Welcome back to our NFL FanDuel Friday post that will appear every week to go along with the rest of our daily coverage for CSN Fantasy.
You can take a look at who are some of the best plays and values in FanDuel for the weekend’s games. We aren’t suggesting you put your entire life savings on any of our lineups (because we certainly aren’t), but if you want to have fun with a $1 league this weekend, we’re giving you some names to consider.
As always, feel free to send us any and all Fantasy Football questions (Standard/PPR leagues, FanDuel, something really cool that we don't even know about, etc.) to @CSNFantasy or use #CSNFantasy. We’ll do our best to give you our take on your situation.
Here are our FanDuel lineups for Week 1:
John "The Professor" Paschall
I've had this lineup set since the first day FanDuel opened them up in the summer and weeks later I still feel pretty good about it.
Giants-Cowboys should be an old fashion shootout with Manning leading the way against Big Blue's rival. He's also got a fat new contract now so he should be ready to prove that he's worth that chunk of change.
NFL
Lacy should be feasting on the Bears defense like it's Thanksgiving especially when the Packers hold a big lead over the Bears. I don't see any way the Bears can slow him down. A lot is expected of Hill this season and he's got a favorable matchup against the Raiders in Week 1. Oakland's defense isn't a pushover like it used to be but Hill and that stout Bengals offensive line should be able to get the job done in a big way.
The feeling is that Cooks won't face up against Patrick Peterson in their game, opening the door for a monster day for the shifty receiver. Like Cooks, Marshall should receive a heavy amount of targets, especially in the red zone. Drawing Joe Haden as a matchup won't help but Marshall should return more value than his current price tag. Johnson is one of my favorite sleepers of the year and especially this week. His chemistry with Teddy Bridgewater is undeniable. The two really clicked at the end of the year and with the 49ers defense in shambles, he could have a national coming out party on Monday Night Football.
Hill is also a favorite sleeper pick of many for the year, and while his usage is relatively unknown, his boom/bust prospects at that price tag don't scare me. Brees should find a way to get him the ball.
The Jets defense is the obvious pick this week. They'll post big numbers against that horrid Browns offense.
Tony Andracki
The thing to remember about FanDuel NFL is how cheap kickers, defenses and tight ends are (unless you want Rob Gronkowski, who isn't eligible after his MONSTER game Thursday night). Finding solid options there - The Jets have a nice matchup against the Browns, the Eagles should score plenty and keep Parkey busy and Jason Witten is always a beast and is playing in a Cowboys-Giants game that always seems to turn into a shootout - helped me get studs elsewhere.
Carson Palmer has a fantastic matchup against a woeful Saints defense and apparently the salary-cap raters at FanDuel forgot how good Palmer was on a week-to-week basis when he was actually healthy last season. I also targted John Brown - whom I'm anticipating will be Palmer's top receiver. On top of that, I love Jordan Matthews as the top target in a fast-paced Philly offense (how is he only $6,800??) and, of course, Calvin Johnson, a stud no matter who he plays.
At running back, I wanted Lacy against the Bears, even at the high price tag, and I had to go with Miller, whom I've been talking up at length this preseason and a guy I declared a must-start every week in fantasy football, so why not ride the wave in FanDuel, too?
Michael Smith
I’m starting my lineup with Ryan Tannehill, who I’m hoping has low ownership with the majority of players either spending up on a top 5 QB, or going cheap with Tyrod Taylor. Tannehill and the Dolphins have one of the best matchups against the Washington Defense which was ranked 28th against the pass last year and 29th in scoring. I teamed Tannehill up with Jarvis Landry at WR, who is now Miami’s No. 1 wide receiver.
At running back I love the matchups of two of the most expensive players, Adrian Peterson and Eddie Lacy. The Packers are almost a touchdown favorite over the Bears, and Lacy will be the one running out the clock if Aaron Rodgers is able to carve up the Bears secondary as expected. The only player this year with a bigger chip on his shoulder than Tom Brady, Peterson faces a San Francisco defense which underwent major reconstruction this offseason. The Niners may be a solid defense at some point this year, but I’m betting against them stopping Peterson in Week 1.
Along with Peterson I’m going with Vikings wide receiver Charles Johnson. The Niners lost their best cornerback and several pass rushers, and along with Johnson’s emergence at the end of the 2014 season, I see him being a sneaky bargain priced wideout. My final receiver is Jordan Matthews, who is the Eagles most talented pass catcher. Over the last two years Chip Kelly has made top 10 fantasy wide receivers out of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and I think Matthews has the talent to make that three years in a row.
At wide receiver I tried to get some lower owned players so at tight end I went with what I expect will be the chalk play at the position, Greg Olsen. Olsen had a career year last season and with Kelvin Benjamin on IR, Olsen should be targeted even more by Cam Newton.
At defense I like the Kansas City Chiefs who play against a Texans offense which starts a replacement level player at every skill position outside of Deandre Hopkins. And at kicker I grabbed the Giants Josh Brown who should see plenty of opportunities in a high scoring game against Dallas.
Scott Krinch
There's plenty of value to be had at the wide receiver position in Week 1, and that's where you should be looking to save money by spending big elsewhere.
The over/under for Monday night's Eagles-Falcons game is 53.5, and I'm betting big on the over in that contest. I grabbed the top two wideouts from that game in Jordan Matthews and Julio Jones, hoping that the duo will be able to carry my team. Rounding out my receiving Triumvirate is the veteran Eddie Royal. For a low price of $5000, Royal is a must in all of my lineups this weekend.
At the running back position I targeted Eddie Lacy and Doug Martin. Lacy should run rampant on a week Bears' front seven that's missing Jeremiah Ratliff up the middle. Meanwhile, Martin should feast on a Titans defense that ranked No. 2 against the run in 2014, and did nothing in the offseason to shore up their abysmal front.
Eli Manning in a likely shootout against the Cowboys screams easy money and that's why he's on my team this week, and Greg Olsen (Cam Newton's only target) is a great play at tight end against a bad Jaguars defense.