RADIO
Koby's top NFL DFS lineup picks for DraftKings, FanDuel -- Eagles vs. Cowboys slate for Week 1 Thursday Night Football (Sep. 4, 2025). His NFL daily fantasy sleeper picks.
Welcome back, RotoBallers! It is finally that time of the year when we can put full focus back on the NFL again! I'm so excited for the upcoming season, as it should be a great one. We get a banger of a matchup to start the season off with an NFC East Showdown between the reigning Super Bowl Champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, who take on their division rival in the Dallas Cowboys.
The first game of the season is always the most difficult one, so make sure to make multiple lineups, especially in GPP contests, where you can build multiple game scripts, and don't be afraid to get crazy with it, as you never know what could happen. It could be the difference between taking the whole tournament down and not cashing at all. We have been fairly successful with showdown slates in years past, so let's hope the trend continues!
I will provide you with daily fantasy football picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Eagles vs. Cowboys NFL DFS showdown slate on September 4. These NFL DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks. For questions, follow either me @DFSKoby or @LucidMediaDFS as we will be heading the majority of showdowns this season, or sign up for RotoBaller premium to chat any time!
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- NFL rookie fantasy football rankings
- Best ball fantasy football rankings
- Superflex fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
MVP/Captain - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Jalen Hurts - QB, $16,500 (DK), $18,300 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 2,903 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, five interceptions, 150 rushing attempts, 630 rushing yards, and 14 rushing touchdowns.
I'll start the slate off with none other than Jalen Hurts himself! The Super Bowl MVP looks to take his team back to the Super Bowl, and it all starts here against their division rival, the Dallas Cowboys. A lot of people will start their lineups with Saquon Barkley, and they should, for good reason. Saquon was unstoppable in his first season with the Eagles.
The Cowboys, however, had a massive sore spot for QBs last season. They ranked dead last against QBs, giving up the most fantasy points to QBs. They gave up nearly double the number of rushing TDs from a QB compared to the next team. They also gave up the most rushing yards and the fourth most passing touchdowns last season.
The Cowboys have just lost their star defensive end, Micah Parsons, which will likely make their already struggling defense worse. Look for Hurts and company to have their way in this one.
CeeDee Lamb - WR, $16,200 (DK), $18,000 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 152 targets, 101 receptions, 1194 receiving yards, six touchdowns
I'll take a look at the other side of the field with CeeDee Lamb. Lamb struggled in his last meeting against the Eagles, seeing 10 targets and catching six of them for only a measly 21 yards. The Cowboys are likely going to be trailing in this one, which should lead to more and more targets for the WR1 in this offense.
The big worry here is the introduction of George Pickens in the offense. This will be the first time in Lamb's career that he has a true second WR to work with him. We didn't get a chance to see these guys work alongside each other during the preseason, so this game will be the first look. It could either take away from Lamb or actually make it so that Lamb is more open in this offense with the threat of another WR.
Lamb averaged 11 targets a game in his last 10 games of the season. I don't see this number dipping too much, which should give Lamb ample opportunity to score well on this slate.
Other Captains/MVPs: Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, Dak Prescott
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Flex Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
DeVonta Smith - WR, $8,400 (DK), $9,600 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 89 targets, 68 receptions, 833 receiving yards, eight touchdowns.
To come back to this explosive Eagles offense, we have DeVonta Smith, who I expect to take a big leap this season. He had a bit of a down season last year, but also dealt with some injuries and missed a few games. The big thing from last season was that we saw his Catch% increase from previous seasons quite a bit. Last season, he finished with a 76.4% Catch% as well as the most TDs of his career.
The Cowboys gave up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing WRs last season, and with no major improvements to the secondary. I don't see how Smith and Brown don't have their way against this defense.
Dak Prescott - QB, $9,000 (DK), $10,800 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: Eight games, 1,978 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, eight interceptions, one rushing touchdown
Dak Prescott has shown that he can be an elite QB. The biggest thing is keeping him on the field. He has already had three seasons of five or more games missed. When he is healthy, he is one of the best options to have in a fantasy sense. He has become less of a rushing threat, but still has a cannon for an arm and has shown he can throw near 400 yards in a game. Like I mentioned before with Lamb, Prescott is likely going to have to throw a lot in this one.
The dual QB lineup is my favorite lineup to start with and to work from there. Having both Hurts and Prescott in your lineup could be crucial in taking down your contest.
Other Flex Options: George Pickens, Dallas Goedert, Javonte Williams
Value Plays - NFL DFS Lineup Picks
Brandon Aubrey - K, $4,800 (DK), $6,200 (FD)
Key Stats
- 2024 Stats: 40/47 Field Goals, 14-17 50+, 30/30 XP
This one makes more sense on DraftKings, where he is significantly cheaper, but this might be one of those situations where we see Prescott and Lamb drive into field goal range and then get halted, resulting in Aubrey kicking his fair share of Field Goals. Aubrey was one of the best kickers in the league last season with a massive leg that nearly set an NFL record. Last season, he made it from 65, and barring injury, we could see him break that NFL record of 66 yards.
Luke Schoonmaker - TE, $1,600 (DK), $1,600 (FD)
This one is a bit of a shot in the dark, but it could easily be a great value option if we get a lucky pass in the end zone. Towards the end of the season, Schoonmaker was seeing a 35-45% snap share alongside Jake Ferguson. Luke is dirt cheap and worth a shot in some GPPs, as he could be the big difference in fitting an extra stud in your lineup!
Other Value Options: Jake Ferguson, Jahan Dotson, Jake Elliott
NFL football is back, baby! Enjoy the first game of the season and the rest of NFL week 1, everyone!
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