NFL DFS Expert Survey: Week 2

Our panel of experts is here to give you their NFL DFS picks for this week’s main slate contests by answering a handful of questions to help you make crucial lineup-building decisions. Want to know Noto’s three favorite players for cash games? Or squirrelpatrol’s favorite correlation? Find out below!

NFL DFS Picks: DraftKings & FanDuel Expert Survey for Week 2

Rank your three favorite players for cash games, in order:

Analyst	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3
Notorious	Christian McCaffrey	Amon-Ra St. Brown	Joshua Kelley
squirrelpatrol	Amon-Ra St. Brown	Rachaad White	Davante Adams
Krayton	Stefon Diggs (FD) / Deebo Samuel (DK)	Calvin Ridley	Joshua Kelley
ebeimfohr	Deebo Samuel	Calvin Ridley	Travis Kelce
Stevietpfl	Joshua Kelley	Calvin Ridley	Travis Kelce
eys819	Christian McCaffrey	Calvin Ridley	Amon-Ra St. Brown
Bobby Gomes	Deebo Samuel	Travis Kelce	Chris Godwin

Rank your three favorite players for large-field tournaments, in order, who are below 10% pOWN%:

Analyst	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3
Notorious	Saquon Barkley	Nico Collins	Rachaad White
squirrelpatrol	Anthony Richardson	Baker Mayfield	Gabe Davis
Krayton	Isiah Pacheco	Brock Purdy	Rachaad White
ebeimfohr	Mike Williams	Travis Etienne	Darren Waller
Stevietpfl	Travis Etienne	Saquon Barkley	DK Metcalf
eys819	Saquon Barkley	DK Metcalf	Rachaad White
Bobby Gomes	Saquon Barkley	Travis Etienne	Tony Pollard

Who is your favorite salary relief option this week?

Notorious: Anthony Richardson
squirrelpatrol: Rachaad White
Krayton: David Montgomery
ebeimfohr: Tank Dell
Stevietpfl: Nico Collins
eys819: Jayden Reed
Bobby Gomes: Jayden Reed

What’s the best position to save salary on?

Notorious: WR
squirrelpatrol: RB
Krayton: RB
ebeimfohr: WR
Stevietpfl: RB
eys819: WR
Bobby Gomes: WR

Who is your favorite high-salary D/ST to use this week?

Notorious: DAL
squirrelpatrol: SF
Krayton: DAL
ebeimfohr: SF
Stevietpfl: DAL
eys819: DAL
Bobby Gomes: DAL

Who is your favorite low-salary D/ST to use this week?

Notorious: ARI
squirrelpatrol: LAR
Krayton: ARI
ebeimfohr: NYJ
Stevietpfl: NYJ
eys819: NYJ
Bobby Gomes: TB

What player do you believe you’ll be most overweight on compared to the field?

Notorious: Anthony Richardson
squirrelpatrol: Rachaad White
Krayton: Tony Pollard
ebeimfohr: Mike Williams
Stevietpfl: Travis Etienne
eys819: Rachaad White
Bobby Gomes: Travis Kelce

What player are you most afraid of being underweight on compared to the field?

Notorious: Puka Nacua
squirrelpatrol: Keenan Allen
Krayton: Puka Nacua
ebeimfohr: Joshua Kelley
Stevietpfl: Joshua Kelley
eys819: Joshua Kelley
Bobby Gomes: Lamar Jackson

What stack will you be most underweight on compared to the field?

Notorious: Geno Smith + wide receivers
squirrelpatrol: Trevor Lawrence + Calvin Ridley
Krayton: Lamar Jackson + Mark Andrews
ebeimfohr: Josh Allen + Stefon Diggs
Stevietpfl: Lamar Jackson + Mark Andrews
eys819: Lamar Jackson + Mark Andrews
Bobby Gomes: Trevor Lawrence + Calvin Ridley

What team will you target players from the most compared to the field?

Notorious: IND
squirrelpatrol: BUF
Krayton: KC
ebeimfohr: SF
Stevietpfl: LAC
eys819: SF
Bobby Gomes: KC

What team will you target players from the least compared to the field?

Notorious: SEA
squirrelpatrol: SEA
Krayton: SEA
ebeimfohr: DET
Stevietpfl: DAL
eys819: BAL
Bobby Gomes: DET

What game will exceed its implied total by the most points this week?

Notorious: KC/JAX
squirrelpatrol: LV/BUF
Krayton: KC/JAX
ebeimfohr: IND/HOU
Stevietpfl: IND/HOU
eys819: IND/HOU
Bobby Gomes: KC/JAX

What is your favorite correlation on the slate and why?

Notorious: Anthony Richardson and Nico Collins – I used this skinny stack approach in Week 1 with Richardson and Calvin Ridley and am running back the strategy again in Week 2. Richardson made more plays through the air than many expected and added 10 rushes for 41 yards and a touchdown on the ground. His ability to make plays with his legs give him one of the highest floors on the board, even though he’s a rookie quarterback. He gets to play in a dome again this week and faces a Texans defense that is a bottom-five unit and is missing both of their starting safeties. As long as Jonathan Taylor remains out, Richardson is the Colts quarterback and their best running back. I don’t mind pairing him with Michael Pittman, but I really like the bring-back on the other side with Nico Collins. He drew 67% of the team’s air yards in Week 1, and we saw what Ridley was able to do against Indy last week in a game where the Jaguars were playing with a lead.

squirrelpatrol: Josh Allen + Bills WRs + Davante Adams (or Josh Jacobs) – This slate has a number of potential games that can blow up with explosive offenses, but for price, ownership, and upside, I’m going with the Bills and Raiders. On the Raiders side, Jakobi Meyers is doubtful with a concussion, and we have seen how Adams and Jacobs have dominated the usage for this team in similar situations last season. On the Bills side, they have the highest implied point total on the slate and are facing a pass defense that allowed the 4th-most passing yards in the league last season. Allen can be paired with Stefon Diggs, who has upside but will likely see high ownership, or you can get different with Gabe Davis or either Bills TE.

Krayton: Patrick Mahomes + Travis Kelce – I love this game stack, as it’s the highest total, and there are quite a few ways to stack it. First, the Chiefs are coming off a tough Week 1 loss to the Lions, and they should have Kelce back in the mix. He is a difference-maker and can absolutely blow the slate wide open. I will also look to get Calvin Ridley on the other side, as he clearly made an impact in Week 1, with 11 targets and an 8/101/1 stat line. For tournaments, I think most people will shy away from Kadarius Toney and Isiah Pacheco, but I will be looking to utilize them, as they both have huge upside in one of the top offenses in the NFL. Sure, Pacheco is in a crowded backfield with Jerick McKinnon and CEH back in the mix, but I see Pacheco taking the lead this week. So he is someone I will be overweight on in GPPs. Toney also has huge upside even though he was incredibly disappointing. I think he gets another chance to showcase his skills, and he is another great tournament option in this offense.

ebeimfohr: Brock Purdy + Deebo Samuel – The 49ers were one of the few offenses to show no signs of struggle in Week 1, and they draw an even better matchup here with a talent-deficient Rams defense. Historically, Deebo has been stronger vs. zone defenses, and the Rams played almost entirely zone in the opener against Seattle. His price is too cheap on both sites for his elite talent level and matchup, and Purdy is flat-out underpriced as well. He may not have the 40-point ceiling of Josh Allen and co., but he’s the point guard of the offense that’s going to score a ton of points, and he does bring some extra juice with his legs.

Stevietpfl: Justin Herbert + Keenan Allen – The Tennessee Titans had one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL last season, and they tend to focus on stopping the run. I think this is a massive upside spot for Herbert and Allen. Allen had a 27.3% target share and ran a route on 82.5% of dropbacks from Herbert in Week 1. He was the first read by Herbert 33.3% of the time against Miami. If Austin Ekeler sits, I’m going to be overweight on the passing game and underweight on Joshua Kelley. I think we see 40+ passing attempts from Herbert, and that’s enough for me to be overweight on the passing attack.

eys819: Geno Smith + DK Metcalf + Amon-Ra St. Brown – The Detroit defense looked improved in Week 1, but I am not totally buying it. Travis Kelce was sidelined, and the Chiefs WRs were awful in that game, dropping several passes that would have led to chunk plays. The Seahawks were disappointing as well, putting up just 13 points against a Rams D that is expected to be quite bad this season. This game will be played in the dome in Detroit that was the site of many shootouts last season, including this matchup between the Seahawks and Lions that put up 93 points. I think Geno looks to his top target to get the offense back on track, and we know St. Brown can command double-digit targets in any game.

Bobby Gomes: Josh Allen + Stefon Diggs – Diggs had his way with Sauce Gardner in Week 1, but Allen struggled in defeat. The Bills are heavy favorites at home against a Raiders secondary that has a new look. We are paying up here for a duo that represents the highest ceiling in football. If Maxx Crosby doesn’t apply pressure off the edge, angry Josh Allen is going to eat them alive. The Raiders finished 31st last season in expected points added (EPA).

Who’s your top contrarian play on the board (below 10% pOWN%) and why?

Notorious: Saquon Barkley – There are a lot of good and safe spends on the board. C-Mac, Chase, Adams, Ridley, Kelce, etc., so even though Barkley is in a great matchup indoors, he’s not going to be very popular. We currently have him projected for sub-10% ownership, which likely wouldn’t be the case if the Giants didn’t lose their opener by 40 points to the Cowboys. Barkley was really the only way New York could move the ball in that game, and he was eventually pulled from the game in the blowout. He’s a candidate for 20+ touches in a matchup against the Cardinals, who weren’t particularly good at stopping a bad rushing attack of the Commanders in Week 1.

squirrelpatrol: Gabe Davis – Davis was quiet in Week 1 with only 2 catches for 32 yards, but we know he can put up huge numbers in the right game environment. So at less than 5% pOWN%, I’m very interested in being over the field on him this week. Davis may not put up consistent points, but when he hits, he can hit for large numbers, like his games of 171 yards and 2 TDs and 201 yards and 4 TDs over his past 20 NFL games. And if he is putting up those numbers, he can be bringing the entire game environment with him.

Krayton: Brock Purdy – I love that ebeimfohr has Purdy as his top stack on the slate, as I think he is one of the top GPP QBs on the slate. The 49ers look like they haven’t missed a beat from last season, and they have so many incredible offensive options. Purdy is way too cheap for the upside he brings, and he now has a great matchup against the Rams. I love playing Purdy with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and even CMC this week and watching the points multiply. Purdy is in a great offense and will be more appropriately priced as the season goes along. I want to take advantage of his price this week.

ebeimfohr: Mike Williams – The Titans are the most notorious pass funnel in the NFL. They shut down the run and have a strong group up front on defense. However, they are very vulnerable to the pass, as evidenced by the fact Derek Carr was 5th in passing yards in Week 1. Chris Olave got the Titans for 8/112, and Rashid Shaheed went 5/89/1. Big Mike only garnered 5 targets, but his utilization was exactly what we’d hope for, as he moved around the formation and played 77% of snaps. He has shown us a ceiling of 30+ points, and that was before they brought in Kellen Moore as OC. And the matchup is about as good as it gets.

Stevietpfl: Travis Etienne – Etienne played 79.7% of the snaps for the Jaguars, which was the fourth most among running backs in Week 1. He had 77 rushing yards with a 4.3 YPC. On top of that, he had a 15.6% target share, which resulted in 5 targets. The Kansas City run defense has struggled for years, and I don’t expect that to be any different this season. This game is going to be popular this weekend, and I’m hoping Etienne is a lower-owned piece that makes my game stacks different.

eys819: Rachaad White – He saw 19 opportunities in Week 1 but, unfortunately, was not very efficient, as he averaged just 2.3 yards per carry. This week, he is a home favorite in a matchup with a Bears defense that allowed 82 rushing yards and 103 receiving yards to the Green Bay backfield last week. White has the perfect combination of opportunity, matchup, and a very attractive price tag to make a difference in tournaments this week.

Bobby Gomes: Saquon Barkley – The Giants’ offensive line is concerning, but the Cardinals are NOT the Dallas Cowboys. This is a beautiful bounce-back spot for the Giants offense, and it will center around Saquon. At sub 8% pOWN%, his ceiling is as high as anyone’s on the slate but with a fraction of the ownership.

How do you plan to beat the field of opponents? What tactic or strategy will set you apart?

Notorious: First of all, I am ignoring the generic box scores from Week 1 and am focusing solely on usage stats like route participation, target share, air yards share, etc. Far too many people expect what they saw happen in Week 1 to happen again in Week 2. As far as individual plays, I’m going right back to the well with Anthony Richardson and using Nico Collins as the bring-back. It’s a contrarian skinny stack that has plenty of upside.

squirrelpatrol: I’m going to focus on game stacks for the handful of game environments that I think can go far over their game total – Buffalo and Las Vegas, Detroit and Seattle, Kansas City and Jacksonville on the high end and some Houston vs. Indianapolis and Tampa Bay vs. Chicago on the low end. I’ll aim to get different with my pieces from this game and at D/ST, where the scoring is always very volatile.

Krayton: I love capitalizing on the overreactions we see after Week 1, so I will look to play several players/offenses that might have struggled last week. I will be overweight on the KC/JAX game and on the 49ers offense. For individual plays, I love Tony Pollard, and Travis Kelce is a guy I will be very overweight on too. I also like plays like Isiah Pacheco and Kadarius Toney as cheap value plays that did not perform well at all in Week 1. I like them in a bounce-back spot this week in the highest total game on Sunday.

ebeimfohr: I’ll be way overweight on the 49ers, and I’ll have at least one in every lineup. The question is not if the 49ers will put up big games, but who and how many. They have the most talented skill player group in the NFL in an elite matchup, and Brock Purdy continues to show he’s more than capable of distributing the ball to these weapons. I’ll be all in on the 49ers, and I’ll be pivoting away from Joshua Kelley at RB to the Chargers passing game.

Stevietpfl: React to Week 1, but don’t overreact to Week 1. There are a lot of new pieces on teams around the league, and we will need to look at some of that data. With that said, people overreact way too much to Week 1, and it creates an edge in Week 2. I’m going to take advantage of pOWN% as much as possible from this overreaction and make sure to correlate some lower-owned secondary stacks.

eys819: Go overweight on players who saw big roles in Week 1 but didn’t necessarily put up great fantasy games. The passing attacks of the Chiefs, Bills, Bengals, Ravens, and Seahawks all underperformed expectations last week and will be a huge part of my strategy this week.

Bobby Gomes: I plan on beating the field by getting differentiated exposure to the Chiefs/Jaguars game, which has the highest point total on the main slate.

What is your hot take of the slate?

Notorious: The Lions beat the Seahawks by 20 points.

squirrelpatrol: Gabe Davis goes over 150 receiving yards for the third time in his career.

Krayton: Isiah Pacheco scores 2 TDs while going for over 100 yards on the day.

ebeimfohr: The 49ers beat the Rams by 30 points.

Stevietpfl: Saquon Barkley goes for 150+ total yards and 2 touchdowns.

eys819: Rachaad White goes for 150 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns.

Bobby Gomes: Travis Kelce catches 2 touchdown passes.

Image Credit: Getty Images