The NFL season is finally here! We can finally start setting those fantasy lineups for real instead of entering countless mock drafts or trying to hit a homerun (see what I did there?) in preseason DFS, guessing on random players the majority of us have never heard of before and likely won’t again. Now, we can turn our focus to the all important regular season DFS matchups for cash games and tournament play.

Each week during the regular season, we’ll keep you updated on some of the top players to target in your FanDuel and DraftKings lineups in both cash games and GPP. Behold! Here are a select group of players to target for your Guaranteed Prize Pool tournament plays in week 1.

NFL DFS DraftKings GPP Plays for Week 1

DailyFantasyNerd DraftKings GPP Play of the Day

Dak Prescott (DAL) vs. NYG $5,000

Dak Prescott is easily one of the more valued plays for Sunday’s lineups and should be a popular pick at quarterback, despite making his first career start in his first career game. He’s priced at the minimum going against what was the 31st-ranked defense last season against the pass. The Giants upgraded their defense this offseason and may rattle the rookie some, but Prescott is sure to put up some numbers well beyond his current value. His price is expected to skyrocket come week 2, so here’s a good chance to price low on a quarterback in order to pay up on some top receivers.

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr (OAK) @ NO $7,300

Some people may not want to take the risk on a rookie like Prescott in his first game and go with a more proven veteran. They may also want to go with a more contrarian style with Prescott expected to be a popular pick. Carr has an excellent matchup in the Superdome against the Saints and is priced fairly reasonable for this matchup. The Saints were ranked dead last in defense last season. The Raiders will use a well-balanced attack in a game that’s expected to be close, giving Carr an ample opportunity to have a career day.

Aaron Rodgers (GB) @ JAX $8,500

You will have to pay up if you want to go with Rodgers in your lineup as the most expensive QB on DraftKings but he’s the safest thing to a guarantee as it gets for Sunday. Even though the Jaguars are improving on both sides of the ball, the defense still has their work cut out for them. Jacksonville will be playing with a lot of young talent that Rodgers will look to exploit early and often in a game that has the potential to become a shootout.

Other Notables: Brock Osweiler (HOU) vs. CHI $6,300, Andrew Luck (IND) @ DET $8,300

Running Backs

Ezekiel Elliott (DAL) vs. NYG $7,300

Along with Prescott, Zeke Elliott is also in position to put up an impressive stat line in his first career game. This game is an attractive one to target for fantasy production and Elliott should be featured a lot in this game as well as the rest of the season. His price tag is less than ideal, but if you’re willing to pay up for an RB, then look no further than the guy expected to get over 300 touches this season behind what’s considered the best offensive line in the league.

Rashad Jennings (NYG) @ DAL $5,400

As I said, this game is a good one to target in fantasy. The Giants tried the committee approach last year and it clearly didn’t work for them. Towards the end of the season they started to feature Jennings more, which looks to be the Giants approach to start the season. Jennings is in line to be the team’s bell-cow this year and is going up against Dallas’ 26th-ranked defense in week 1. Shane Vereen is still expected to see a lot of 3rd down action, but Jennings still holds value in PPR formats, and should exceed his current value with ease come Sunday.

Charles Sims (TB) @ ATL $4,400

Charles Sims is one of the more underrated players that brings a ton of value to PPR formats and is considerably cheap to own. Last season, Sims finished as the 17th-ranked RB in PPR, and that’s as a backup to Doug Martin. The Bucs travel to Atlanta in their first week matchup in a game that the Bucs will feature both of their running backs quite heavily. QB Jameis Winston loves to send little dump-off passes to Sims, and against a Falcons defense that doesn’t cover very well, those dump-offs could go for some big yardage. Sims could see a lot of garbage time as well should the game end up in a blowout.

Other Notables: Todd Gurley (LA) @ SF $7,800, Duke Johnson, Jr. (CLE) @ PHI $5,100, Theo Riddick (DET) @ IND $4,000

Wide Receivers

Julio Jones (ATL) vs. TB $9,400

Wide receiver is where we typically like to spend big in tournament plays since they bring the highest upside in terms of points and provide consistency. One of the top 3 players overall in fantasy drafts, Jones is my favorite player to pay up for this week. He’s got a great matchup at home against division rival Tampa Bay, who ranked 25th in passing defense last season. Jones injured his ankle in Atlanta’s third preseason game against Miami, but is expected to be fine for the opener. Expected to see near 200 targets this year, Jones is locked and loaded as a WR1 in DFS for week 1.

 

 

Dez Bryant (DAL) vs. NYG $8,500

Bryant suffered a concussion last Monday in practice, but is expected to pass protocol and be ready in time for the Cowboys week 1 matchup against the Giants. Only the Saints were ranked worse last year than the Giants against the pass, and Bryant should have a field day against the Giants’ corners provided he’s deemed healthy. Some are sketchy about Bryant’s production with Tony Romo sidelined based on last year’s results. However, rookie Dak Prescott showed some chemistry with Bryant in the preseason. At least enough to say that Bryant’s numbers won’t be effected by Romo’s absence.

Marvin Jones, Jr. (DET) @ IND $4,600

The former Bengal Marvin Jones is in a nice spot to breakout this season with Detroit. In a game that’s being somewhat overlooked for fantasy, Jones has a great opportunity to shine in his Lion’s debut. He should see just as many targets as his #1 counterpart, Golden Tate, and at a much better price. Now that Calvin Johnson is retired, the Lions are looking for someone who can step up, and it could very well be Jones. The Colts were ranked in the bottom half of the league in total defense for 2015, and haven’t looked to improve much at all in that regard. Jones very well could see double digit targets in a potential shootout.

Other Notables: Antonio Brown (PIT) @ WAS $9,800, Michael Crabtree (OAK) @ NO $5,500, Travis Benjamin (SD) @ KC $4,100

Tight Ends

Coby Fleener (NO) vs. OAK $4,900

Reports coming out of New Orleans have been less than stellar thus far regarding the acquisition of Coby Fleener this summer. Despite head coach Sean Payton declaring Fleener a “work in progress”, Fleener is still the starting tight end on one of the more high-powered offenses in the NFL. The Raiders have clearly become a well-respected defense over the past couple of years, but are still one of the worst ranked teams against tight ends. The veteran QB Drew Brees will look to exploit this weakness and target Fleener consistently all afternoon.

Other Notables: Jordan Reed (WAS) vs. PIT $6,600, Julius Thomas (JAX) vs. GB $3,800

Defense

L.A. Rams @ SF $3,800

The Rams are expected to finish the fantasy season as a top 5 defense and get a juicy Monday night matchup against the 49ers to start the season. They should have a lot of opportunities for sacks and turnovers in this game against a Niners team expected to struggle again this year. The Rams should be heavy favorites going into Monday night and could pick apart QB Blaine Gabbert if the Niners are forced to rely on his arm. Los Angeles also has a very good chance at a defensive score in this game.

Other Notables: Houston Texans vs. CHI $3,200

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