Huge Week 1 Question Marks

In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Paramount+:

The appetizers on Thursday and Friday evening were delicious, but I’m ready for the main course.

We got a glorious 12-game slate on tap today followed by a Lions-Rams nightcap for SNF on NBC.

Here is all of the latest info you need to know before finalizing your Week 1 lineups …

🤷 The Steelers still haven’t committed to a QB. Russell Wilson is listed as questionable with a calf injury and told the team he can play, but no decision has been made. Justin Fields should not be on any benches because he’s a Top 10 option if he gets the nod. Sounds like we’ll know more after warm-ups.

🤒 Ja’Marr Chase is officially questionable. His injury status now includes an “illness” and he still doesn’t have a contract. As of right now, there has not been a decision on if he will play. With Tee Higgins also doubtful, we could see a ton of WR Andrei Iosivas today. He’s a legitimate option, especially in PPR leagues.

For late-breaking news, check out our inactives page

📈 Keenan Allen is good to go. He’s been dealing with a heel issue, but got in a full practice the other day.

🙏 Jordan Love avoids a season-ending injury. He is expected to miss anywhere from 3-6 weeks with an MCL sprain, pending further testing. Time to get Ryan Tannehill on the line because us Jayden Reed stans can’t stomach any Malik Willis.

Read on for some DFS plays from James McCool, and don’t forget to utilize our start/sit tool if you have any tough, last-minute decisions.

What else is in today’s newsletter?

James McCool’s Week 1 DFS advice
Watercooler: Updates on Niners injuries

Week 1 NFL DFS Plays: A Stack, Value, and GPP Gem

by James McCool

While the 2024 NFL season kickoff is technically in our rear-view mirror after consecutive nights with a primetime game, we're still awaiting kickoff of our first full NFL DFS slate.

With the 12-game Sunday slate around the corner, I've combed through the DraftKings NFL DFS slate to provide a high-level overview of how you should approach the slate.

Below are my top stack, value picks, tournament targets, and fades.

Be sure to utilize our NFL DFS Projections to help guide your decision-making. If you're interested in dabbling in College Football DFS this weekend, we have projections for that as well, available here.

We also have the rest of your DFS weekend covered with our DFS Pick'em Tool, which helps you build the most +EV pick'em combinations on Underdog, DraftKings PIck6, and Sleeper.

Top NFL DFS Stack on DraftKings

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins were a top-5 offense in 2023, fueled by the innovative play-calling of Mike McDaniels and the game-breaking force of Tyreek Hill. There was very little turnover for the Dolphins offense, giving plenty of reason to believe they will once again push for the highest-scoring team in the league.

As more justification of their upside as a stack, they have the second-highest team total on the week at 26.75 and are projected for the third-most total touchdowns at 2.91.

In 2023, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle combined for 50% of the team targets and 65% of the team air yards. We love to target skinny target trees like this because it gives us a lot of confidence in securing the scoring for a team. Having them combined in the stack makes for the highest upside combo on the slate.

It is worth saying, however, that the next highest overall median for MIA that does not have Waddle is Tua/Tyreek/Jonnu Smith and projects for just 43.62 fantasy points, the 12^th highest on the slate. So, if you are going to stack MIA, it makes a lot of sense to pay up and get the studs while filling in with value around them.

Top Week 1 NFL DFS Value Plays

RB: Chase Brown, Bengals

With a projection of 12.72 and a salary of just $5,000 on DraftKings, Brown is one of the best values on the board at his position.

The projection is a product of a healthy team total (24.25 at the time of writing) and a great projected game script as eight-point favorites over the Patriots.

Granted, there is some uncertainty around his role and the Bengals offense as a whole with the statuses of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins up in the air. Still, with less offensive firepower around him, that should only increase his floor as a receiver and lock him in as a strong value option.

Top Week 1 GPP Plays on DraftKings

RB: Bijan Robinson, Falcons

This is a pretty easy one to write up: Robinson projects for nearly four points higher than any other RB in the projections, and in the simulations from Paydirt, he's finishing as the top-scoring option 23% of the time. The second-highest mark in those simulations goes to Jonathan Taylor at just 7.20% of the time, showing how large that gap really is.

He’s expensive, but that just helps him as a GPP play since the field is likely to be paying up at WR and ignoring the premium RB options. He’s a turnkey, easy-button option in all fields.

More DFS Plays to Click

Stream the NFL on CBS Live on Paramount+

Watch Your Week 1 Local NFL Game on CBS Live with Paramount+

The wait is finally over, week 1 is here! Don’t miss the NFL on CBS streaming live each week on Paramount+! Stream your local, national, and postseason NFL on CBS game live through the AFC Championship on Paramount+. Sign up today to watch CBS games throughout the season, including your local matchups in week 1.

1 p.m. ET Kickoff

New England at Cincinnati
Houston at Indianapolis
Arizona at Buffalo
Jacksonville at Miami

4:05 p.m. ET Kickoff

Denver at Seattle
Las Vegas at LA Chargers

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The latest fantasy nuggets, silliness, and NFL gossip from our merry band of football nerds:

📊 Don’t finalize your lineups without consulting our expert rankings … updated for the latest news.

🍻 Last place punishment? More like an incredible gift.

🚑️ We’re all hungry for Jordan Love updates. Here he is limping off the plane.

😆 No one respects the Giants. Bulletin board material.

🚁 The RB who is going for 100+ and 2 TDs today. The chopper is back.

🚑️ Niners injury and workload updates. Good nuggets on CMC and Aiyuk.

💰 Looking for more Week 1 action? Our bet tracker isn’t just loaded with plays, it’s free!