In some cases, the play is intended for tournaments (i.e., Guaranteed Prize Pools or GPPs); in other cases, it's for cash games (e.g., head-to-heads and 50-50's). Or both.
Who is your favorite DraftKings play for Week 1?
Kevin Hanson: Kendall Wright, WR, Chicago Bears ($3,200)
We typically get soft(er) pricing in the early part of the season as DFS sites attract lots of new players. Even so, Wright is a low-cost option that affords us plenty of salary-cap relief to load up on some of the higher-priced studs.
Barely exceeding 400 yards in back-to-back underwhelming seasons, Wright's 1,000-yard campaign (2013) is a distant memory. But his offensive coordinator that season is the same as his offensive coordinator this season: Dowell Loggains.
With an implied total in the bottom third this week, the Bears may not score many points and Wright obviously lacks TD upside. That said, Mike Glennon could be forced to throw it more than the team would like as they try to keep pace with the high-powered, Matt Ryan-led Falcons offense.
Given the injury to Cameron Meredith and the relative lack of talent at the position, Wright could approach double-digit targets. At his price point on a full PPR-scoring site like DK, Wright has a chance to really crush value.
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John Trifone: Rishard Matthews, WR, Tennessee Titans ($4,200)
Week 1 is always interesting for DFS. We don't really know much except for what we saw last year, as well as some limited, vanilla-scheme preseason usage.
There are plenty of obvious plays: David Johnson, Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, etc. Those guys at the top would seem to be pretty fairly priced, so I don't think there's too much value in those recommendations.
One of the value tournament guys I like is Rishard Matthews. I'm high on Tennessee's offense going into the year, and at $4,200 after a year of building chemistry with Marcus Mariota under his belt, I like Matthews as a low-owned cheap option. He certainly has upside and I expect him to emerge as Mariota's top target, even with Delanie Walker and the addition of Eric Decker.
Brendan Donahue: Chris Hogan, WR, New England Patriots ($4,800)
In his last eligible game on DraftKings, Hogan rewarded his owners with 42 points on nine catches for 180 yards and 2 TDs against the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. In his only real meaningful minutes in the preseason, he scored two more TDs in the 1st quarter in the New England's third preseason game vs. the Lions.
With Julian Edelman now out for the year, I expect Hogan to get a continued increase in volume especially while Tom Brady works on his chemistry with newcomer Brandin Cooks. At just $4,800, take advantage of Hogan before his price increases as the year progresses.
Sean Beazley: Michael Crabtree, WR, Oakland Raiders ($6,000)
One player I will be overweight Week 1 is Oakland WR Michael Crabtree. The Titans had one of the worst secondaries in the NFL last season. They did address those needs in the offseason, but have been beaten through the air all preseason. Crabtree had an 8/102 game last season versus the Titans and I believe we will see a similar outcome in this one. Amari Cooper is $1,200 more than Crabtree and will probably be 10% higher-owned, so give me the savings here.
Dan Yanotchko: Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets ($4,900)
This week, I like Bilal Powell of the Jets at $4,900. He is one of the only offensive pieces the Jets have and has a great matchup to go with it. The Bills last year gave up 133 yards per game, 4.8 yards per carry, and 21 touchdowns. With his great receiving skills, Powell will have a lot of touches this week.
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