Week 1 of the NFL season is just hours away and to say the least, I couldn’t be more excited. Excited as I am about the start of real football, the start of DFS has me over the edge. After four weeks of dreadful preseason DFS, it’s time to get to the real thing and decide who we’ll be putting in our lineups come Sunday. I always look at Week 1 as a big week for DFS stack plays. If you hit big, it can really set you up well for the rest of the year. So, without further ado, here my top DFS stack plays for Week 1 of the NFL season.
Russell Wilson Headlines Week 1 DFS Stack Plays
Jameis Winston ($7,500) & Mike Evans ($7,900)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the San Francisco 49ers to start off the 2019 season and I think this game is going to turn into a shootout. Both of these offenses have the playmakers to put up points. More importantly, neither of these defenses was able to stop anyone in 2018. Looking at the 49ers defense and their struggles against both the quarterback and wide receiver positions, you’ll see why Jameis Winston and Mike Evans are such great picks this week. In 2018, the 49ers were 26th against both positions while giving up over 19 points per game to quarterbacks and over 38 points per game to wide receivers. They simply couldn’t stop anyone last year. While they made some improvements to their front seven, their secondary is still one of the league’s weakest. I’m expecting a massive week from Winston. That should lead to his number one target Mike Evans cashing in big as well.
Russell Wilson ($8,200) & Tyler Lockett ($6,800)
The Seattle Seahawks will start their 2019 season against the Cincinnati Bengals at home where they have been so dominant in the Russell Wilson era. The Seahawks are the heavy favorites in this one and for good reason. They are facing a Bengals defense that gave up the 3rd most points to quarterbacks last season (20.9) and the 11th most to wide receivers (35.8). That’s where Wilson and Tyler Lockett come in. Last season, even with now-retired Doug Baldwin on the field, Lockett finished with a career-high 10 touchdown receptions showing just how strong a connection he and Wilson have. Looking at the Bengals secondary, starting slot cornerback Darqueze Dennard will sit this one out forcing backup B.W. Webb to cover Lockett, a matchup that I expect Lockett to dominate. In a game that should be a blowout, look for Wilson to target his number one wideout early and often while taking a couple of their famous deep shots as well.
Kirk Cousins ($7,400) & Stefon Diggs ($7,200)
The Minnesota Vikings will play host to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 of the 2019 season and just looking at the talent on both of these offenses, this game could be a shootout. For the Vikings, everything starts with quarterback Kirk Cousins and his ability to shake off a rough 2018 season and get back on track for 2019. I think he has a good shot at doing so now. He’s had a chance to grow a rapport with his talented group of pass-catchers. Speaking of pass catchers, the Vikings boast what may be the league’s best duo in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Both of these guys are immensely talented and should make Cousins job a lot easier. Many have ranked Thielen higher coming into the season. I have Diggs as the better option here in Week 1. Looking at the Falcons secondary, they were decimated by injuries last year. They finished as the 32nd ranked defense against quarterbacks and the 27th ranked defense against wide receivers. While they should be improved in 2019, this defense is still far from elite. I think Diggs will be able to take advantage of some light coverage while Thielen sees most of the double-teams.
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