Le’Veon Bell waited until after most fantasy drafts took place to make it clear he wouldn’t be reporting to the Steelers. Now, nearly every fantasy league has someone who spent a top-three pick on a player they probably won’t see for weeks. Luckily, those people have DFS.
Here are some daily fantasy picks geared toward cash games (50-50) with a few longshot GPP picks at the end.
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger ($7600) vs. KC — The Steelers return to the friendly confines of Heinz Field after an embarrassing tie in Cleveland. Roethlisberger’s last home game against Kansas City came in Week 4 of 2016 when he threw for 300 yards and five touchdowns.
Deshaun Watson ($7400) at TEN – Watson’s price dropped a bit after a rough game against the Patriots. But perhaps the best game of Watson’s short career came in a 57-14 win over the Titans. He had 307 total yards and five total touchdowns. He’s a good bargain in his second meeting with Tennessee.
Tyrod Taylor ($6600) at NO – One of the cheapest starting quarterbacks in the league, Taylor gets to face a Saints defense that just got lit up by Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buccaneers.
Running Backs
Alvin Kamara ($9000) vs. CLE and Todd Gurley ($8900) vs. AZ — The two most expensive running backs are worth it if this is the position on which you want to spend big. Kamara gets a Browns team that James Conner just torched, while Gurley is averaging 112.2 total yards in six career games against Arizona.
Joe Mixon ($7100) vs. BAL — The Baltimore matchup may be difficult, but if Mixon keeps this up he’ll be in the $8000 range soon enough. This bargain is based more on talent than matchup.
James Conner ($7000) vs. KC — Kamara was the only running back to score more fantasy points than Conner in Week 1, yet Conner is considerably cheaper. The Chiefs had one of the worst rush defenses in the league last year.
Dalvin Cook ($6500) at GB — Cook is a steal at this price. Green Bay’s defense isn’t good enough to warrant this much respect. Cook played 57 of 71 snaps and had 95 total yards in Week 1.
Wide Receivers
Antonio Brown ($8900) vs. KC — If you’re using Roethlisberger, Brown would be a good stack. He is the most expensive wideout, though.
Tyreek Hill ($8100) at PIT — Hill was the highest scoring receiver in Week 1. Cleveland’s top receiver, Jarvis Landry, had a solid game against the Steelers.
JuJu Smith-Schuster ($7200) vs. KC — If you don’t want to pay for Brown, Smith-Schuster has almost as good of a chance at a big game as Brown does.
Emmanuel Sanders ($6800) vs. OAK — Sanders tied for 13th in the league in targets in Week 1. He only had one more target than Demaryius Thomas but had 72 more yards. Case Keenum is most likely to continue going to his slot receiver.
Jarvis Landry ($6700) at NO — Only Julio Jones, Michael Thomas and Antonio Brown got more targets than Landry in Week 1. He’s a solid stack with Taylor if you think Cleveland has a shot of repeating what Tampa Bay did to New Orleans in Week 1.
Nelson Agholor ($6100) at TB — Agholor is a good cheap option since he got eight receptions on 10 targets in the season opener. Granted, he only picked up 33 yards, but it’s clear the Eagles will go to him while Nick Foles is at quarterback.
Tight Ends
Jordan Reed ($6200) vs. IND — Reed is a nightmare in redraft leagues but excellent in DFS. He was a top-five tight end in Week 1 and will continue to be as long as he’s healthy.
George Kittle ($5600) vs. DET — Kittle was Jimmy Garoppolo’s best target by far against Minnesota. He’s a cheap option who could have a big game against the Lions.
Jared Cook ($5000) at DEN – Cook was Oakland’s surprise standout on Monday night. He’s had plenty of big games before and tends to come back to earth, but at $5000 he’s worth a shot.
Defenses
Los Angeles Rams ($4800) vs. AZ — The Rams are arguably the top defense of the week against the Cardinals. When the two teams met in Los Angeles last year, the Rams won 33-0. The Cardinals will have David Johnson back, but the Rams have added plenty of talent as well.
New York Jets ($3700) vs. MIA — The Jets dominated the Lions on Monday night and now host the Dolphins. Though Miami is coming off a win, most would agree they have one of the least talented offenses in the league.
Chicago Bears ($3500) vs. SEA — Von Miller led the way in Denver’s big defensive performance against Seattle. Khalil Mack could easily do the same for Chicago.
GPP Longshots
Sam Darnold ($6600) vs. MIA — Darnold was solid despite not being needed to do much against Detroit. He showed he’s capable of a breakout.
Phillip Lindsay ($4900) vs. OAK — Lindsay’s rushing stat line was identical to Royce Freeman, but Lindsay looked so much better. He’s much more of a threat to put up monster numbers than Freeman.
Tyler Lockett ($5600) at CHI — Lockett ought to see plenty of time in the slot due to Doug Baldwin’s injury, but he’s still Seattle’s best deep threat. Those looking for really long shots could also try Jaron Brown ($4500) or David Moore ($4500).
Austin Seferian-Jenkins ($4600) vs. NE — Seferian-Jenkins caught a touchdown in Week 1 that was nullified by a penalty. He’s a decent bet to score, just like Marcedes Lewis did in the AFC Championship.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($3300) vs. PHI — No one’s going to feel good picking Tampa after the New Orleans game, but sometimes you’ve got to go against consensus in a GPP. Tampa’s defense could put up a decent stat line against Nick Foles.
