It’s been a tireless few months in anticipation of the start to the NFL season, but the wait is finally over. NFL Week 1 offers a Herbie Fully Loaded allotment of polarizing matchups, superstar quarterbacks and rookies playing in their first real NFL games. The 2021 season is going to be a rollercoaster ride of emotions, so you better buckle up.
In this weekly fantasy football slate preview, I'll take a deep dive into each position from each game on the main slate and provide DraftKings picks, sleepers, starts, busts and values with consideration for injuries and other fantasy-relevant news and notes.
Consider this your go-to guide for all things fantasy football and DFS related to ensuring that Sundays are not just extremely fun but profitable as well.
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QUARTERBACKS
High Tier ($7,000-plus)
With a ton of value available due to the nature of the player salaries being released so early, you can still build a well-rounded lineup while paying up at quarterback. For me, that pay-up quarterback is Kyler Murray.
The Arizona Cardinals offense should have no issue moving the ball against the Titans’ weak pass rush and 21st-ranked secondary that are sure to deal with growing pains early on during the season.
Arizona moves at a lightning-fast pace in the Kliff Kingsbury Air Raid offense — second-highest average play clock time in 2020 — so there’s a great chance each team runs a surplus of plays.
Murray averaged more fantasy points per game (29.6) than any quarterback ever thanks to his absurd rushing production (62 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown per game) through the first 10 weeks of the 2020 season, so he’s a strong bet to finish as QB1 on the slate. At $7,600, he is $500 cheaper than Patrick Mahomes II, making him the superior value.
His stacking partners are also less expensive, as DeAndre Hopkins is cheaper than Tyreek Hill while rookie wide receiver Rondale Moore is dirt cheap at $3,000. Moore manned the slot and was Arizona’s most targeted wide receiver during the preseason. Considering the team’s willingness to get him the ball, Moore has a floor that almost all players at his salary don’t come close to.
Just be wary that his upside may be limited because his average depth of target (aDOT) ranked 137th out of 142 qualifying wide receivers during the exhibition contests.
Middle Tier (Between $7,000 & $6,000)
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