The time has finally come everyone. Week 1 of the NFL season. It should be a national holiday and everyone should get a three-day weekend. Am I sure everyone can agree on that?
For those of you either new to the site or those that come back seasonally, we have a ton of exciting stuff going on here at GoingFor2, so bear with me while I quickly try to update you.
1) We have added a ton of new NFL DFS writers this year to cover everything. You will get my usual post, but I also have cash game articles for both FanDuel and DraftKings, a value article for both FanDuel and DraftKings, as well as top GPP plays for both sites, and finally a “stack report” for the top stacks each week. So you will get plenty of views to ensure you are building a great lineup.
2) We have teamed up with GOATscore.com to bring you exclusive “skill protected” DFS contests. What does that mean exactly? If you are new to DFS or just tired of losing to sharks that play 200+ lineups, you don’t have to worry about that with GOATscore.com. You simply upload your FD or DK history, you’re assigned a score from 1-100, and they will create contests with players in your skill range.
There are a few ways to get started. The easiest way is to go here and click “Join Leaderboard”, but you can also click on the links on the sidebar or in the drop down menu for Daily Fantasy. Doing this will automatically add you to the GoingFor2 squad where you can compare yourself with other readers. Daily “skill protected” contests are created on the site and you opt-in to have them emailed to you.
3) Finally, we have a full-time podcast now. Those of you that were here for the second half of the NBA season probably already knew this, but there are some of you that only come out during football season. You can find us on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and on Podbean (or on the PodBean app).
Okay, enough with the promos, on to the real reason you are here…
| Explosive Play | My top play for the position |
| Deep Threat | A deep threat is a second or third tier player that will outperform their price on FanDuel/DraftKings. |
| Hail Mary | Also know as a punt, a Hail Mary is a cheap, low-owned player with a ton of upside. Great for GPP's. |
| Missed Tackle | A missed tackle is a first or second tier player that I’ll be fading in my contests. |
*note* Prices listed are for FanDuel but most picks will translate to DraftKings
Quarterbacks
Explosive Play Derek Carr (OAK) @ NO $7,700
Carr is a little cheaper than my EP’s normally are, but anytime you match up against a defense that has broken records for futility over the last two years you have to be considered a top play. The Saints defense allowed more passing touchdowns last year than any team has ever done in the history of the game. There biggest improvement on defense from last year to this year is…wait for it…firing Rob Ryan. Yeah, that isn’t going to help that much. Carr threw for 32 TDs last year, good for eighth in the league, he will start 2016 with at least three.
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Deep Threat Jameis Winston (TB) @ ATL $7,500
I’ve been predicting all summer that the Winston/Mike Evans show will be touring the country this football season, and their first stop will be in Atlanta. I’m loving a Winston/Evans stack against this Falcons subpar defense in a game that could turn into a shootout. The Bucs will be much improved this year and Winston will be a huge part of that.
Hail Mary Dak Prescott (DAL) vs NYG $5,000
This one is a no-brainer. Prescott is this year’s version of Tyrod Taylor. He was a guy that, when FanDuel released their prices, was thought to have no shot at starting and now is thrust into a starting job and is the minimum price at $5,000. He needs to score ten points to hit value — ten! You wanna know what he has to do to score ten points? He needs to throw for 150 yards and one TD. That’s it. That doesn’t include any rushing numbers he might get. He opens up your roster immensely and will be the No. 1 cash game QB.
Missed Tackle Andy Dalton (CIN) @ NYJ $7,700
 He is a QB coming off a season ending injury, playing on the road where he historically isn’t very good, against a very good defense, and he is without three of his key weapons from last year (Mohamed Sanu, Marvin Jones, Tyler Eifert). No thanks.
Others I like: Drew Brees (NO), Blake Bortles (JAC)
Running Backs
Explosive Play Adrian Peterson (MIN) @ TEN $8,200 *DailyFantasyNerd Play of the Day*
I’ve heard people argue that Teddy Bridgwater’s injury will allow teams to stack the box to slow down Peterson. It made me laugh a little. Peterson faced more 8-man fronts last year than any back in the league, and he averaged 5.3 yards on those carries. Stacking the box won’t stop Peterson. I do think the injury to his QB will hurt him eventually because I think Sam Bradford/Shaun Hill will turn the ball over more, putting the Vikings in a hole, and forcing them to abandon the run. The Titans aren’t a team that’s going to run up the score, though, so he’ll be fine in this one.
Deep Threat LeSean McCoy (BUF) @ BAL $6,900
Four of the top five teams in rushing attempts made the playoffs last year. The one that didn’t? The Buffalo Bills. So what does that mean? It means the Bills are going to run the ball no matter what. Those other four teams ran the ball because they were ahead more often than not, and could simply run the ball to milk the clock. The Bills, on the other hand, weren’t very good and still ran it. Karlos Williams is now gone and can’t steal carries from McCoy. Reggie Bush and Mike Gilislee  don’t pose much of threat to McCoy, so he is going to get the workload against a middle of the pack defense.
Hail Mary Spencer Ware* (KC) vs SD $5,400 *pending news on Jamaal Charles
Jamaal Charles is not expected to play in Week 1, leaving Ware as the lead back in a run-first, conservative offense, playing a defense that gave up 4.8 yards per carry in 2015 — only the Saints at 4.9 were worse. The Chargers figure to be better with Joey Bosa in the fold, but they won’t be that much better for me to avoid using an RB at $5,400.
Missed Tackle Ezekiel Elliot (DAL) @ NYG $7,900
Don’t get me wrong, I think Elliot could have a big game here, but he is priced as an elite level running back and has yet to register a single carry in a meaningful NFL game, not to mention the Giants improved their defense immensely this off-season. There are better options.
Others I like: Melvin Gordon (SD), Eddie Lacy (GB)
Wide Receivers
Explosive Play DeAndre Hopkins (HOU) vs CHI $8,400
I’ve been pumping Hopkins all off-season and I even wrote an article on why I think Hopkins can be the No. 1 WR in fantasy this year. The Bears are a good place for him to start his bid to that crown. From a total yards standpoint, the Bears ranked favorably last year (4th best), but it’s a little misleading, as they allowed 7.5 yards per pass attempt (11th worst). The fact was, the Bears were so bad against the run (bottom 10) that teams didn’t need to throw the ball. Long story short, Hopkins is going to eat in this game.
Deep Threat Amari Cooper (OAK) @ NO $7,100
Probably my favorite stack for Week 1 is Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. I’ve already documented how bad the Saints’ passing defense is. Cooper is going to have a field day in New Orleans.
Hail Mary Eli Rogers (PIT) @ WAS $4,500
A lot of you that haven’t been paying attention to the NFL lately probably saw that name and said, “Who?”. Rogers won the No. 3 WR spot in Pittsburg, beating out the favorite, Sammie Coates. So the Steelers WR corps for Week 1 is Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, and Rogers. We all saw how “good” Wheaton was last year when Martinis Bryant was out the first five games, he had 9 catches for just over 100 yards… in five games! So let’s think about this. No Le’Veon Bell, no Bryant, no Ladarius Green, Wheaton is not good, and Antonio Brown will draw Josh Norman, that leaves…exactly.
Missed Tackle Jordy Nelson (GB) @ JAC $8,400
I just don’t love Nelson, who was just cleared to start practicing shortly before the Week 4 preseason game, and hasn’t played a snap since the 2014 season.
Others I like: Mike Evans (TB), Brandin Cooks (NO)
Tight Ends
Explosive Play Jordan Reed (WAS) vs PIT $7,400
Reed is the Redskins No. 1 receiving threat and he also represents their best red zone target. He is a bit expensive, but with some of the Week 1 value I’ve pointed out, you should be able to put a good roster around him.
Deep Threat Zach Ertz (PHI) vs CLE $5,700
This is it. This is the year Ertz finally breaks out. He was a target monster in the preseason for Sam Bradford, and that will carry over into the regular season.
Hail Mary Vance McDonald (SF) vs (LA) $4,700
Volume alone will make him viable as I expect a ton of safe, check down type plays to go his way with Blaine Gabbert under center. He is also their best red zone threat outside of Carlos Hyde.
Missed Tackle Colby Fleener (NO) vs OAK $5,400
Everyone is expecting Fleener to be the next Jimmy Graham, except there is one notable difference. Graham could catch a football.
Others I like: Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB)
Defense
Explosive Play Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears $4,900
The Bears looked like a very bad team in the preseason, and to add insult to injury, J.J. Watt is trending to play Week 1.
Deep Threat Minnesota Vikings @Â Tennessee Titans $4,600Â
The Titans will be better this year, but they still won’t be good. Vikings defense will have to be outstanding this year with no Bridgewater to limit the turnovers on offense, but this isn’t a game they will need to be.
Hail Mary New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys $4,400
Rookie QB. Rookie RB. And the Giants spent a ton of money on the defense in the off-season. Yes, please. *GPP Only*
Missed Tackle Kansas City Chiefs  vs San Diego Chargers $5,100
The Chiefs defense won’t be as good as it was last year and the Chargers offense won’t be as bad. The Chiefs are just too pricey for my taste.
Others I like: Eagles vs Browns, Browns at Eagles (this game is gonna be ugly)
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