For each of the featured games, typically Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football slates, we will be providing free analysis for the single-slate action on DraftKings and FanDuel. This will include team capsules, player rankings, comments and NFL DFS picks for today. There are loads of information and NFL DFS showdown picks to get into for both DraftKings and FanDuel on this Week 2 Sunday Night Football slate featuring the Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL DFS Showdown Picks: Week 2 Sunday Night Football
In addition to all of the Baltimore running backs that have been lost to injury, receivers Marquise Brown (ankle) and Devin Duvernay (groin) are dinged up. Both were limited in Friday’s practice and will be game time decisions. Defensive backs Jimmy Smith (ankle) and Marlon Humphry (back) were also limited on Friday.
Kansas City Chiefs: 29.0
Quarterback
Patrick Mahomes reached into his bag of tricks last weekend and pulled out a Kansas City victory against a frisky Browns squad. Mahomes and company actually trailed up until the game’s final score when he hit tight end Travis Kelce for his second touchdown of the day with just over seven minutes remaining on the clock. The Ravens are a much better passing defense than Cleveland, but if one or both of Smith and Humphry miss the game, that could be all the advantage that Mahomes needs.
Running Back
Baltimore was solid on Monday Night Football, holding the Raiders to 82 rushing yards on 21 carries and earning a top-10 rushing DVOA. Andy Reid is not afraid to abandon the run, which makes things somewhat tenuous in this matchup for Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Last week he put-snapped Darrel Williams 47 to 14, with offseason addition Jerick McKinnon seeing just four plays. Edwards-Helaire had 17 total opportunities, which is in line with expectations on Sunday.
Wide Receiver
Tyreek Hill certainly had himself a game, with 15 of the 34 targets that were available heading his way. This turned in 11 receptions for 197 yards and a score. The rest of the receivers picked up the crumbs, with Mecole Hardman getting three targets and Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle each getting two. When Mahomes is the quarterback, any eligible receiver on the field is live to score a touchdown, but the volume is definitely going to be going to Hill and Travis Kelce.
Tight End
Travis Kelce made the most of his seven targets, recording six receptions, 76 yards and two touchdowns. Essentially Kelce is the co-WR1 with Hill. Last year he was second in the NFL with 1,416 yards, fifth with 105 receptions and sixth with 145 targets.
Defense/Special Teams
Kansas City has an abysmal rushing defense, which does not align well with trying to stop Baltimore. However, if they can get out to a quick lead and force Lamar Jackson to throw more, they have a middle-of-the-pack passing defense and are decent at getting pressure on the quarterback.
Baltimore Ravens: 25.0
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson is a conundrum on single-game slates, as he typically is on 90-95% of all rosters in some form. Though Kansas City has never lost to Jackson in three meetings, that is just one game per year, and he has gotten progressively better in that timeframe.
Running Back
Undrafted rookie Ty’Son Williams drew the start on Monday Night Football, and though he out-snapped late waiver claim Latavius Murray 35 to 21, each scored a touchdown. Williams has shaky hold on the lead role, and with more practice time this week, it would not be a surprise to see Murray become the lead option in this committee. It sounds like Devonta Freeman may be active tonight while Le’Veon Bell remains on the practice squad. Trenton Cannon also had two carries, but he was released mid-week and is now with the 49ers.
Wide Receiver
Sammy Watkins looked solid, leading the team with eight targets and 96 yards on four receptions. With Marquise Brown and Devin Duvernay banged up, he looks to be the last healthy wideout. Even though it was an overtime game, Jackson only three 30 times, which dramatically limits the volume for his receivers. Brown brought in all six of his targets for 69 yards and a score, and Duvernay had one catch for 6 yards on two chances.
Tight End
Mark Andrews does not see the same volume as Kelce, though he too is really the co-WR1 for the Ravens. In Week 1 he saw five targets for three receptions and 20 yards, and while that is not particularly exciting, Andrews was second with 55 snaps, trailing Watkins by one. There will be some big games for him this season.
Defense/Special Teams
The Baltimore defense is not quite the lockdown unit they have been, but they are still above average. However, facing Mahomes, who rarely throws interceptions or take sacks, makes it hard to count on even baseline fantasy production.
Sunday Night Football Single-Game NFL DFS Strategy
The rankings below are best utilized for building out single-entry and three-max lineups and for head-to-head and three-man formats. They provide a nice barometer for player value, but for those taking the MME approach, remember that correlation is key. This means matching a receiver or two with a quarterback in the Captain/MVP slot. This also works conversely with pairing a Captain/MVP pass catcher with their quarterback.
Week 2 Sunday Night Football NFL DFS Rankings
Week 2 Sunday Night Football Top 10 NFL DFS Showdown Picks
- Lamar Jackson: With his discount to Mahomes as well as being the main rusher for his team, Jackson gets the nod.
- Patrick Mahomes: Hard to go wrong here.
- Tyreek Hill: Moves above his field general if both dinged up Ravens defensive backs are out.
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire: The salary is more forgiving than Kelce’s, but he still needs to reach pay dirt.
- Devonta Freeman: In play on FanDuel at $5,500, truly a steal on DraftKings at $400 with the flexibility he provides.
- Justin Tucker: Most accurate kicker in league history at 90.7%; 13 attempts from 50-plus yards in last 49 games.
- Harrison Butker: Second-most accurate kicker in league history at 90.3%; 14 attempts from 50-plus yards in last 49 games.
- Sammy Watkins: Brown could be active, but Watkins would still be the better play, though less of the field will get there.
- Travis Kelce: The top-heavy salaries have him sliding down; could make for a nice leverage against Hill depending on where the masses land.
- Latavius Murray: Second week of practice, and the discount to starter Williams has him in the top 10.
Week 2 Sunday Night Football Secondary NFL DFS Showdown Picks
- Mark Andrews: Better upside and fewer options to steal from him compared to Williams.
- Ty’Son Williams: Salary level for being at a 60-65% workload, but with Murray and now Freeman plus Jackson, that is a big supposition for someone playing in their second NFL game.
- Mecole Hardman: Fourth or even fifth option on his own team since Mahomes will call his own number, fair salary.
- Marquise Brown: Let others assume the risk with his balky ankle if he is active, in play around 25 lineups.
Week 2 Sunday Night Football Lottery Ticket NFL DFS Showdown Picks
- Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson: Pringle is $2,800 cheaper on DraftKings, Robinson $500 cheaper on FanDuel.
- Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon: They become viable around lineup 40-50.
- Devin Duvernay: Becomes interesting if he is active and Brown is out.
- Baltimore D/ST: Unlikely to see many sacks or fumbles.
- Kansas City D/ST: Tiebreaker went to the home team.
- James Proche: Gets his own line, but only in play if Brown is inactive; will be kick returner if Duvernay is out.
- Patrick Ricard, Blake Bell, Josh Oliver, Noah Gray, Eric Tomlinson and Marcus Kemp: Fine football players with zero fantasy potential.
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