In the second “Sunday Night Football” contest of the 2022 NFL season, the Bears travel to Lambeau Field for a divisional clash with reigning back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Chicago will be looking to ride its momentum from a rainy-day home win over the 49ers, while Green Bay will be aiming to bounce back after getting smoked by the Vikings. This Week 2 NFC North battle features a ton of talented players, providing us with a lot of viable stud and DFS sleeper picks to fill our DraftKings Showdown lineups.
The Pack are adjusting to life without All-Pro wideout Davante Adams, who left a huge hole in Rodgers’ receiving corps when he left for Las Vegas. Allen Lazard (ankle) highlights the multitude of pass-catchers vying for WR1 in this offense, but the veteran was sidelined last weekend after being stepped on by a teammate. Rookies Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson both caught the attention of fans and fantasyland in the preseason, but an underwhelming opening weekend for both tempered short-term expectations and thus keep their price tags low. The Packers also have veteran wideout Randall Cobb, tight end Robert Tonyan, and perhaps most importantly, the elite two-headed backfield monster comprised of Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon.
As for the Bears, they are the definition of a rebuilding team. Second-year QB Justin Fields possesses raw but tantalizing athletic ability, both with his feet and his arm. With an offensive line consistently ranked by PFF as one of the worst in the NFL, he will need to utilize his spontaneous playmaking skills early and often this season. Fields’ No. 1 receiver should be Darnell Mooney, but many regard pass-catching tight end Cole Kmet as a strong breakout candidate (and DFS bargain). Chicago’s backfield seems up in the air — veteran David Montgomery gets more usage (for now), but young speedster Khalil Herbert looks better.
MORE SNF: FanDuel Lineup (coming soon)
There’s your offensive scouting report — now let’s build ourselves a team! Here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests:
- full-point PPR
- three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards
- Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player’s original price
- Captain’s total score gets multiplied by 1.5
MORE DK SHOWDOWN: How to win a Showdown contest
DraftKings Showdown Picks: Bears vs. Packers Week 2 Sunday Night Football
$50,000 budget, need at least one player from each team.
Captain (1.5x points, 1.5x salary): QB Aaron Rodgers, Packers ($15,900)
In a game featuring very few stars, you probably want the future Hall of Famer. Rodgers has famously owned the Bears during his illustrious 18-year career, even declaring his unofficial ownership status last December. While the four-time MVP doesn’t actually have a stake in the Chicago franchise, he certainly dominates the NFC North rival. Since entering the league in 2005, Rodgers is 22-5 against the Chi, with 61 touchdowns and just 10 picks. The last time the Bears visited Lambeau — before Rodgers declared himself their daddy — he went 29-of-37 for 341 yards and four TDs (don’t forget DraftKings rewards an extra three points for 300+ passing yards). After a horrendous season opener in Minnesota, in which Rodgers failed to record a TD or reach 200 yards, expect a bounce-back effort against a lackluster Bears secondary.
WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX RB Aaron Jones, Packers ($12,200)
With Davante Adams no longer a Lambeau ally, Jones now serves as offensive weapon No. 1A (we’ll talk about 1B next). A versatile talent, Jones can gash opponents both on the ground and through the air, and Rodgers always knows how to utilize him to exploit defenses. Across Green Bay’s two tilts with Chicago last season, Jones received 18 carries for 111 yards and a TD and caught all seven targets for 64 yards and two TDs. We’ll do the math for you: that’s 42.5 fantasy points on DraftKings, which follows the PPR format. We would be ecstatic to have 21-plus points from our first flex spot this Sunday night. Jones notched either 100 yards rushing or 100 yards receiving 14 times throughout his first five years as a pro, so we could see a yardage boost, too.
WEEK 2 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em
FLEX RB AJ Dillon, Packers ($8,400)
The Packers backfield has very much become a two-headed monster since Dillon’s breakout second-year campaign in 2021. Whereas Jones once handled the majority of the pass-catching RB duties, the 6-0, 250-pound Dillon now splits both rushing and receiving work with the veteran. Dillon actually more work in Week 1:
| RB | Rushes | Yards | Targets | Catches | Yards | RZ Touches | TDs | FPts |
| Dillon | 10 | 45 | 6 | 5 | 46 | 3 | 1 | 20.1 |
| Jones | 5 | 49 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 10.6 |
Rodgers said in the preseason that with Adams gone, Green Bay will put its 11 best players on the field and let them make plays. Jones and Dillon, he further explained, are obviously two of their best 11 offensive players. Don’t be surprised if both backs flourish this weekend under the bright lights of the prime-time divisional affair.
WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX WR Equanimeous St. Brown, Bears ($5,800)
St. Brown made the most of his one target on opening weekend, hauling it in for an 18-yard touchdown. On the field for 42 snaps despite the monsoon-like weather, he undoubtedly would have received more targets in better conditions (Justin Fields attempted 17 passes all game). With speedy rookie Velus Jones Jr. nursing a hamstring injury, St. Brown should continue to start opposite Darnell Mooney, and we like his chances to outproduce his modest price tag against a Packers secondary that allowed Kirk Cousins to put up 277 passing yards and two TDs. St. Brown isn’t a world-beater, but he certainly seems like the best receiving option under $6,000 in this one.
WEEK 2 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo
FLEX RB Khalil Herbert, Bears ($5,200)
Sorry to all the David Montgomery truthers, but Herbert looks and produces like the No. 1 back in Chicago. While Montgomery tallied just 26 yards on 17 carries (1.5 yards per carry…good grief), Herbie Fully Loaded notched 45 yards and a TD on nine totes. The 24-year-old back also possesses strong receiving skills, which we never even saw Bears coach Matt Eberflus and OC Luke Getsy flesh out Sunday. Give the kid the rock!
WEEK 2 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
FLEX TE Cole Kmet, Bears ($2,000)
As we mentioned earlier, Kmet served as one of Sporting News’ sleeper tight ends this preseason, and he’s coming in at a bargain-barrel rate of $2,000 here. You can’t go wrong at this price point — anything over a handful of PPR points is gravy. With his red-zone upside and modest price tag, Kmet is a no-brainer.
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