Time to hunt down a few bounce-back candidates and also highlight several productive week one players that may continue to build upon their opening performances...

By: @Ryan_Humphries

Week 2 NFL PreSnap Podcast 🎙️

Catch Tyler Wiemann and Shannon Sommerville's run down on this Sunday's NFL DFS main slate!

Also, for anyone looking to roll out some NFL props this week, be sure to check out the info at the end of this article on LineStar's new Prop Edge+ for NFL tool and how it can help you make some extra cash -- especially on sites like PrizePicks and UnderDog Fantasy!

Week 2 DFS Main Slate Rundown 📝

Time to kick it into gear for week two, my friends! It’s important to keep what we saw from week one in perspective and not overreact heading into this week’s games. While it is a major help to have a one-game sample size for every team, there will still be quite a bit of guesswork to be done as depth charts, snap rates, on-field usage, and game plans continue to fluctuate and settle in. Many teams are still figuring out what their identity will be in this 2022 season and we’re at least a few weeks away from truly seeing what each team is going to be all about.

With week two upon us, the margin for error narrows and we have to be a bit sharper with our approach. This is primarily due to DFS prices being adjusted more closely to where players should likely be valued. With fewer obvious values on the board, if you want to be able to comfortably roster studs like Lamar Jackson, Jonathan Taylor, Davante Adams, or Mark Andrews, we’ll need to really try to hit the nail on the head with those low/mid-range guys.

We’ll have 12 games landing on the main slate docket this Sunday. Let’s dive in and crush it!

Main slate match-ups with implied point totals and spreads:

Weather Report

As a reminder, weather plays less of a factor in football than it does in other sports but it is still worth making note of any games that could see wet conditions, high winds, or (when we get into the winter months) frigid, snowy conditions.

The forecasts can always change so, as always, run a final weather check closer to kickoff!

IND @ JAX (1:00 ET, 45.5 O/U): Possible rain with 15-20% coverage in the area. 10+ mph winds. Nothing crazy.

SEA @ SF (4:05 ET, 40.5 O/U): Rain is pretty likely throughout this game. 10+ mph sustained winds.

Quarterbacks to Consider

Potential quarterback targets at high/mid/low price points.

Russell Wilson, DEN | DK: $7.2k, FD: $7.5k | vs. HOU

Wilson goes from a raucous season opener on the road against his former team where some… ‘questionable’ coaching decisions and costly goal line fumbles led to one of the more surprising week one upsets, to his home debut in a Denver uniform against a soft opponent. Despite completing 69% of his passes for 340 yards, Wilson was not overly impressive in the opener and the jury is still out on whether or not he deserves the massive $245M contract that the Broncos gave him. So, even though this is only week two, this feels like a major “prove it” game for Wilson. With that in mind, he should post a strong performance here against this Texans defense that was 23rd in pass DVOA in 2021 and allowed Matt Ryan to pass for 352 yards in week one. Wilson still throws one of the better deep balls in the NFL and they’ll surely challenge Houston’s secondary with a few of those on Sunday. Without QBs like Josh Allen, Justin Herbert, or Patrick Mahomes on this main slate, it’s likely a good time to attack the mid-range at QB this week, but Wilson remains a high-priced GPP target.

Matthew Stafford, LAR | DK: $6.3k, FD: $7.6k | vs. ATL

We’ll look at “quick turnaround QB candidate” number two with Stafford and the Rams looking to rebound from a sloppy 31-10 loss in the season kick-off game against the Bills. That Bills defense is legit; I’m not so sure we can say the same thing about the Falcons. Jameis Winston was able to average 7.9 YPA against Atlanta last week. Stafford boasted a 287 YPG average in 2021 on 8.1 YPA and, since they played last Thursday, they’ve had some extra time to recoup and gameplan for this particular match-up. If any Rams receiver not named “Cooper Kupp” can step up in this game, Stafford should turn in a very respectable fantasy score.

Derek Carr, LV | DK: $6.2k, FD: $7.3k | vs. ARI

Carr had an ‘alright’ fantasy day in week one against the Chargers, with 295 yards and two TDs. The three picks he threw, however, do leave a bad taste in the mouth. But, as we saw on Thursday Night Football this week, that Chargers defense gave even Patrick Mahomes some legitimate trouble and held him to 235 yards on 6.7 YPA. Few other QBs in the league, if any, have a more talented receiving corps at their disposal than Carr has with Davante Adams, Darren Waller, and the always “scrappy” Hunter Renfrow. He’s a real gym rat, that Renfrow. On the other side of the ball, the Cardinals defense is one that we may be attacking regularly this season. Not only does their defense, and their secondary in particular, look to be super porous, but they also have an offense led by Kyler Murray that is capable of keeping the Cardinals in games and producing high-scoring shootouts. With that in mind, it is no real surprise that the Raiders lead the slate with a 28.5 implied point total in a game that also carries the highest total (51.5 O/U) on Sunday.

Running Backs to Consider

Potential running back targets at high/mid/low price points.

Saquon Barkley, NYG | DK: $7.3k, FD: $8.8k | vs. CAR

We received some bargain pricing on Saquon in week one and he still may be underpriced in week two. We saw a glimpse of the elite Saquon Barkley that had people taking him first overall in their season-long fantasy leagues in years past. Against the Titans, Barkley looked decisive, explosive, and he was clearly the focal point of the offense. He needed only 18 carries to bust loose for 164 yards (9.1 YPC) and a TD, and he caught 6-of-7 targets for 30 yards. Ultimately, his 24 touches on 58 offensive snaps resulted in Saquon leading all NFL week one RBs with a 41.8% touch%. His 83% snap% also led all RBs for the week.

As mentioned in the intro, we do have to make sure not to overreact to one week of football and you do have to worry about the injury bug with him, but if you snagged Barkley in the second round of your season-long and best ball drafts this year, congratulations! Oh, and he gets to face a Panthers defense that gave up 213 scrimmage yards to Browns RBs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt last week. No one should stop you from spending up on a guy like Jonathan Taylor ($9.9k/$10k), but someone like Barkley may have a similar floor/ceiling combo at a considerably cheaper price.

Joe Mixon, CIN | DK: $7.2k, FD: $8.3k | @ DAL

Talk about a week one workload! Mixon failed to find the endzone but that should not takeaway from the fact that he handled 27 carries on the ground and was targeted nine times resulting in 145 scrimmage yards and a 36.2% touch% (ranked 5th among RBs). That game against the Steelers did go into overtime but Mixon was getting fed nonstop in regulation regardless. The game script sets up nicely on the road against the Dak Prescott-less Cowboys. The Bengals are -7 point favorites and, as you’ll notice in his LineStar player card: Cincinnati rushes 22% more when Favored (Last 9) AND Dallas allows 23% more rush attempts when Home (Last 9). That’s a long-term trend I can get behind!

Antonio Gibson, WAS | DK: $6.2k, FD: $7.4k | @ DET

Gibson is poised for a bellcow role while rookie Brian Robinson Jr. works his way back to 100% health. Gibson’s 21 total touches (14 car, 7 rec) on Washington’s 70 plays in week one represented a strong 30% touch% -- good for 10th among all NFL RBs. The seven receptions on eight targets, in particular, are what stand out. He’s never been a super-efficient runner, with a career 4.3 YPC average, but opportunity and volume reigns supreme. If he’s getting 15-20 carries with an involved role as a receiver, then Gibson should remain on the DFS radar for the foreseeable future, as long as the price and match-up are right. The Eagles ran wild for 216 rushing yards on 5.5 YPC against the Lions last Sunday, with QB Jalen Hurts and RB Miles Sanders both accounting for 90+ rushing yards each. This domed match-up is a potentially high-scoring game environment with a lofty 48.5 O/U and Gibson should handle plenty of volume once again.

Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL | DK: $6k, FD: $7.5k | @ LAR

Patterson is a highly intriguing GPP play who should check in with <10% ownership on Sunday. He owned one of the more versatile offensive roles last season and that trend seems to be bleeding over into the 2022 season. Against New Orleans in week one, Patterson took 22 carries for 120 yards (5.5 YPC) and a TD while catching 3-of-5 targets for another 16 yards. His 35.2% touch% ranked 7th on the week. He was on the field for only 49 snaps (65% snap%) which, by all means, is still great for an RB. But, essentially, when he was on the field he was either handed or thrown the ball on over half of his plays. The Rams may not be a run defense that should be attacked too often, but Patterson’s versatility will keep him involved one way or another on Sunday.

Darrell Henderson Jr., LAR | DK: $5.7k, FD: $6.2k | vs. ATL

If Henderson’s ownership begins to creep up too much further, he may be a fade candidate on this slate. As it stands now, he does deserve a mention after playing 82% of snaps in week one (trailed only Saquon among RBs) and he commanded a 27.3% touch% even in what was a terrible game script for an RB. Cam Akers, who most assumed would be the lead RB for the Rams this season, handled just three carries on 12 snaps (18% snap%) against the Bills, and accumulated zero net yards. Considering Akers saw decent volume towards the end of last season following his torn Achilles suffered in the Rams' 2021 training camp, I’m not so sure Akers’ limited role was a health-related issue. So, we’ll assume Akers is working his way out of Sean McVay’s doghouse for now. At worst, it seems this week would be a 60/40 split in favor of Henderson. It may also turn out to be a backfield situation to full-on avoid but Henderson is a standout value for the time being.

Wide Receivers to Consider

Potential wide receiver targets at high/mid/low price points.

Davante Adams, LV | DK: $8.6k, FD: $8.8k | vs. ARI

Adams led the NFL with 17 targets and a monstrous 45.9% TGT% in week one which he turned into a 10-141-1 receiving line. So, realistically, given that 58.8% catch%, Adams’ Raiders debut could have been much more prolific. To state the obvious, Adams won’t be seeing 17 targets every week but he’s quite settled in as Derek Carr’s go-to receiving option. As discussed with Derek Carr’s QB spotlight above, this is perhaps the best offensive game environment on the slate as well.

Deebo Samuel, SF | DK: $7.8k, FD: $8k | vs. SEA

With TE George Kittle (groin) listed as questionable and RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) on the IR, look for another dynamic day out of Deebo. He’ll line up in the backfield as a running back, out on the perimeter as a receiver, and occasionally in the slot. And the 49ers would be wise to get him the ball as much as possible. There isn’t a ton to take away from the 49ers' week one game played in sloppy weather conditions at Soldier Field, but Deebo did command a 28.6% TGT% and took eight carries for 52 yards while playing 82% of snaps. The Seahawks come in on a short week after an emotional MNF win over Denver and they did allow 340 yards passing to Russell Wilson and 5.2 YPC to the Broncos on the ground.

Courtland Sutton, DEN | DK: $6.1k, FD: $6.8k | vs. HOU

Nothing was crazy impressive about Sutton’s 4-72-0 receiving line on seven targets (17.1% TGT%) on Monday night. And it was fellow WR Jerry Jeudy ($5.6k/$6.3k) who had the more notable fantasy day with a 4-102-1 line. Both guys are in play on this slate but what catches my eye about Sutton’s Monday night game? His 17.3-yard aDOT. That was the highest aDOT among all week one NFL WRs who saw at least six targets. Russell Wilson is a great deep ball thrower and I would look for him and Sutton to connect on one or two of those deep bombs down the field against Houston on Sunday.

Christian Kirk, JAX | DK: $5.7k, FD: $6.5k | vs. IND

Despite catching only half of his 12 targets (31.6% TGT%), Kirk had an impressive Jags debut posting a 6-117-0 receiving line. He ran 87% of his routes out of the slot which should typically lead to plenty of high-percentage looks as he operates as second-year QB Trevor Lawrence’s safety blanket. Jacksonville emptied their pocketbook and paid Kirk a huge 4-year/$72 million contract in the off-season, so you better believe that he is poised to hold firm to his WR1 role on this offense. The Colts may not be a great match-up in week two but Kirk is looking to be a double-digit target candidate most weeks moving forward. That potential volume combined with his affordable DFS salaries keeps Kirk firmly on the radar this week.

Allen Robinson II, LAR | DK: $5.5k, FD: $5.7k | vs. ATL

ARob may turn out to be a great example of ignoring what happened in week one where he was all but eliminated by the Bills’ defensive scheme and only brought in 1-of-2 targets for 12 yards. One thing we can take from week one when it comes to Robinson is the fact that he was on the field for 97% of the offensive snaps -- tied for the ninth-highest among NFL WRs. This entire Rams offense should look much, much better in week two and a meeting with the Falcons secondary represents a solid bounce-back opportunity for Robinson.

DJ Chark Jr., DET | DK: $5.1k, FD: $5.7k | vs. WAS

Chark is going to be a volatile option most weeks, this week included. The Lions have a sneaky amount of talented offensive weapons and usage is going to vary considerably from week to week. With that said, Chark draws a mention here due to leading ALL receivers in the NFL with 124 targeted air yards last Sunday. His eight total targets led to a 4-52-1 line, which isn’t remarkable, but if Chark keeps that same deep threat role, he won’t need huge volume to pay off in GPPs.

Curtis Samuel, WAS | DK: $4.6k, FD: $5.7k | @ DET

Now that he’s healthy, we got a look into how Washington has planned to use Curtis Samuel in their offensive attack. Essentially, he’s shaping up to be a sort of “Deebo Lite.” Both guys are named Samuel, so it works! Not only was he targeted 11 times in week one (26.8% TGT%) but he was given a handful of carries as well. This isn’t anything new for Curtis Samuel. The Panthers utilized him in a similar role when he was still in Carolina, most recently in the 2020 season when he caught 77-of-97 targets for 851 yards and three TDs while handling 41 carries for 200 yards and a couple more scores. The Ohio State Buckeyes involved him in that same sort of WR/RB hybrid role in college as well. Samuel will mostly be running routes as the Commanders’ slot WR but touches should be fairly plentiful many weeks and there is legitimate shootout potential to be had in this game against a bad Detroit defense.

Greg Dortch, ARI | DK: $3.5k, FD: $5.5k | @ LV

For many guys in professional sports, a few injuries need to occur for opportunity to present itself. Enter Greg Dortch. With WRs DeAndre Hopkins (suspension), Rondale Moore (hamstring), and Andy Isabella (back) already ruled out and guaranteed to miss this game, Dortch and his fellow healthy/non-suspended WRs Marquise Brown and AJ Green will receive as many snaps as they can handle this week in a potentially high-scoring affair against Las Vegas. Dortch played 91% of snaps in week one, almost exclusively out of the slot, and he brought in 7-of-9 targets (25% TGT%) for 63 yards. Vegas gave up quite a few fantasy points to the Chargers’ slot receivers in week one so Dortch appears to be a really strong value play on Sunday’s slate, especially on DraftKings given the full PPR format.

Tight Ends to Consider

Tight end targets at high/mid/low price points.

Mark Andrews, BAL | DK: $6.4k, FD: $7.4k | vs. MIA

It was a forgettable but not terrible 5-52-0 day for Andrews in the comfortable 24-9 win over the Jets. Andrews still led the Ravens with seven targets and a 24.1% TGT%. This should be a much more competitive game against the Dolphins (+3.5) so Andrews could sneak in a 10+ target day with a touchdown (or two?) somewhere along the way.

Dalton Schultz, DAL | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.6k | vs. CIN

This feels pretty gross considering the Cowboys are rolling out Cooper Rush at QB this week. However, Schultz was the only week one tight end who played 100% of his team’s offensive snaps and he turned in a solid 7-62-0 day on nine targets. In Rush’s lone NFL start in week eight last year, he targeted Schultz seven times. The Bengals were also one of the worst defenses against TEs in 2021, allowing the sixth-most FPPG to the position. And in week one, Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth was targeted 10 times against the Bengals and he brought in five of those passes for 75 yards. Schultz is a ‘GPP only’ play but no doubt a strong low-owned leverage option at a position that is about as volatile as D/STs.

OJ Howard, HOU | DK: $3k, FD: $5k | @ DEN

The Texans signed OJ Howard nine days before their season opener against the Colts. To no surprise, Howard did not start the game and he only played 12 snaps (17% snap%). It’s a bit of an understatement, but Howard maximized his limited opportunities by catching both of his targets for 38 yards and two TDs! Not saying he’ll catch two more TDs, or even one, this week. But another week of practice and getting familiar with the Texans' playbook should most certainly lead to additional snaps on an offense without many reliable receiving threats outside of Brandin Cooks. TE Brevin Jordan (60% snap% in week one) is also questionable for this game with an ankle injury. On MNF, the Broncos gave up a combined 8-102-2 receiving line to Seahawks tight ends so we’ll see if Houston will try to attack them with their big-bodied TEs as well.

Defenses to Consider

D/ST is a very volatile “position” and shouldn’t take up too much time in your DFS research. However, here are some D/STs I’m on board with this week.

Overall: Cleveland Browns | DK: $3.7k, FD: $4.7k | vs. NYJ

DraftKings Preferred: Pittsburgh Steelers | DK: $2.8k, FD: $5k | vs. NE

DraftKings Preferred: *Cincinnati Bengals | DK: $2.2k, FD: $3.9k | @ DAL

FanDuel Preferred: New York Giants | DK: $3.2k, FD: $4.1k | vs. CAR

*Nearly a free square on DraftKings. Bengals D/ST will be MAJOR chalk. D/ST is super volatile, but this is hard to pass on at $200 above the stone minimum against the Cooper Rush-led Cowboys. Even if Dak was playing, this would seem to be a great D/ST play.

Stacks & Bring Backs 🥞

Below are a few team/game stack ideas to consider for this slate. In some examples, I will include a “bring back” option which will feature a normal "QB + Receiver" stack along with a player from the opposing team in the same game that could also benefit should the primary "QB + Receiver" stack go off.

QB + WR + Opp Receiver

Russell Wilson, Courtland Sutton, Brandin Cooks

QB + WR + Opp Receiver

Matt Ryan, Michael Pittman Jr. (if active), Christian Kirk

QB + Two Pass Catchers (aka “Double Stack”)

Derek Carr, Davante Adams, Darren Waller

RB + D/ST (Correlation Stack)

Saquon Barkley, Giants D/ST

Full Team Stack - QB/WR/RB

Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Mixon

Value Team Stack

Carson Wentz, Curtis Samuel, Antonio Gibson

“Ugly Duckling Stack” | QB + WR + Opp RB

Jameis Winston, Jarvis Landry, Leonard Fournette

Touchdown Call 🏈

Deebo Samuel, SF | DK: $7.8k, FD: $8k | vs. SEA

Reminder: Follow @LineStarApp on Twitter and retweet the weekly Touchdown Calls tweet (shown below)! Three retweeters are randomly selected and assigned a player from the TD calls between myself, @FlatTyler83, and @ShannonOnSports. If your player scores a touchdown, you’ll win your choice of cash (via PayPal) or a one-month subscription to LineStar!

🆕 Props Edge+ 🆕

In LineStar's ongoing mission to improve, innovate, and help you reel in some cash, we are introducing Props Edge+ for NFL! This tool can help you find value and mispriced odds on player props from sportsbooks and, more specifically, for PrizePicks and UnderDog Fantasy!

Speaking of props, put the Props Edge+ tool to use by signing-up for UnderDog Fantasy for 2-months of LineStar Premium (Promo code: LINESTAR). Plus $100 deposit match for new customers. What many people may not realize is that you can legally place prop bets in most states using UnderDog (or PrizePicks) – it’s called Pick'Em and it’s insanely easy.

Feel free to check out the videos below for some favorable props that Tyler and Shannon have highlighted for UnderDog and PrizePicks this week!

Once again, if you have any questions DM me on Twitter or hit me up in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck this week!

Let us know if you enjoyed the issue with a Yes or No below!