Category: Fantasy Football

Daily Fantasy: The one Seahawks player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

There’s one Seattle Seahawks player that you have to start in DraftKings for Week 1.

The one Seattle Seahawks player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings isn’t exactly a player. It’s the Seahawks D/ST.

There might not be a better bang for your buck than the Seahawks defense in Week 1 DFS formats. They’re not quite the powerhouse they once were back when they were known as “The Legion of Boom” but this is a respectable unit heading into a favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta has dealt with a shaky offensive line over the past two seasons, leading to a sub .500 record each year. They added Todd Gurley and Hayden Hurst this past offseason, hoping to spice up the offense. On just over 250 touches in 2019, Gurley averaged his lowest career yards per carry (3.8) and yards per reception (6.7). Hurst was traded away for a fourth-round pick just two seasons after the Ravens selected him with the No. 25 overall pick.

Seattle’s defense averaged 7.6 fantasy points per game in 2019, but they’re bound for improvement in 2020 after recent additions of Quinton Dunbar and Jamal Adams. Dunbar, in particular, boasted the second-highest coverage grade in 2019 according to PFF. That’s exactly the type of talent that could help make this unit that much better in 2020.

The one area of concern for the Seahawks defense, it’s their pass rush, with just 12.5 sacks last season between projected starters Bruce Irvin and Rasheem Green. With the Falcons coming off the worst pass-blocking season of the Matt Ryan era, I’m not sure this moves the needle much on this specific matchup.

At $2,400, you should feel confident buying and starting this squad.

Daily Fantasy: The one Lions player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Marvin Jones Jr. is a good value in Week 1 against the Bears.

Expectations are relatively low for the Lions this season, but they should still be competitive as long as Matthew Stafford can stay healthy. And if he does, expect strong seasons from Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr.

Specifically in Week 1, Jones is the Lions player you should start in daily fantasy football on DraftKings.

He’s relatively cheap at only $5,500, checking in $700 under Golladay. Jones averaged more fantasy points per week than just about every receiver near his price range, except for DeVante Parker ($6,000) and Julian Edelman ($6,000).

Jones has performed well in eight career games against the Bears, too. Though he only has two touchdowns, he averages 3.5 catches and 61.3 yards per game against them. In their two meetings last year, Jones caught eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Bears.

Outside of Kyle Fuller, who will likely draw Golladay in coverage, the Bears aren’t exactly rich with talent at cornerback. Jones could match up with rookie Jaylon Johnson or Buster Skrine, both of whom would be favorable coverage assignments for Jones.

With Stafford fully healthy and ready to take shots downfield, Jones should get back to the way he played in 2017 when he averaged a league-high 18.0 yards per catch and topped 1,100 yards receiving for the year. This is a good matchup for the veteran receiver, assuming Golladay draws Fuller in coverage.

Daily Fantasy: The one Colts player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Colts running back Marlon Mack could be a daily fantasy sports sleeper in Week 1.

The Indianapolis Colts will go on the road to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season on Sunday, Sept. 13 (1:00 p.m. CT, CBS). The game will feature several intriguing daily fantasy sports options.

For the Colts, quarterback Philip Rivers will be making his Indianapolis debut. It’s a little risky to play Rivers in his first game with his new team, so he might not be a smart play in DFS.

Instead, Colts running back Marlon Mack appears to be the Indianapolis player to start. Mack has a reasonable cost of $5,300 in DraftKings’ daily fantasy salary cap challenge (roster limit: $50,000), making him a cheaper option than teammate Jonathan Taylor ($5,700).

Mack is listed as the starter on the Colts’ depth chart but he will likely split touches with Taylor. In Week 1, there should be plenty of opportunities for both Mack and Taylor to rack up fantasy football points.

Last season, the Jags’ defense allowed the fifth-most rushing yards (2,229), the second-most rushing yards per attempt (5.1) and the second-most rushing touchdowns (23) in the NFL. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Indianapolis run all over Jacksonville in their season opener.

After a 1,091-yard, eight-touchdown season in 2019, Mack is poised to begin the year as the Colts’ primary running back. He might lose RB1 duties to Taylor at some point during the season, but Mack should start the year well against the Jaguars’ weak run defense.

Given that he has a lower cap hit than Taylor, Mack appears to be Indianapolis’ top option in daily fantasy sports this week.

[vertical-gallery id=50031]

Daily Fantasy: The one Cardinals player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

There’s one Cardinals player that you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings.

The one Arizona Cardinals player that you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings is WR Christian Kirk.

The former second-round draft pick for Arizona out of Texas A&M has another year of development under his belt. While many look to the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins as a downside for Kirk, I believe it’s going to open up more opportunities for him in the passing game.

Consider that Kirk had over a 19% target share in the Cardinals offense in 2019, catching 68 passes for 709 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games played. Kirk also averaged 13.4 fantasy points per game which is more than big-name players like D.K. Metcalf and Odell Beckham Jr. did in 2019. Now, teams are going to put their top cover corners on Hopkins and Larry Fitzgerald. Kirk is going to be going up against more No. 3 corners than he will No. 2 corners.

In this particular game against the 49ers, Kirk will probably be facing K’Waun Williams in the slot most often. Kirk had the majority of his targets from the slot last season and that appears to be where he’ll get most of his work in 2020. Williams allowed just a 67.6 passer rating when targeted last season, but there’s reason to believe that Kirk could get the best of him this week. Williams suffered a Grade 1 calf strain just a few weeks ago in training camp. He returned to practice on Sept. 1, but those types of soft tissue injuries can linger, especially in defensive backs.

At $5,000 on DraftKings, there is no better value play in Arizona than Kirk in Week 1.

Daily Fantasy: The one Broncos player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Broncos tight end Noah Fant could be a daily fantasy sports sleeper in Week 1.

The Denver Broncos will have to wait longer than just about everyone in the NFL to begin their 2020 campaign. Rounding out the Week 1 slate in the league is the Broncos as they’ll host the Tennessee Titans, the second of two games on Monday Night Football, at 10:20 p.m. ET on ESPN.

That patience could be a virtue when it comes to daily fantasy options.

Entering the season, the Broncos have given quarterback Drew Lock a lot of weapons to work with – and while the Titans’ defensive prowess led Tennessee to the AFC Championship game in 2019, there are still fantasy options to be found in Denver. At the wide receiver position, Courtland Sutton returns, while rookies Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler were added in the NFL Draft.

Despite those tempting options outside, look toward tight end Noah Fant to start the year as a fantasy option. Poised for a breakout second season, Fant could easily get rolling early.

Early in the 2020 season, it’s important to keep in mind that the recent offseason was not great for young quarterbacks like Lock trying to build chemistry with new weapons. But Lock did start five games down stretch last season, all of which included Fant in the lineup. There’s a foundation.

Plus, the Titans’ weak spot on defense last season was against tight ends. Tennessee allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends, 226.6 in total. Fant is also cost-efficient among tight ends on DraftKings, with a $4,200 salary for Week 1 (roster limit: $50,000). Comparatively to the likes of George Kittle ($7,200) and Travis Kelce ($7,000), Fant could be a season-opening steal.

[lawrence-related id=647056,647054,647051,646578]

Daily Fantasy: The one Steelers player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Daily Fantasy: The one Steelers player you need to start in Week 1 on Draft Kings

[jwplayer ZTjXworD]

The 2020 NFL season is upon us and that means fans and experts alike will be closely watching their favorites players stat lines for fantasy football. The Pittsburgh Steelers open up on the road against an NFC East bottom-feeder, the New York Giants.

The Giants went 3-13 in 2019, leading to a coaching change that saw Joe Judge go from a special teams/wide receiver coach for the Patriots to earning New York’s most appealing head coaching job.

With the regular season set to kick on Thursday night, the Steelers vaunted defense is the one unit that is must start in DraftKings and daily fantasy this week.

Pittsburgh has the 6th ranked D/ST in DraftKing’s fantasy football rankings and the Steelers are coming off a campaign in which they were second in fantasy points per game last season, utilizing a ferocious pass rush and talented secondary that played off the charts after the arrival of Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers led the NFL in sacks and takeaways last year and face the Giants’ second-year signal-caller Daniel Jones, who just so happen to lead the NFL with 23 giveaways in 2019, good for second in the NFL.

With a mostly virtual offseason because of the pandemic, the Giants will look for rhythm in an offense that’ll be looking to gain coherency on the fly, a definite advantage for a Steelers defense that returns just about every integral piece from last season, including one of the top passers in all of football in Ben Roethlisberger.

If the Steelers offense can muster points and a ball-control offense, it could force the Giants to become one dimensional, straying away from Saquon Barkley, while leaning more on Daniel Jones.

If Pittsburgh can make the Giants one-dimensional that will create more opportunities for turnovers and the Steelers thrive off such a scenario.

[vertical-gallery id=475928]

[lawrence-related id=475874,475954,475924,475943,475937]

Daily Fantasy: The one Dolphins player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Dolphins WR Preston Williams could be a daily fantasy sleeper in Week 1.

The Miami Dolphins are on the road to begin the 2020 season taking on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in a Week 1 matchup that should feature a number of relevant players in daily fantasy football.

While the Dolphins announced Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting quarterback over No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa, it may be a bit risky to trust the beard in DFS for Week 1. There are also some intriguing options in the backfield with Jordan Howard and Matt Brieda but it is best to avoid them if possible until we get a better understanding of how the work will be split.

This makes wide receiver Preston Williams a perfect target in DFS to begin the season. Though the Patriots still have elite cornerback Stephon Gilmore roaming the secondary, he’s likely to be pre-occupied with DeVante Parker. And while J.C. Jackson is solid in his own right, Williams has a chance at some sneaky value in Week 1.

His price in DFS is very reasonable being listed at $4,500 ($50,000 roster limit). He’s much cheaper than his teammate in Parker ($6,000) and could still see just as many targets—if not more.

Williams was on his way to a breakout campaign during his rookie season before he tore his ACL in Week 9 against the Jets. He caught 32 passes for 428 yards and three touchdowns in eight games played. Through that span, Williams held a 21% target share, which led the entire offense.

Now back from that ACL injury, Williams a perfect high-upside target in DFS for Week 1.

Daily Fantasy: The one Giants player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Here’s a savvy play.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ combination of cornerbacks could prove dangerous for quarterback Daniel Jones. He won’t want to throw at cornerbacks Joe Haden, an established veteran, or Steven Nelson, an underrated performer and probably the team’s top player at the position. But it’s likely the Giants will fall behind — and that means they’ll throw the ball.

So the one New York player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings is tight end Evan Engram, who is the eighth-ranked tight end with a salary of $5,200. He’s the best Daily Fantasy play on a New York team that will probably struggle in Week 1 under new coach, Joe Judge. Though the team will struggle as whole, Engram will not.

He is one of the more talented tight ends in the NFL — it’s just that he hasn’t been healthy for much of his career. In 2019, he suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury, but seemed to be dealing with no ill effects during training camp. Even so, Engram finished with 44 receptions, 467 receiving yards and three touchdowns in eight games last year. It would’ve made him one of the NFL’s most productive tight ends, if he had doubled those stats over 16 games.

It’s likely that Engram is going to see plenty of targets with the receiving corps tied up by the cornerbacks. It’s possible that receivers Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton get bottled up. In turn, it’s likely that Daniel Jones doesn’t have a fantastic day throwing. Running back Saquon Barkley, meanwhile, comes in with a tremendously costly salary of $8,500. Engram is the less-obvious but high-potential for the Giants in Week 1.

[vertical-gallery id=655240]

Daily Fantasy: The one Jaguars player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Jaguars running back Chris Thompson could be a daily fantasy sports sleeper in Week 1.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will host the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season on Sunday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. The game will feature several intriguing daily fantasy sports options.

For the Jaguars, Gardner Minshew II has a low cap hit of $5,800 in DraftKings’ daily fantasy salary cap challenge (roster limit: $50,000). Minshew is cheaper than 20 other QBs, making him an interesting option after he had several strong fantasy performances last season.

Minshew is a risky play, though, because the Colts’ secondary forced 15 interceptions last season, the seventh-highest total in the NFL.

Jacksonville running back Chris Thompson might be the team’s best value in DFS this week. Thompson has a very low cap hit ($4,000) on DraftKings and he could be a sleeper against Indianapolis in Week 1.

Thompson is listed as the third-string running back on the Jaguars’ depth chart but he will likely serve as the team’s top receiving back this year. The Colts are considered 7.5-point favorites against Jacksonville and the Jags will have to throw often if Indianapolis builds a lead early in the game.

A pass-heavy attack would mean more action for Thompson, who caught 42 passes for 378 yards last season. Granted, Thompson’s yards per catch average wasn’t great last year, but he has good value in PPR formats for his catches alone.

Thompson has totaled at least 35 receptions in each of the last five seasons, totaling 1,772 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in his career. He has also rushed for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns.

Thompson probably won’t be the lead back in the Jaguars’ offense but his receiving skills make him an intriguing RB for daily fantasy sports.

[vertical-gallery id=36774]

Daily Fantasy: The one Bills player you need to start in Week 1 on DraftKings

Zack Moss has sneaky upside in daily fantasy for Week 1.

The Buffalo Bills are preparing to host the New York Jets on Sunday in a Week 1 matchup at Bills Stadium. As real football commences, daily fantasy football will also begin taking place this weekend.

The Bills have recently enjoyed an emergence in relevant fantasy football assets. Third-year quarterback Josh Allen has a high rushing floor, which is becoming ever so valuable in fantasy football. But he isn’t the best value in daily fantasy for Week 1. New wide receiver Stefon Diggs joins John Brown and Cole Beasley, but none of them present the right value.

Instead, when looking for value in daily fantasy on the Bills’ side of the ball, look no further than rookie running back Zack Moss. Sure, the Utah product is likely to be sharing the field with second-year back Devin Singletary, but the rookie has already carved out a role at the goal-line during training camp. Not to mention, Moss has shown up as a receiver as well, which we know is vital in fantasy football.

Priced at just $4,400 on DraftKings ($50,000 roster limit), it wouldn’t be a surprise to many if the third-round pick winds up having an explosive day for fantasy managers. He’s already taking over the Frank Gore role at the goal line and with Singletary struggling with fumbles at camp, Moss could be in for a bigger workload than expected.

The backfield in Buffalo is likely to work in tandem but given his likely role inside the five-yard line and his work as a receiver, Moss represents the best value in daily fantasy for the Bills in Week 1.