DraftKings NFL Week 1 DFS Ownership Projections

Week 1 QBs – DraftKings NFL week 1 low ownership targets

• Carson Wentz

• Russell Wilson

• Kirk Cousins

• Philip Rivers

Carson Wentz ($5700) was officially handed the keys to the car after the Eagles let Nick Foles walk this off-season. Based on his skill set, the only thing that can slow down Wentz’s career would be injury problems.

For Week 1, Wentz will face a Redskins defense that ranked in the bottom half in DK points allowed to opposing QBs at 19.7 per game. With the return of Desean Jackson and one of the top O-line’s in the league, Wentz will have plenty of opportunity to rake in DK points this week and for the rest of the season. Wentz threw for 306 yards on 27 completions with 2 TDs and 1 INT vs. the Redskins in Week 13 of last season.

It is hard to isolate a specific target if you are trying to stack Wentz with a Eagles receiver or tight end so there is nothing wrong with playing him ‘naked’ (by himself).

Russell Wilson ($6300) and the Seattle Seahawks appear to be a popular choice for pundits when selecting a dark-horse this season after bolstering their defense and keeping a strong unit around Wilson. Facing a Bengals team that allowed 13 passing plays of 40 yards or more, 11.3 yards per completion and allowed the fourth most DK points per game to opposing QBs (22.9) last season, Russell WIlson appears to be in a prime position to blow up this week. The WR situation is a bit murky this weekend with injuries to D.K. Metcalf and David Moore but this should give you confidence in a Wilson-Lockett stack with some exposure to Jaron Brown.

Kirk Cousins ($5500) returns for his second season with the Vikings after a massively disappointing first year with Minnesota. This week, Cousins will face a Falcons defense that allowed the MOST DK points per game to opposing QBs last season at 23.6.

The Stefon Diggs situation is something to keep an eye on leading into the final injury report around 11:30am EST tomorrow as the Vikings become very thin without their Thielen-Diggs-Rudolph trio all out on the field. Despite the lackluster win-loss record,

Cousins did have a great fantasy season last year as he threw for 30 TDs (highest of career) and only 10 INTs (the least he’s thrown when playing 16 games). I also am fond of a situation where the opposing team (Atlanta) has a potent offense and will challenge the Vikings to counter their scoring. Monitor the Diggs situation but this would be a solid contrarian play in tournaments.

Philip Rivers ($5900) has essentially had the same exact stat-line every season since 2008 and continues to be one of the most consistent QBs of this era. Facing a Colts team that is dealing with the loss of their franchise quarterback, Rivers and the Chargers may be able to take advantage while Indianapolis figures out it’s offense.

With Melvin Gordon away from the team, Los Angeles may lean towards a pass-heavy offense which would still include starting running back Austin Ekeler. The Colts defense only allowed 17.9 DK points per game to opposing QBs last season but Indianapolis has a high-pace offense that should give Rivers plenty of time to work with his weapons including Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Hunter Henry.

Other players with low ownership: Josh Allen, Jared Goff, Jacoby Brissett

Who Should I Play Out Of The Low Ownership Targets?

I think based on pricing and projected ownership, Carson Wentz and Russell Wilson are two of the top plays on the board. With favorable match ups and a spot to be contrarian, you can’t go wrong with either. I also will have some exposure to Philip Rivers as I don’t expect him to be owned more the 2-3%.