This article is part of our King for a Day series.
Finally! Week 1 is here and season-long drafts are in the books. That means it's time to pick out a DraftKings lineup or three, with the first week arguably offering the best bargains of the season.
Matchups aren't quite as important as they will be later in the year, and there's no better time to target your favorite breakout players for the season. In fact, last year, my first few DraftKings lineups closely resembled my season-long teams. Unsurprisingly, I'm noticing the same thing this year.
There's one interesting change of note on DraftKings this year, as the site has opted to ax the kicker position.
Without further adieu, here are my favorite players for Week 1 on DraftKings…
Quarterbacks
Colin Kaepernick, SF (at DAL), $8000 – Still playing behind a top offensive line, Kaepernick is finally surrounded by above-average talent at the skill positions as he gets ready to face what might be the worst defensive team in the league. I'm admittedly bullish on the Niners' QB this season, as he was one of my top targets in season-long leagues. Between the added receiving talent and the likelihood that San Francisco's defense will take a step back, Kaepernick should crush last season's 416 pass attempts while improving his 58.6 completion percentage. Even if Michael Crabtree (calf) doesn't play, I expect Kaep to come up big in what should be a shootout.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, HOU (vs. WAS), $5400 – Those looking to go cheap at quarterback would be wise to avoid the more obvious bargain-bin option, Raiders rookie Derek Carr ($5000). Not only does Carr draw a much tougher matchup than Fitzpatrick, but even if the rookie does turn out to be a plus NFL starter, it's unlikely that he's already better than the Harvard man at this point in their respective careers. Pay the extra $400, and then watch Fitzpatrick, Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins run circles around a Washington secondary that looks weak for a second straight year. Though they had a decent 29:16 TD:INT last season, the Redskins' defense allowed opponents to complete 65.6 percent of their passes for 8.0 yards per attempt. With a cornerback group comprised of DeAngelo Hall, David Amerson, E.J. Biggers and Tracy Porter, it's hard to imagine the Redskins faring much better against the pass this season.
Other options:Drew Brees, NO (at ATL), $9700; Andrew Luck, IND (at DEN), $8300
Notes: I could have written about Brees or Luck just as easily as Kaepernick and Fitzpatrick. There are really four QB options I love this week, so my decisions will mostly be based on how my lineups otherwise fill out. Though expensive, a Brees-Jimmy Graham pairing is hard to resist this week.
Running Backs
Shane Vereen, NE (at MIA), $6100 – Get ready to see a lot of Shane Vereen this season, not only as a pass catcher, but also taking handoffs from Tom Brady. James White was entirely ineffective during the preseason, and while the rookie may poach a touch here or there, it increasingly looks like Vereen will play well over half of the Patriots' snaps. Stevan Ridley shouldn't be forgotten about, but it's unclear how much the team trusts him right now, and Vereen's combo of receiving ability and quickness is a better fit against the strong Miami front seven. As the 16th-most expensive player at his position, Vereen is an absolute steal in DraftKings' PPR format.
Andre Ellington, ARI (vs. SD), $6000 – Sitting right below Vereen is Ellington, who gets to ease into the season with a Monday night matchup against the San Diego defense. While likely improved from last year, the Chargers' D still figures to have a tough time against opposing running backs, as what little talent they have in the front seven tends to be better against the pass than the run. While it's fair to worry about Ellington's goal-line carries, the second-year Clemson man figures to dominate the snaps and touches. Both difficult to tackle and more than capable of contributing through the air, Ellington should pile up yardage in Week 1.
Other options:LeSean McCoy, PHI (vs. JAZ), $8400; Frank Gore, SF (at DAL), $5200; Bernard Pierce, BAL (vs. CIN), $4600
Note: I can't say I love Gore or Pierce, but both are cheap, and Gore draws a top-flight matchup, while Pierce figures to dominate the workload for what should be a half-decent offense. McCoy is expensive but worth the price, as no running back can match his combination of floor and ceiling this week.
Wide Receivers
Victor Cruz, NYG (at DET), $6300 – I always like to target high-volume wideouts on teams with a high probability of landing on the wrong side of a blowout. The Giants' new-look offense should bode well for Cruz's prospects in PPR leagues, but Eli Manning looked absolutely awful in the preseason, following the worst year of his career. While that's certainly a concern for Cruz, this doesn't seem like the type of blowout in which the Giants will struggle to move the ball. More likely is a scenario that sees them fall behind due to turnovers and poor defense, forcing Manning to throw a ton of passes in the second half. A strong pass rush makes the Lions a continued threat to pile up turnovers, but the team's defense behind the front four is still full of question marks. Further helping Cruz's case, the Giants don't have many receiving options, with Odell Beckham Jr. (hamstring) all but ruled out.
Emmanuel Sanders, DEN (vs. IND), $4800 – This one's pretty simple. Sanders is priced like he's Peyton Manning's third receiver, but come Sunday he'll be Manning's No. 2 wideout. The Indy defense is far from scary, yet Andrew Luck still figures to make a game of it, freeing fantasy players from a second half dominated by Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman. Really, the only concern here is that Sanders will be a very popular pick in GPPs, especially after Wes Welker's four-game suspension piled even more attention onto the situation.
Other options:Demaryius Thomas, DEN (vs. IND), $8100; Andrew Hawkins, CLE (at PIT), $4500; Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (at TB), $4200; Marqise Lee, JAX (at PHI), $3500; Rod Streater, OAK (at NYJ), $3400
Notes: Each of these guys has the potential to be his team's No. 1 wideout, although only Thomas – easily the best and most expensive of the bunch – is locked into such a role. Benjamin is the only threatening wide receiver in what may still be a decent offense, while the other three guys (Hawkins, Lee, Streater) figure to play nearly every snap for teams that will probably spend the second half airing things out. I am a bit wary of being too reception-minded with the wideouts, as most of my favorite players this week are smaller guys who spend a lot of time in the slot. Among the bigger, true No. 1 types, I like Thomas, Julio Jones ($7700) and Dez Bryant ($7800) to come up big. Also, this is probably a good time to mention that I think San Francisco and Arizona are getting way too much credit for their defensive success in recent seasons. Look at the guys who will be lining up for those teams in Week 1…not that exciting.
Tight End
Jimmy Graham, NO (at ATL), $7200 – With plenty of bargains available at quarterback and wide receiver – and to a somewhat lesser extent running back – it makes sense to fork over the big bucks for the man who is head and shoulders above everyone else at his position. If you pick any other tight end, you're essentially hoping that they come up big with what would be an average stat line for Graham. The price here is actually quite reasonable, once you consider that he's facing an awful defense, and would only be the ninth-most expensive wide receiver.
Other options:Jordan Cameron, CLE (at PIT), $5000; Antonio Gates, SD (at ARI), $3400
Notes: Gates quietly draws one of the better matchups he'll have all season, as the Cardinals are obviously strong at cornerback while dealing with uncertainty at inside linebacker and safety... a.k.a. a tight end's dream. As for Cameron, the targets – if not the touchdown opportunities – should be plentiful.
Team D/ST
Philadelphia Eagles, vs. JAX, $3200 – 'Whoever is playing Jacksonville' has seemingly been a solid D/ST strategy in both daily and season-long leagues for the last half-decade. The Jags finally have some promising young talent, but it's pretty clear that they're in for at least one more rocky season, and by rocky I mean awful. The Philly defense, meanwhile, has the look of a borderline top-10 unit, though they don't seem to be getting that kind of love in the fantasy community. The Eagles admittedly lack star power on defense, but their line should be among the best in the league, and their offense will put the D in favorable situations. More specific to Sunday, the Eagles' D-line should feast on what appears to be another sub-par offensive line in Jacksonville.
Other options:Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. CLE), $3900; New York Jets (vs. OAK), $3900; Carolina Panthers (at TB), $3300; Detroit Lions (vs. NYG), $3300
Notes: I prefer to go with one of the two cheapest options here, either Philadelphia or Detroit. It fits with my general D/ST strategy on DraftKings, and both teams have a good chance to crush their opponent. The Jets are also tempting, as the Raiders appear to be their usual disastrous selves, regardless of how well Carr played against backups during the preseason.
