Week 2 DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks, Lineup Tips for Sunday
Saquon Barkley kicked off the 2022 NFL season on top of the league rushing chart.
The New York Giants running back could remain in that position after his Week 2 clash with the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina's defense was torched by Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt in Week 1 and it has the potential to end up on the wrong side of the battle of top-tier running backs between Barkley and Christian McCaffrey.
The salary restraints in daily fantasy football contests may force you to choose between one of Barkley and McCaffrey to be the star of your lineups. Barkley appears to be the easy choice.
The rest of the Week 2 slate features some intriguing spots where value plays can end up as difference-makers because of injuries.
Alvin Kamara is not expected to play on Sunday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, and his backup Mark Ingram is dealing with an injury of his own. That could mean it is the perfect time to roster Taysom Hill in a utility role.
Michael Pittman Jr. was ruled out on Saturday. His absence leaves a big hole inside the Indianapolis Colts offense. Some fantasy players may avoid the Colts offense as a whole, but where some find trash, others find treasures.
Use Saquon Barkley as Lineup Anchor
Saquon Barkley could end up as the highest rostered player in DFS contests on DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 2.
Barkley led the league with 164 rushing yards in Week 1. He outgained Jonathan Taylor by three yards and was one of six running backs to total 120 yards last week.
Barkley holds an advantage over the other top-tier running backs in Week 2 because of the matchup he faces against the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina conceded 217 rushing yards in its defeat to the Cleveland Browns in Week 1. Barkley and the Giants' offensive line must be frothing at the mouth for Sunday's game to start.
Barkley only had two games with more rushing yards. His performance against the Tennessee Titans is a promising sign of what a healthy Barkley will look like in 2022.
Barkley should be used as a lineup anchor on Sunday because he will take up most of the Giants' carries. The Browns had success last week with two running backs, leading to Chubb and Hunt splitting up fantasy points.
He will have an edge over his game counterpart in Christian McCaffrey. The Giants' defense gave up 93 rushing yards in Week 1. Barkley is also a better choice than Taylor because he may end up as the Colts' only offensive weapon.
Jacksonville could key in on stopping Taylor, which may force the Colts to beat its AFC South rival through the air. More on that in the next section.
Discover Value with Injury Replacements
Indianapolis and New Orleans are two of the teams that will be without their top playmakers on Sunday.
The Colts will be without Michael Pittman Jr. and you may have to take a different mindset into making a DFS lineup with the replacements for his production.
Nyheim Hines produced 63 receptions in two of his four NFL seasons and he was targeted over 50 times in all of his four campaigns.
The Colts could pivot to Hines in the passing game instead of relying on some unproven wide receivers. They are also missing rookie Alec Pierce from the wide receiver depth chart.
Hines will not receive nearly as close to as many carries as other running backs, but if he earns more targets with Pittman out, he could serve as a solid No. 2 running back with a high-salary back, like Barkley, alongside him.
New Orleans will go with Mark Ingram in place of Alvin Kamara, but there is no guarantee that Ingram will be effective since he was on the injury report going into Week 2.
The Saints may be more inclined to give Taysom Hill a large workload. Hill is listed as a tight end in FanDuel contests. He is a quarterback in DraftKings contests.
Hill ran for 81 yards on four carries in Week 1. He also scored a touchdown with Kamara and Ingram active.
Hill has the potential to put up the most points of anyone listed at tight end on FanDuel. He also has tight end eligibility in Yahoo fantasy football leagues.
Look to Denver for Lineup Stack
Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos offense did not look impressive in Monday night's loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Denver has a chance to bounce back in a strong way on Sunday, as the Houston Texans come to Colorado.
The Broncos are an enticing team to stack players in a DFS lineup because the Texans gave up 517 total yards to the Colts in Week 1. The Texans allowed 340 yards through the air.
Wilson threw for 340 yards against his former team, so that is a positive sign for any DFS players looking to use a handful of Broncos players.
Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton both had four catches on seven targets in Week 1. Jeudy led the Broncos with 102 receiving yards and Sutton was second on the team with 72 receiving yards.
Javonte Williams would be the ideal running back to pair with Wilson, Jeudy and Sutton. Williams led the Broncos in targets with 12 and he picked up 43 yards on seven carries against the Seahawks.
Melvin Gordon and Albert Okwuegbunam are other options for the lineup stack, but the top four Broncos players are ideal to fit in the stack because of their production.