Welcome to another season of Daily Fantasy Football; these articles will focus on games being played at FanDuel. Each week I will highlight some of my preferred plays of the week, plus some deeper “Tournament” plays, who will be decent options to mix in for the larger field tournaments in an effort to differential your lineup from the similar higher owned lineup options.
For those of you who are not familiar with the format at FanDuel, here is a quick primer:
- Scoring: Half PPR with 4 point Pass Touchdowns, -1 for Interceptions and -2 for Fumbles Lost.
- Lineups: 1 Quarterback (QB), 2 Running Backs (RB), 3 Wide Receivers (WR), 1 Tight End (TE), 1 Kicker (K), and 1 Defense (D).
- Salary Cap: 60,000 with player salaries ranging from 4,000 to approximately 10,000 in any given week.
Different from some of the other sites, there is a small range of salaries from the top to bottom players, so rather than a “Stars & Scrubs” approach as many will take on certain sites, on FanDuel you are better off looking for value in the midrange and avoiding the bottom end players unless a clear value play emerges.
Fanduel Week 1 Picks
Week 1 Rankings (These rankings are only for the Sunday/Monday FanDuel leagues, the Pittsburgh Steelers/New England Patriots game is not part of these rankings)
Quarterback
Top Plays
- Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons (8800 v. PHI) – With a Week 1 Vegas Total of 55.5 points, the Philadelphia/Atlanta game is likely to be a high scoring affair and their players will be featured prominently in this article. Ryan has always enjoyed his home games, and looks to have a big start to the season on Monday Night Football.
- Sam Bradford, Philadelphia Eagles (7500 @ ATL) – Might as well keep the train rolling with the road QB in the Monday Night affair. The Eagles rolled through the preseason putting up huge scores each week, with Chip Kelly running the offense and a plethora of weapons at his disposal, Bradford is great Week 1 option.
- Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills (5000 v. IND) – Not a name you would likely see as a preferred play, but his price tag is absolute bottom basement for the position. Taylor is not likely to put up a huge stat line, but with the savings, you can load up at other positions and he will likely be lower owned than Ryan or Bradford.
Secondary Plays
- Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (9700 @ CHI)
- Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (8700 v. NYG)
- Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals (7100 @ OAK)
Tournament Plays
- Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (7100 @ TB)
- Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6900 v. TEN)
- Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins (6000 v. MIA)
Running Back
Top Plays
- Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals (8600 @ OAK) – Bursting onto the scene midseason last year, Hill looks to build on his excellent rookie season with a Week 1 game at the lowly Oakland Raiders. Hill appears to have a game similar to Marshawn Lynch and benefits from the format with only a Half PPR.
- Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers (8500 @ CHI) – Lacy struggled against the Bears last season, but the first game occurred before his got his season truly rolling. With the loss of Jordy Nelson, the Packers are likely to lean on Lacy a little heavier, and in a game Green Bay should be leading, Lacy will get a lot of second half touches.
- Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers (7100 @ JAC) – DeAngelo Williams is finally gone, and with the loss on star WR Kelvin Benjamin, Stewart will likely be the focal point of the offense. Stewart is injury prone, so get him early while you can, and in a favorable match up against Jacksonville.
Secondary Plays
- DeMarco Murray, Philadelphia Eagles (8500 @ ATL)
- Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders (7400 v. CIN)
- Alfred Blue, Houston Texans (5800 v. KC)
Tournament Plays
- Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6900 v. TEN)
- Bishop Sankey, Tennessee Titans (6300 @ TB)
- Karlos Williams, Buffalo Bills (4500 v. IND – check injury status on LeSean McCoy)
Wide Receiver
Top Plays
- Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons (9000 v. PHI) – Julio is the most expensive WR on the salary list, but new Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan has notoriously fed his top wide receiver the ball religiously. Couple that with the potential shootout game and Julio is easily the top WR choice this week.
- Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys (8700 v. NYG) – A division tilt on Sunday Night Football should produce some fireworks and Dez is likely to be the beneficiary with a running game that looks to be in turmoil in Dallas. If you are looking elsewhere from Julio, Dez appears to be the next best choice.
- Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins (6900 @ WAS) – If the preseason is any indication of regular season success, Landry appears to be headed towards a monster season in Miami. A match up with a poor secondary again Washington looks to be a nice one to exploit at a low ownership percent.
- Jordan Matthews, Philaldelphia (6800 @ ATL) – What do you know, another player in the Philadelphia/Atlanta game. Matthews is newly crowned as the lead receiver for the Eagles and appears to be on his way to being a target monster if the preseason game plan carries over into the regular season.
- Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers (5500 @ CHI) – Randall Cobb is likely to play and would make a great choice this week, but for the money the Green Bay receiver to own is Davante Adams. The clear number two receiver on the Packers, Adams will be the main man on the outside with Cobb manning the slot.
Secondary Plays
- Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants (8900 @ DAL)
- Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers (8400 @ CHI – check injury status)
- J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals (8300 @ OAK)
- Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars (6100 v. CAR)
- Devin Funchess, Carolina Panthers (4600 @ JAC – check injury status)
Tournament Plays
- Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints (7400 @ ARI)
- Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals (6000 v. NO)
- Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans (5800 @ TB)
- Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles (5500 @ ATL)
- Eddie Royal, Chicago Bears (5000 v. GB – check injury status on Alshon Jeffery and upgrade if Jeffery is out)
Tight End
Top Plays
- Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (5900 @ JAC) – With the injury to Kelvin Benjamin, Olsen becomes the defacto top receiver and red zone target. Jacksonville has an improved defense, but they will not be able to contain Olsen with the amount of looks he should receive from Cam Newton.
- Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals (5000 @ OAK) – An emerging stud, Eifert had his career put on hold last year before halftime in Week 1. Finally healthy again, Eifert will provide a secondary weapon to pair with A.J. Green in a good match up against the Raiders.
Secondary Plays
- Jimmy Graham, Seattle Seahawks (6900 @ STL)
- Ladarius Green, San Diego Chargers (5700 v. DET)
Tournament Plays
- Richard Rodgers, Green Bay Packers (4900 @ CHI)
- Brent Celek, Philadelphia Eagles (4500 @ ATL)
Kicker
Top Plays
- Matt Bryant, Atlanta Falcons (5000 v. PHI) – Do not think more needs to be said about this game, expect points and kickers get more points when the game is high scoring – it’s a dome game to boot.
- Brandon McManus, Denver Broncos (4500 v. BAL) – The match up is not ideal, but the Denver kicker at home for a minimum salary is always a good choice.
Secondary Plays
- Cody Parkey, Philadelphia Eagles (5000 @ ATL)
- Dan Bailey, Dallas Cowboys (5000 v. NYG)
Tournament Plays
- Josh Lambo, San Diego Chargers (4500 v. DET)
- Zach Hocker, New Orleans Saints (4500 @ ARI)
Defense
Top Plays
- Miami Dolphins (4700 @ WAS) – Kirk Cousins is actually a worse match up for Miami than Robert Griffin would have been, but the Dolphins are still a top choice at defense in Week 1.
- New York Jets (4400 v. CLE) – Probably the top defense choice of the week, the Jets will be widely owned across FanDuel. If you a player who likes to avoid high percentage picks, look elsewhere.
Secondary Plays
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4500 v. TEN)
- Indianapolis Colts (4300 @ BUF – check injury stats of LeSean McCoy)
Tournament Plays
- Minnesota Vikings (4400 @ SF)
- Dallas Cowboys (4200 v. NYG)
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 04: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons yells to hi9s offense against the Dallas Cowboys at Georgia Dome on November 4, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
