It’s finally here football fans, the opening weekend of NFL games. Here is all your information to dominate your DraftKings lineups for Week 1.
The NFL is back and ready to be better than ever. Year-long fantasy football drafts are wrapped up and attention can now turn to daily fantasy. Daily players know that Week 1 is where the best value can be found. It is hard to set the prices with little to go off of other than last year and the preseason. The latter gave us even less of a glimpse of reality for these teams than ever before. This weekly piece will give a brief insight into the top five players at each position and then quick hits on a few values that can be had deeper down the rankings.
Let’s start with the quarterback position.
Quarterbacks
Tom Brady, New England Patriots – $7200 vs Houston Texans
No surprise here to see New England’s signal caller atop the list. Tom Brady may be over 40 but he is showing no signs of slowing down. Even with a tough Houston defense ahead of him, he tops the charts as the most valuable quarterback. Despite not having one of his top targets in Julian Edelman, Brady has more than enough weapons in Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan. If the New England offensive line can keep J.J. Watt and Jadaveon Clowney at back, Brady can pick apart a weak corner group.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers – $6900 vs Dallas Cowboys
Another former MVP coming in at second in DraftKings pricing. Cam Newton has seen an increase in offensive weaponry in the past two offseasons but a decrease in the men who protect him. Dallas, Newton’s Week 1 opponent, has a ferocious pass rush with Demarcus Lawrence and the reinvigorated Randy Gregory. A lot will come down to Newton and coach Norv Turner’s ability to get the ball out quickly or scheme movement from the quarterback. This seems like a dicey play with Newton’s love for the big play which could lead him right into the hands of Dallas’ defense.
Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints – $6800 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Three straight former MVP’s top the quarterback list for DraftKings. This time it’s Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. Coming off a season where his running game was the best he’s ever had, Brees is looking to continue his run towards the record books. With Mark Ingram suspended for the first four games and a weak Tampa Bay secondary across from him, Sean Payton could be dialing up passes early and often. This offense is going to score points against a disheveled Buccaneers team featuring a very young secondary.
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans – $6700 at New England PatriotsÂ
One of the most exciting things this weekend will be when second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson takes the field. After fully recovering from a devastating knee injury, he will look to carry the load for the Texans offense. A soft defense in New England may aid his welcome back party. This game should feature big points as well if the weather in New England holds out. Watson has weapons, even if Will Fuller looks doubtful. The only thing working against Watson, and it will be a theme all season, is the disaster of an offensive line in front of him. Watson’s rushing ability keeps his floor low but that line may cap his ceiling.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers – $6600 at Cleveland Browns
You can almost see the changing of the quarterback guard in these DraftKings rankings. Ben Roethlisberger, another older quarterback, rounds out the top five. He will be missing top running back Le’Veon Bell for the Week 1 matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Luckily he still has the NFL’s best weapon in Antonio Brown. This is a high powered offense, going up against a defense that struggled a year ago. Cleveland has some new faces and gets to play at home. This is bad news for Roethlisberger, who I’m fading this week. He struggles on the road and played terrible in this exact matchup a year ago. There is better talent and value available in this first week.
Value Quarterbacks
Sam Bradford, Arizona Cardinals $5200 vs Washington Redskins
Going from one of the riskiest quarterbacks in the league to perhaps the safest. Sam Bradford is on his third team in three seasons and is once again named the starter with a young quarterback breathing down his neck. Bradford will lead the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday against a visiting Washington Redskins team. He has the ageless Larry Fitzgerald on the outside and gets running back David Johnson behind him. If he can stay upright, Bradford is a low floor play against a weak Washington secondary.
Case Keenum, Denver Broncos-$5100 vs Seattle Seahawks
The man that replaced Sam Bradford a season ago in Minnesota was Case Keenum. Now Keenum is in Denver trying to provide stability to a position that hasn’t recovered since Peyton Manning retired. Keenum was previously a journeyman but placed his stamp on the league a season ago leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship game. He went to a good situation in Denver with established wide receivers and a strong defense. Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are joined by rookies Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton who give Keenum a ton of different looks. For the past five years, fantasy players have avoided the Seahawks defense. That may all change this year, starting in week 1. Their entire secondary has been overhauled and they lost their best pass rusher via trade. Keenum is a safe low-risk play for Denver at home.
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