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Week 2 kicks off with a star-studded AFC clash between the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Bills. Both teams picked up high-scoring wins in their season openers and now meet in their first primetime game of the year on Thursday Night Football. The Bills enter as five-point favorites in their home opener and first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium.
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Here are the best DFS picks for Thursday night’s showdown. Don’t forget to check out our NFL betting trends page for game data and insights on the week ahead. We also have Anytime Touchdown Picks and Player Props to consider!
Detroit Lions vs. Buffalo Bills DFS Picks
| Pos | Player | Matchup | FPPG | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVP |
 👑Josh Allen |
DET @ BUF | 38.7 | $17,100 |
| FLEX |  Jahmyr Gibbs |
DET @ BUF | 37.6 | $12,000 |
| FLEX |  Sam LaPorta |
DET @ BUF | 9.8 | $5,400 |
| FLEX |  Jameson Williams |
DET @ BUF | 8.5 | $7,400 |
| FLEX |  Joshua Palmer |
DET @ BUF | 10.4 | $3,200 |
| FLEX |  Jake Bates |
DET @ BUF | 7.0 | $4,800 |
👑 Josh Allen, BUF/QB/MVP ($17,100)
Our Week 2 TNF DFS lineup is top-heavy, with Josh Allen in the captain spot consuming over 30% of the budget. The early MVP favorite finally got over the hump in Houston, putting together a monster performance in a 36-31 victory over the Texans. Allen finished the opener with 357 scrimmage yards and 4 total TDs.
Buffalo may need more of the same on Thursday with the high-powered Lions offense coming to town. This game carries the highest point total of the week, and it is hard to imagine Allen not playing a major role in that. Detroit’s secondary allowed over 400 passing yards and 3 TDs to Tyler Shough and the Saints in Week 1 and could be in serious trouble against Allen in this form.
Jahmyr Gibbs, DET/RB ($12,000)
Despite the lofty expectations that come with being the consensus RB1, Jahmyr Gibbs opened the season with a superstar performance against the Saints. Gibbs finished the season opener with 186 yards from scrimmage, only trailing Kenneth Walker III for the league’s top spot. With the backfield essentially his alone for the first time in his career, Gibbs worked as a true workhorse, leading the NFL with 29 carries in Week 1.
The fourth-year back finished with 2 TDs on the ground and, of course, looked dangerous in the pass game as well, with five receptions for 30 yards. His former teammate, David Montgomery, punished the Bills in Week 1 with 3 total TDs, and Gibbs could replicate much of what Montgomery did in the season opener. The Lions offense will keep running through Gibbs, and until a team finds a way to neutralize him, the 24-year-old is a must-have in any lineup despite the steep price.
Sam LaPorta, DET/TE ($5,400)
With so much of our budget tied up in Allen and Gibbs, we are targeting value options who could play a significant role in what projects to be a high-scoring game. LaPorta’s 2025-26 season was cut short by a back injury, but the fourth-year TE looked like himself in the opener, catching five of eight targets for 48 yards and playing 81% of Detroit’s total snaps. A shootout scenario could mean an even higher-volume night on Thursday.
The Bills held Texans TE Dalton Schultz to 4 receptions for 35 yards in Week 1, but will have far bigger defensive priorities against this Lions squad. LaPorta should benefit from the attention Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown command, giving Goff a reliable safety valve when his primary targets are covered.
Jameson Williams, DET/WR ($7,400)
Thinking along the same lines, fifth-year WR Jameson Williams is a bounce-back target after a rough Week 1. The former first-round pick finished with just 4 catches on 9 targets for 45 yards, uncharacteristically dropping three passes. Even so, a 23% target share in the opener is encouraging against a Buffalo secondary that gave up several big plays to Houston. Williams is as dangerous as anyone at getting behind a defense and benefits greatly from the attention the playmakers around him draw.
The boom-or-bust label has followed Williams throughout his career, which comes with risk at $7,400. He found the end zone in his lone meeting against Buffalo in 2024 — a 48-42 win. With talent on both sides of the ball, another shootout looks likely, and that bodes well for Williams and the Lions’ passing game.
Joshua Palmer, BUF/WR ($3,200)
Joshua Palmer made the most of his two targets in the opener, hauling in a 34-yard game-winning TD. The low snap count and target total are obvious concerns, but the veteran WR could demand a bigger role on a short week after coming up clutch in a critical moment. At just $3,200, even a modest performance in a high-scoring game could easily justify the price.
Palmer played just 18 snaps in Week 1 and is clearly down the depth chart behind Allen’s primary targets. With WR Keon Coleman still searching for his role in this offense, Joe Brady may lean more on Palmer as the season progresses while others command the bulk of defensive attention. If the Bills try to match the Lions’ output on Thursday, Palmer could find himself in another pivotal moment.
Jake Bates, DET/K ($4,800)
Jake Bates picked up right where he left off last season, starting the campaign perfectly in the opener. The former XFL standout went 1-of-1 on FG attempts and 4-of-4 on extra points in Week 1, bringing his career FG percentage to 84.4%.
The 27-year-old should see plenty of action on Thursday as Detroit looks to keep pace with Buffalo’s offense. Bates played in the infamous 2024 matchup between these sides, going 6-of-6 on extra points while missing his lone 50-plus yard attempt in the first half. Houston K Ka’imi Fairbairn attempted just one FG against the Bills in Week 1 but hit his lone attempt from 58 yards.
Photo Credit: REUTERS
