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The NFL regular season is upon us, and with the NFL season comes the season for daily fantasy football lineups. If you’re a daily fantasy player, you know that a successful lineup has to have a solid combination of big-name star power players that are known commodities with a few high-upside players that provide a little more bang for your buck.
Every now and then, though, you want to shoot for the moon and play for the top performer at a particular position. If you’re looking for that at Defense in your daily fantasy lineup, you’ve come to the right place.
So here are three defenses from the early Sunday kickoffs that are likely to produce the best performances for Week 1. (Values from Draft Kings.)
Cowboys (vs Giants) - $3,500
The Cowboys are playing at home in Jerry’s World, and are expected to get ahead early and stay ahead. The Giants have All World running back Saquon Barkley on offense, but that’s about it. Odell Beckham Jr. has been traded to the Cleveland Browns, Golden Tate is serving a four-game suspension, and Eli Manning is still the quarterback. Yes, Evan Engram could be an elite tight end, but he hasn’t truly lived up to the hype yet, and I wouldn’t bet on it Week 1 against a talented Dallas linebacking corps.
Jets (vs Bills) - $3,100
The Buffalo Bills offensive line looks improved from last year, but is still far from being a top unit in the NFL. Josh Allen has a long way to go before he comes a high-end fantasy quarterback, and the offensive weapons around him fail to strike fear in the heart of opposing defensive coordinators. Until shown otherwise, it’s safe to assume you can stream most defenses facing teams like the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
Browns (vs Titans) - $3,400
Speaking of teams with mediocre offenses, the Tennessee Titans have a clear lack of star power at the offensive skills positions. Quarterback Marcus Mariota has failed to live up to the hype as a #1 overall draft pick. Derrick Henry had a monster of a four-game stretch to end 2018, but was inconsistent for the majority of the season. Delanie Walker is 35 years old and the team lacks a true #1 wide receiver. The Browns will be playing energized to start the season with postseason hopes, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see multiple turnovers from the Cleveland D in Week 1.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is cdunnz) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.