After a long seven months, NFL football finally returned last week, with sixteen games across four days of action. The weekend was bookended by last year’s Super Bowl teams picking up victories in primetime, with the Chiefs and 49ers looking to pick up where they left off last season.
The week also saw three rookie QBs make their debuts, with 1st-round pick Caleb Williams emerging victorious in a messy Bears win over the Titans. Elsewhere, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix were on the losing side for the Commanders and Broncos, respectively.
Going into Week 2, there are already a few interesting narratives taking shape, as fans and analysts try not to overreact too much to just sixty minutes of football. Neither will we, as we look at five exciting matchups this Sunday, and discuss what moves you should make for your daily fantasy picks this week.
Game 1: Saints @ Cowboys
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Cowboys -6.5
- AI Gridiron projected total: 45.5
The New Orleans Saints were the highest-scoring offense in pro football in Week 1, putting up a remarkable 47 points in the Superdome against the admittedly dreadful Carolina Panthers. Regardless of the opposition, however, this Saints offense did look much better than last year, with new OC Klint Kubiak already making his mark on the team.
This week against the Cowboys is obviously a much tougher test against a Dallas team that dispatched Cleveland last week, and themselves look well-equipped to at least repeat last year’s efforts. But I’m still looking at Alvin Kamara to have another good game in this one, carrying on from his impressive 110 scrimmage yards and a TD last time out.
Kamara is an expensive purchase here at $7,000, but as everyone knows, he’s one of the league’s best dual-threat running backs and has been for seven years. This Saints offense is at its best when it runs through Kamara, and expect him to have another busy day this Sunday.
At receiver, look out for Rashid Shaheed, one of the league’s most explosive deep threats, who had a good showing in Week 1, with 73 yards and a TD on just 3 catches. Shaheed can go for a deep reception at any time and will be expected to pop up a few times on Sunday, with Olave well-occupied by the Dallas secondary.
On the other side of the ball, it’s hard to look past CeeDee Lamb, one of the league’s very best wide receivers. Lamb had a quiet game against the Browns by his standards, but he should rebound here and return to the form of last year, which saw him record over 100 yards a game on average. A firing Lamb also means a productive Dak Prescott, fresh from his record-breaking new contract. Expect Dak and CeeDee to have a big day at home as they did plenty last time out, giving the Saints' D a tough afternoon. Our AI models project CeeDee to have the highest score of the week, with over 25 points.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Prescott + Kamara + Lamb + Shaheed
Individual Plays:
- Zeke
- Kamara
- Lamb
- Cooks
- Shaheed
- Olave
Game 2: Colts @ Packers
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Colts -3
- AI Gridiron projected total: 40.5 points
Despite starting with a tough divisional loss to the Houston Texans, the Colts looked promising throughout much of the game, led by second-year starter Anthony Richardson. Richardson was something of a ‘what-if’ last year as he was injured early on in the season, having given Colts fans just a hint of what he could be capable of.
On Sunday against Houston, we saw a bit more, and he continues to look impressive both in the air and on the ground. His 60-yard TD pass to Alec Pierce was a stunning highlight reel throw, showing possibly the best arm strength in football, and his rushing touchdown late in the 4th quarter showed arguably the best outright strength of any QB in football, just shaking off defenders on his way to another six points. Richardson looks like a smart pick at this point, and he’s only going to get better.
As for receiving options, there could be value in backing Alec Pierce to repeat his performance from last week. Pierce is just $5,400 for this week’s matchup, and he’s already shown himself to be an excellent deep threat in his Week 1 performance. He currently looks like WR2 in this offense and should be the man called upon whenever Michael Pittman is double-teamed.
On the Green Bay side, this could be a rough ride due to the injury sustained by Jordan Love in the final seconds of their tough Friday night loss to Philadelphia. At quarterback this week, it’ll be Malik Willis under center, who has been unconvincing at best in his NFL career so far, having yet to throw a TD in three starts in 2022.
As a result, expect Josh Jacobs to be fed a lot on Sunday, as he looks to establish himself as the Packers' star running back after five impressive seasons with the Raiders. Jacobs managed 104 total yards on 18 touches last time out, and he could well get plenty more carries than that, if the Packers don’t trust Willis to throw much in this one.
There’s also a good chance the Packers will want to keep the playbook simple for Willis, looking at short passes across the middle of the field. As a result, it’s worth looking at tight end Tucker Kraft as a cheap option here at just $3,300, who could be called upon in short-yardage situations a lot in this matchup.
Finally, with the Packers going into this one with a backup QB, it’s hard to ignore the Indianapolis D/ST for this one. This Colts D isn’t necessarily an elite unit, but there are absolutely turnovers to be had for them here. Against an unproven young QB, this could get ugly—pick up the Colts D if you can.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Richardson + Jacobs + Pierce + Kraft + Colts D/ST
Individual Plays:
- Richardson
- Jacobs
- Taylor
- Pittman
- Pierce
- Kraft
- Colts D/ST
Game 3: Seahawks @ Patriots
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Seahawks -3.0
- AI Gridiron projected total: 38 points
The first game of the post-Bill Belichick era in New England began with a shock upset victory on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Patriots are still clearly in rebuild mode, but that Bengals performance showed a good blueprint for how they can win games this year, behind a strong rushing performance from Rhamondre Stevenson and an excellent defensive effort all around.
Stevenson carried the team on his back last Sunday, and there’s a decent chance he’ll be called on to do the same in Foxboro this time around. Stevenson got 28 touches for 126 yards and a TD against Cincinnati, and it’s reasonable to expect he could be getting similar numbers against Seattle. With the Patriots still unable to find a clear No. 1 receiver, expect a busy day on the ground for Stevenson as he looks to justify the $36 million, four-year extension he signed in June. Our models give him a median projection of 14 points.
With New England unable to find an obvious No. 1 in the passing game, that does mean there are cheap options to be had here. Ja’Lynn Polk is one of the more interesting ones, available for just $3,800. Polk is a second-round pick who had a quiet game in Cincinnati, but he absolutely has upside, as a tremendous athlete who was a core part of last year’s Washington Huskies team. For that price, he’s worth taking a flyer on.
Finally, on the Patriots' front, it’s impossible to ignore a defense that just held Joe Burrow to ten points. This is a strong defense, with the likes of Matthew Judon, Jabrill Peppers, and Kyle Dugger all capable of making life tough for Seattle, and if they can repeat last week’s effort, it’ll be a solid pick on Sunday.
Seattle also began their season with a victory, a 26-20 effort over the Denver Broncos. Like the Patriots, they relied on a strong running game, with Kenneth Walker III leading the charge with 103 yards on 20 carries. Walker is coming off a season where he recorded over 1,200 scrimmage yards and 9 TDs and shows no reason why he can’t do that again in 2024.
The other star on these Seahawks is DK Metcalf, one of the league’s best receivers and a very real red zone threat. Metcalf had a quiet outing last time out with just 29 yards on 3 catches, but don’t expect him to repeat that. Metcalf is the team’s WR1 for a reason and is always a threat on the occasions when Geno Smith elects to go deep.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Smith + Walker III + Polk + Metcalf + Patriots D/ST
Individual Plays:
- Stevenson
- Walker III
- Polk
- Metcalf
- Lockett
- Patriots D/ST
Game 4: Lions @ Buccaneers
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Lions -7
- AI Gridiron projected total: 51.5
Both of these teams opened their seasons with victories last week. The Bucs comfortably dispatched a rebuilding Washington team 37-20, while Detroit won a Sunday night thriller against the LA Rams, 26-20. The Lions are looking to go even further than last season’s NFC Championship loss, and on offense, they absolutely have the weapons to do so.
In that Rams game, we finally saw the potential of Jameson Williams, who has had a stop-start first two years in Detroit due to injuries and suspensions. But on Sunday night, he was phenomenal, with 134 total yards, upstaging superstar WR1 Amon-Ra St. Brown. This is only one game, but I’d be tempted to strike while the iron is hot and bank on him having another strong game here.
The same applies to David Montgomery, who continues to look impressive, now in his sixth year as a pro. Montgomery is a solid volume back, as well as a strong receiving option out of the backfield, who picked up 13 touchdowns last season. If Detroit takes control of this clash, expect lots of work from Montgomery as they run this one out.
As for Tampa, they did impress last week, but it’s hard to say how much of that was due to the standard of their opposition. Regardless, the ageless Mike Evans continues to impress in his 11th season in Tampa Bay, with two touchdowns in Week 1. If the Bucs are to win this one against one of the NFL’s top sides, they will need production out of their veteran receiver, and I suspect Baker Mayfield will dial his number more than a few times on Sunday.
Mayfield himself is a good option, having undergone a career resurgence in Florida last season. He has the weapons (namely Evans and Chris Godwin) to cause damage, and as good as this Detroit team is, the defense is still a real concern, ranking 27th in passing yards last year. Expect a high-scoring game, with plenty of action from both teams.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Mayfield + Montgomery + Evans + Williams
- Goff + Gibbs + Evans + Williams
Individual Plays:
- Montgomery
- White
- Evans
- Godwin
- St. Brown
- Williams
- LaPorta
Game 5: Raiders @ Ravens
- Time: 1:00 PM ET
- Spread: Ravens -10
- AI Gridiron projected total: 41.5 points
Coming off a tough loss to the Chiefs on opening night, this looks like a good game for the Baltimore Ravens to rebound in. The Las Vegas Raiders are a team who look unfinished at best and lost a disappointing matchup against divisional rivals and fellow rebuilders, the LA Chargers, last Sunday in California.
Lamar Jackson might be the most expensive QB here at $7,700, but he’s the first name on the team sheet for a reason. The reigning and two-time league MVP is one of the very best players in football, and everything the Ravens do goes through him, on the ground and in the air. I expect Lamar to have a very productive afternoon as the Ravens pick up a comfortable win at home. And whenever the Ravens are expected to have a strong game, you can bet on Derrick Henry to go big as well. I like him as a strong start this week.
The big story on Thursday night was the emergence of Isaiah Likely as a true, game-changing threat after two solid, if unspectacular, seasons in Baltimore. Likely had a superb game, with 111 yards on nine catches and a 49-yard TD for good measure. There are plenty of options on this Ravens offense, but again, it’s hard to ignore the hot hand here. Likely and Jackson clearly have chemistry right now, and expect to see more of that this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
A cheaper option on this Ravens offense is Rashod Bateman, available at $3,900 this week. Bateman is slightly down the wide receiver depth chart, but he’s a solid option for Lamar, and made two catches for 53 yards against KC. Against a weaker defense this week, there’s definitely upside.
Finally, while this could be a rough afternoon for Las Vegas, there are still bright spots on this team. My pick from a Raiders standpoint would be ex-Patriot Jakobi Meyers, now in his second season in Sin City. Meyers is WR2 behind Davante Adams and is absolutely a solid second option in this team. He’ll need to be at his best to keep the Raiders in this one.
Recommended stacks to build around:
- Jackson + Henry + Bateman + Meyers + Likely
Individual Plays:
- Jackson
- Henry
- Flowers
- Bateman
- Adams
- Meyers
- Likely
- Bowers
Thanks for reading through this week’s preview, hopefully, we have picked out some fruitful DFS stacks for you to win with. If you would like to gain full access to all of our rankings and predictions, fueled by predictive models and artificial intelligence, then you can get 50% off with the code FF50. Register here