FanDuel NFL DFS Picks for Week 2

The first week of the 2025 NFL season is in the rearview mirror, and we got our first look at what certain teams want to do offensively. Every year, the Week 2 DFS slate is an interesting one due to everyone having just one week of information and metrics to go on.

A lack of information forces us to either place confidence in some of the Week 1 occurrences or go against the grain by predicting bounce-back performances from players/teams who had disappointing outings to start the new campaign.

When taking a look at the options available in NFL DFS on FanDuel, there are a variety of contests and ways to attack each slate.

Using our NFL DFS projections as a guide, let's take a look at some of the best daily fantasy football plays at each position -- accounting for salary -- on the Week 2 FanDuel main slate.

Note: All stats come from NextGenStats or Pro Football Focus unless stated otherwise.

NFL DFS Picks for Week 2

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen, Bills

FanDuel Salary: $8,800
Matchup: at NYJ

In the Buffalo Bills' come-from-behind victory over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1, Josh Allen put his superman cape on, delivering 424 total yards and 4 touchdowns en route to scoring 41.8 FanDuel points (FDPs). Allen will get to face a New York Jets defense that just allowed Aaron Rodgers to toss four touchdowns in Week 1 while ranking 25th in pressure rate (26.5%) and 23rd in completion rate over expected allowed (+4.9%).

Lamar Jackson, Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $8,500
Matchup: vs. CLE

Despite the Ravens failing to hold onto a double-digit lead on Sunday night against the Bills, Lamar Jackson was fantastic, posting 29.4 FDPs with 279 total yards and 3 touchdowns. Even though the Cleveland Browns just held Joe Burrow -- who is also a viable high-salary play in Week 2 -- in check to begin the year, Jackson has finished as the QB10 or better in DFS in three of his four meetings versus Cleveland since offensive coordinator Todd Monken began calling the plays in 2023, giving him a high floor and ceiling following a heartbreaking loss.

Others to Consider

Justin Fields ($7,600 vs. BUF) - Justin Fields looked comfortable in his debut for the Jets, and New York could deploy a similar gameplan to what Baltimore did in Week 1 after Jackson and Derrick Henry combined for 239 rushing yards versus Buffalo.

Trevor Lawrence ($7,000 at CIN) - My interest in Trevor Lawrence is dependent on his popularity this week after his dud in Week 1, but he's in a prime bounce-back spot in a potential high-scoring affair against the Cincinnati Bengals, which could force the Jacksonville Jaguars to air it out more often than they had to in their season opener.

Drake Maye ($6,800 at MIA) - In addition to also liking Dak Prescott ($7,300) and Kyler Murray ($7,700) at the QB position, Drake Maye stands out as my favorite salary-saving option at QB against a Miami Dolphins team that was 32nd in schedule-adjusted pass defense in Week 1 versus Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts.

Running Backs

Derrick Henry, Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $9,000
Matchup: vs. CLE

Derrick Henry continues to shrug off father time, and he looked mighty explosive for a 31-year-old back in Week 1, as he bulldozed his way to 31.7 FDPs on 182 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns. There's no reason to believe Henry won't be leaned on plenty in a game where the Ravens are double-digit favorites, and I don't hate the idea of stacking the bruising back alongside Jackson to get full exposure to Baltimore's lethal rushing attack.

Christian McCaffrey, 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $8,900
Matchup: at NO

It's hard not to be nervous about Christian McCaffrey's long-term outlook this season, but his usage in Week 1 was outstanding, as he earned a 75.0% snap rate, 65.8% route rate, and a team-high 29.4% target share while turning his 42 (!!!) adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) into 142 scrimmage yards. With Brock Purdy expected to miss multiple weeks and the San Francisco 49ers dealing with a handful of injuries on offense, CMC is poised for another massive workload in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.

James Conner, Cardinals

FanDuel Salary: $7,700
Matchup: vs. CAR

Much has been made about the fact that James Conner accrued only 44 scrimmage yards on a 63.9% snap rate in Week 1 while second-year back Trey Benson logged 75 scrimmage yards on a 34.4% snap rate for the Arizona Cardinals. Conner is in a premier bounce-back spot with the Cardinals being favored at home against the Carolina Panthers, who have the 28th-ranked schedule-adjusted run defense after the first week of games.

Others to Consider

Chase Brown ($7,500 vs. JAC) - Volume will continue to make Chase Brown viable at this salary, as he handled all 21 of the RB carries and all 4 of the red-zone carries for the Bengals in Week 1.

Breece Hall ($7,300 vs. BUF) - Breece Hall was electric in Week 1 with 145 scrimmage yards on 27 adjusted opportunities against a typically-stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense, and I expect him to be involved even more in the passing attack this week with the Jets being underdogs at home to the Bills.

Travis Etienne Jr. ($6,700 at CIN) - The Jaguars just traded away Tank Bigsby, so the only competition for touches behind Travis Etienne -- who looked great with 156 scrimmage yards on 22 adjusted opportunities in Week 1 -- are two rookie backs who were taken on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Wide Receivers

Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals

FanDuel Salary: $9,000
Matchup: vs. JAC

Ja'Marr Chase surprisingly tallied only 3.6 FDPs in the first week of the season, so the Bengals will likely find ways to force-feed him the ball in Week 2 against the Jaguars. Even in a quiet performance in Week 1, Chase still led Cincy's offense in snap rate (85.7%), route rate (85.7%), target share (21.7%), and air yards share (50.4%) while Sunday's Bengals-Jaguars clash has the highest total on the main slate.

CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys

FanDuel Salary: $8,700
Matchup: vs. NYG

Although I also like George Pickens ($6,000) this week, CeeDee Lamb remains the focal point of the Dallas Cowboys' aerial attack, earning team-best marks in receptions (7), receiving yards (110), target share (39.4%), and yards per route run (3.67) in Week 1 versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Besides expecting the Cowboys to improve upon being 19th in pass rate over expected (-0.7%) in Week 1, the New York Giants were 23rd in schedule-adjusted pass defense in their season-opening loss to the Washington Commanders.

Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars

FanDuel Salary: $7,600
Matchup: at CIN

Once again, the Bengals-Jaguars showdown is expected to have plenty of fireworks, and Brian Thomas Jr. is another bounce-back candidate after producing only 1 catch for 11 yards in Week 1 despite notching a 24.1% target share and 38.7% air yards share. Jacksonville was 14th in pass rate over expected (+0.7%) to begin the year, and that number could climb in Week 2 if Joe Burrow and Cincy's offense forces the Jags to keep up with them on the scoreboard.

Others to Consider

Zay Flowers ($6,300 vs. CLE) - Zay Flowers has a $6,300 salary despite recording a stellar 90.0% snap rate, 95.5% route rate, 47.4% target share, and 54.3% air yards share with 143 receiving yards and a score in Week 1, and he provides leverage against those who roster Derrick Henry. Ricky Pearsall ($6,200) is another wideout to target in this salary range as the 49ers are running out of players to throw to.

Kayshon Boutte ($5,500 at MIA) - Of the receivers on the New England Patriots, Kayshon Boutte stands out the most after registering 103 receiving yards and 38.1% air yards share in Week 1, and the Patriots were fourth in pass rate over expected (+9.1%) in their season opener.

Cedric Tillman ($5,400 at BAL) - Dating back to last season, Cedric Tillman has garnered eight-plus targets in each of his last five games he's started and finished, and I expect the Browns to be in a negative game script on Sunday versus the Ravens.

Joshua Palmer ($5,100 at NYJ) - Aside from liking Khalil Shakir ($5,900) and Keon Coleman ($5,300), this may be a Josh Palmer week, as our Riley Thomas points out in his WR/CB matchup article for Week 2 that Palmer will see plenty of Brandon Stephens -- who surrendered 5 receptions for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 1 -- in coverage.

Tight Ends

Trey McBride, Cardinals

FanDuel Salary: $7,000
Matchup: vs. CAR

If I'm not getting exposure to Arizona's ground game, I want to try to have some of Trey McBride after he led the Cardinals with an elite 98.4% snap rate, 86.8% route rate, and 31.0% target share to kick off the new season. The Panthers were atrocious against TEs a season ago, and McBride could see his salary climb closer to $8,000 in the coming weeks, so I want to take advantage before that happens.

Brenton Strange, Jaguars

FanDuel Salary: $5,100
Matchup: at CIN

I wouldn't blame anyone for rostering rookie Tyler Warren despite being in a tough matchup versus the Denver Broncos, but if I'm not going all the way up to McBride, there are three TE options with a salary of $5,100 or lower who I like -- beginning with Brenton Strange. On top of having the second-highest snap rate (82.5%) among Jacksonville's skill players in Week 1, Strange led the team in yards per route run (3.11), suggesting his role in the passing attack could grow moving forward.

Others to Consider

Juwan Johnson ($5,000 vs. SF) - You couldn't ask for a much better workload for a TE than what Juwan Johnson saw in Week 1, as the veteran pass catcher posted an impressive 98.6% snap rate, 85.7% route rate, and 26.8% target share, and the Saints are expected to be playing from behind again in Week 2.

Hunter Henry ($4,900 at MIA) - Hunter Henry also saw underrated usage in Week 1 with a 92.6% snap rate, 68.5% route rate, and 17.8% target share ahead of a road matchup versus a Dolphins team that has extremely bad vibes already.

Defenses

Los Angeles Rams

FanDuel Salary: $4,500
Matchup: at TEN

Rookie Cameron Ward understandably struggled with pressure in Week 1 against the Broncos, and he'll be tasked with facing a Los Angeles Rams defense that was seventh in pressure rate (41.2%) and forced two turnovers in Week 1 versus the Houston Texans.

Arizona Cardinals

FanDuel Salary: $3,900
Matchup: vs. CAR

Bryce Young looked shaky in his first start of the season, and this Cardinals defense should be much-improved this year upon adding Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, and Dalvin Tomlinson to their defensive front this offseason.

Others to Consider

Dallas Cowboys ($3,400 vs. NYG) - Along with Russell Wilson being ineffective in Week 1 and rumors of him potentially being benched soon, the Cowboys are home favorites and provide much-needed salary relief.

New Orleans Saints ($3,000 vs. SF) - The 49ers are always capable of lighting up the scoreboard -- regardless of who is at QB -- but injuries could begin to catch up to them, and the Saints' defense is sitting at the minimum salary.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.