The wait is finally over! NFL football has arrived in full force, and we're here to bring you some helpful tips and advice so you can dominate the opening week. The Week 1 NFL DFS FanDuel main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT and features 12 games. This list excludes teams playing/played on Wednesday (Patriots-Seahawks), Thursday (49ers-Rams), Sunday Night Football (Cowboys-Giants) and Monday Night Football (Broncos-Chiefs).
The players you want to target for guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests should offer a decent amount of upside, but it's also important to identify chalk plays that can represent the foundation of your roster. We'll discuss the best choices for cash games and give you plenty of options for fielding GPP rosters. For cash games, play the best chalk and, when in doubt, follow ownership, which you can get an idea of from our NFL DFS optimizer.
Keep in mind that FanDuel DFS football contests use full-point PPR scoring. NFL DFS lineups on FanDuel consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit.
Note: All prices listed come from FanDuel, but most of the logic can be applied to other sites across the DFS industry. Discussion is limited to players from the "main slate" of games kicking off at 1 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday. The strategy below is meant for large-field tournaments, where payouts typically are limited to ~20 percent of lineups, with the majority concentrated at the very top.
The Games
| Over/Under | Road Team | Road Implied Total | Home Team | Home Implied Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38.5 | New York Jets | 18.5 | Tennessee Titans | 20 |
| 49.5 | New Orleans Saints | 21.25 | Detroit Lions | 28.25 |
| 47.5 | Baltimore Ravens | 25.5 | Indianapolis Colts | 22 |
| 45 | Buffalo Bills | 23.25 | Houston Texans | 21.75 |
| 50.5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 23.5 | Cincinnati Bengals | 27 |
| 40.5 | Cleveland Browns | 16.25 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 24.25 |
| 41.5 | Atlanta Falcons | 19 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 22.5 |
| 47.5 | Chicago Bears | 25.25 | Carolina Panthers | 22.25 |
| 40.5 | Miami Dolphins | 18.5 | Las Vegas Raiders | 22 |
| 47.5 | Arizona Cardinals | 18.75 | Los Angeles Chargers | 28.75 |
| 44.5 | Washington Commanders | 20 | Philadelphia Eagles | 24.5 |
| 46.5 | Green Bay Packers | 22.5 | Minnesota Vikings | 24 |
Point-Per-Dollar Values
These are the players with the best projections relative to their salaries — good plays both for cash games and large-field tournaments. While we don't want GPP lineups to look like cash-game lineups top to bottom, there's nothing wrong with using a few chalky plays.
QB Jalen Hurts, PHI vs. WAS ($8,300): Hurts and the Sean Mannion-led Eagles offense looks to make a leap following their lackluster showing in 2025. They have a favorable Week 1 matchup against the Commanders at home, as Washington's defense surrendered the third-most passing TDs, the fifth-most passing yards and ninth-most rushing yards to QBs last season. Hurts will surely be one of the most popular selections across the DFS landscape despite his high cost.
RB David Montgomery, HOU vs. BUF ($6,300): After spending the last three seasons in Detroit as the 'Knuckles' to Jahmyr Gibbs' 'Sonic', Montgomery is in line for an increased role as the lead back for the Texans. In 2025, Buffalo's defense ranked 27th in rushing yards, 25th in PPR fantasy points per game, and dead last in rushing TDs allowed to RBs. Woody Marks could eat into the passing-game work, but Monty will handle the bulk of the carries and goal-line duties.
WR Tetairoa McMillan, CAR vs. CHI ($6,800): McMillan will aim to take a sizable leap in Year 2 after catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven TDs in his rookie season. He's expected to work more out of the slot this year, giving the 6-foot-5 receiver quicker opportunities to take advantage of his explosiveness, size and speed. Chicago allowed the second-most PPR fantasy points per game, seventh-most receiving yards, and tied for the second-most receiving TDs to WRs last season.
Other Cash-Game Options
Quarterback: Joe Burrow, CIN vs. TB ($8,200), Baker Mayfield, TB at CIN ($7,500), Bryce Young, CAR vs. CHI ($6,800), Geno Smith, NYJ at TEN ($6,700), Cam Ward, TEN vs. NYJ ($6,600), Malik Willis, MIA at LV ($6,500)
Running Back: Jahmyr Gibbs, DET vs. NO ($9,100), Omarion Hampton, LAC vs. ARI ($7,300), Ashton Jeanty, LV vs. MIA ($7,000), Breece Hall, NYJ at TEN ($6,900), Travis Etienne, NO at DET ($6,800), D'Andre Swift, CHI at CAR ($6,600), Rico Dowdle, PIT vs. ATL ($6,100), MarShawn Lloyd, GB at MIN ($4,900)
Wide Receiver: Ja'Marr Chase, CIN vs. TB ($8,900), Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET vs. NO ($8,600), DeVonta Smith, PHI vs. WAS ($7,500), Tee Higgins, CIN vs. TB ($7,200), Luther Burden, CHI at CAR ($6,200), Josh Downs, IND vs. BAL ($5,600), Jalen Coker, CAR vs. CHI ($5,400), Wan'Dale Robinson, TEN vs. NYJ ($5,300)
Tight End: Trey McBride, ARI at LAC ($7,600), Tyler Warren, IND vs. BAL ($5,600,), T.J. Hockenson, MIN vs. GB ($5,000), Michael Mayer, LV vs. MIA ($4,600)
D/ST: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. CLE ($5,000), Las Vegas Raiders vs. MIA ($3,800), Tennessee Titans vs. NYJ ($3,200)
Passing-Game Stacks
Stacks are the centerpiece of most tournament lineups, as the strategy aims to take advantage of positive correlations between players. It rarely makes sense to use a quarterback without one or two of his pass catchers, even if the player in question scores a decent portion of his fantasy points with his legs. A stack can also include a pass catcher from the other side of the game, hoping to take advantage of a high-scoring matchup. (Implied team totals are listed in parentheses.)
Cincinnati Bengals (27.0) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23.5)
Bengals: Following an injury-shortened 2025 campaign, Joe Burrow ($8,200) enters the season fully healthy and ready to compete for a Super Bowl. He'll have his star WR duo joining him for the opener after Ja'Marr Chase ($8,900) and Tee Higgins ($7,200) each dealt with separate injury concerns throughout preseason. Chase should have the highest ownership of any Week 1 receiver in a potential shootout against the Bucs in Cincinnati. Tampa Bay was the 31st-ranked defense in terms of PPR fantasy points allowed per game to opposing QBs a year ago.
Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield ($7,500) should be locked and loaded for Week 1 after agreeing to a multi-year contract extension with the Bucs recently. With Mike Evans no longer in Tampa Bay, veteran Chris Godwin ($6,300) and sophomore Emeka Egbuka ($6,400) will demand the bulk of Mayfield's attention versus a Bengals defense that allowed 28.9 points per game in 2025, 30th in the league. Bucky Irving ($7,900) is a bit too pricey for the opener with Kenny Gainwell ($5,500) a legitimate threat to eat into his passing-game involvement, as the Bucs may have to keep throwing in order to keep up with what's supposed to be an elite Bengals offense.
Favorite Bengals Stack: QB Burrow + WR Egbuka + WR Chase or WR Higgins
Favorite Bucs Stack: QB Mayfield + WR Egbuka + WR Chase or WR Higgins
Detroit Lions (28.25) vs. New Orleans Saints (21.25)
Lions: Detroit ranked fifth in the NFL in yards per game (373.2), third in passing yards per game (253.1), and tied for fifth in scoring (28.3) last season. Expect the Lions to approach similar numbers in 2026, as Jahmyr Gibbs ($9,100), Amon-Ra St. Brown ($8,600), Jameson Williams ($7,100), Sam LaPorta ($5,800) and Jared Goff ($7,800) all return and are healthy to begin the campaign. Gibbs is now the unquestioned No. 1 RB and should see a steady, massive workload against a Saints defense that finished 22nd in rushing yards allowed to the position last year.
Saints: Tyler Shough ($6,900) took over midway through last season and impressed with 2,384 yards passing with 10 TDs and six INTs, earning him the starting QB spot in New Orleans in 2026. The Saints brought in Travis Etienne ($6,800) to take over as their lead back, and if training camp and preseason reports are true, the duo has established solid chemistry despite not playing at all in the preseason. Chris Olave ($7,400) and Devaughn Vele ($5,000) are a talented WR duo, and Juwan Johnson ($5,400) is fresh off a breakout campaign in which he tallied career highs in receptions (77) and receiving yards (889) by a wide margin. Detroit's defense ranked 22nd in points per game (24.3) in 2025, tied for 24th in PPR fantasy points allowed (19.0) to QBs and were 30th in PPR points allowed to WRs (30.0).
Favorite Lions Stack: QB Goff + RB Gibbs or WR St. Brown + WR Vele or TE Johnson
Favorite Saints Stack: QB Shough + RB Etienne or WR Vele + RB Gibbs or WR St. Brown
Other Stacks to Consider
QB Jalen Hurts + WR DeVonta Smith + WR Terry McLaurin or WR Stefon Diggs
QB Caleb Williams + RB D'Andre Swift or WR Luther Burden + WR Tetairoa McMillan
QB Jacoby Brissett + TE Trey McBride + RB Omarion Hampton or WR Ladd McConkey
QB Lamar Jackson + WR Zay Flowers + RB Jonathan Taylor
QB Kyler Murray + WR Justin Jefferson + RB MarShawn Lloyd
QB Jordan Love + RB MarShawn Lloyd or WR Christian Watson + WR Justin Jefferson
QB Bryce Young + WR Tetairoa McMillan + RB D'Andre Swift or TE Colston Loveland
High-Priced Heroes
RB Bijan Robinson, ATL at PIT ($8,800): Robinson amassed 2,298 yards from scrimmage on 366 touches en route to a second-place finish among RBs in PPR fantasy points. With Tua Tagovailoa ($6,600) ruled out for Sunday's contest against the Steelers, Cooper Rush ($6,300) will get the start at QB, meaning Robinson should see substantial involvement in both the running and passing games.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, DET vs. NO ($8,600): St. Brown is a chalk play for me this week as the top option from a point-per-dollar perspective. Ja'Marr Chase ($8,900) is another name to consider here, so you'd be perfectly fine going either direction with these superstar wideouts. St. Brown should see a steady stream of targets again this season after catching 117 passes for 1,401 yards and 11 TDs in 2025. He's been a monster for the Lions, posting four consecutive campaigns with at least 106 receptions and 1,100 yards while grabbing 10 or more TDs in three straight.
Fading the Field
Every week we see at least one or two players who are popular without the backing of a top point-per-dollar projection. It makes sense to fade a player with a strong projection, particularly when there are good alternatives at the same position and price range.
QB Josh Allen, BUF at HOU ($8,900): Although Allen is arguably the best QB in fantasy football, his Week 1 matchup on the road against the Texans makes me a bit nervous. The Bills played in Houston in Week 12 last season, with Allen compiling 253 yards passing (24-for-34) and zero TDs against two INTs in the 23-19 loss. He was also sacked eight times. If you're paying top dollar for a QB, guys like Jalen Hurts ($8,300) and Joe Burrow ($8,200) are cheaper and rank first and third, respectively, in point-per-value.
The Smash Spot
TE Michael Mayer, LV vs. MIA ($4,600): With the news of Brock Bowers' knee surgery forcing him to miss Week 1 (and potentially Week 2), Mayer stands to benefit as the Raiders' No. 1 TE against the Dolphins. Both Las Vegas and Miami are expected to be amongst the NFL's worst teams in 2026, and that should bode well for some early fantasy production. Across four games without Bowers in 2025, Mayer recorded an 18-196-1 receiving line on 24 targets. The Raiders also have an unproven group of WRs led by Jack Bech ($4,800), Jalen Nailor ($5,200) and Tre Tucker ($5,600).
The Bargain Bin
Quarterback: Bryce Young, CAR vs. CHI ($6,800), QB Cam Ward, TEN vs. NYJ ($6,600), Malik Willis MIA at LV ($6,500)
Running Back: Chuba Hubbard, CAR vs. CHI ($5,800), Kenny Gainwell, TB at CIN ($5,500), MarShawn Lloyd, GB at MIN ($4,900)
Wide Receiver: Josh Downs, IND vs. BAL ($5,600), Jalen Coker, CAR vs. CHI ($5,400), Wan'Dale Robinson, TEN vs. NYJ ($5,300), KC Concepcion, CLE at JAX ($5,100), Devaughn Vele, NO at DET ($5,000)
Tight End: Dalton Schultz, HOU vs. BUF ($5,100), T.J. Hockenson, MIN vs. GB ($5,000), Mason Taylor, NYJ at TEN ($4800), Darren Waller, CAR vs. CHI ($4,400)
Injuries to Monitor
WR Rome Odunze, CHI at CAR ($6,700): Odunze has been nursing a calf injury that's caused him to be limited in practice leading up to Chicago's Week 1 tilt against the Packers, leaving him officially questionable for the opener. If he misses Sunday's game or isn't at 100 percent, it's safe to push Luther Burden ($6,200) and Colston Loveland ($6,000) further up on these rankings.
RB Jeremiyah Love, ARI at LAC ($5,800): The rookie managed to practice in a limited capacity this week while dealing with an ankle injury, but Love is expected to play against the Chargers. Keep an eye on his status leading up to kickoff, though, as Tyler Allgeier ($5,900) would be the one to start in Love's absence.
