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Jamie Calandro breaks down his DFS cash game rankings and top game value picks at every position for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
We made it! After seven long months of pining, watching the draft, and analyzing every pass and run in training camp, the regular season is finally upon us. I am pleased to bring you two major articles this week. Thursdays will feature the cash game article that you're about to read. I have made my DFS "living", so to speak, on cash play. I know how to play the ownership game, and how to exploit the pivots where appropriate.
You'll also see my rankings article come out every Friday afternoon, which will feature highlights from my rankings that will be up on site. This is on the heels of my #3 overall ranking last year on FantasyPros, so we'll try and keep that success going this year. I'll also be in our RotoBaller Discord channel all morning on Sundays.
This article will help you identify players to include in your cash game lineup, enabling you to save money and allocate it to premium options. Remember that cash lineups are all about safety and volume, not risk and reward. Please check our Discord for updates as practice reports come in throughout the week and a clearer picture emerges. Check out our other great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win big!
DFS Cash Game Locks
Jahmyr Gibbs, DET - RB ($8,000 DK/$9,100 FD)
This one is a no-brainer. Jahmyr Gibbs has been the consensus #1 pick in drafts for at least the last month or so, and your love for him should extend to DFS. Week 1 is notoriously known for having Charmin-soft pricing, and this year's is no different. This means you'll be able to fit multiple studs into your cash lineups, and Gibbs should be the top priority.
The Lions-Saints game is one of the best on the slate with an O/U of 50 points, and both teams like to play fast. There is a veritable who's-who of nothingness behind Gibbs on the depth chart, and it's even thinner after the Lions lost Isiah Pacheco for at least the first four games.
Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs is predicted to win offensive player of the year, per ESPN. pic.twitter.com/fH6oodmQK5
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔱𝔯𝔬𝔦𝔱 𝔗𝔦𝔪𝔢𝔰 📰 (@the_det_times) September 8, 2026
Gibbs ranked seventh in rushing yards, third among RBs in both receptions and receiving yards, and 18 total TDs last season. He's poised to have a chance to even surpass that, and it starts at home this week. The Lions averaged 32.5 PPG at home last season, and Cameron Jordan has been ruled out for the Saints. Barring injury, nothing is standing in Gibbs' way of an eruption game this weekend.
Honorable mention: Bijan Robinson, Omarion Hampton, Amon-Ra St. Brown
DFS Cash Game Values
Michael Mayer, LV - TE ($2,900 DK/$4,600 FD)
Well, this is certainly not who I originally had slated for this spot, but here we are. Brock Bowers will miss "a week or two" after getting a procedure done on his meniscus, which means Michael Mayer will start and have an every-down role for the Raiders this week.
Mayer's blocking ability can hurt his overall upside, but he's simply too cheap to ignore, and he was incredibly serviceable last season when Bowers was out. In Week 6 against the Titans, Mayer went 5.50-1 on seven targets. In Week 17 against the Giants, he erupted for 9-89-0 on ten targets. If we're even getting close to this production, Mayer is far outstripping his near-minimum price tag.
It also helps immensely that Kirk Cousins is known to have colossal crushes on his tight ends in the passing game. The Dolphins allowed the fifth-most FPPG to TEs last season and are set up to be punching bags this year.
Honorable mentions: Juwan Johnson, Tre Tucker
