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Tom Vecchio's FanDuel NFL DFS lineup picks and start 'em, sit' em for Week 1. Daily fantasy football sleepers and lineups cheat sheet for FanDuel DFS GPPs and tournaments.
RotoBallers, welcome to Week 1 of the daily fantasy football season. In this column, you will find my recommended FanDuel DFS Lineup Picks to target for Week 1 of the NFL season.
The goal is to identify players to start on FanDuel this week based on various factors including the opponent, the player's opportunity, analysis of the game's matchups, and the FanDuel price.
Let's find some DFS lineup sleepers, and win on FanDuel. Good luck in Week 1! Find me @DFS_Tom if you have any questions.
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FanDuel Quarterbacks - Week 1 DFS Picks
Kirk Cousins - QB, MIN vs SF (FD - $7,600)
Cousins is making his debut for the Vikings this week and he has a great matchup to make a lasting first impression. He is facing off against the 49ers, who finished last season with the 28th DVOA against the pass and were a team you could attack on a weekly basis. Cousins has a significant upgrade in terms of the offensive weapons surrounding him, namely Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. There hasn't been much chatter about Cousins this week and if he were to air the ball out a bit more this week in his debut, it wouldn't be too much of a shock. The Vikings come in with an implied team total sitting at 26.3, which is third highest on the slate, so we are looking at nearly four touchdowns from them. Two passing touchdowns is firmly in play in play for him, along with 300-yard ceiling is certainly in play for him this week.
Drew Brees - QB, NO vs TB (FD - $8,400)
Everyone around the industry is talking about how good of a play Alvin Kamara is this week since the Saints are at home and come in with an implied team total of 29.5, which is highest on the slate. Well, if you are looking for some leverage in tournaments to get away from the ownership on Kamara, then Brees is the call. You should be looking to stack him with Michael Thomas, to really have some nice tournament upside, as they have a high correlation in terms of offensive production.
FanDuel Running Backs - Week 1 DFS Picks
Joe Mixon - RB, CIN @ IND (FD - $6,900)
Mixon and the Bengals are one of my favorite stacks for this week and we could be in for a bit of a shootout vs Indianapolis. Last season, the Colts finished with the 31st DVOA against running backs in the passing game, along with being 32nd DVOA overall vs the pass. Mixon saw an average of 12 rushing attempts per game, along with two targets per game last season. He was a bit inconsistent at times last year, but the news coming out of preseason puts him in a positive light and should see an increased role in the offense.
David Johnson - RB, ARI vs WAS (FD - $8,600)
Johnson is back this season after missing nearly all of last year due to a wrist injury. He is fully healthy this year and hopefully returns to his 20+ carries per game, making him a fantastic cash game option this and nearly every week. The Cardinals are at home and only a -1 favorite in a game which has a low over-under only sitting at 44. Love the price on him this week and the matchup, since he is up against this Redskins team, who had the 29th DVOA vs the run last season.
FanDuel Wide Receivers - Week 1 DFS Picks
Taywan Taylor - WR, TEN @ MIA (FD - $4,500)
If you are looking for a cheap tournament option, Taylor is your guy this week. He is minimum salary on FanDuel this week and is facing off against a Dolphins team, who were 29th DVOA vs the pass last year. Taylor put up very impressive numbers in the preseason and when he plays out of the slot, they are drawing up plays for him on screens. He has big-play upside and hopefully comes in at lower ownership.
Chris Hogan - WR, NE vs HOU (FD - $6,700)
The Patriots came out of camp with only three wide receivers on their roster, so we should see a condensed target share in the passing game, where Hogan should be one of the top options. Hogan had over six targets per game last season and is the most reliable receiver for Tom Brady. He is a cash game option this week and we should only see his price increase until Edelman returns from his suspension, so buy in before his price jumps up.
FanDuel Tight End - Week 1 DFS Pick
Jack Doyle - TE, IND vs CIN (FD - $5,600)
Doyle finished last season with the second most receptions among tight ends but dealt with some terrible play from his quarterbacks. This year, hopefully, things will be different now that Andrew Luck is back behind center. The Bengals have been a flowchart team in terms of rostering tight ends against them, as they had the 30th DVOA against TE. Doyle isn't too expensive and offers a nice floor of points with his receptions, in what should be a high scoring game.
Kyle Rudolph - TE, MIN vs SF (FD - $5,900)
Rudolph can always be a bit of risky play since he is generally touchdown dependant in order to reach value. He averaged only five targets and three receptions per game, which certainly isn't explosive, but makes a nice stacking option for tournaments with Cousins.
FanDuel Defense - Week 1 DFS Pick
Arizona Cardinals - DEF vs Washington Redskins (FD - $4,100)
The Cardinals are at home in a lower scoring game, so this could be the time to roster their defense, against what should be a relatively non-threatening offense. I've always been a fan of spending down a bit a defense and with the Cardinals averaging about two sacks per game last season, with allowing about 20 points per game. The Redskins have an implied team total of 21.5, which is in the lower third of teams this week.
