Week 2 DFS Picks: Core Players and Best Plays

Every week, I will go through the players I am targeting to play in DFS for all games, tournaments, and game stacks.

The idea is that this will paint a clearer picture of framing lineups.

Our core players are the ones we will have the most exposure to at their respective positions.

They can be played in cash games and tournaments.

I will analyze the player selections and game writeups, but please refer to the Week 2 Worksheet for a detailed breakdown of the players and games.

Quarterback

Josh Allen ($8,800 FanDuel/$7,100 DraftKings)

Choosing between Allen and Lamar Jackson at close to equal cost is always a tough choice, but the deciding factor for edging towards Allen was the defensive tendencies of Aaron Glen (unless Jackson’s salary just makes your build work better).

We entered last week wondering if the marriage of Glenn and Steve Wilks would push the Jets to be a more aggressive defense.

That was accurate.

The Jets played man coverage on 44.1% of passing plays (3rd in the league) while blitzing 35.3% of the time (7th).

That would be a mistake here if that remains the approach.

Allen has tormented man coverage since the start of last season, throwing 22 touchdowns to 3 interceptions against those looks compared to 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions against zone coverages.

The last time that Glenn faced Allen, Allen scored 41.3 fantasy points.

We will see what Glenn learned from that matchup.

In that outing, Detroit played man coverage 51.1% of the time.

Allen faced man coverage at a higher rate just once last year.

Detroit blitzed Allen on a season-high 37.8% of his dropbacks.

Against man coverage in that game, Allen was 13 of 18 for 199 yards (11.1 Y/A) with a touchdown.

When blitzed, he was 9 of 13 for 83 yards (6.4 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns.

Allen also rushed 11 times for 34 yards and 2 touchdowns in that game.

Justin Fields ($7,600/$5,700)

The only quarterback who scored more fantasy points than Fields in Week 1 was Allen.

It was just one week, but this new offense showcased the best of what Fields has to offer, coaxing out an impressive passing performance to go along with rushing upside.

The 62.9% success rate per play for Fields in Week 1 was his highest rate in a game as a starting quarterback.

Of the first-time play callers in Week 1, Tanner Engstrand showed the most.

The Jets used pre-snap motion on 64% of Fields’ dropbacks (9th in the league).

With motion, Fields was 10 of 13 for 140 yards (10.8 Y/A).

Fields completed 8.3% of his passes above expectation, which was fifth in the league in Week 1.

I do expect that to come down based on his career accuracy, but we know the rushing is real.

Fields added 48 yards and 2 touchdowns on Sunday.

Buffalo had a rough night in Week 1 defending the quarterback and power.

Jackson ran for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Buffalo will also be without Ed Oliver here, their best run defender in Sunday’s win.

Running Back