Week 2 of the NFL season will kick off with an AFC East matchup. With each team coming off an opening week win, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins will battle to remain undefeated.
Despite it being just the second week, both teams are dealing with injuries. Josh Allen finished Week 1 with his left hand heavily wrapped, and the Dolphins have already announced that running back Raheem Mostert will miss this week due to a chest injury. De’Von Achane is considered questionable, and his status will be one to monitor moving forward. Expect some of the DFS values to change if there are updates on this, but here is a look at the top captains’ options and value plays ahead of the Thursday Night matchup.
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Captains Plays:
Hitting on your Captain (CPT) is essential to having Showdown DFS success on DraftKings. Players drafted as Captain earn 1.5x fantasy points, so they can make or break your slate. Let’s take a look at my favorite Captain plays for this week’s TNF slate.
Tyreek Hill: $17,400
The most expensive captain option, Tyreek Hill, tallied the 9th most fantasy points in the opening week. With 29.0 points scored based on DraftKings DFS scoring, Hill will put you in the driver’s seat of having success. Hill had 12 targets in Week 1, recording seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. If he can reach this total or exceed it in Week 2, you cannot argue with paying the premium. But with other options on the table in this game, I would not list Hill as the must-have captain he will be in other weeks. While you should do everything possible to get Hill in your lineup, the $17,400 price tag is a bit steeper than I am willing to pay.
Josh Allen: $16,500
Josh Allen is one of the few players coming off a better fantasy football week than Tyreek Hill. The Bills star ranked fourth in scoring among all DraftKings DFS in the opening week. Allen completed 18 of his 23 passes for 232 yards and a pair of touchdowns while also adding 39 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns with his legs. The biggest concern with Allen is the step-back in wide receiver production from past years, but he has one of the highest floors of any player in fantasy football. Expect him to continue to be a dual-threat quarterback who makes his impact felt with his arms and legs and has a real chance of being the leading scorer in the game.
Tua Tagovailoa: $14,100
Considering the flexibility of the price tag, Tua Tagovailoa is my pick for this week’s captain’s pick. In the opening game, Tagovailoa completed 23 of his 37 passes for 338 yards and a touchdown. He finished 6th among quarterbacks in DraftKings DFS scoring in week one despite the Dolphins offense being held in check more than expected. Especially given the injury issues with running backs, Tagovailoa will be even more important to the Dolphins’ success. Look for the Miami offense to return to form after ranking second in scoring and first in yards last season. Tagovailoa led the NFL in passing yards last season and had the most passing yards of any quarterback in Week 1. While Miami often relies on the rushing game in the red zone, this option may be taken out of the team’s hands based on injury. Expect this to result in greater production for Tagovailoa and for the quarterback to have an even stronger DFS performance than his 2024 debut.
Value Picks:
Ray Davis ($3,600)
A growing buzz surrounded rookie running back Ray Davis leading into the season. The Kentucky product was selected with the 128th overall pick in this year’s draft. Playing behind James Cook, Davis logged just 10% of the offensive snaps in Week 1. He had three carries for 13 yards and one reception for 14 yards.
At some point this season, Davis will find his full role within the team and make a regular impact on the offense. It seems optimistic that he can increase production significantly from the opening week. However, if the opportunity for increased touches occurs, Davis could outperform this value by a significant margin.
Jeff Wilson Jr. ($2,400)
With Raheem Mostert already out for the matchup and De’Vone Achane’s status up in the air, there is an opportunity for a lower-priced running back to step up. Jeff Wilson Jr. is listed as third on the depth chart for the Dolphins. He eclipsed 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 2022 and has been in the NFL for seven seasons. Miami’s offense is built around rotating bodies, giving plenty of players opportunity. Wilson Jr. is capable of producing on the ground as well as playing a role in the passing game. Keep an eye on the injury report and keep Wilson Jr. in mind for your lineups.
Jaylen Wright ($2,000)
After being a healthy inactive in Week 1, Jaylen Wright appears set to make his NFL debut on Thursday. The fourth-round pick impressed in preseason and has some intriguing raw skill. The Tennessee product rushed for 1,000 yards his last season of college and had a 4.38 40-yard dash time at the combine. Wright will be directly impacted by the injury report ahead of him, but he possesses a level of big play potential that can produce a great deal of DFS points. This is a bit of a risk as there is no guarantee of opportunity, but if Wright gets on the field, he will make his impact felt.
Mack Hollins ($1,600)
Originally a fourth-round pick in 2017, Mack Hollins is carving out a role for himself with the Bills. In the opening week, Hollins recorded two catches for 25 yards and a touchdown. No Bills wide receiver was thrown the ball more than five times last week, and the pecking order is still to be decided. Hollins was on the field for 58% of offensive snaps in the opening week and will look to build off this. $1,600 is a solid price for a wide receiver set to get a few targets sent his way, especially considering his 6-foot-4 frame makes Hollins a legitimate red-zone threat.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is seanbarnard) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
