NFL DFS Lineup Picks For FanDuel, DraftKings - Ravens vs. Bills Sunday Night Showdown (Week 1)

John's top NFL DFS lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- Ravens vs. Bills SNF slate for Week 1 Sunday Night Football (Sept. 7, 2025). His NFL daily fantasy sleeper picks.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! We’ve finally made it to the 2025 football season, and boy, do we have a banger of a matchup to start us off. We’ll run back the AFC 2024 Divisional Round matchup, as Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens head back to Highmark Stadium to take on Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. 

Thanks to today's advanced analytics, I'll do my best to provide you with as much in-depth analysis as possible regarding positional matchups. Let's make some coin this season, gang, and get right to it.

I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on DraftKings for Sunday Night Football, Ravens vs. Bills on September 7, 2025. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. For questions, follow me on X @LucidMediaDFS, or sign up for RotoBaller premium to chat any time!

MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Lamar Jackson - QB, $16,200 (DK), $19,800 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Stats: 4,601 passing yards, 45 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 1,035 rushing yards. 

I’ll start things off with last year’s MVP runner-up in Lamar Jackson. Following Baltimore’s exit at the hands of Buffalo last January, Jackson watched as Josh Allen took home the league’s MVP honors, despite many believing that the award should have gone to Jackson. There’s no doubt that Lamar wants to exact his revenge and start his 2025 campaign on a high note. 

.@Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is ranked No. 2 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025!@NFLFilms @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/rH4Q6zVVth

— NFL (@NFL) September 2, 2025

My model projects Jackson to throw for 212.67 yards, 1.54 touchdowns, and 0.51 interceptions, while adding 47.89 yards of rushing, and a 39% chance of finding the end zone with his legs. 

Joshua Palmer - WR, $8,100 (DK), $11,400 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Stats: 39 receptions, 584 receiving yards, one touchdown. 

If we want to go the cheap route at our 1.5x spot, we have a look at Josh Palmer. I find Palmer to be a rather underrated commodity at the wide receiver position. While Buffalo is hoping that Keon Coleman or Khalil Shakir can take a step forward in year two and solidify themselves as reliable top options, Palmer provides an addition to the receiver room and another target for Josh Allen to spread a defense with. 

Palmer projects to catch 4.4 of his 5.37 targets in this one for 47.24 yards, while projecting to a 17% chance to find the end zone. 

Other Captains/MVPs: Josh Allen, Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Keon Coleman

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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Mark Andrews - TE, $7,000 (DK), $8,600 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Stats: 62 receptions, 761 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns.

Despite the numbers showing a down year for Mark Andrews in 2024, he exploded for a career high in receiving touchdowns. Many considered Andrews the reason that Baltimore came up short in Buffalo last January, but he gets a chance to, at least in some aspect, right those wrongs. Andrews is the bona fide top tight end to start the year for Baltimore, with Isaiah Likely OUT for this game with a foot injury. 

My model projects Andrews to catch 5.1 of 6.8 targets for 55.77 yards and gives him a 31% chance of finding the end zone. 

Josh Allen - QB, $11,000 (DK), $13,600 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Stats: 4,367 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 636 rushing yards. 

While I prefer Lamar Jackson at the MVP spot in this particular showdown, I will be finding a way to sneak both Jackson and Josh Allen into my lineups. It’s difficult to fade the reigning MVP in any showdown, but it’s even harder to do so in a Week 1 marquee matchup like this. Allen found the end zone with his legs twice back in January, but only provided 147 yards of offense split between 22 passing attempts and 10 rushing attempts. I’ll bet that he has a better showing in this one. 

NFL MVP: Josh Allen. pic.twitter.com/1CoUKgGHIY

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2025

My model projects Allen to throw for 253.4 yards, 1.78 touchdowns, and 0.74 interceptions in this one while adding 37.32 yards with his legs. He has a projected 61% chance of rushing for a touchdown as well. 

Other Flex Options: Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, James Cook

Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks

Rashod Bateman - WR, $5,800 (DK), $8,000 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Stats: 51 receptions, 846 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns.

We have our fair share of quality value picks in this matchup, with the top pick being the aforementioned Joshua Palmer. I feel that Rashod Bateman is right there as well, who’s looking to build on the four-reception, 66-yard, one-touchdown performance in last year’s playoffs. He seems in line for an increased target share this season, and I’m willing to jump on the train early. 

My model projects Bateman to catch 4.52 of 6.49 targets for 51.6 yards and 0.25 touchdowns. 

Ray Davis - RB, $3,200 (DK), $3,400 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2024 Stats: 120 rushing attempts, 478 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns. 

I’ll wrap things up for this slate with Ray Davis. I was high on Davis from a season-long fantasy perspective in 2024, and while Davis had a solid rookie campaign, James Cook established himself as the team’s RB1 early last year and never let go of it. Cook parlayed this into a four-year, $48 million contract extension in the offseason. Nevertheless, I expect Davis to get quality work throughout the season, and perhaps he can start out hot following his 29-yard, one-touchdown performance against Baltimore in last year’s playoffs. 

My model projects Davis to run for 31.76 yards in this one and gives him a 13% chance of finding the end zone.

Other Value Options: Tyler Bass, DeAndre Hopkins, Charlie Kolar

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