DFS Value Options: Week 1

Week 1 is upon us, and it is the most complicated week for DFS throughout the NFL year as we haven’t had anything but a few dopey preseason games to give us an idea of how teams are going to operate. However, this is also the week to take advantage of some great bargains as the sites are still baking in the risk of a season that hasn’t started yet and players making potential leaps in the new year. We give you a couple of bargain options at each position as you set your DFS lineups.  Prices are all via DraftKings.

Quarterbacks

Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels are both very reasonable options but I don’t know if I want to rest my lineups on rookies so I will look to other options.

Will Levis $5,300

He certainly had his ups and downs in his rookie season, but the Titans did everything they could to make Levis job easier. They brought in a new offensive coordinator in Nick Holz who comes from the 9th ranked passing game in Jacksonville. Their receiving corps is now DeAndre Hopkins, Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd. Both Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears are adept pass catchers out of the backfield. The Bears were in the bottom third of defenses in passing, although they did make a few improvements in the offseason. Everything is in front of Levis and his price tag is super cheap and a great Week 1 option.

Justin Fields $5,000 – Russell Wilson is all but for Week 1 which opens up some great opportunities for Fields to try to seize the starting job long term. The Falcons were a pretty decent defense against the pass last season, and they made some great offseason additions as well. However, it does take defenses some time to gel together with so many new pieces. The Steelers have a few great weapons to throw to, but Fields best weapon is his legs. He might only throw for 150 yards and one score but he could run for 50-60 more yards and another score to make his minimal salary a great way to help your roster with studs elsewhere.

Running Backs

Jerome Ford $5,500 – Nick Chubb is on the short-term IR and that leaves not much competition for Ford to start the season. They open against the Cowboys, who have a strong defense, but Dallas was much stronger against the pass than the run in 2023. Dallas allowed 112 yards per game on the ground and 14 rushing touchdowns last season. Ford will absolutely lead the backfield in carries in this game, and the Browns run more than they pass, or at least they are more effective running. Ford should top 75 yards and likely find the end zone in Week 1.

Rico Dowdle $4,600 – Staying in the same game, I’m going with Uncle Rico. The Browns are a pretty decent run defense, allowing 105.5 yards per game in 2023, but they did allow 15 rushing touchdowns in 17 games, so there’s a chance to score here. The Cowboys signed Dalvin Cook but that was late in the summer and Ezekiel Elliott showed a few flashes at the end of 2023, but his best days are clearly behind him. If you are looking for a really cheap running back option with a decent chance of giving you 10-15 fantasy points, Dowdle could be your guy.

Wide Receivers

Josh Palmer $5,200

Keenan Allen is in Chicago and Mike Williams is with the Jets. Hell, Gerald Everett is also out of town. There are an assload of targets available for the Chargers and Justin Herbert still knows how to sling the ball around. The Raiders aren’t the softest opponent, but they did allow 21 pass touchdowns last year, so you can score on them. Palmer played the Raiders twice last season and had 77 and 113 yards in the two games against them with a touchdown. Jim Harbaugh does like to run the ball, but Palmer is their most explosive receiver and with that price tag could give you a great return in Week 1.

Andre Iosivas $3,000 – With Tee Higgins out of the game and Ja’Marr Chase with an “illness” all of a sudden, there seems to be a lot of targets open for this opening game of the season. And if Chase was not to play, all bets are off. They did bring in Mike Gesicki at tight end, but we all know how inconsistent he can be. At 6’3” and 205 pounds he is a good size for Joe Burrow to find in the red zone. Iosivas finished last year strong with nine catches in the last two games and with the issues the Bengals are having at receiver and his minimal price tag, he is almost a no brainer for your Week 1 lineups.

Tight Ends

I don’t love a lot of value options this week if I am being honest. If Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase don’t play I like Mike Gesicki, but also these couple options.

Taysom Hill $4,300 – I would like to go on record to say I hate him. I don’t think he is a very good football player, and he is a dumb gadget player that you never know when is going to do well. However, a few times a year he does have some pretty successful fantasy days. The Saints are likely going to be a mess this year, so who knows where the production is going to come from Week 1 against a weak Panthers defense who lost their best player in free agency. I like to believe that sensibility will prevail, and Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave will have big games, but Hill’s price tag is cheap and if you are looking to save money, he could have a couple touchdowns and seriously pay off.

Noah Fant $4,000 – Not that they were fantasy studs, but Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson are gone from Seattle, leaving only Fant and Pharaoh Brown at tight end, and you don’t need me to tell you that Brown isn’t going to catch many passes. Denver gave up an assload of passing touchdowns last season, so even Geno Smith might have a good day. Seattle isn’t going to have a high powered offense and they do have three solid wide receivers so Fant isn’t going to light up the scoreboard but for a cheap price he could help you if you need to save a buck at tight end.

Team Defense

Houston Texans $2,700 – Houston was already 11th in the league in points per game allowed with just over 20 and they made several offseason additions to the defense including Danielle Hunter from Minnesota to terrorize the quarterback. How they have the fourth lowest salary on DK against an Indianapolis team with a quarterback that has played a handful of games that was apt to get sacked and turn the ball over is beyond me. They aren’t the top of the list of elite defenses, but Houston was solid last season, made some great additions and plays a team that I think still has plenty to prove in Week 1.