Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations for Week 1
*Mike Barner*
Daily Fantasy Football Recommendations – Week 1
The long wait is finally over, the NFL is back! By now you’re likely done with your season long fantasy drafts, but that’s only the beginning. Now is the time to kick it into gear for DFS and bring home some cash. Put your favorite daily fantasy football recommendations from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the NFL Player Lab.
**QUARTERBACKS**
Matt Ryan vs. Chicago Bears
Stadium – Soldier Field
Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons will be looking to rebound from their crushing loss in the Super Bowl by coming out of the gates hot against the Bears. The Bears are in rebuilding mode and are going to find wins hard to come by this season. Their secondary lacks elite talent and only intercepted eight passes last year, tied for second fewest in the NFL. Ryan was a monster in 2016 as he reached career-highs in passing yards (4,944), touchdowns (38) and completion percentage (69.9%). He’s not cheap, but Ryan is going to have a big game Sunday.
Marcus Mariota vs. Oakland Raiders
Stadium – Nissan Stadium
Mariota made solid progress during his second season in the NFL and finished last year with 3,426 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, 349 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. He will have even more weapons at his disposal this season as the Titans selected wide receiver Corey Davis with the fifth overall pick in the draft and also signed veteran receiver Eric Decker. Combine those two with hold overs Rishard Matthews and tight end Delanie Walker and Mariota could be primed to take his game to the next level. The Raiders have a potent offense as well, so this game could be a high scoring affair. Mariota should produce big stats at a mid-tier price in this contest.
Jared Goff vs. Indianapolis Colts
Stadium – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Goff’s rookie campaign was one to forget as he threw for 1,089 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven starts. The Rams took measures to upgrade their offense this for season by bringing in wide receivers Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. If you are playing in a tournament, Goff is a cheap option who might be worth a shot Sunday as he gets a favorable match up against a bad Colts secondary who will be missing their best cornerback in Vontae Davis due to injury. The Colts also allowed 27 passing touchdowns and only recorded eight interceptions in 2016.
**RUNNING BACKS**
LeSean McCoy vs. New York Jets
Stadium – New Era Field
McCoy is coming off of another excellent season with the Bills as he rushed for 1,267 yards to go along with 13 rushing touchdowns. He was also a threat in the passing game, hauling in 50 receptions for 356 yards and one touchdown. The Bills don’t have much depth behind McCoy, so expect him to see a heavy work load again this year. McCoy gets a favorable opponent Week 1 in the Jets as they just traded away stellar defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. He was also excellent at home last season as he rushed for 102.9 yards per game at home compared to 68.4 yards per game on the road. Even more staggering is that 11 of his 13 rushing touchdowns came at New Era Field. Start McCoy and enjoy the production.
Christian McCaffrey vs. San Francisco 49ers
Stadium – Levi’s Stadium
The Panthers drafted McCaffrey eighth overall and he has certainly brought excitement and high expectations to their offense. The Panthers lacked explosiveness on offense last year, so a player with McCaffrey’s ability to catch passes out of the backfield and overall explosiveness are certainly a welcomed addition. The 49ers allowed 2,654 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns last season, both the worst in the NFL. The price is right to take a shot on McCaffrey even in his first game in the league.
Bilal Powell vs. Buffalo Bills
Stadium – New Era Field
Although running back Matt Forte has the more impressive career resume, Powell is on the rise while Forte is in the midst of the twilight of his career. Powell is coming off the best season of his career in 2016 when he posted 722 rushing yards, 388 receiving yards and five total touchdowns. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry last season compared to only 3.7 yards per carry for Forte. While the two are expected to split carries, don’t be surprised if Powell sees more action Sunday. He won’t cost much, making him a nice value play.
**WIDE RECEIVERS**
Julio Jones vs. Chicago Bears
Stadium – Soldier Field
Jones was limited to 14 games last season, but he still put up big numbers as he finished with 83 receptions, 1,409 yards and six touchdowns. He is clearly Ryan’s favorite receiver as he saw at least seven targets 11 times last year. That volume is excellent, especially when you consider Jones averaged a whopping 17.0 yards per receptions last season. A Ryan-Jones stack will be costly in Week 1, but they could put up elite numbers.
Brandon Marshall vs. Dallas Cowboys
Stadium – AT&T Stadium
Marshall joins the New York Giants after a down year with the Jets as he recorded only 59 receptions for 788 yards and three touchdowns. I’m largely throwing that out the window though as the Jets had some of the worst quarterback play in the league. Marshall now gets Eli Manning throwing passes his way who is a major upgrade even at this stage of Manning’s career. Manning has not had big receiver like Marshall since the days of Plaxico Burress, who was one of his favorite targets. Marshall has three inches on the tallest member of the Cowboys’ secondary, so defending him is going to be a problem. He is a mid-tier price option who has the potential for a big performance.
Pierre Garcon vs. Carolina Panthers
Stadium – Levi’s Stadium
While he didn’t get a ton of publicity, Garcon had a productive season with the Washington Redskins last year as he hauled in 79 receptions for 1,041 yards and three touchdowns. It marked the second time in his career that he posted at least 1,000 receiving yards and the first time since he had 1,346 yards in 2013. New 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was on the Redskins staff in 2013, something that should not go unnoticed. With the 49ers lacking talent at the receiver position, expect Garcon to get a ton of targets. Even if he struggles to find the end zone, the volume alone makes Garcon a solid play in Week 1, especially considering his price.
Kevin White vs. Atlanta Falcons
Stadium Soldier Field
The Bears were dealt a crushing blow in the preseason when they lost receiver Cameron Meredith for the year with a knee injury. Already lacking talent at receiver, White is now the best option they have. White was limited to only four games last season due to injury, finishing with 19 receptions for 187 yards. He’s healthy heading into the season, which is all that matters for DFS in Week 1. With the Bears likely to be down big in this game, they should have to throw the ball a lot, meaning White could put up big numbers even at a bargain basement price.
**TIGHT ENDS**
Greg Olsen vs. San Francisco 49ers
Stadium – Levi’s Stadium
If you look up the word consistent in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Olsen. Olsen has started all 16 games and received at least 100 targets in each of the last five seasons, posting at least 1,000 receiving yards in three straight seasons. Although the Panthers brought in McCaffrey, they still don’t have a strong wide receiver group. Olsen also torched the 49ers last season as he had 5 receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown in Week 2. Roll with him again Sunday.
Austin Hooper vs. Chicago Bears
Stadium – Soldier Field
All aboard, this is your captain on the Austin Hooper hype train. I’m a big fan of him heading into this season as he will be taking over as the starting tight end for the Falcons. Their tight ends combined for 10 touchdowns last season, so their is some upside for Hooper. I’ve already mentioned I like the Falcons offense in this game, so giving Hooper a shot at his dirt cheap price is something I’m willing to do. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds the end zone in this game.
**DEFENSES/SPECIAL TEAMS**
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Stadium – NRG Stadium
This almost seems too easy. The Texans enter this season with one of the better defenses in the league as they only allowed 301.3 yards per game in 2016, the fewest in the NFL. In step the Jaguars with Blake Bortles “winning” the quarterback job over Chad Henne in the preseason. Bortles was awful on the road against the Texans last season, throwing for only 92 yards to go along with one interception and no touchdowns. While he might not be that bad again, the Texans should still be able to put the clamps on Jacksonville.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts
Stadium – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Rams luck out (sorry, I couldn’t resist) in Week 1 against the Colts as quarterback Andrew Luck will miss the game due to injury. In steps Scott Tolzien who has two touchdowns compared to seven interceptions over his career. He made one start against the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, finishing with 205 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. It’s going to be hard for the Colts to score with Tolzien at the helm, making the Rams an interesting option at a cheap price.