Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan $8,800 - Ryan is my favorite QB this week as he has a very nice matchup against the Saints who were one of the worst passing defenses in the entire league last year. This game also has the highest over/under total on the weekend of 54 points, so the probability of touchdowns is very likely and it wouldn't be surprising if both Brees and Ryan combined for 5 or 6 of them. Ryan has possibly the best duo at WR in the league with Julio Jones and Roddy White, and he also has reliable Tony Gonzalez as a third option when he needs to get bailed out. Ryan's price is high at $8,800 but picking a QB that you lock into for your 50/50 and H2H games is key.
Tony Romo $8,200 - Romo is coming off an underappreciated fantasy season that saw him put up over 4900 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. The connection between Romo and Dez Bryant is developing into one of the best QB-WR combos in the NFL and I suspect that relationship to start out with a boom in week 1. Romo also has Miles Austin and Jason Witten to feed the ball to and these NFC East division games always seem to put up a large amount of points. It is hard to see the Cowboys being effective running the ball against the Giants and who can really trust DeMarco Murray this point?
Andrew Luck $8,500 - Anytime the Raiders come to town you want to mark the date on your calendar, especially if you are the opposing teams starting quarterback. The Raiders have one of the worst secondaries in all of football, and the Colts get them at home to kick off the 2013 season.
Value Plays: E.J. Manuel $5,300, Brandon Weeden $5,200
Running Backs
Jamaal Charles $8,800 - One of the league's premier RBs comes at a premier price but he is the entire Chiefs offense and can spring for an 80 yard TD in the blink of an eye. The matchup against the Jaguars really favors Charles and he should see plenty of touches out of the backfield along with a bunch of check downs from Alex Smith.
LeSean McCoy $8,300 - No one really knows quite what to expect from Chip Kelly's offense, but one thing is for certain if all the rumors are true that the Eagles will try to play at a high tempo it is only going to benefit one of the league's most elusive runners. McCoy has an opportunity to have a big opening weekend and comes at a modest $8,300 price tag.
Frank Gore $6,800 - Even FanDuel believes that Gore has hit a wall at age 30 and have priced him accordingly. The thing is he is a workhorse back and the Niners have showed no signs of reducing his touches on a game to game basis and if anything there is a good chance with the lack of WR options that he may even see an increase in production. He has a very nice matchup against the Packers who have struggled against the run the past couple of seasons. The other thing Gore has going for him in this matchup is that the Packers are going to have to focus more on stopping Colin Kaepernick as he torched them in last year's playoffs. Gore offers the best value this week at the RB position.
Stevan Ridley $7,100 - This may seem like a risky pick but don't over think it. The Patriots play a division game in Buffalo against a rookie QB, they are going to want to milk the clock and work the Bills sloppy run defense. Shane Vereen is also another nice option but his role in the offense has yet to be determined and he may be more of a receiving threat than a running threat.
Value Plays: Daryl Richardson $6,000, Darren Sproles $6,700
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones $8,000 - All signs point to Jones having a massive game on Sunday. He has the perfect matchup against the Saints and has the elite QB to get him the ball almost in a force feeding fashion. The Falcons have one of the best duos at the WR position in the NFL with Jones and Roddy White. White is another nice option this week but with his preseason ankle injury and the team being pretty hush hush about it makes you wonder if he will be 100% by game time. He has never missed a game in his NFL career so there is no need to worry that he won't suit up, but he may just be more of a decoy when on the field.
Dez Bryant $8,300 - Bryant is the 2nd highest priced WR on FanDuel (next to Calvin Johnson $8,800), and he has a great division matchup against the Giants. The Cowboys and Giants always seem to play in those high scoring back and forth type of games so expect Bryant to be in the middle of it and be a big part of the Cowboys offense. Tony Romo will be looking for Bryant throughout the game and the trust level has increased each year for the QB/WR duo.
Andre Johnson $7,400 - Johnson is starting to be one of the over looked top tier WRs in the game and even FanDuel have marked his price in that 2nd tier. Even with DeAndre Hopkins now in town Johnson is going to continue to demand targets and make big plays for the Texans offense.
Pierre Garcon $6,200 - Garcon is the best play at any position this week on FanDuel, as he comes with a modest price and gets to battle against an Eagles secondary that has looked very bad the past couple of seasons. Garcon will have his starting QB Robert Griffin III in the lineup and will see plenty of targets and chances for big plays down the field. With the Eagles new offense looking to go up tempo it creates more opportunities on the Redskins offense as well as they will also have more time on the clock.
Value Plays: Golden Tate $5,100, T.Y. Hilton $5,800, Cecil Shorts $6,300, Vincent Brown $4,500
Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham $7,500 - The nice thing about FanDuel and only having one chance to lock in your TE player is that you can afford to spend money and secure the best player at the position. Graham will be in the middle of a shootout style game against the Falcons and will see plenty of opportunities to help Brees and company move the ball down the field and will be the main redzone target once they get closer to the goal line. There is no reason to get cute with the TE position in week one, start Graham with confidence.
Value Plays: Tony Gonzalez $6,900, Kyle Rudolph $6,200, Jordan Cameron $4,900
Kickers
Blair Walsh $5,100 -Walsh has a long leg and gets to play against the Lions in a dome. He should see several opportunities to kick some long FGs.
Greg Zuerlein $5,000 - The Rams offense still seems rather plain and Sam Bradford hasn't shown that he can effectively move the ball and punch it into the endzone. The Rams always seem to be a team that can move the ball well around midfield and settling for a FG attempt. Zuerlein made the kicker position look fun last year and the coaching staff had confidence in letting him kick from 50+ yards out. Both Zuerlein and Walsh offer some appeal in FanDuel leagues because of their ability to kick the long ball.
Value Play: Stephen Gostkowski $5,400
Defense
St Louis Rams $5,100 - The Cardinals offense line is not very good at all and are continuing to break down even before the season starts. The Rams defensive line on the other hand is a force and should be able to get to Palmer and make him make mistakes. The goal when picking a defense on FanDuel is finding one that has a shot at getting a defensive TD, and the Rams should be able to get pressure on Palmer and give their defensive playmakers a shot at the big play.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers $5,100 - The Buccaneers get to play a rather pathetic offensive team in the Jets who also happen to be starting a rookie QB in Geno Smith. Smith is being thrown into the fire and has very little options around him offensively to help bail him out. There is a good chance he forces the ball and tries to make things happen, which could lead to a very big day for the Buccaneers defense.
Value Plays: Indianapolis Colts $5,000, New England Patriots $5,400
Suggested Roster ($60,000) - Head to Head & 50/50
- QB Matt Ryan, ATL (at NO) - $8,800
- RB Stevan Ridley, NE (at BUF) - $7,100
- RB Frank Gore, SF (vs GB) - $6,800
- WR Dez Bryant, DAL (vs NYG) - $8,300
- WR Pierre Garcon, WAS (vs PHI) - $6,200
- WR Golden Tate, SEA (at CAR) - $5,100
- TE Jimmy Graham, NO (vs ATL) - $7,500
- K Blair Walsh, MIN (at DET) - $5,100
- D St Louis Rams (vs ARI) - $5,100
Suggested Roster ($60,000) - Tournaments
- QB Matt Ryan, ATL (at NO) - $8,800
- RB Daryl Richardson, STL (vs ARI) - $6,000
- RB Frank Gore, SF (vs GB) - $6,800
- WR Julio Jones, ATL (at NO) - $8,000
- WR Pierre Garcon, WAS (vs PHI) - $6,200
- WR Hakeem Nicks, NYG (at DAL) - $6,700
- TE Jimmy Graham, NO (vs ATL) - $7,500
- K Greg Zuerlein, STL (vs ARI) - $5,000
- D Indianapolis Colts (vs OAK) - $5,000
