As it pertains to Daily Fantasy Football, Week 1 is always the most unpredictable. Don’t run scared. Instead, embrace the madness.
This is the best Sunday of the year. Football is finally back. One piece of advice that I can give is to always play the matchups. The biggest mistake that people make who play daily fantasy (DraftKings is the best place to play) is overthinking.
What I always tell people to do is to create a player pool of players (at their positions) that you like. If you don’t, you will drive yourself insane and have too many players to choose from. After you make this list, start creating your lineups.
For example, I will choose between two and four quarterbacks that I like for the week and start my lineups with them. Once I am done with quarterbacks, I will go on to the other positions. Good luck in week one and enjoy the madness that the start of the NFL season brings.
Quarterback:
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans ($6,700)
Deshaun Watson was on a tear (too soon for an ACL joke?) before he got hurt last season. He averaged 31 fantasy points a game in his last five games and he should have no problem torching the Patriots secondary which gave up the fourth most points to opposing quarterbacks last season.
If you play him, you should stack him with DeAndre Hopkins, who had seven touchdowns in the same five-game stretch.
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals ($5,800)
Andy Dalton should have no problem throwing all over maybe the worst secondary in the league in the Indianapolis Colts. Last season against the Colts, he scored 18.7 fantasy points and at his price, it allows for you to pay up for another stud.
I will have plenty of Andy Dalton in my DraftKings lineups this week and I will have a double stack with A.J. Green and John Ross in some of them, all three should have good games this week.
Other plays to consider:
- Kirk Cousins $6,500 (double stack with Adam Thielen $6,900 and Stefon Diggs $6,300)
- Russell Wilson $6,200 (stack with Tyler Lockett $4,300)
- Alex Smith $5,600 (stack with Jordan Reed)
Running Back:
David Johnson, Arizona Cardinals ($8,800)
David Johnson should touch the ball close to 30 times on Sunday. He is the focal point of the offense and with the PPR scoring, he gets a big pump in value.
In 2016, he led all running backs in targets (120), receptions (80) and receiving yards (879). If I had to pick one player to be the highest scorer (non-QB), I would put my money on DJ.
The Washington Redskins gave up the fourth most DraftKings points to running backs last season (23.4 points per game). He has no competition for carries and is one of the few running backs in football who could see 85-90 percent of the touches out of the backfield.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans ($5,400)
The Miami Dolphins will have one of the worst rush defenses in 2018. I believe the signing of Dion Lewis will scare most people away from playing Derrick Henry. This is a tournament player because there is risk here, but if he sees more 18 or more carries (three games where he saw more then 18 in 2017, he averaged over 24 fantasy points per game) he could have a big game and could go low owned.
Other plays to consider:
- Kareem Hunt ($6,900)
- Alex Collins ($5,600)
- Royce Freeman ($4,500)
- Peyton Barber ($4,100)
- James White ($4,000)
Wide Receiver:
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans ($8,300)
In Deshaun Watson’s final five games before he got hurt, Hopkins averaged 24 fantasy points per game. You can make the argument for any top priced wide receiver this week (yes, even Odell Beckham Jr.), but if I must choose one, I am going with DeAndre Hopkins.
This game has the highest over-under of the week and I want the best players in the game.
Danny Amendola, Miami Dolphins ($4,200)
I expect Danny Amendola to be targeted early and often during this game. He has two big factors going for him in week one. The first one is DeVante Parker will miss the game and second, few quarterbacks target slot receivers more than Ryan Tannehill.
This could be a game where he has nine receptions with over hundred yards and a touchdown, huge upside with him this week.
Other plays to consider:
- Michael Thomas ($7,800)
- Demaryius Thomas ($5,700)
- Corey Davis ($5,600)
- Jarvis Landry ($5,600)
- Tyler Lockett ($4,300)
- Keelan Cole ($3,800)
Tight End:
Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins ($4,000)
When healthy, Jordan Reed is a top-five option at tight end. Alex Smith targeted his starting tight end Travis Kelce, 122 times last season, which led the position. This may be the last time that he is 100 percent healthy on the season and he could be in for a big workload.
Alex Smith to Jordan Reed is a sneaky stack that could pay off in a big way this week.
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts ($3,600)
Get used to reading this: Jack Doyle will be a great play this week. He is too cheap and he finished second at the position with 80 receptions last season (that was without Andrew Luck who is a major upgrade at the position).
The Colts might have one of the worst rosters in the league but with T.Y. Hilton on the field, defenses must respect his speed and that opens the middle of the field for Jack Doyle.
Other plays to consider:
- Rob Gronkowski ($6,900)
- Delanie Walker ($4,900)
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($3,200)
Defenses:
Baltimore Ravens ($3,800)
Nathan Peterman. Enough said.
Carolina Panthers ($3,200)
The Dallas Cowboys offense, besides Zeke Elliott, is hands down the worst in football. With a banged-up offensive line and poor wide receiver play, the Panthers can stack the box and force Dak Prescott to beat them. Could be low owned and this defense has good upside this week.
Other plays to consider:
- Los Angeles Chargers ($2,800)
