Last night game was a nice way to kick off the NFL season, and I’ll start by apologizing for not getting my advice column up sooner to include the Thursday night game. Hopefully you read my column over on RotoWriters.com where I will be posting a Fanduel NFL DFS column until the NBA season starts. I will be placing a link to that article each week on the side-bar of my site, but if you’re on mobile you will have to scroll all the way down to find it.

A lot of you are familiar with my format from the NBA DFS I did here earlier in the year. My NFL format will be similar. I’m not going to just give you a lineup to run and say, “This will win you money”. To me, half the fun of playing DFS is to build a lineup. For those that want my lineup, you can shoot me a message on Twitter @GeoffLambert77 or on Facebook at GoingFor2DotCom. Instead of just giving you a lineup, I’m going to feature four guys from each position (minus kicker) and break them into four categories. Here are those categories:

Explosive Play – In the real-world NFL an explosive play is defined as any play over 20 yards, and those type of plays will typically win you football games. In the DFS world, an explosive play is a player that I think has the potential to put up huge fantasy production, based on his matchup, recent performance, and his history against the opposing team. Theses are the plays you need to win in the DFS world.

Deep Threat – A deep threat is a second or third tier player that I think will outperform their price on FanDuel, giving you the best Return on Investment (ROI).

Punt Play – This term is pretty universal — typically a GPP play only. It’s a player that has an outside shot to have a great game and will most likely me low-owned in large tournaments.

Missed Tackle – A missed tackle is a first or second tier player that I’ll be avoiding — be it because of match-up, weather conditions, or recent performance.

So let’s jump right in shall we:

*note* I will not include kickers, because, well, they are kickers.

Quarterbacks

Explosive Play Matt Ryans, Falcons (FD $8,800, DK $7,500, Yahoo! $46)

Ryan is playing in the Monday night game versus the Eagles, and Vegas has this game with the highest over/under of any of the games this weekend. My suggestion to you is get as much exposure to this game as you can. Ryan has thrown for at least 300 yards and 2 touchdowns on opening weekend in each of the last three years. Their run game is still suspect forcing them to throw, they are playing at home, and Ryan has this guy named Julio Jones. ‘Nough said.

Deep Threat Sam Bradford, Eagles (FD $7,500, DK $6,900, Yahoo! $41)

We find my Deep Threat in this same game. Again, there were be lots of points scored in this game, and both quarterbacks will be fantasy gold. Chip Kelly will put Bradford in position to succeed, and succeed he will — Kelly made Mark Sanchez a viable DFS QB last year!

Punt Play Tyrod Taylor, Bills (FD $5,000, DK $5,000, Yahoo! $20)

I have a ton of shares in Tyrod Taylor. He was not expected to be the starter when Fanduel put up their prices, which means he is priced extremely low. To give you an idea of how low, the cheapest known starter when Fanduel put up their prices was Derek Carr at $6,300. DraftKings and Yahoo! are in similar price ranges for their respected sites. Taylor will reach and exceed value based solely on his running ability, and could have a mulit-touchdown game with his legs.

Missed Tackle Andrew Luck, Colts (FD $9,200, DK $8,300, Yahoo! $41)

Say What?? Yes, I’m not going to have any Luck in my lineups this weekend. His price tag and a bad matchup with Buffalo scares me off. Now, as a contrarian play he could be interesting, but nothing more. 

Running Backs

Explosive Play Eddie Lacy, Packers (FD $8,500, DK $7,500, Yahoo! $28)

I have Lacy as the No. 1 play across the board. The Bears defense did little to improve, and with the Jordy Nelson injury, expect Aaron Rodgers and company to lean a little more on the running game. He will easily go over 100 yards rushing, add another 50 receiving and at least two touchdowns.

Deep Threat Doug Martin, Bucs (FD $6,900, DK $4,500, Yahoo! $18)

Doug Martin has burned many a fantasy player in his career. I’m taking one more shot with him. He is fully healthy, reports say he has lost weight and looks quicker, had a great preseason, and has a Week 1 matchup with the Titans suspect defense, if he doesn’t come through this week, he never will.

Punt Play Chris Ivory, Jets (FD $6,400, DK $4,100, Yahoo! $17)

I had to be convinced of this pick by @infantryboys, you can check out our DFS podcast for Week 1 here. He pointed out that the Browns gave up more yards than any team last year. Ivory is the bell cow in New York, and when healthy, has shown he can be a good running back. His price tag is low enough that he is worth rostering.

Missed Tackle LeSean McCoy, Bills (FD $8,400, DK $7,200, Yahoo! $24)

At this point, we assume LeSean McCoy is going to play in Week 1, but how healthy will he be is the question. It’s a juicy matchup with the Colts, but I just can’t trust that he is 100 percent yet. Not to mention the Colts are capable of putting this one away early, in which case McCoy could be rested.

Wide Receivers

Explosive Play Julio Jones, Falcons (FD $9,000, DK $9,300, Yahoo! $39)

Part of the aforementioned Falcons/Eagles game, Jones is the sure-fire No. 1 receiver in Atlanta. The Falcons will throw a ton, and Jones could get 12-17 targets. He will be worth every penny.

Deep Threat Jordan Matthews, Eagles (FD $6,800, DK $7,200, Yahoo! $22)

Yet another Falcons/Eagles game player, Matthews is the No. 1 receiver in a high-powered offense but his price-tag doesn’t reflect that, especially on Fanduel.

Punt Play Davante Adams, Packers (FD $5,500, DK $4,400, Yahoo! $19)

The door opened for Adams when Jordy Nelson went down for the year, and the door could be blown completely off the hinges if Randall Cobb can’t go, or is limited in any way. Ay $5,500 he is a near must play.

Missed Tackle Alshon Jeffery, Bears (FD $8,400, DK $8,300, Yahoo! $31)

There is a chance he misses this game, but even if he doesn’t I won’t be rostering him. He won’t be anywhere near 100 percent healthy, and there is a good chance he re-injures it. No thanks.

Tight Ends

Explosive Play Greg Olsen, Panthers (FD $5,900, DK $5,300, Yahoo! $17)

Greg Olsen has received 100-plus targets in each of the last three years. With Philly Brown and Ted Ginn Jr. expected to be the starters in Carolina, he may have 100 targets by Week 7. The Jaguars will be seeing a lot of Olsen on Sunday, get him in your lineups.

Deep Threat Owen Daniels, Broncos (FD $5,500, DK $3,400, Yahoo! $14)

Two words. Peyton Manning. That is all, carry on.

Punt Play Jordan Reed, Redskins (FD $5,000, DK $3,800, Yahoo! $15)

Huge risk play here, but Kirk Cousins and Reed had good chemistry in limited time together in 2014. The Redskins will be down quickly in this game, and Cousins will be under pressure for most of the game, Reed will be his safety valve.

Missed Tackle Jimmy Graham, Seahawks (FD $6,900, DK $5,600, Yahoo! $21)

Graham could end up having a decent year, but he won’t get nearly as many targets as he did in New Orleans. His value will be dependent on touchdowns, and against the Rams, he may not get enough chances.

Defense

Explosive Play Miami Dolphins (FD $4,700, DK $3,000, Yahoo! $12)

The addition of Ndamukong Suh coupled with under the radar shut down corner Brent Grimes makes this defense a viable candidate for the best in the AFC. The Kirk Cousins-led Redskins will have a long afternoon dealing with those two.

Deep Threat New York Jets (FD $4,400, DK $2,900, Yahoo! $10)

They have a great matchup with the Browns who may have the worst receiving corps in the NFL.

Punt Play Jacksonville Jaguars (FD $4,200, DK $2,700, Yahoo! $11)

Big-time punt here, but the Jags D isn’t as bad as people think. They were sixth in sacks last year and middle of the road in yards given up. The Panthers are without their No. 1 receiver in Kelvin Benjamin and their offense line has trouble blocking for Cam Newton. Factor in the expected humidity level in Jacksonville, and the Jaguars may have a huge defensive game.

Missed Tackle San Francisco 49ers (FD $4,600, DK $2,800, Yahoo! $11)

Two of three top corner backs from last year. Gone. Two of the top linebackers in the entire league. Gone. Perennial all-pro Justin Smith. Gone. Rookie standout middle linebacker. Gone. Do I need to keep going? Didn’t think so.

Flex

Not every site has a flex spot, and since you could theoretically use any of my previous picks to fill the flex spot, I’ll use this section to just quickly list some other guys that I like.

• QB Ryan Tannehill, Dolphins
• QB Carson Palmer, Cardinals
• RB C.J. Anderson, Broncos
• RB Lamar Miller, Dolphins
• WR Odell Beckham Jr., Giants
• WR Brandin Cooks, Saints
• TE Tyler Eifert, Bengals

That wraps it up for this week. Next week’s will hopefully be out sooner. Be sure to put your email in the box below to get all of our newest content delivered to your inbox.

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