NFL DFS Week 1: Expert Picks, Strategy, and Sleepers for Sunday's Slate
SportsLine expert Mike McClure shares his top daily Fantasy football picks and optimal lineup strategy for the NFL's opening Sunday.
Quick Look
- NFL DFS expert Mike McClure provides his top picks and strategy for the Week 1 main slate.
- Targeting high-scoring matchups like Bengals vs.
- Bucs, McClure highlights Ja'Marr Chase and Emeka Egbuka as key roster additions for FanDuel and DraftKings lineups.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The NFL season kicks off with a main slate of games on Sunday, requiring DFS players to manage salary caps while selecting high-performing athletes.
The first full main slate arrives for NFL DFS players on Sunday as a dozen Week 1 games will kick off between 1 p.m. ET and 4:25 p.m. ET. Ja'Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Bijan Robinson, Josh Allen, Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs are just some of the big names in the NFL DFS player pool. Anchoring NFL DFS lineups with a couple big names like those is generally a good plan, but the salary cap structure makes is so that you'll need to find some daily Fantasy sleepers as well.
That might mean picking some lesser-known players from the projected high-scoring matchups, or it could mean rolling the dice with some players in a projected lower-scoring game like Titans vs. Jets or Browns vs. Jaguars, both of which have an over/under of less than 40. Before making Week 1 NFL DFS picks on sites like FanDuel or DraftKings, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, strategy, and stacks from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a legendary professional DFS player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action, taking factors such as matchups, statistical trends, and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best DFS values that he shares only with members at SportsLine. His methodology has led to enormous cashes on FanDuel and DraftKings, including finishing tied for first in the DraftKings Millionaire Maker twice and the FanDuel Million once. Anyone who has followed him could be way up.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to the Week 1 NFL DFS slate and just locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks. You can only see his picks and analysis at SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Week 1, Sunday
One of McClure's top NFL DFS picks for the Week 1 main slate on Sunday is Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase at $7,800 on DraftKings and $8,000 on FanDuel. Chase is coming off another 1,400-yard campaign and he remains arguably the top receiver in the game. His Week 1 matchup is particularly juicy as the Bengals take on the Bucs in the Sunday game with the highest over/under on the board at 50.5 points. See who else to roster at SportsLine.
Part of McClure's optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes a receiver on the other side of that matchup: Emeka Egbuka of the Bucs, who is $6,200 on DraftKings and $6,400 on FanDuel. Mike Evans is now with the Niners and Chris Godwin is coming off back-to-back injury-plagued campaigns. That leaves Egbuka as the top target for Baker Mayfield as he looks to build on a big rookie campaign where he caught 63 passes for 938 yards and six touchdowns. See who else to roster at SportsLine.
How to set Week 1 Sunday NFL DFS lineups
McClure is targeting another undervalued player who could go off for huge numbers on Sunday. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is, and the rest of McClure's NFL DFS picks, at SportsLine.
Open Questions
- Which specific undervalued player is McClure targeting for Sunday?
