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Jamie Calandro's top NFL DFS picks for Week 1 (2025) and DraftKings lineup sleepers for the main slate. His top DK plays and value picks to target for Week 1 DFS lineups.
IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON! After a long seven-month waiting period, we are back, and the action kicks off with a Thursday tilt between the division rival Eagles and Cowboys. I'm thrilled to be bringing you this DraftKings article each week, and I hope this year we'll make money together all the way to the Super Bowl.
One thing to remember about our inaugural slate - since the pricing came out long before the games actually started, there are going to be more mispricings than usual. Taking advantage of that will keep you a step ahead of the competition, and hopefully pad your bank account as a result.
Be sure to jump into our RotoBaller Discord! We have so many different channels devoted to whatever you're playing in fantasy football. We also have lots of great NFL DFS articles and NFL DFS tools to help you win MORE this season! Good luck with your DraftKings DFS lineups -- let's dominate this Week 1 slate together!
DraftKings Quarterbacks - Week 1 DFS Picks
TOP PLAY
Jayden Daniels, WAS vs NYG ($7,000)
Currently projecting for the highest ownership at the QB position is second-year star Jayden Daniels. The Commanders have a respectable implied total of 25.5 points against the Giants, even though the G-Men added some serious punch on the defensive side of things.
Daniels finished last season with a 69% completion percentage and a passer rating over 100, but it's his legs that really add to his fantasy appeal. Daniels rushed for 891 yards in his rookie season and added six TDs, which gives him a baseline floor rivaled by very few QBs in the league. Even if the Giants' defensive front can get to Daniels, he's still too cheap for what his rushing upside offers.
Despite Daniels' current projected ownership, I don't see him as a necessary fit for your cash QB. There are a ton of quarterbacks in the sub-$6k range that can provide similar bang for your buck on this slate, and the extra money can be used for elite RBs and WRs.
VALUE PLAY
Drake Maye, NE vs LV ($5,500)
If you're on X at all, you'll know that the industry is largely backing Drake Maye as an immense sophomore breakout candidate. I'm on board, as he showed major strides last year, and the front office went out and got him Stefon Diggs, TreVeyon Henderson, and Will Campbell in the offseason.
Maye averaged a Josh Allen-like 7.8 YPA as a runner last season, and his efficiency should only improve with the added supporting cast and a new OC in Josh McDaniels. The Raiders are a soft defense outside of Maxx Crosby, and allowed the ninth-most FPPG to opposing QBs a year ago.
What are Josh McDaniels’ expectations for QB Drake Maye this season?
“High. He’s the quarterback of our football team…
“My feelings are always based on what I see everyday and how hard they work and what they put into it. And I couldn’t ask Drake to do more than what he’s… pic.twitter.com/Dij4rdFBQF
— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) September 4, 2025
Maye is an extremely attractive option in all formats, with standalone value in cash or with stacking partners Diggs and Hunter Henry in GPP contests.
Other options - Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence
DraftKings Running Backs - Week 1 DFS Picks
TOP PLAY
Christian McCaffrey, SF at SEA ($7,300)
Gather round, children, and listen. There was a time in the not-so-distant past that a man called Christian McCaffrey was regularly priced at $11k on DraftKings. It was an interesting time, but also one where he continued to meet value almost every week despite the lofty price tag. The moral of this story? He's $7,300. He's fresh and healthy. Play him.
Yes, McCaffrey is 31 years which usually indicates the tail end of a running back's career in the NFL. However, McCaffrey has had a full offseason to recover from his Achilles tendinitis, and he has fresh legs going into Week 1. There won't even be a time to get him this cheap again, and San Francisco will be without Brandon Aiyuk and Demarcus Robinson. The offseason trade of Deebo Samuel also works exponentially in CMC's favor. This is a gift of a price tag, and he's my top overall skill player this week, regardless of position.
Christian McCaffrey is so back 🔥
(via @49ers)pic.twitter.com/dmDX0ipVeF
— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) July 29, 2025
VALUE PLAY
James Conner, ARI @ NO ($6,100)
This is an almost identical theme to the McCaffrey play above. When you get running backs entering their age-30-and-up seasons, the early weeks are where you want to target them. There's already talk of Trey Benson eating into James Conner's workload as the season goes on, but Week 1 should not be the place for that.
Conner averaged just under 18 touches per game over the past two seasons, and both seasons yielded 1,000-yard campaigns for him. New Orleans is going to be an utter disaster this year, and their run defense should be rock bottom if we base it on Brandon Staley's history. In his time as the Chargers' head coach, the Bolts' run defense did not rank better than 28th in rush defense.
Other options - De'Von Achane, Jonathan Taylor, Kenneth Walker III
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DraftKings Wide Receivers - Week 1 DFS Picks
TOP PLAY
Drake London, ATL vs TB ($6,500)
Yeah, yeah. Ja'Marr Chase is really the top overall play, but you don't need me to tell you that. If you can afford him, play him, but it may not be necessary if you explore the mid-priced magic below Chase. There are some really attractive names there, but none more so than Drake London.
My prediction? London will be $8k by Week 3, so take the discount now while you can get it. The Falcons-Bucs game boasts an O/U of 48.5, one of the highest on the slate, and it's a beautiful one to stack. London averaged 13 targets per game in Michael Penix's three full starts, caught 22 balls, and logged 352 yards.
Tampa Bay allowed the fourth-most FPPG to opposing WRs a year ago, and it looks like they're in no position to improve on that this season. There's a chance Darnell Mooney is limited with an injury, but even if he's not, London is going to be an absolute vacuum for targets.
VALUE PLAY
Emeka Egbuka, TB at ATL ($4,600)
On the other side of the ball in this game, we have Emeka Egbuka, who is arguably the best overall value pick on the slate. I was lukewarm on the rookie in redraft season simply due to the number of mouths to feed in Tampa, but the absences of Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan have vaulted Egbuka into an every-down role in a high-octane offense.
Egbuka will start in this game and should have an easy time against a Falcons squad that allowed the fourth-most catches and third-most FPPG to opposing WRs a year ago. The rookies they're trotting out in the secondary do not bode well for any improvement, so Egbuka could eat. A nine-catch, 100-yard game doesn't seem silly at all in his debut.
Video: Bucs OC Josh Grizzard talks about rookie Emeka Egbuka and how coaches are confident playing him at any of the receiver spots. pic.twitter.com/ssqR9p8ssG
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 4, 2025
Other options - Brian Thomas Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Tetairoa McMillan
DraftKings Tight Ends - Week 1 DFS Picks
TOP PLAY
Trey McBride - ARI at NO ($6,200)
There's no real reason to spend big on TE in cash games this weekend, but Trey McBride is elite for GPP play. The Cardinals' tight end had 111 catches last season (good for fourth in the NFL) and projects to have another elite volume role with this team. If you were looking at a $6,200 receiver with 111 catches, you'd be rushing to click his name.
Despite his heavy volume, McBride was only able to find the end zone twice last season. Based on his red zone usage, the "positive TD regression" train is on the tracks and shouldn't slow down at all. The Saints were a middling defense against TEs last year, but their defense projects to be bad as a whole this season.
VALUE PLAY
Hunter Henry, NE vs LV ($3,900)
Based on early ownership projections, I'm on an island with this pick. According to our projections, Hunter Henry is only showing low single-digits on the rostership scale, which makes no sense to me based on his role with the Pats and chemistry with Drake Maye.
I understand New England added Stefon Diggs to become their "alpha Z" receiver, but it was Henry who led the Pats in Drake Maye-thrown targets last year with 67. Like the aforementioned McBride, Henry also only scored twice despite being regularly used in the red zone. The Raiders allowed the third-most FPPG to opposing TEs last season.
Other options - George Kittle, Tucker Kraft, Brenton Strange
DraftKings D/ST - Week 1 DFS Picks
Top 5 Defenses For Cash Games
- Miami Dolphins ($2,700)
- New York Giants ($2,300)
- Pittsburgh Steelers ($3,300)
- Arizona Cardinals ($3,500)
- Denver Broncos ($3,800)
Thanks for reading, and good luck in your contests this weekend!
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