The best matchup of the week may be on Thursday night, but that shouldn't stop us from having some fun by getting after the main slate on Sunday afternoon. We've got a crop of 13 games to sift through, setting us up for an exciting weekend.
There are plenty of ways to attack this slate and find edges over other players. Unfortunately, we are given a finite salary, so we have to get a bit creative. But without further ado, here are the Sporting News' optimal lineups and best picks for Week 1 DFS slates on both Draft Kings and FanDuel.
DraftKings DFS Picks Week 1: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments
Sunday Main Slate, $50,000 salary
QB: Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers at Lions ($5,900)
This is by far the juiciest game environment of the main slate, boasting a 50.5-point total. We saw what Baker Mayfield is capable of doing against a weak secondary when the Buccaneers decimated the Commanders last week. The secondary is undoubtedly the weak point of the Lions' defense. Terrion Arnold could be the difference maker for this unit, but he is still developing in his rookie campaign. Mayfield and the Tampa Bay receivers shouldn't have much trouble moving the ball through the air.
WEEK 2 DFS: Best Values | TNF DFS Lineups | Top DFS Stacks | Main Slate Lineups
RB: Zach Charbonnet, Seahawks at Patriots ($5,300)
Editor's Note: With Kenneth Walker now ruled out, Charbonnet becomes a chalky must-play. The following was the original advice.
Not all backup running backs are created equally. Charbonnet is one of the few No. 2 RBs who can step in and assume a bell cow role. Kenneth Walker has yet to take the practice field this week. If he's unable to suit up, Charbonnet will be a tremendous value, although quite chalky. The Bengals' offense sputtered against the Patriots' defense in Week 1, but the Seahawks should be playing with a lead in this one and heavily lean on Charbonnet in Walker's absence.
RB: Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders vs. Giants ($5,800)
Brian Robinson Jr. managed 17.9 DK points last week in a situation where he was frankly set up to fail. The Commanders played from behind throughout the game on Sunday, and Robinson was tackled on the one-yard line twice. Robinson was vultured by Jayden Daniels both times. Robinson was the primary ball carrier (besides Daniels) for Washington and was highly efficient as a receiver, ranking third in yards per route run among RBs last week. Now in a matchup against the Giants, the game script should favor Robinson, and he has the opportunity to have a strong week.
WEEK 2 FANTASY RANKINGS
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. Buccaneers ($8,100)
We're going to begin building out our Lions-Bucs game stack with none other than Amon-Ra St. Brown. After disappointing in Week 1, The Sun God is in line for a bounce-back performance in Week 2. You don't really ever need to justify being bullish about St. Brown, but this is a particularly good matchup for him. Todd Bowles' defense is highlighted by bringing pressure at a high rate. When Jared Goff was blitzed last year, he targeted St. Brown on 32 percent of his routes. Don't be surprised if St. Brown is the recipient of a large dose of quick throws over the middle.
WR: Chris Godwin, Buccaneers at Lions ($6,000)
We're going to build a "skinny stack" with Mayfield, adding Chris Godwin to the lineup. The well-documented return to the slot for Godwin paid dividends last week as he scored 22.3 DK points while running half of his routes from the slot. He should play a big role out of the slot once again in Week 2. The Lions' defense was shredded by Cooper Kupp out of the slot last week, allowing 14 targets when he was lined up on the inside. Godwin is a step down from Kupp, but he should have no issues earning targets at a high rate.
WEEK 2 FANTASY ROSTER MANAGEMENT ADVICE
Trade Report | Start 'Em, Sit 'Em | Usage Report | Sleepers | Busts | Weather | Flex Finder
WR: Brandin Cooks, Cowboys vs. Saints ($5,600)
Brandin Cooks presents tremendous value in the wake of Jake Ferguson's injury. He played a key role in the offense last week and now will be relied upon without their steady tight end in the lineup. This offense will likely be highly-concentrated between CeeDee Lamb and Cooks, so it wouldn't be shocking to see Cooks maintain the 22-percent target share that he saw in Week 1.
TE: Brock Bowers, Raiders at Ravens ($4,400)
Brock Bowers provided a (small) bright spot in a week that was more than disappointing for the tight end position as a whole. Bowers scored 11.8 DK points in his NFL debut. Bowers was a target-earning machine on Sunday, seeing the ball thrown his way on 28 percent of his routes. This is incredibly encouraging for Bowers, and we're looking to get him in our lineup while the price is still manageable.
FLEX: Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars vs. Browns ($4,800)
We wrote about Brian Thomas Jr. in our Flex Finder article, so it's only fitting to have him in the flex here. Thomas was incredibly impressive in his NFL debut, and his day was highlighted by his first career touchdown. Thomas regularly lined up against Jalen Ramsey in Week 1 and proved that he is capable of running with the best corners in the NFL. Even with a tougher matchup against the Browns, Thomas provides the boom potential that we are looking for at the Flex.
D/ST: Pittsburgh Steelers, vs. Broncos ($3,500)
We just saw T.J. Watt and Joey Porter Jr. wreak havoc on the Falcons' offense. This play seems like a no-brainer against a rookie quarterback who had a questionable debut last week.
FanDuel DFS Picks Week 1: NFL DFS picks for GPP tournaments
Sunday Main Slate, $60,000 salary
QB Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers at Lions ($7,400)
Our core stack often remains intact across DraftKings and FanDuel. This holds true in Week 2 where we will be looking to rely on the Lions-Bucs matchup once again.
RB: Jordan Mason, 49ers at Vikings ($5,500)
Much like the Charbonnet pick, we're looking to take advantage of a talented RB2 who is in line to see a starter's workload in Week 2. And much like the Charbonnet pick, Mason is likely to be incredibly chalky this week. But it's too hard to pass up at this price. Last week, Mason toted the rock 28 times and averaged 5.3 YPC, all while facing a stacked box at a higher rate than any running back on the week.
RB: James Conner, Cardinals vs. Rams
James Conner being listed at $6,500 is a bit of a headscratcher considering his role in the offense. He took on a bell cow-esque workload in Week 1, handling 84 percent of the RB carries while garnering a 10-percent target share. The Rams' defense is quite vulnerable against the run, and Conner should keep his reputation as one of the league's most undervalued fantasy producers.
WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions vs. Buccaneers ($9,000)
Not much to add here; St. Brown is a stud and remains the key bring-back for our Bucs-Lions game stack. It's also possible some will fade him after last week's dud, but that would be a fool's errand.
WR: Mike Evans, Buccaneers at Lions ($8,000)
On FanDuel, we were afforded the flexibility within our budget to add Mike Evans to create a double-stack with Mayfield. Evans seems to be as reliable as ever in year 11. He took advantage of a weak Washington secondary in Week 1, ending up in the endzone on two separate occasions. It's all systems go for Evans in Week 2 against a Lions secondary that has consistently allowed receivers to produce.
WR: Chris Godwin, Buccaneers at Lions ($6,200)
This price tag is frankly disrespectful for Godwin after the game he had last week. As highlighted above, he's a key piece of this stack thanks to his role in the slot.
TE: Brock Bowers, Raiders at Ravens ($5,300)
Speaking of disrespectful salaries, Brock Bowers is listed behind Pat Freirmuth and Dalton Schultz on FanDuel this week. You might say that this lineup has a bit too much similarity with the DK lineup, but come on now, this price is a total layup for a talent like Bowers. Coupled with a matchup that should lead to plenty of dropbacks for Gardner Minshew, we don't mind relying on the rookie this week.
FLEX: Rashee Rice, Chiefs vs. Bengals ($6,900)
It's honestly a small miracle that we had the budget to squeeze Rashee Rice into this lineup. Watching Rice annihilate slot corners and linebackers is going to be so enjoyable all year. Rice posted a ridiculous 32-percent target share last week and generated six targets and 94 yards on slant routes alone. The Chiefs' offense is all the way back, and Rice is the engine of the offense. Take advantage of this price before it skyrockets.
D/ST: Chargers, at Panthers ($4,400)
Playing the matchups is all it takes when choosing a defense. The Panthers' offense has seemingly made zero improvements from last year and will be a target until something changes.
