This article is part of our FanDuel Fantasy Football series.
Welcome back to another season of DFS on FanDuel! Make sure to check out their big contests where you can turn $4 into $1,000,000 and there could be plenty of overlay for Week 1. Let's take a look at some options to play this week, position by position.
Quarterbacks
If you're looking for the best value then Joe Burrow ($6,600) might be your guy. He's done and said everything you want to see from a rookie quarterback and has plenty of weapons at his disposal. This is evidenced by a healthy A.J. Green likely not being his best wide receiver (looking at you, Tyler Boyd). If I'm paying up at the position, I'm leaning toward Russell Wilson ($8,400) or Drew Brees ($8,100). Vegas has both quarterbacks leading the way as far as team total points are concerned and both are in favorable passing matchups. Both will be playing indoors as well, negating any potential weather complications. Speaking of weather, keep an eye on the game in San Francisco as that could canceled due to the wildfires, somewhat similar to the Week 1 game in Miami a few years ago. While he may be viewed in fantasy circles as a "boring" pick, Matthew Stafford ($7,300) was on pace to throw for 5,000 yards and almost 40 touchdowns last season. These aren't the '85 Bears he's facing, and being at home, in a dome should portend well for fantasy success.
Running Backs
Christian McCaffrey ($10,000) automatically deserves a mention after averaging more than 25 fantasy points per game last season and has a decent matchup against a Las Vegas team traveling across the country. On the other side of the field sits Josh Jacobs ($8,200), who is a viable option with arguably the best matchup for this slate of games. He's also expected to play a bigger role in the passing game than last season. If you're looking for some value options, Antonio Gibson ($4,600) and James Robinson ($4,500) should be on your radar as starter options for their respective teams. Jonathan Taylor ($5,400) is supposed to be brought along slowly but is an intriguing option for GPPs. He's as talented as any other rookie running back and has a plus-matchup on the road at Jacksonville. This position is full of good value targets this week.
Wide Receiver
It will be a full-blown Chris Godwin ($7,700) if Mike Evans sits out this game due to injury. In that case it's not a great matchup for Godwin against Marshon Lattimore, but he should see double-digit targets from Tom Brady in that scenario. DJ Chark ($6,600) seems cheap considering he'll be at home and was a 1,000-yard receiver last year. DeSean Jackson ($5,700) is an excellent tournament option who is healthy and has a history over the past few seasons of torching his Week 1 opponent. The Eagles are also thin at wide receiver to start the season. I'm expecting a breakout season from N'Keal Harry ($5,100) who should benefit from an increase in targets if Xavien Howard shadows Julian Edelman ($6,700). The upgrade to Cam Newton over Jarrett Stidham is considerable as well. Henry Ruggs ($5,100) is in a position to be the team's No.1 wide receiver and has big-play ability against a team that was beaten by the pass last season.
Tight End
The tight end position is deep this season with a lot of "H's" leading the way. T.J. Hockenson ($5,300), Austin Hooper ($5,300) and Hunter Henry ($6,000) are all worthy of consideration. George Kittle ($8,000) faces an Arizona team (if that game is played) that was terrible against defending the tight end last season. This may be the homer in me, but if you're looking to punt here and spend almost the minimum, Dawson Knox ($4,700) is in play despite this being a low over/under total (39.5).
Defense
New England Patriots ($4,600) — I think the Bills ($4,700) are in play here, but my brain says to go with the Patriots. It's a home game against Miami, and while Ryan Fitzpatrick will always hold a special place in my heart, I see him producing a turnover (likely multiple ones) in this game. The Patriots were the best defense on FanDuel last season averaging 14.5 fantasy points, which should carry over this year.
