FanDuel fantasy football picks: Week 1, 2015

High Value Quarterbacks

Carson Palmer-Arizona Cardinals (7,700): Palmer is extremely underrated and is a nice value option if you go cheap at QB as the 16th highest salaried option on FanDuel  He and the Cardinals host the Saints to start the season, and Palmer looks to stay healthy after last season was once again cut short due to injury.  I’ve written about Palmer in my waiver wire pickups and in other sleeper pieces this preseason, so I won’t rehash all the numbers here.  In FanDuel points, Palmer averaged more points per game last season than Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, and Matthew Stafford. When he was healthy and in Coach Bruce Arians offense, he was a very productive fantasy football QB so give him a look this week.

Sam Bradford-Philadelphia Eagles (7,500): In the first of a pair of Monday Night Football contests, the new-look Eagles visit the Georgia Dome to take on the Falcons. Bradford has looked exceptional this preseason and is extremely low-priced on FanDuel as the 17th-highest priced QB.  He finished the preseason with an exceptional performance against Green Bay completing all ten of his ten passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns.  Bradford has major durability concerns which make him a scary option to roll with in season-long leagues, but one of the beauties of week-long leagues is if you start him you only need him to stay healthy for one week instead of an entire season.  Right now, Bradford looks to be healthy and a great fit for Chip Kelly’s scheme, so roll with him if your contest allows Monday Night Football options like most of the big money contests do.

Ryan Fitzpatrick-New York Jets (6,800): Since the pricing on FanDuel came out before Geno Smith’s injury, Fitzpatrick costs the same as Geno Smith and 500 less than RG3 who lost his starting job to Kirk Cousins. ).  Fitzpatrick and the Jets open the season at home against the Browns in what should be a pretty favorable matchup.  He’ll try to rekindle the FitzMagic he had in Buffalo with Jets Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey, and I think Fitzpatrick is worth a look if you decide to spend big at other places. Last season, Fitz posted 17 touchdowns and 2,483 yards in 12 games for the Texans, and he’s looked pretty solid this preseason.  If you go cheap, he’s a definite option to consider.

Next: High Priced Running Backs