George Pickens And 3 More DFS GPP Winning Value Plays On DraftKings And FanDuel

George Pickens and a trio of more players headline the best DFS value plays for Week 2 on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

After deciding on the key players to start a GPP DFS lineup, the next challenge is finding the best fill-in value plays. With a three-piece stud roster foundation, a daily game should be looking for 4X players that can score over 15.00 fantasy points. In a balanced attack, the goal tends to be to roster as many options as possible with 20.00+ fantasy point potential, which may lead to cheating the defense or the tight end position.

Week 2 NFL DFS Value Players

Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars (DK – $5,700/FD – $6,700)

In Week 2, Etienne has better pricing at DraftKings than at FanDuel, suggesting a 3X potential as his floor. After his big opening game (16/143 with three catches for 13 yards), the Jaguars removed Tank Bigsby from their running back equation by trading him to the Eagles. This move helps Jacksonville’s top running back in perception, but the Jaguars still have talent on their running back depth chart (Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen). Etienne was on the field for 61% of Jacksonville’s plays in Week 1, with three other backs splitting 27 snaps (14 by Bigsby).

I’m a fan of two-game winning streaks in the DFS market, and Etienne is coming off a much better-than-expected day. He gained 49.7% of his rushing yards on one big play (71 yards), painting a much lower profile over his other 19 touches (85 yards). I don’t expect Tuten to get his way for catches on many plays, and my feeling is that Jacksonville will give him the early goal-line chances.

Cincinnati allowed 19 touchdowns to running backs last year, and Dylan Sampson was active catching the ball in Week 1 (8/64).

Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns (DK: $5,200/FD: $5,500)

Bengals Oren Burks (42) rushes Browns Dylan Sampson (22) during their games against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday September 7, 2025. Bengals lead the game at halftime with a score of 14-10. | Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Chasing last week’s stats tends to be a losing investment many times in all levels of fantasy sports. Sampson came into last week with an early rushing profile, with what was expected to be an RB2 opportunity in the Browns’ backfield with Jerome Ford handling the pass-catching chances. Ford was on the field for 54% of Cleveland’s plays, but he struggled to get past the line of scrimmage (five yards on seven touches with one catch). As a result, Sampson proved to be the winning value play in the DFS market (83 combined yards with eight catches). 

This week, Quinshon Judkins enters the Browns’ running back mix, and Cleveland expects him to be active against Baltimore. Game tape should lead to the Ravens being more aware of Sampson catching passes, but he played well enough to secure a heavy workload until Judkins is up to game speed. Ford will be treated as “Found On Road Dead” in the fantasy market, similar to the mocking in the car brand world. 

Baltimore was the best team in the NFL defending running back in the run game last season (321/1,128/9 – 3.5 YPR). The Bills’ running backs gained 135 combined yards with a touchdown and six catches in Week 1. The coach-speak about the role for Judkins in this matchup is critical to evaluating Sampson’s playability in the DFS market. 

Calvin Ridley, Tennessee Titans (DK: $4,900/FD: $5,600)

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley (0) makes a catch against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first half at Nissan Stadium. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Based on his pricing in the DFS market and his potential, Ridley stands out this week as a value at the wide receiver position. Cam Ward struggled in his first NFL game, but his underlying character bodes well for his growth as a professional quarterback. Ridley is his uncontested top wide receiver option, who comes off a poor showing (4/27 on eight targets with three drops). Tennessee had him on the field for 95% of their plays in Week 1.

The Rams’ defense showed growth last season, and that success carried over to their first game against the Texans (allowed 265 combined yards with no touchdowns). Los Angeles had the second-best wide receiver defense in 2024 (176/2,371/17 on 289 targets) despite allowing the fourth-most yards per catch (13.5). 

Ridley needs a 7/70/1 day to reach a 4X day at DraftKings, and he has the talent and opportunity to reach that level.

George Pickens, Dallas Cowboys (DK: $5,800/FD: $6,000)

Based on my projections, Pickens is the best value wide receiver at FanDuel, and he rates well at DraftKings. His big-catch profile should shine through at home, but he does need the Giants to have an offensive pulse in this game. He caught three of his four targets in Week 1 against the Eagles for 30 yards while drawing a 34-yard pass interference penalty. Dallas had him on the field for 92% of their plays in their first game, the same as CeeDee Lamb.

Pickens should see favorable coverage on many plays, giving him the needed space to catch a long touchdown and potentially gain over 100 yards receiving. In a way, Week 2 in the DFS market could be a WR2 week, suggesting big days for Tee Higgins, Pickens, and DeVonta Smith.