The NFL regular season finally returned last week with a smattering of games and plenty of high-octane action in DFS contests. Did everyone have fun? Hopefully so, because we certainly did. Now, we’re back with another list of the top must-start players for fantasy football contests in Week 2. The main DraftKings Sunday slate locks at 1 p.m. EST, so read up and set those lineups before kicking your feet up to enjoy the games on the gridiron.
Here are three must-start players for fantasy football in NFL Week 2.
Set your DraftKings fantasy football lineups here:
NFL $3.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st]
QB Drake Maye, New England Patriots, $5,200
Look, I wrote up Drake Maye in this column last week and he posted 16.8 fantasy points against the Raiders. It wasn’t the most inspiring performance of all time given the matchup, but the second-year starter finished 11th among all quarterbacks and finished the day with 287 yards and a touchdown through the air, though he didn’t use his legs much with just 11 rushing yards. Were it not for an interception and a fumble, Maye would’ve finished a few points higher and probably would see a higher salary on this Week 2 slate.
At $300 cheaper than last week in a tastier matchup, Maye feels like one of the screaming smash starts on Sunday. He averaged nearly 16 FPPG with one of the worst groups of weapons last season, but Stefon Diggs and TreVeyon Henderson each played sizable roles in their Patriots debut while Kayshon Boutte picked up where he left off with a strong outing. This team now faces the Dolphins, a squad which gave up 33 points and 418 total yards to the Colts last week. Against one of the worst defenses in the league, Daniel Jones threw for 272 yards and a score while rushing for 26 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Since he put up a massive fantasy outing of 29.42 points, imagine what Maye can do against the Dolphins in this spot.
A diminished salary and game-breaking upside against a poor defense make Maye a smash start for fantasy contests in Week 2.
RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers, $7,500
Unlike Maye, Christian McCaffrey is not a moderately salaried option. Please use the cash you saved on a quarterback on the 49ers star. While the prospect of playing CMC while Brock Purdy and George Kittle miss time with injuries may feel a tad intimidating, there’s no reason to worry at all in a positive matchup against the Saints.
With Mac Jones at quarterback without the top target in the passing game, it feels probable that McCaffrey takes on a huge workload this week as the Niners run the offense via the ground. The superstar logged 22 carries in Week 1 for an inefficient 69 yards, but he also saw 10 targets with nine receptions for 73 receiving yards. DFS players can assume McCaffrey sees a similar share of touches in the run game as the 49ers look to help insulate Jones, but the potential for a ton of checkdowns also means the halfback could step up for a massive target share once more. In any case, he’ll be the engine that makes the offense go against a rebuilding Saints squad that allowed 146 yards on the ground last week. Rostership will be high, but it’s better to make sure you get the 20+ points McCaffrey will likely accumulate.
WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars, $6,700
The Jaguars opened the Liam Coen era with a 26-10 victory over the Panthers last week, a strong statement even if their opponent may not have ranked among top teams. The ground game dominated with 200 yards while Trevor Lawrence threw for just 178, but that script may flip in Week 2. Enter Brian Thomas Jr.
The second-year stud posted just nine fantasy points to start his campaign, catching only one of seven targets for 11 yards. His fantasy day was bailed out by a nine-yard rushing touchdown, which admittedly was very nice to see in the new offensive scheme. Here’s the deal. Thomas Jr. remains one of the most exciting young talents in the NFL and finished his rookie season as a bona fide WR1 for fantasy football purposes. That hasn’t changed, and he should bounce back in a big way this week against a poor Bengals defense which ranks among the league’s worst units in recent years. Not only is the defensive matchup nice, but the Jaguars also find themselves in a potential shootout spot against Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. There could be lots of points on the scoreboard and plenty of pass attempts if both offenses perform, so I’m not bothered by last week’s blip and love the upside Thomas Jr. brings on Sunday.
