Daily Fantasy Football Week 1: Top Picks, Lineup Advice for DraftKings, FanDuel

If you're a season-long fantasy football player who drafted Atlanta Falcons not named Julio Jones, the chances are you're upset after Atlanta scored just 12 points in a sloppy loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

There's no reason to fret, however, as daily-fantasy sites are offering contests every Sunday through football season.

Here's a look at top three picks for each position, as well as Week 1 lineup advice for cash games and guaranteed prize pools (tournaments) for FanDuel and DraftKings. The picks are based on point-per-dollar system, not raw points expected.

Top 3 QB Picks

1. Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck ($7,300 FD, $6,100 DK)

2. Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton ($6,800 FD, $5,800 DK)

3. Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton ($8,100 FD, $6,900 DK)

Top 3 RB Picks

1. Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner ($5,000 FD, $4,500 DK)

2. Denver Broncos RB Royce Freeman ($6,000 FD, $4,500 DK)

3. Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey ($7,500 FD, $6,400 DK)

Top 3 WR Picks

1. Jacksonville Jaguars WR Keelan Cole ($4,500 FD, $3,800 DK)

2. Cleveland Browns WR Antonio Callaway ($4,500 FD, $3,100 DK)

3. Los Angeles Chargers WR Keenan Allen ($8,000 FD, $7,500 DK)

Top 3 TE Picks

1. Indianapolis Colts TE Jack Doyle ($5,600 FD, $3,600 DK)

2. Cincinnati Bengals TE Tyler Eifert ($5,500 FD, $3,400 DK)

3. Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku ($5,300 FD, $3,400 DK)

Top 3 D/ST Picks

1. Baltimore Ravens ($4,800 FD, $3,800 DK)

2. Tennessee Titans ($4,200 FD, $2,900 DK)

3. Carolina Panthers ($4,300 FD, $3,200 DK)

Cash

We're bound to see a ton of overlap in cash-game lineups, largely because Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner will be plugged into nearly every one thanks to his super-low salary. Conner could be seeing a big workload as the No. 1 running back in Pittsburgh without Le'Veon Bell, who is engaged in a contract dispute with the Steelers and is sitting out.

The Steelers are a four-point favorite over the Cleveland Browns, per OddsShark, and they have an implied team total of 24 points. Conner has a decent chance to find the end zone, and fantasy players can get a huge return on the former Pitt star if that happens.

With Conner almost assuredly a cash-game lock, players have an incredible amount of flexibility for the rest of their lineups. The key is to find the best talent with the highest floors.

At the other running back spot, one could pick his or her favorite between the Arizona Cardinals' David Johnson or Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints. Both are home favorites and are the clear leaders in their respective backfields, so the talented duo could be seeing a ton of volume.

From there, one could even sneak in another high-priced player (or two). The top wide receiver options look to be Antonio Brown of the Steelers and DeAndre Hopkins of the Texans. Brown may have the slight edge, as his team is projected to do a little better offensively per OddsShark, but you can't go wrong with either one.

With a cash-game core of Conner, Kamara or Johnson and then Brown or Hopkins, you can round out your team with great point-per-dollar plays that could see a ton of touches and targets. A few options include Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Keelan Cole and Indianapolis Colts tight end Jack Doyle. Cole is starting Week 1 for the Jags, while Doyle will face a Cincinnati team he torched for 12 catches last year.

Week 1 Hypothetical Cash Lineup for FanDuel ($60,000 Salary Cap)

QB: Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck ($7,300)

RB: Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner ($5,000)

RB: New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara ($8,700)

WR: Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins ($8,800)

WR: Jacksonville Jaguars WR Keelan Cole ($4,500)

WR: Los Angeles Chargers WR Keenan Allen ($8,000)

TE: Indianapolis Colts TE Jack Doyle ($5,600)

FLEX: Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald ($7,300)

D/ST: Baltimore Ravens ($4,800)

Week 1 Hypothetical Cash Lineup for DraftKings ($50,000 Salary Cap)

QB: Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton ($6,900)

RB: Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner ($4,500)

RB: New Orleans Saints RB Alvin Kamara ($8,500)

WR: Houston Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins ($8,300)

WR: Jacksonville Jaguars WR Keelan Cole ($3,800)

WR: Cleveland Browns WR Antonio Callaway ($3,100)

TE: Indianapolis Colts TE Jack Doyle ($3,600)

FLEX: Los Angeles Chargers WR Keenan Allen ($7,500)

D/ST: Baltimore Ravens ($3,800)

GPP

If you're shooting for the moon and trying to win the Sunday Million on FanDuel or Millionaire Maker on DraftKings, you need to find a way to differentiate your lineups, which is difficult this week because (a) Conner is the clear No. 1 value play on the board and (b) the pricing is soft, making it easy to jam in numerous star players.

One way to divert from the norm is to form a giant game stack. This has worked in the past, most notably when user cubsfan333 won the Week 8 Millionaire Maker last year by using six of his nine allotted lineup slots from one game (Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks). Jonathan Bales of FantasyLabs broke down that lineup if you want to review it.

The trick is to find the right game. Stacking the Houston Texans-New England Patriots matchup may be popular, as that contest contains numerous stars who will likely see higher fantasy ownership numbers (e.g. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson).

You need to find a matchup that people won't flock to en masse, and once you land on that spot, you need to configure your stack in such a way that it deviates from the form.

Take a look at the Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts matchup for example. On the Bengals side, quarterback Andy Dalton is never a sexy pick, as his statistics aren't particularly gaudy outside of the occasional blowup spot in tandem with Cincinnati wideout A.J. Green.

But if you lean Dalton over Colts' signal-caller Andrew Luck, who could see a lot of ownership thanks to his reasonable salaries ($7,300 on FanDuel and $6,100 on DraftKings), then you can gain leverage on the field in addition to leverage on anyone who may have the same Bengals-Colts game-stacking idea as you.

Ultimately, the key is to walk the line between finding the path of least resistance in large-field tournaments while also making good plays. In other words, don't pick a fourth-string wide receiver who may sit the whole game.

Week 1 Hypothetical GPP Lineup for FanDuel ($60,000 Salary Cap)

QB: Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton ($6,800)

RB: Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey ($7,500)

RB: New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley ($7,600)

WR: Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green ($8,400)

WR: Cincinnati Bengals WR John Ross ($5,100)

WR: Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton ($7,200)

TE: Indianapolis Colts TE Jack Doyle ($5,600)

FLEX: Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill ($7,300)

D/ST: Carolina Panthers ($4,300)

Week 1 Hypothetical GPP Lineup for DraftKings ($50,000 Salary Cap)

QB: Cincinnati Bengals QB Andy Dalton ($5,800)

RB: Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey ($6,400)

RB: New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley ($6,700)

WR: Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green ($7,300)

WR: Cincinnati Bengals WR John Ross ($3,900)

WR: Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton ($6,800)

TE: Indianapolis Colts TE Jack Doyle ($3,600)

FLEX: Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill ($6,500)

D/ST: Tennessee Titans ($2,900)