ run defense looked atrocious in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints? Yes, I believe we can.
Can we all admit that J.K. Dobbins looked like the far superior option to Gus Edwards in the Los Angeles Chargers’ retooled rushing attack in Week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders? Yes, I think so.
Can we expect the Panthers’ offense to score enough points to force the Chargers into a pass-heavy game in Week 2? No, I think that’s pretty unlikely to happen.
Dobbins’ debut in a powder blue uniform was outstanding, with 135 rushing yards and a score on just 10 rushing attempts in Week 1.
Is it reasonable for fantasy managers to still be a bit skeptical about this performance — which saw him produce 236.8% over expectation in Week 1 — before automatically rolling him into their DFS lineup in Week 2? Sure, but I believe the price point in this matchup represents too much upside to ignore.
An eye-opening 30% of Dobbins’ carries went for over 10+ yards, which feels like a potential gold mine for a player about to face off against a Panthers defense that allowed Alvin Kamara to average an absurd 4.2 yards before contact per attempt in Week 1.
Additionally, Dobbins was on the field for 59% of the offensive snaps, which trounced Edwards’ 40.7% against the Raiders.
Lastly, Edwards saw one more carry than Dobbins against the Las Vegas Raiders but produced 109 fewer rushing yards.
As if that argument wasn’t compelling enough, the Panthers just lost star interior defensive lineman Derrick Brown for the rest of the season.
Expect the Chargers to run wild on the Panther’s defense, which makes Dobbins a really nice DFS option at his price point.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts – $7,700
This ranking may seem aggressive after Jonathan Taylor’s disappointing Week 1 fantasy performance, but hear me out for a second.
The Green Bay Packers’ defense just let Saquon Barkley go off for over 100+ total yards and three TDs, and that was with a dynamic dual-threat quarterback under center in Jalen Hurts.
Additionally, the Packers’ defense allowed the fourth-most total yards to an opposing offense and allowed the third-most points of any defensive unit from Week 1.
Now throw in a game script that could favor a running back with quarterback Jordan Love officially out for Week 2, and we could be talking about a monster day at the office for Taylor if Packers backup QB Malik Willis constantly gives the ball back to the Colts’ offense on Sunday.
Don’t overthink Taylor’s disappointing 2024 debut. He was still the only Colts RB to even touch the ball in Week 1.
Expect a monster day from Taylor in Week 2.
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Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $5,900
Baker Mayfield’s outstanding Week 1 performance may see him start the season as the QB1 overall entering Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, and his 289 passing yards and four scores with no turnovers against the Commanders is what should give you reason for optimism entering a Week 2 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Mayfield’s big day included just six incompletions — one of which even left a little bit of meat on the bone with a mild overthrow to rookie Jalen McMillan early in the first quarter. It’s entirely possible Mayfield could have produced an even bigger fantasy day in Week 1 with a few more throws to open receivers.
All minor issues aside, Mayfield continued the hot play we saw from him to finish last year — he was the QB5 overall in fantasy football from Week 8 through the rest of the regular season.
Mayfield is set to enter Ford Field to take on a Lions defense that he lit up to the tune of 349 passing yards and three scores in the Divisional Round of last year’s postseason. The Lions have given up the second-most passing yards in the league at 304 yards.
If Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and the aforementioned McMillan can build off their great debut against Washington, we could see Mayfield light up the scoreboard again in Week 2 in an attempt to keep pace with the high-powered Lions offense.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos – $4,500
The Denver Broncos’ offense didn’t have very many bright spots in their season-opening loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. To be honest, I wouldn’t even say Jaleel McLaughlin was one of them.
Yet, his usage in Week 1 is what has me willing to potentially roll the dice on him against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The snap counts may have favored Javonte Williams — who was on the field for 52.2% of the offensive snaps over McLaughlin’s 34.8% — but the touches favored McLaughlin by a nice margin of 15 to nine.
Unfortunately, both players had an incredibly rough efficiency day at the office — but five targets to Williams’ two is another encouraging sign that McLaughlin is going to be involved in the capacity you want when projecting this backfield moving forward.
McLaughlin was touted as the more explosive option out of this backfield based on what we saw from both of these players last year. He still managed to produce a rush of 10+ yards, while Williams did not in the opener against the Seahawks.
The Broncos’ matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 should see both teams trying to run the ball early and often. In fact, this game script could play favorably into the hands of McLaughlin if the Steelers can’t find the end zone for a second straight game.
Last week, Bijan Robinson caught five passes for 43 yards out of the backfield against this Steelers defense. The Broncos targeted their running backs in the passing game at the sixth-highest rate in the league in Week 1.
In what should be a lower-scoring game with plenty of opportunities to touch the ball, I’m willing to take a chance on an explosive player who saw his role expand significantly from last year’s season opener.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $3,600
One reception for a 32-yard touchdown may not be a stat line that is going to get many fantasy managers super excited, but I’m here to tell you this performance could’ve been a much bigger NFL debut than the stats suggest.
The first thing we have to discuss is simply how much McMillan was on the field in his first professional game.
Buccaneers WR Snap Percentage in Week 1:
- McMillan: 82%
- Chris Godwin: 77%
- Mike Evans: 68.9%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Routes Run in Week 1:
- McMillan: 30
- Godwin: 28
- Evans: 28
McMillan’s role in the season opener against Washington should be something that gets your attention because he had a walk-in touchdown in the first quarter just out of his reach (credited as a drop) and drew a pass interference call against Emmanuel Forbes Jr. that could’ve resulted in another 30+ yard score.
McMillan gives this offense an explosive third option at WR for a unit that ran 11 personnel (three WRs, one TE, and one RB) at the fourth-highest rate in the league in Week 1 at 82%.
That same personnel group absolutely torched the Lions in Week 1. The Rams threw for 304 yards against the Detroit secondary by running 11 personnel on every single snap of the game.
In what could be a high-scoring affair and a favorable matchup in Detroit, expect McMillan to be a bit busier in Week 2, which could pay huge dividends in a DFS tournament because of his low ownership.