NFL DFS Salary Scroll: Initial Observations for the Week 2 Main Slate

Last week's FanDuel NFL DFS main slate is barely in the rearview mirror, but it's never too early to look ahead to the next main slate.

With that in mind, let's peek ahead to this coming Sunday's main slate and see what early-week observations stand out.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

NFL DFS First Look at the Week 2 Main Slate Salaries

J.K. Dobbins Surpasses Gus Edwards in Salary

There was uncertainty surrounding the backfield of the Los Angeles Chargers entering Week 1 with it being unknown how the team would divvy up touches to Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. But in the season opening win over the Las Vegas Raiders, it was Dobbins who led the way with 135 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 attempts.

Even though I was skeptical of Dobbins coming into the season having missed 43 games in his first four seasons, the former second-round pick was effective in his Chargers debut. Besides seeing a higher snap rate than Edwards, Dobbins also led the entire league -- barring the Monday night game -- in rushing yards over expected per attempt (9.81) in Week 1 by a wide margin, via NextGenStats.

While Edwards will still likely have the goal-line role in this offense, Dobbins did handle the lone carry inside the 10-yard line for Los Angeles. As a result, Dobbins has gone from $5,500 to $6,800 on FanDuel for Week 2 while Edwards saw a $100 increase from his $6,000 salary from Week 1.

It's a long season and things could change, but Dobbins is shaping up to be a more popular pick than Edwards in Week 2 ahead of a favorable matchup versus the Carolina Panthers. Although it's a small sample from their Week 1 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Panthers allowed the eighth-most rushing expected points added per attempt (0.10) and fourth-most expected rushing yards (139.8) to RBs.

Jameson Williams Receives Salary Decrease Despite Expanded Role

For the Detroit Lions to take another step forward on offense this season, they'll need Jameson Williams to consistently be effective as the team's go-to vertical weapon. Even though Detroit's aerial attack looked lethargic on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Rams, Williams exploded for a career-best 121 receiving yards on 5 receptions while hauling in a 52-yard touchdown.

The most impressive part was Williams led the Lions in target share (32.1%) in Week 1, proving that Jared Goff and Detroit's coaching staff now trust the speedy wideout. He also saw the second-highest route rate (93.3%). Better days are ahead for Amon-Ra St. Brown, but it was a positive sign to see Williams be productive to kick off the new campaign.

Despite Williams excelling in Week 1, FanDuel has lowered his salary from $5,800 to $5,700 entering Week 2. After squaring off against the Rams in a rematch of last year's Wild Card game, the Lions are slated to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, who they defeated in the Divisional Round a season ago.

The Bucs tallied the second-highest blitz rate (47.1%) in Week 1 -- which isn't unusual for a Todd Bowles team -- and the Lions will want Goff to get the ball out of his hands quick. There were times where Williams ran underneath routes against the Rams, allowing him to create yards after the catch on quick receptions, so he could be in store for another notable outing in Week 2 with the Lions-Buccaneers showdown currently tied for the highest total (49.5) on the main slate.

Anthony Richardson Holds Salary that Rivals the Elite QBs Again

Before the Monday night game is played between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers, Anthony Richardson has logged the fourth-most FanDuel points (27.07) among QBs in Week 1. The fascinating part about Richardson's fantasy output is the fact he completed just 9 passes for 212 yards and 2 touchdowns while he also tacked on 56 rushing yards and another score with his legs.

Quarterbacks who can provide consistent rushing production are still a cheat code in any fantasy format, and Richardson is being treated accordingly entering Week 2. If Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes weren't on this week's main slate, Richardson would have the highest salary ($8,500) at the QB position on FanDuel.

While Richardson's passing numbers are going to vary every week, his rushing usage and goal-line role make him an interesting choice in DFS. Stacking with Richardson is tough due to the Indianapolis Colts deploying a run-heavy offense, but the second-year QB is one of the rare options who is worth inserting into your lineup without one of his pass-catchers attached to him.

Following his fantastic fantasy performance in Week 1, Richardson is set to take on the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. The Packers surrendered a combined 142 rushing yards to Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley in their season opener, paving the way for Richardson and Jonathan Taylor to be productive on the ground this week.

No Discount On the Elite TEs Despite Disappointing Performances in Week 1

George Kittle will be playing on Monday night versus the Jets, but as of now, the elite TEs around the league largely disappointed in Week 1. Just to illustrate how dire things were for the elite TEs in the first week of the season, Sam LaPorta, Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Trey McBride, and Evan Engram all accumulated a total of only 20.3 FanDuel points.

Isaiah Likely -- who plays alongside Andrews on the Baltimore Ravens -- currently leads all TEs in FanDuel points in Week 1 with 24.6. The two TEs who have scored the second- and third-most FanDuel points this week are members of the New Orleans Saints, as Foster Moreau scored 12.3 and Juwan Johnson put up 9.6.

Despite the elite TEs falling flat to kick off the season, FanDuel didn't drastically alter their salaries in Week 2. Laporta and Kelce are both holding salaries of $7,400 or above while McBride, Andrews, and Kittle possess salaries of $6,200 or above.

One of the questions that is internally asked each week in DFS is whether or not we should allocate a decent chunk of our salary on one of the elite TEs or save salary at the position. It can still be advantageous to use one of the elite TEs in positive matchups, but just know that it won't come at a major discount on FanDuel in Week 2.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.