Week 2 DFS Core Players: Jahmyr Gibbs, CeeDee Lamb, And 3 More Must-Starts

DFS players are chasing million-dollar glory in Week 2 at FanDuel and DraftKings, with top foundation plays like Jahmyr Gibbs and CeeDee Lamb set to headline lineups.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) runs with the ball against the Green Bay Packers during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The DFS push to win a million dollars at FanDuel and DraftKings remains intact in Week 2. FanDuel has two offerings ($15 and $250), with each prize pool set at $2,250,000. The lower-priced contests need 178,571 entries to sell out, compared to 8,600 at the higher level. The two home run swings at DraftKings have $20 (205,882 teams) and $550 (6,006 teams) entry fees.

Last week, I did a recap of DraftKings 2024 Millionaire Maker winners while adding some DFS strategy insight. Here’s a look at this year’s Week 1 winner and a link to its recap:

DraftKings

Top Week 2 NFL DFS Foundation Players

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions (DK: $7,400/FD: $8,300)

After disappointing Week 1 (50 combined yards with nine catches on 19 touches), Gibbs and the Lions’ offense look poised to be much better at home against the Bears. Detroit had him on the field for 65.7% of their snaps against the Packers. Chicago’s run defense showed risk in Week 1 (26/120/1), with 29 yards and one score coming from the quarterback and wide receiver positions. In 2024, the Bears’ defense struggles against running backs in the run game (438/2,099/20 – 4.8 YPC) while allowing 70 catches for 547 yards and no touchdowns. 

The threat of David Montgomery scoring lowers Gibbs' explosive expectations, but he still has an untapped gear where he turns a short play into a game-changing touchdown. For that wild card part of his profile, Gibbs must be included in the top-end running back pool this week.

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers (DK: $7,500/FD: $8,900)

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) stands on the sideline during the first quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The 49ers gave McCaffrey 31 touches in Week 1, resulting in 142 combined yards with nine catches. After this game, he drew a bright shade of green for his DFS playability in Week 2 on the road vs. the Saints. San Francisco had him on the field for 76% of their plays against Seattle. With my opening Week 2 projections, I had him projected as the top running back (149 combined yards with 1.5 touchdowns and five catches).

Three days later, Mac Jones takes over at quarterback, George Kittle was placed on the IR, and Jauan Jennings has yet to practice this week. When updating the projection Friday night (9/12), the 49ers’ rushing outlook will be downgraded by a touchdown, and McCaffrey will undoubtedly lose some fantasy momentum. Mac Jones has more of a dink and dunk style at quarterback, but he will take some deep shots. As a result, San Fran’s top back should still maintain a good portion of his opportunity. 

As for New Orleans’ run defense, they allowed 146 yards on 27 carries vs. Arizona (5.4 YPC), with some of the damage coming from the quarterback position (7/38). Running backs caught all five of their targets for 11 yards and one score. In 2024, the Saints allowed 2,459 combined yards to the backs with 20 touchdowns and 66 catches (431.90 fantasy points in PPR formats – 25.41 per game).

Nico Collins, Houston Texans (DK: $7,300/FD: $7,800)

In my Texans/Buccaneers Week 2 preview, I outlined Collins' matchup against Tampa from a prop betting perspective, which I highlighted below:

Nico Collins has an over/under of 76.5 receiving yards (-114u) against Tampa. In 2024, six wide receivers gained over 100 yards vs. the Bucs’ defense – Amon-Ra St. Brown (11/119), Drake London (12/154/1), Darnell Mooney (9/105/2), Rashod Bateman (4/121/1), CeeDee Lamb (7/105), and Adam Thielen (5/110/1), with five other wideouts gaining at least 75 yards. 

In Week 1, the Falcons’ wide receivers had 14 catches for 139 yards and no touchdowns on 27 targets, while playing without their second-best wideout. I have Collins (8/104/1) lined up for a big day, which is only natural considering C.J. Stroud’s passing outlook. 

Last year, Collins scored seven of his eight touchdowns at home while gaining 16.0 yards per catch (41/654) over seven matchups. He was also a dominant player in 2023 when playing in Houston (61/1,0002/8 over 10 games – only one TD on the road). Parlays Up!

CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys (DK: $7,800/FD: $8,700)

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) looks on during the fourth quarter of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

In Week 1, Lamb played well (7/110 on 13 targets), but he left some stats in the table by just missing on two other long catches with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. He was an absolute beast in 2023 (135/1,862/14), and the Cowboys’ passing game should have similar qualities this season. In his nine games in his elite year, Lamb averaged nine catches for 127 yards and one touchdown (27.81 FPPG in PPR formats) in Dallas. He is my top projected wideout (8/101/1) in Week 2, but Lamb will need a second score to deliver a 4X outcome at DraftKings.

Last year, wide receivers had 202 catches for 2,531 yards and 18 touchdowns on 301 targets against the Giants (ranked 16th), with only two wideouts gaining over 100 yards (Alec Pierce – 6/122/1 and Michael Pittman (9/109/2). Lamb was productive in one matchup (7/98/1). The Commanders’ wide receivers had 13 catches for 176 yards and no touchdowns on 20 targets in Week 1.

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals (DK: $8,100/FD: $9,000)

It would be a mistake to leave Chase off the DFS foundation part of the puzzle due to his potential explosiveness and top ranking at wide receiver in 2024 (127/1,740/17 on 175 targets). He comes off his lowest output (2/26 on five targets) since Week 15 (1/3) in his rookie season. Over the following two games in 2021, he posted one good day (7/125) and an all-time great showing (11/266/3) at home. In 2024, Chase padded his stats with two dominating outcomes (10/193/2 and 11/264/3) against the Ravens.

Last season, Jacksonville allowed too many big plays to wide receivers (13.95 yards per catch). Wideouts caught 213 of their 327 targets for 2,972 yards and 17 touchdowns. The Panthers (10/89/0 on 22 targets) struggled to move the ball with their wide receivers. The Jaguars only had Travis Hunter on the field for six plays in Week 1, compared to 42 on the offensive side of the ball.