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Quarterback
DraftKings
Matt Ryan (IND) @ HOU $5,500
Matt Ryan will drop back on his first pass attempt and wonder why he doesn’t have defenders in his face immediately. The Colts’ offensive line may be the best OLine Ryan has ever had, and the Texans were one of the worst teams at getting to the quarterback in 2021 with only 32 sacks – the fifth fewest in the league.
He makes for a great stacking option with the chalk wide receiver for Week 1, Michael Pittman, at $5,500.
This piece is part of our article program that features quality content from experts exclusively at FantasyPros. For more insight from Geoff, head over to GoingFor2.com or on Twitter @GeoffLambert77.
Quarterback
DraftKings
Matt Ryan (IND) @ HOU $5,500
Matt Ryan will drop back on his first pass attempt and wonder why he doesn’t have defenders in his face immediately. The Colts’ offensive line may be the best OLine Ryan has ever had, and the Texans were one of the worst teams at getting to the quarterback in 2021 with only 32 sacks – the fifth fewest in the league.
He makes for a great stacking option with the chalk wide receiver for Week 1, Michael Pittman, at $5,500.
Others I Like: Jameis Winston (NO) $5,300, Baker Mayfield (CAR) $5,300
FanDuel
Baker Mayfield (CAR) vs. CLE $6,600
A quarterback on a new team rarely gets to match up with his former team in their very first game, and it’s going to happen twice in Week 1, Baker Mayfield versus the Browns and Russell Wilson at Seattle. Mayfield will be extra motivated to show his former team what they gave away. While I don’t think Mayfield is a great quarterback, he deserved better after getting the Browns to the playoffs two years ago.
The Panthers have two elite players at their position, and both are healthy and ready for Week 1, DJ Moore and Christian McCaffery. All Mayfield needs to do is get the ball in their hands, and good things will happen.
Others I Like: Mitch Trubisky (CHI) $6,400, Jameis Winston (NO) $6,700
Running Back
DraftKings
Kenneth Gainwell (PHI) @ DET $4,600
Dameon Pierce is the chalk value play this week on both sites, so instead of copping out and taking the easy pick, I’ll go with Kenenth Gainwell on DraftKings. Miles Sanders missed a good chunk of the preseason and training camp, leaving Gainwell to get the bulk of the first-team reps. Sanders did return to the practice field, but I don’t expect the Eagles to give him a massive workload in Week 1, leaving Gainwell to shoulder the load.
Gainwell is a better play on DraftKings due to his receiving ability. However, he was also the more efficient running back in the red zone last season with five TDs on 12 red zone carries, so I don’t mind him on FanDuel either.
Others I Like: Dameon Pierce (HOU) $4,700, Eli Mitchell (SF) $5,400, Nyheim Hines (IND) $5,100
FanDuel
Dameon Pierce (HOU) vs. IND $5,400
OK, so I still copped out and took Pierce on FanDuel. With the lack of full PPR on Fanduel, there just weren’t as many inexpensive running backs I liked. Pierced was priced at $5,400 before we knew that he was the full-time starter. He could lose some passing down work to Rex Burkhead, but he will still get enough volume to pay off his $5,400 salary.
Others I Like: Raheem Mostert (MIA) $5,500
Wide Receiver
DraftKings
Josh Palmer (LAC) vs. LV $3,800
Similar to Pierce, Ronodale Moore is probably the chalk play on Draftkings, assuming he plays. So I’m going to go with a wide receiver that will be much lower owned – less than 5 percent per Rotogrinders.com. This game has the second-highest game total on the main slate (52.5), and Palmer is a cheap way to get some exposure to it.
Palmer looked good in preseason. While likely the WR3 and the fourth option overall in the passing game – behind Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler – there will be enough volume for Palmer to pay off his relatively inexpensive salary.
Others I Like: Rondale Moore (ARI) $3,800, James Proche (BAL) $3,300
FanDuel
Brandon Aiyuk (SF) @ CHI $5,600
The Trey Lance and Brandon Aiyuk connection was well documented during training camp. I dare you to find another wide receiver with more hype surrounding him than Aiyuk this offseason (I see you Romeo Doubs‘ truthers). Deebo Samuel and George Kittle will still get their fair share of the targets, but Aiyuk has become that big-play threat that best compliments Trey Lance’s colossal arm.
The Bears’ defense gave up more touchdowns on passes of 20-plus yards (12) than any other team in the NFL in 2021, and they allowed the third-highest passer rating on deep passes in general at 115.9 (per FTNFantasy.com).
Others I Like: Parris Campbell (IND) $5,200, Jahan Dotson (WAS) vs. JAX $4,900
Tight End
DraftKings
Austin Hooper (TEN) vs. NYG $3,700
Finding a dirt cheap tight end was difficult on DraftKings for Week 1. I usually try to get the 3k-and-under tight ends, but they did an excellent job pricing them up this week. I had to settle for Austin Hooper. People forget just how good he was in Atlanta before becoming a victim of the Browns’ tight-end-by-committee over the last two seasons.
Hooper had back-to-back top-10 finishes his last two seasons in Atlanta before landing a huge contract to play in Cleveland. The Giants’ defense was middle of the pack versus the tight end last season. But with the Titans’ passing options being a rookie coming off a bad offseason (Treylon Burks), an older wide receiver coming off a major injury (Robert Woods) and a third-year player with fewer than 50 receptions, Hooper could be Ryan Tannehill‘s favorite target.
Others I Like: Irv Smith Jr. (MIN) $3,400
FanDuel
Cole Kmet (CHI) vs. SF $5,000
Cole Kmet had nearly 100 targets (93) in 2021, and no one noticed. Why didn’t they notice, you ask? Because he scored zero touchdowns on those targets. The 49ers have one of the better cover linebackers in the league in Fred Warner, but Kmet is a relatively athletic tight end with a 106.8 speed score (per PlayerProfiler.com) that should see an uptick in his red zone and end zone targets this season.
Others I Like: Austin Hooper (TEN) $4,900
Defense
Draftkings
Commanders vs. JAX $2,500
In daily fantasy, I always target the quarterbacks when picking my defenses. While I expect improvement from Trevor Lawrence, he struggled mightily last season. The Commanders’ defense did not look particularly good in the preseason, and they’ll be without their star defensive linemen Chase Young. Yet, I still expect Lawrence to have a few turnovers and take some sacks that he shouldn’t, and that’s all I want from my value defense.
Fanduel
Jets vs. BAL $3,300
Joe Flacco gets the start here against his former team, the Ravens. Flacco has never shied away from throwing the 5050 balls, and we know the Ravens have always been a defense that creates turnovers. So those 5050 balls could turn into interceptions. Not to mention, Flacco has always been slow-footed, but at his age, he might as well be a statue, lending himself to taking sacks from an aggressive Ravens front seven.
