We’ve reached Week 2 of the NFL season, and I’m here to walk you through one of the biggest games you can play on Underdog Fantasy, the Battle Royale. The Battle Royale is a 6-person, 6-round fantasy draft. There are no bench spots, and you must start 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE, and 1 Flex spot.
Your goal is to pick the best combination of six high-scoring players, with the weekly grand prize available of $50,000 to the ultimate drafter. If you’ve never played on Underdog before, try it out! Click this link and sign up for Underdog Fantasy. Play $5, get $50 in bonus funds to use on other games and drafts. If you want to join in the fun, read on to see my favorite plays to target in Week 2.
Let’s Go High T in Round 1
Three of the first four players by ADP are running backs this week, and I am in full agreement with this. In fact, I would actually pull up Jahmyr Gibbs into the 1st round as well, personally. I think these 4 players (Henry, CMC, Saquon, and Gibbs) have a clear leg up over the rest of the running backs in the field, as they offer the ideal blend of offensive upside and an elite workload.
While I don’t dislike Ja’Marr Chase or CeeDee Lamb in the first, I don’t think either separates quite enough to be worth taking over any of the Big 4. I’d rather pass on them and see what falls to me in the next couple of rounds at receiver. There are specifically four other receivers later that I think have just as strong a chance as being the WR1 for the week.
Round 2 is a Trap
Honestly, the fact that Round 2 is 50% quarterbacks and tight ends feels gross to me. The only one of the top five projected quarterbacks this season to not be available is Jayden Daniels, and the fact that two of those guys go in the third round and two go in the second round causes me to frankly just want to fade the second rounders. Nothing wrong with Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen at all.
I’m less likely to fade Trey McBride as the only “elite” tight end available to draft, but the second-round price tag is not my favorite. I would rather grab a running back or a wide receiver and see if McBride will wrap back around to me in the third round. Give me Puka Nacua or Brian Thomas Jr. in this round.
Go Elite in Round 3
I’d much rather draft Jalen Hurts and Joe Burrow now, especially with Burrow in a seemingly juicy matchup against the Jaguars and Hurts in a Super Bowl rematch vs the Chiefs. Both quarterbacks have just as much upside to break fantasy football as Jackson and Allen do. If you don’t want any of the top four, I think scrolling down a ways for your quarterback is a good option this week.
Otherwise, I think the receivers in this round are again elite options to grab. Malik Nabers, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and pulling up Marvin Harrison Jr. or Jaxon Smith-Njigba are all very high target shares with WR1 overall upside that I don’t want to pass on very often. I also like Jonathan Taylor, who represents the last member of a huge tier break before we get down to scarier names at the running back position.
The Rest of Your Draft
The mid-range tight ends are less inviting to me this week (except for one player), and I think looking at scroll options for tight ends and quarterbacks is a good strategy with so many elite quarterbacks and so few elite tight ends. I also like several of the later running back and wide receiver options this week, with some good game environments to target and chase projected points in.
As a reminder, it’s rarely a good idea to simply draft by ADP in such a small draft room for each game you enter. It’s better to save 1-2 picks for players lower down in ADP who aren’t as drafted by the field and have less chance of having similar competitive lineups.
Who to Target
So who should you take? I’ll tell you who my targets are at each position, keeping in mind the idea of balancing good projectable volume with understanding how the field may build their lineups.
Quarterbacks – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Jalen Hurts | Dak Prescott | Matthew Stafford
Running backs – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Christian McCaffrey | Breece Hall/James Conner | Tony Pollard/Dylan Sampson
Wide Receivers – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Puka Nacua | Garrett Wilson | DeVonta Smith/Cedric Tillman
Tight Ends – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
Trey McBride | Tyler Warren/Harold Fannin Jr | Jonnu Smith
Flex – Expensive | Mid-Range | Free
De’Von Achane | George Pickens/Tetairoa McMillan | Travis Hunter/Jaylen Warren/Troy Franklin
