The NFL season is upon us as we approach the season’s kickoff on Thursday Night Football. I’m very excited as I’m sure many of you are as well. I won’t be writing about that game here as that’s basically its own slate. If you’re like me, you probably dislike playing one-game slates anyway. Lucky for us, there is a full slate of NFL games this Sunday. One new thing you need to be aware of this year is they removed the kicker slot from the roster construction on FanDuel and replaced it with a FLEX. You can still play a kicker if you really want to in the FLEX spot, but who would do that? Seriously, don’t do it. Don’t get cute! Here are some other players with undesirable matchups and prices that I’m going to avoid in Week 1.
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Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo (SF): $7,100 @ MIN
All the hype about Garoppolo has been somewhat warranted as he willed the 49ers to five straight wins to close out the 2017 season. However, QB wins don’t mean a thing in DFS and it’s possibly the most overblown stat out there, period. If we look closer, his 7:5 TD:INT ratio isn’t really that impressive. That extrapolates to a 21:15 mark for a full fantasy season, not that great. Now, take the matchup into account on the road against a bruising Vikings defense with three very capable corners, and one is arguably the best in the NFL. Harrison Smith is no slouch in the back end either and they just recently added George Iloka. Minnesota is absolutely loaded in the back end so it could be a rough opener for Jimmy G.
Running Back
Saquon Barkley (NYG): $7,600 vs. JAX
Barkley is undoubtedly the most talented rookie from the 2018 running back class. That said, this matchup to open the year is a bad one in many aspects. If you’re going to take a shot on any Giants player in this game, I’d rather go to Odell Beckham Jr. as he’s proven to get it done against the best corners in the NFL on a routine basis. Jacksonville was the best D in the league last season in many metrics and shutting down the run with this beefy defensive line fully healthy is a very real possibility. I also don’t expect the Giants to hold a lead in this game, negatively impacting his workload.
Derrick Henry (TEN): $6,800 @ MIA
This one is easy for me given the price and his teammate Dion Lewis being $600 less. This could and will likely be a full-blown timeshare and close to a 50/50 split. Even if you love the matchup against the Dolphins, I think it’s too much of a crap shoot to play either Titans RB at this point in the season. At least give it a week or two to see how the carries get divided in this backfield. If one of them emerges as the clear-cut starter, then by all means, put them in your lineup. But until then, I’m staying away until there is a more defined distribution of carries in Tennessee.
Wide Receiver
Mike Evans (TB): $7,700 @ NO
Now that FanDuel got rid of the kicker, I’ll throw four guys at you here as a little bonus. First, let’s start with Evans. The Bucs go to the Big Easy and that will prove to be a tough matchup for Evans. He not only has to deal with backup QB Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing passes, he also will have to contend with Marshon Lattimore coverage. Even before last season, Evans has historically struggled against the Saints. In his last five meetings with New Orleans, he’s caught just a single touchdown pass and has not topped 100 yards once in that span. Hard pass for me here!
Doug Baldwin (SEA): $7,500 @ DEN
Baldwin is dealing with a bum knee for starters so I already don’t like the price from a health standpoint. With the majority of his snaps coming in the slot, that means he’ll likely get Chris Harris on him most of the game. Harris is not only one of the best, if not the best slot CB in the NFL, the Broncos pass D as a whole is tough. There is no Aqib Talib, but Adam Jones is now taking over that role and he’s no slouch. I’m not sure Russ Wilson will have a whole lot of time to get the ball out as the Seahawks have done nothing to improve their terrible O-line and against Von Miller and company, that’s not good. Baldwin will likely get a few grabs regardless, but on a half-PPR site like FanDuel, he has to get into the end zone to pay off his salary.
Sammy Watkins (KC): $6,500 @ LAC
Watkins is one of the most overrated WRs in the NFL. I know the Chiefs paid him like a No. 1 WR this year with that big contract (three years, $48M) but that means nothing. Last year in Los Angeles under Sean McVay and his explosive offense, Watkins was essentially used as a decoy. With QB Pat Mahomes showing an obvious connection with Tyreek Hill (14-14 on pass attempts) in the preseason, I expect Watkins to play a similar role to last year with the Kansas City offense this year. There are a lot better options in this price range and against a tough Chargers D, I’m out on Watkins.
Marquise Goodwin (SF): $6,400 @ MIN
With the same sentiments about Garoppolo (above) and having to contend with the Vikings beastly secondary, I’m not touching Goodwin this week. He rose up season-long draft boards after being Jimmy G’s favorite target to close out 2017. While he may be the theoretical WR1 in this offense, the 49ers still have Pierre Garcon in the mix as well as TE George Kittle. Regardless of the target share, this is a really difficult matchup no matter who lines up on Goodwin. He’s had a well-documented concussion history as well, so being one big hit away from missing significant time is very scary.
Tight End
Travis Kelce (KC): $7,100 @ LAC
Kelce is an elite TE, there is no question. The lack of targets inside the 10-yard line is disturbing, though. Especially when you consider he was 3-for-3 in opportunities last year, converting all three for scores. In DFS, you have to target the guys you think will score a TD as those players usually finish the week as a TE1. Last year, Kelce only caught seven balls for 47 yards in his two games against L.A. and that’s not something I’m paying up for here. The Chargers were without Jason Verrett last season, so nothing has changed there, but the Bolts did add Derwin James to the back end of the secondary as one of the best picks of the first round of this April’s NFL Draft. This is an elite defense. I won’t pay a QB price for a TE this week. No thanks!
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Josh Dalley is a DFS correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, follow him on Twitter @JoshDalley72.