The Week 2 NFL DFS Yahoo 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 (Commanders-Packers) and Monday Night Football (Buccaneers-Texans and Chargers-Raiders). Here are the top NFL Yahoo DFS picks for Sunday's Week 2 Yahoo DFS football contests.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) Yahoo DFS football contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared toward 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 football 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. NFL DFS Yahoo lineups consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested Yahoo DFS picks for Week 2 include a star WR looking for a bounce-back performance, as well as a pair of second-year pros who could be in the early stages of sophomore breakout campaigns.
QUARTERBACK
Caleb Williams, CHI at DET ($24): Williams couldn't maintain his hot start throwing the ball in Monday's loss to the Vikings, but there were still plenty of positives to take away from the 2024 first overall pick's first game under new Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Notably, Williams posted the second-highest rushing total of his career (58 yards) and scored his first career rushing touchdown. Williams has already proven capable of torching Detroit's defense with his arm, racking up 590 passing yards and a 5:0 TD:INT against the Lions in two meetings as a rookie, and he looks likely to add substantial value with his legs as well. The Lions lost 2024 defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to a head coaching opportunity with the Jets in addition to losing their ex-offensive coordinator Johnson to Chicago, and Detroit didn't look great on either side of the ball in a 27-13 Week 1 loss at Green Bay.
Honorable Mentions:
Jalen Hurts, PHI at KC ($37); Justin Fields, NYJ vs. BUF ($23); J.J. McCarthy, MIN vs. ATL ($22)
Against the Grainers:
Joe Burrow, CIN vs. JAC ($35); Bo Nix, DEN at IND ($31); Tua Tagovailoa, MIA vs. NE ($25)
RUNNING BACK
Kyren Williams, LAR at TEN ($33): The Titans looked awful offensively and allowed RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins to combine for 133 rushing yards and a TD in Week 1, but their secondary actually played well with a pair of interceptions. The Rams will likely follow a similar formula to the Broncos, leaning on their defense and running game against Tennessee. Unlike the Denver's RBs, Williams doesn't have to worry about a timeshare, as he handled 18 carries in Week 1 while no other Rams RB had more than one. Williams found the end zone in the Rams' Week 1 win over the Texans, giving him 32 TDs in 29 games since the start of the 2023 campaign.
Trey Benson, ARI vs. CAR ($12): Carolina allowed the third-most rushing yards in NFL history last season, and the Panthers' run defense didn't look any better in Week 1, allowing an even 200 yards on the ground to the Jaguars. James Conner is likely to lead Arizona's rushing attack, but Benson looks like the better value in this backfield at just over a third of Conner's $35 valuation. Benson was more effective on the ground than the veteran in Week 1, as the 2024 third-round pick rushed eight times for 69 yards while Conner had just 39 yards on his 12 attempts. Even if Benson maintains around a 40 percent split of the workload while the game's competitive, there's a good chance this one gets out of hand and the Cardinals allow the youngster to run roughshod while preserving Conner for tougher matchups down the line.
Honorable Mentions:
Christian McCaffrey, SF at NO ($31); Javonte Williams, DAL vs. NYG ($22); Travis Etienne, JAC at CIN ($18)
Against the Grainers:
Chase Brown, CIN vs. JAC ($35); Breece Hall, NYJ vs. BUF ($29); Dylan Sampson, CLE at BAL ($21)
WIDE RECEIVER
Garrett Wilson, NYJ vs. BUF ($27): The Jets don't have much going for them on offense besides Justin Fields, Breece Hall and Wilson, but that trio impressed in a 34-32 Week 1 loss to Pittsburgh, as Fields produced three total TDs, Hall had 107 rushing yards and Wilson caught seven of nine targets for 95 yards and a TD. Hall was a distant second with 38 receiving yards on four targets, so Wilson looks poised to receive massive workloads through the air consistently. The Bills struggled defensively in Week 1, allowing 40 points to the Ravens overall, as well as 143 yards and a TD to Baltimore's No. 1 receiver Zay Flowers. Wilson's likely to capitalize on Buffalo's underwhelming secondary, especially if the Jets fall behind against their favored AFC East rivals.
A.J. Brown, PHI at KC ($24): Brown had just one catch for eight yards in a Week 1 dud, but this is a nice buy-low opportunity on the star WR, who is valued below 23 other Yahoo DFS football main-slate WRs. He scored a TD in the Super Bowl against Kansas City to finish off last season, and Brown also ended the 2024 regular season on a three-game touchdown streak. Even with his forgettable 2025 season opener thrown in, Brown's still averaging over 84 receiving yards per game since the start of the 2022 campaign. The 28-year-old wide receiver is likely to bounce back before long, and a matchup with a secondary that allowed the second-most yards (232) and the most TDs (three) to WRs in Week 1 presents a nice opportunity for Brown to get back on track.
Hollywood Brown, KC vs. PHI ($14): A.J. isn't the only Brown with fantasy appeal at WR in Sunday's Super Bowl LIX rematch. Hollywood got a gargantuan Week 1 workload after Xavier Worthy (shoulder) departed early, turning 16 targets into 10 catches for 99 yards. Worthy surprisingly managed a limited practice Thursday but still looks unlikely to play, while the suspended Rashee Rice will definitely sit out Sunday and rookie fourth-round pick Jalen Royals (knee) is trending toward a second consecutive absence to begin his career. That should leave the affordable Brown as the clear No. 1 option at WR for Patrick Mahomes against Philly.
Honorable Mentions:
Puka Nacua, LAR at TEN ($35); Brian Thomas, JAC at CIN ($33); DJ Moore, CHI at DET ($27)
Against the Grainers:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, SEA at PIT ($31); Zay Flowers, BAL vs. CLE ($26); Keon Coleman, BUF at NYJ ($17)
TIGHT END
Brenton Strange, JAC at CIN ($11): Strange led the Jaguars with 59 receiving yards in Week 1 and is poised to see significant Week 2 involvement against a Bengals defense that allowed Browns TEs David Njoku and Harold Fannin to combine for 10 catches and 100 yards on 15 targets last week. Cincinnati's struggles to defend TEs date back to last season, when the Bengals allowed the third-most yards and second-most TDs to the position. Trevor Lawrence loves to throw to his TEs as well, as he peppered Evan Engram with a league-high target total in 2023, and Strange is the clear No. 1 TE for the Jaguars with Engram now in Denver.
Honorable Mentions:
Trey McBride, ARI vs. CAR ($26); Tyler Warren, IND vs. DEN ($18); Dalton Kincaid, BUF at NYJ ($12)
Against the Grainers:
Mark Andrews, BAL vs. CLE ($18); Juwan Johnson, NO vs. SF ($14); Jake Tonges, SF at NO ($10)
DEFENSE
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. SEA ($10): Pittsburgh's defense looked surprisingly ineffective in its Week 1 road win over the Jets, but this unit has earned the benefit of the doubt with consistently strong performances throughout veteran head coach Mike Tomlin's tenure. With the Terrible Towels waving for the Steelers' home opener, Pittsburgh's fan base should provide plenty of energy against a Seahawks team that prides itself on creating a home-field advantage with its own 12th man. New Seattle QB Sam Darnold has been rattled in tough environments before, and it's certainly possible that his 2024 breakout in Minnesota could be attributed primarily to playing in a favorable system with excellent coaching and WR play, as Darnold looked like the subpar QB of old with just 150 passing yards and a fumble lost in Seattle's Week 1 loss to San Francisco. The buy-low window on Pittsburgh's defense could shut quickly, so take advantage of this opportunity to grab the Steelers at the minimum valuation.
Honorable Mentions:
San Francisco 49ers at NO ($18); Arizona Cardinals vs. CAR ($12); Dallas Cowboys vs. NYG ($10)
Against the Grainers:
New England Patriots at MIA ($14); New Orleans Saints vs. SF ($13); Baltimore Ravens vs. CLE ($10)
