By Scott Kacsmar
Another NFL Sunday means another chance at DFS contests with millionaire-making potential on DraftKings and FanDuel.
But this will be an interesting Sunday slate with some of the best quarterbacks (Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert) already playing on Thursday night, and some of the best skill players (Josh Allen, Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown) playing in a rare Week 2 doubleheader on Monday night.
With that said, here are five of our favorite players to include in your Week 2 NFL lineups.
Quarterback: Matt Ryan (Colts) vs. Jaguars
There are not a lot of enticing options at quarterback this week, but the thought process here is that any defense that allows Carson Wentz to throw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns is worth attacking in DFS.
The Jaguars have been struggling on defense for years, but one team they always seem to get up for is the Colts at home. However, this is the first time Matt Ryan is playing for the Colts in one of these games. He got off to a slow start last week, but he still finished with 352 yards, should have had multiple touchdown passes if not for drops, and he should have completed the 17-point rally with a win if not for his kicker in overtime.
The Colts infamously lost in Jacksonville in Week 18 last year as a 15-point favorite, but that was Wentz at quarterback. This is Ryan who just had a fabulous debut game with Michael Pittman, a strong stacking option in this matchup. Ryan could throw for 300 yards and multiple touchdowns, though the Colts probably hope for more Jonathan Taylor rushing yards in an easy win.
But if Colts at Jaguars under Frank Reich has proven anything, it’s that you can’t trust the Colts in this matchup. But I do trust Ryan to play well despite being QB12 in salary on DraftKings.
Running Back: Javonte Williams (Broncos) vs. Texans
We are going to learn a lot about new Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett this week. His debut went terribly wrong on Monday night in Seattle. Not everything was his fault with both running backs fumbling at the goal line, but the team’s whole process of getting plays off was poor with Russell Wilson often battling the play clock at the snap.
But the asinine 64-yard field goal aside, one of Hackett’s biggest criticisms was that he did not give second-year running back Javonte Williams the lion’s share of touches. Melvin Gordon got five more carries than Williams, who averaged 4.3 yards before contact per rush compared to 2.4 for Gordon. While Williams fumbled at the 1-yard line, that had as much to do with rushing to get the play off in time as anything.
When Peyton Manning and Shannon Sharpe, two Hall of Famers and former Broncos legends, are blasting you on live TV for not using Williams as the lead back, that should clue Hackett in a bit.
Meanwhile, the Texans were not great against the run last week against Jonathan Taylor, who had 161 yards and a touchdown. Williams won’t do that, but this feels like a game where he can go off for good numbers as the Broncos look to avoid going 0-2 against one of the softest schedules to start this 2022 season. Let’s see if Hackett can make the proper adjustments.
Tight End: Darren Waller (Raiders) vs. Cardinals
Would it not be fitting for an Arizona defense to keep losing an athletic tight end down the field? Travis Kelce had 121 yards and a touchdown against Arizona last week, which looked lost on how to defend him.
Would it not be fitting for a Josh McDaniels-led offense to find the tight end for a touchdown? Derek Carr was locked on to Davante Adams (17 targets) last week so much that Darren Waller was barely involved until late in the game when it was too late. He still finished with 79 yards.
In 2021, Carr did something similar with 19 targets going to Waller in Week 1. In Week 2, he only went to Waller seven times while finding his wide receivers more. Look for a correction this week with fewer balls going to Adams and more going to Waller and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow.
But with Kelce having played on Thursday and George Kittle’s health a question, Waller is the best option at his position this Sunday.
Wide Receiver: Tyreek Hill (Dolphins) vs. Ravens
Hill’s debut with the Dolphins was very solid. He led the team with 94 yards on 12 targets and eight catches. The bomb for a touchdown was absent, but it will come this year. Jaylen Waddle scored the touchdown last week, but I like Hill to find the end zone in this game.
When Miami played Baltimore last year, it used both Tua Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett due to injury. Tua had a deep completion in that game that was one of the ugliest throws you’ll ever see, but Miami actually had great success at throwing for 315 yards that night.
Now, we know the Dolphins have better offensive coaching and talent, and while the Ravens should be an improved defense, they have had injuries again. Corner Kyle Fuller tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.
Hill is no stranger to playing the Ravens in some big matchups with the Chiefs. He was the critical receiver on a fourth-down play in 2018 that led to an overtime win for the Chiefs. He was quiet in last year’s meeting in Baltimore, but the Dolphins still have plenty of tricks up their sleeves with Mike McDaniel running the offense. Hill should be a big part of the offense again this week.
Flex: Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions) vs. Commanders
A fourth-round surprise from last year’s draft, St. Brown has gone from 90 catches as a rookie to a solid eight grabs with a touchdown in Week 1 this year. He already has seven games with eight catches in his career, making him a valuable pick in PPR scoring formats as we see on DFS.
St. Brown doesn’t hit the long plays, but he racks up those receptions and has been a decent touchdown scorer when he gets those numbers. He scored a touchdown in all but one of his seven games with eight or more catches.
The other thing to like is that he clearly started improving down the stretch last year. I may have buried the lede here, but St. Brown is one game with eight catches away from tying the NFL record for the longest streak of consecutive games with at least eight receptions.
St. Brown has done it seven games in a row. Antonio Brown (2014) and Michael Thomas (2019) did it eight games in a row in their best seasons, so that is quite good company. This is an impressive play from a young receiver with Jared Goff as the quarterback.
Washington’s defense was not overly impressive against the Jaguars last week with Christian Kirk going off for 117 yards. St. Brown may not break that number, but he could share a slice of history with at least eight catches again and hopefully another touchdown.
