It’s finally here- Week 2 of the 2023 season, and the second DraftKings main slate. We are back offering you DFS advice to try and help you navigate your way to victories throughout the season. The players selected here are based on their price, their ability to hit value and likely ownership. The selections are leaning more towards GPP slates, rather than cash (50/50) slates. But let’s get into it
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Josh Allen v LV ($7,900)
Allen will likely be a heavy fade for a lot of managers this week after the disastrous end to the Bills week 1 defeat to the Jets. Buffalo and Josh Allen get a chance to put things right in week 2 as they square off against the Raiders in the reigning AFC East champs’ home opener. Las Vegas allowed Russell Wilson and a receiving corp led by Courtland Sutton to put up 177 yards and 2 scores at Mile High in week 1 – I have no doubts Allen will use Diggs, Davis and rookie TE Dalton Kincaid to much greater effect here in week 2. He may be pricey at $7900, but anytime Josh Allen is under $8000 it’s a value in my book.
Trevor Lawrence v KC ($6,700)
Any doubts as to whether Calvin Ridley still had it were quickly eased as the former Falcon and his new QB connected for 41-yards and a touchdown in the opening quarter Sunday night in Indianapolis. Lawrence has been touted for a breakout season this year and this could be the first opportunity for him to really air it out against a Chiefs defense that tends to be very generous to opposing quarterbacks. With a 51 point O/U there is plenty of fantasy value to be had here for T-Law in the Jags home opener to the reigning champs.
Jared Goff v SEA ($6,200)
In week 1 the Seahawks were carved open to the tune of 334 passing yards by Matthew Stafford. Tutu Atwell and rookie Puka Nacua both put up 119 yard games as the Rams eased to a 30-13 victory. This week it’s Jared Goff’s turn to take aim at the Seattle secondary and Amon-Ra St. Brown is a far greater threat than either Atwell or Nacua. Rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs being further eased in will also help to pad Goff’s statline with short-yard dump-offs. I’m expecting Geno Smith to get it going this game, allowing the Seahawks to be far more competitive than they were in the season opener. Remember, this is a matchup that saw 93 total points last year. A tighter game will make Goff and the passing game more necessary and a solid play at $6200.
Also consider Justin Herbert v TEN ($7,000), Anthony Richardson @HOU ($6,300) & Geno Smith @DET ($5,900)
Derrick Henry v LAC ($7,400)
King Henry has inexplicably come DOWN in price by $400 since week 1, despite running at a respectable 4.2 YPC for 63 yards and hauling in 2 of his 3 targets for 56 yards. The Titans seemed to abandon the run in the 2nd half against the Saints despite never being more than a touchdown behind. What made the decision even more baffling is how poorly Ryan Tannehil was moving the ball to make Mike Vrabel think that was how they were going to win the game. Expect a return to Plan A on Sunday against the Chargers and Henry to see plenty of opportunities on the ground and through the air.
Joe Mixon v BAL ($6,500)
Let’s not beat around the bush, Cincinnati looked BAD in week 1 and were easily brushed aside by a resolute Browns team who held Joe Burrow to a mere 82 passing yards in a blowout 24-3 Cleveland victory. It isn’t going to get any easier for the Bengals in week 2 as they welcome Baltimore and their bruising defense to Ohio, fresh off a convincing win over Houston. With the disappointing week 1 and unfavourable matchup here in week 2, Bengals skill players will be an easy fade for managers. Joe Mixon saw 5 targets against the Browns, tied for 3rd on the team – he’s a solid PPR play this week and a nice pick at $300 less than last week.
Jahmyr Gibbs v SEA ($6,300)
We got just a tiny little taste of what Jahmyr Gibbs is capable of in the 2023 season curtain raiser last Thursday night as he is eased into the Lions offensive scheme. The 12th overall pick in this year’s draft saw only 9 total opportunities but turned those into 60 yards, and bar an over-enthusiastic cut, would have added a touchdown on his impressive debut. David Montgomery saw a bulk of the rushing work with 75% of running back carries, but the former Bear could only turn his 21 attempts into 74 yards. Managers may be apprehensive of Gibbs’ potential usage moving forward and prefer the perceived floor of the veteran Montgomery…exploit their lack of faith in the rookie and enjoy the inevitable breakout when it comes
AJ Dillon @ATL ($5,900) & Josh Kelley @TEN ($5,000)
File Dillon and Kelley under “Break Glass in Emergency” for now. Their respective starters Aaron Jones and Austin Ekeler have both yet to practise this week at time of writing and should Jones or Ekeler sit, Dillon and Kelley become next men up and are in line to adopt a significantly larger workload at a relatively cheap price tag. Kelley had the better week 1 and comes in $900 cheaper than Dillon, but these are opportunity plays this week – keep an eye on the status of Jones and Ekeler as the week progresses. Even if the de facto starters do suit up, their understudies may be worth a flyer in GPPs.
Also consider Travis Etienne Jr v KC ($6,900), Ken Walker III @DET ($5,800) & Rachaad White v CHI ($5,500)
Ja’Marr Chase v BAL ($7,900)
Chase (and the Bengals) struggled to start the season against the Browns. But, they have an opportunity to get things back on track against another divisional rival. The Bengals are going to be making a statement on offense, and that is going to be led by Chase through the air. Against the Ravens in his career, he has averaged over 100 yards per game, and just under a TD. The Ravens secondary gave up a decent chunk to Nico Collins and Robert Woods last week, so there are plenty of reasons to feel confident here.
Calvin Ridley v KC ($7,200)
Ridley returned to action in a big way last week, starting out his first half on the field torching the Colts secondary. Ridley looks every bit the receiver he was when he was with the Falcons, and has a huge taget share in Jacksonville. The Chiefs defense isn’t one to be overly worried about in what should end up being a high-scoring shootout.
Mike Evans v CHI ($6,200)
Evans started the season looking fine. Not the Evans that we have gotten used to with Tom Brady, but still a dominant big-bodied receiver. Evans had 10 targets against the Vikings last week, with 6 receptions for 66 yards and a single score. Next up is a Bears defense that struggled to stop the Packers move the ball through the air. A decent mid-priced option.
Mike Williams @TEN ($5,700)
Williams had to take some time off the field against the Dolphins, but returned to get a decent-ish 4 receptions for 45 yards. The Chargers offense seem very happy to push the ball downfield under new OC Kellen Moore. If Williams were to be able to stay on the field for this one against a weak Titans secondary, Williams could be a smash play on the slate. I’ll give a shoutout to Keenan Allen ($7,100) in this game too.
Also consider Tyler Lockett @DET ($6,100), Zay Flowers @CIN ($5,000), Puka Nacua/ Tutu Atwell v SF ($4,900/ $4,700) & Treylon Burks v LAC ($4,500)
Darren Waller @ARI ($5,500)
The Giants didn’t have the most ideal start to their season after straight-out imploding on offense and defense. Despite struggling with a hamstring injury in the week, Waller suited up and had a team-high 5 targets. Against a much weaker Cardinals defense, I expect Waller to make good on the hype from the offseason and have a big game here.
Sam LaPorta v SEA ($3,900)
I feel like LaPorta is going to be a popular TE play on the slate, with a low price tag combined with a high O/U. He had 5 targets in the win over the Kansas City Chiefs, of which he caught them all. That put him as third among TE in receptions. He was also on the field for around 80% of the snaps. The Seahawks defense have long struggled against the TE position too. All of which combines for a good play on the slate.
Jake Ferguson v NYJ ($3,300)
Ferguson didn’t do too much against the Giants, but neither did anyone not named Tony Pollard. The Cowboys DST dominated the game, and Pollard just needed to control the clock. The Jets offense could struggle- but surely even without Rodgers it can’t be as bad as Jones!? Ferguson should be inline for a decent target share here and at the price doesn’t need to do too much to hit value.
Also consider Mark Andrews @CIN ($6,300), Tyler Higbee v SF ($4,600) & Luke Musgrave @ATL ($3,200)
New York Giants @ARI ($3,800)
The Giants DST present conflicting ideologies this week. This is a defensive unit that is fresh off a 40-0 home defeat at the hands of their division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys; on the other hand, this is a defensive unit that gets to face the Arizona Cardinals and Josh Dobbs…FIRE THEM UP!
New York Jets @DAL ($2,700)
New York, New York! The Jets are my other pick at the DST position this week, taking on the aforementioned Cowboys in Arlington, looking to make it back to back wins against teams from the Big Apple…well New Jersey. The Jets defense is legit – this is a D that was tipped to help carry the Jets, with the addition of Aaron Rodgers, to the Super Bowl. Rodgers may be gone for the year, but the defensive prowess of Robert Saleh’s team lives on. They held Josh Allen in check week 1, I’m confident Gang Green can tough it out at AT&T against Dak Prescott and co.
Also consider Buffalo v LV ($3700) & Washington @ DEN ($3100)
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Image Credit: Jim Brown – USA TODAY Sports
