This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The Week 2 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT and features 13 games, as the entire league will be in action except for the teams playing on Thursday Night Football (Dolphins-Bills), Sunday Night Football (Bears-Texans) and Monday Night Football (Falcons-Eagles). Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 2, but the biggest is the Sunday Baller, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000 to the top 2,700 finishers, including $50,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 14,700 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared towards head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $250k Sunday Baller lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested Week 2 plays include some rookie WRs who could break out after getting their feet wet last week, as well as a TE likely to build on a strong Week 1 performance.
QUARTERBACK
Baker Mayfield, TB at DET ($31): Mayfield carved up the Commanders with four touchdown passes last week, picking up where he left off down the stretch in 2023. Including the playoffs, Mayfield has thrown multiple touchdown passes in seven of his last eight starts, posting a 20:4 TD:INT over that stretch. He produced 349 passing yards and three TDs in last season's playoff exit in Detroit, and while the Lions overhauled their secondary in the offseason, they didn't show much improvement in Week 1, surrendering 317 yards through the air to Matthew Stafford. Mayfield's also a stack-friendly QB with three appealing WR options at various price points: Mike Evans ($32), Chris Godwin ($27) and rookie Jalen McMillan ($19).
Honorable Mentions:
Lamar Jackson, BAL vs. LV ($36); Anthony Richardson, IND at GB ($33); Jayden Daniels, WAS vs. NYG ($32)
Against the Grainers:
Brock Purdy, SF at MIN ($29); Justin Fields, PIT at DEN ($25); Daniel Jones, NYG at WAS ($23)
RUNNING BACK
Jonathan Taylor, IND at GB ($31): Taylor has an ideal Week 2 matchup, as the Packers surrendered 132 scrimmage yards and three TDs to fellow star RB Saquon Barkley last week, and Green Bay's underwhelming defense is likely to find itself on the field for the majority of this game with the team expected to be without starting QB Jordan Love (knee). Taylor was relatively quiet in Week 1 against Houston despite finding the end zone, but dating back to last season, he's averaging 93.7 scrimmage yards and 1.0 TDs in his last nine games. While Anthony Richardson will take some rushing attempts, the presence of the dual-threat quarterback should also open up more lanes for Taylor, and playing alongside Jalen Hurts certainly didn't bother Barkley against this defense last week.
Gus Edwards, LAC at CAR ($16): Teammate J.K. Dobbins stole the show with 135 yards and a TD on 10 carries compared to Edwards' 11 carries for 26 yards last week as both RBs made their Chargers debuts in a 22-10 win over the Raiders. Dobbins is the more explosive runner, but given the vast gap in their valuations, Edwards looks like the better value against a Panthers defense that surrendered a league-high 21 rushing TDs to RBs last season before allowing both Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams to reach the end zone as the Saints racked up 180 rushing yards against Carolina in Week 1. Edwards remains the favorite for goal-line carries after scoring 13 rushing TDs with the Ravens last season, and the Chargers are likely to call plenty of running plays, both because they're expected to play from ahead and because coach Jim Harbaugh loves old-school, smash-mouth football.
Honorable Mentions:
Kyren Williams, LAR vs. ARI ($31); Brian Robinson, WAS vs. NYG ($25); Jordan Mason, SF at MIN ($10)
Against the Grainers:
Josh Jacobs, GB vs. IND ($29); Tony Pollard, TEN vs. NYJ ($27); Najee Harris, PIT at DEN ($27)
WIDE RECEIVER
Cooper Kupp, LAR at ARI ($31): Kupp was targeted a whopping 21 times last week, compiling 14 catches for 110 yards and a TD against the Lions, while fellow big-name WR Puka Nacua (knee) left the game in the first half. If there's anything we have learned from Kupp's incredible 2021 season (145 catches for 1,947 yards and 16 TDs) and Nacua's 1,486-yard rookie year in 2023, it's that Stafford is adept at getting the ball to his top WR, and Kupp is clearly that heading into this game against a Cardinals defense that surrendered 34 points to the Bills last week after allowing the second-most PPG last year (26.8). Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson will also get more opportunities in the absence of Nacua, who has been placed on IR, but you're likely better off paying up for Kupp if possible rather than settling for those secondary WRs.
Malik Nabers, NYG at WAS ($22): Nabers was arguably the biggest bright spot for the Giants in an ugly 28-6 Week 1 loss to the Vikings, as the 2024 sixth overall pick led the team with 66 receiving yards while catching five of seven targets. While those numbers don't jump off the page, Daniel Jones averaged 9.4 yards per attempt when targeting Nabers and just 3.4 YPA on his 35 other passes. Considering that was Jones' first game back from last year's season-ending ACL tear, there's reason to believe the QB will be better as he settles back in, and facing Washington should boost the Giants' entire passing game. The Commanders allowed the most passing yards last season and surrendered four TDs to Tampa Bay's WRs last week, while Jones has owned Washington in his career, posting a 5-1-1 record and 10:3 TD:INT against these NFC East rivals.
Marvin Harrison, ARI vs. LAR ($14): Harrison was the only WR who heard his name called ahead of Nabers in 2024, going fourth overall to Arizona. An experienced Bills defense limited Harrison to one catch in his highly anticipated NFL debut, but that dud has created a nice buy-low opportunity, as his valuation has halved from his $28 salary in Week 1. Given the scrutiny QB Kyler Murray and Arizona's coaching staff have received for Harrison's lack of involvement, the team will almost certainly prioritize scheming the ball into the rookie's hands against a Rams secondary that was burned for 121 yards and a TD by Lions WR Jameson Williams last week.
Honorable Mentions:
Deebo Samuel, SF at MIN ($28); Rashee Rice, KC vs. CIN ($28); Terry McLaurin, WAS vs. NYG ($21)
Against the Grainers:
Jayden Reed, GB vs. IND ($29); Ladd McConkey, LAC at CAR ($24); Allen Lazard, NYJ at TEN ($10)
TIGHT END
Isaiah Likely, BAL vs. LV ($20): Likely had a history of stepping up whenever Mark Andrews was unavailable, but the tight end showed the nation in the very first game of the 2024 season that he's ready to supplant the veteran as the top receiving option in Baltimore, finishing with nine catches for 111 yards and a TD on 12 targets (and coming tantalizingly close to a second TD on the game's final play) in last Thursday's 27-20 loss at Kansas City. Tight ends as a whole underwhelmed in Week 1, as Brock Bowers (58) was the only TE other than Likely to reach the 50-yard threshold, and the position combined to score only five TDs.
Honorable Mentions:
Trey McBride, ARI vs. LA ($19); George Kittle, SF at MIN ($18); Brock Bowers, LV at BAL ($15)
Against the Grainers:
Travis Kelce, KC vs. CIN ($26); Juwan Johnson, NO at DAL ($14); Mike Gesicki, CIN at KC ($10)
DEFENSE
Cleveland Browns at JAC ($10): Cleveland looks like a great value despite surrendering 33 points to the Cowboys in Week 1. The Browns gave up a league-low 270.2 scrimmage yards per game last season, and even the gaudy Week 1 point total came on just 265 yards, with a punt-return TD boosting Dallas' production. Myles Garrett is one of the NFL's top pass rushers, while Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson and Grant Delpit anchor one of the league's best secondaries, so the pieces are there for another elite season from this unit. The Jaguars had just 17 points and 267 yards in Miami last week, and Cleveland racked up three interceptions and four sacks against QB Trevor Lawrence when these teams met in Week 14 last season.
Honorable Mentions:
Los Angeles Chargers at CAR ($19); Pittsburgh Steelers at DEN ($17); New York Jets at TEN ($16)
Against the Grainers:
Indianapolis Colts at GB ($14); Jacksonville Jaguars vs. CLE ($13); Washington Commanders vs. NYG ($10)
