DraftKings NFL: Best lineup for Week 1
By Joe Romano
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers-$8600 @ Cleveland Browns
No surprise here as Antonio Brown is the lead receiver for DraftKings. He is the league’s top player at the position for the past few seasons and shows no signs of decline. With news, as of Monday, that Le’Veon Bell still has not reported, Brown’s value increases. Cleveland turned over the majority of it’s secondary. The increase in talent will take time to gel and Brown can take advantage of that. If Roethlisberger stays upright, Brown is the lead target and poised for a big game.
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans-$8300 @ New England Patriots
The Houston Texans have a young quarterback in Deshaun Watson and a clear number one wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. A year ago Hopkins continued to prove his worth as an all around playmaker regardless of who is throwing him the ball. Watson is back under center and Hopkins has to be smiling ear-to-ear. Good news comes in the first week of the season with the team’s trip to New England. The Patriots will likely shadow Hopkins with Stephon Gilmore, but Hopkins talent can still win out. Houston’s shaky offensive line is more likely to be the reason Hopkins struggles than the matchup. Houston’s top wide out is a candidate to break out every week, but this could be tough sledding for him.
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints-$7800 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The New Orleans Saints changed their offense to a more run-first attack a season ago. Surprisingly that did not slow down Michael Thomas in emerging as one of the league’s best. Drew Brees and Thomas have a unique connection that torched secondaries consistently last year. Tampa Bay comes to town with one of the worst secondary in the NFL. An absence of Mark Ingram could mean a more Drew Brees heavy attack and Thomas as the beneficiary. He is well worth the top five price tag that accompanies him this week.
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers-$7500 vs Kansas City Chiefs
The Los Angeles Chargers were a win away from the playoffs a season ago. Injuries are unfortunately already mounting up for the team. One player who is healthy is Keenan Allen. A year ago the Pro Bowl wide receiver bounced back from a tough knee injury and showed that he is an elite target for Phillip Rivers. DraftKings PPR format only vaults Allen’s value. Kansas City is a close rival to the Buccaneers for the NFL’s worst corner situation. Losing Marcus Peters this offseason and replacing him with Kendall Fuller is not terrible but the rest of the depth chart will struggle. Fuller has the ability to trail Allen into his slot, his preferred destination, but Rivers will target Allen all over the field. Mike Williams returning and his ability to open up the top can help Allen be the underneath target that he thrives in. This game could score a lot of points and Allen will be a big part of it.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals -$7300 vs Indianapolis Colts
A.J. Green is a staple on these lists. Even with a down year from the Bengals offfense as a whole, Green was still as strong as ever. Fellow receiver John Ross looks poised for a breakout year, which can only help Green moving forward. This week he is well worth his $7300 price tag against the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis enters the season with the worst secondary in the NFL by a mile. There is no corner on the roster with size/speed combination to match Green. Andy Dalton is a candidate as a sleeper pick for the quarterback position and Green is the best target on the team. Playing in a tough conference would suggest grabbing Green while you can and this is one of those weeks.
Value Wide Receivers
Jarvis Landry, Cleveland Browns-$5500 vs Pittsburgh Steelers
It is odd to see Jarvis Landry so low on the wide receiver rankings. Three straight 100 reception seasons for the Dolphins were not enough to keep him around. Now on the Browns he is the team’s top receiver and will likely lead them in targets. Landry is the perfect PPR candidate with his ability to find soft spots in the defense and secure catches, despite a lack of big plays. His low floor is exactly what is wanted for value wide receivers. Cleveland could be playing from behind meaning more targets for Landry and a big week for a player outside of the top 15 priced receivers.
Allen Hurns, Dallas Cowboys-$4700 vs Carolina Panthers
The exit of Dez Bryant and Jason Witten left a massive void of targets for the Dallas Cowboys. Allen Hurns is one of the new receivers that will look to absorb some of those targets from quarterback Dak Prescott. The Carolina Panthers are the team’s week one opponent. There is not a strong unit of corners lining up across from Hurns and all of Dallas’ receivers. Carolina will load up the box to slow down Ezekiel Elliott, meaning play fakes and quick action will be available. Hurns is the Cowboys best option at receiver right now and his role will grow as the season continues. Outside of the top 20 priced receivers, Hurns could easily outperform his $4700 price tag.
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers-$4100 vs New Orleans Saints
DraftKings is about exploiting pricing early and understanding matchups. One such player that does both is Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Reports from preseason were Godwin being the team’s number two receiver behind Mike Evans. The New Orleans Saints feature one of the NFL’s most lock down corners in Marshon Lattimore who will shadow Evans and had success a year ago. This opens up opportunity for Godwin in a game where the Buccaneers will need to pass. He will end the season much higher priced than this $4100. Grab him why that is still low and reap the rewards.