This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
Before jumping headfirst into the whirlwind of fun that is Yahoo Daily Fantasy Football, be sure to differentiate from the variety of games offered. Since Head-to-Heads, 50/50s and Double Ups pay nearly half of entrants, your best bet for cashing is to target players with higher floors. Think heavily-targeted number one WRs, RBs who get the bulk of a team's carries and upper echelon QBs in match-ups with a tight Vegas point spread and a high total.
Tournaments / Guaranteed Prize Pools (GPPs) require a bit more of your inner contrarian – target offensive players with higher ceilings in advantageous matchups. Huge point totals can come from the most unpredictable of places – the most obvious plays are not always the right ones. Though previous week's performances should be noted, each new week of action should be considered its own season. Don't chase last week's stats.
TOURNAMENTS (GPP – GUARANTEED PRIZE POOL)
Brock Osweiler (HOU, $29)
The first week of the season is typically a volatile one. Most of your competition will gravitate towards several of the well-known options like Aaron Rodgers (GB, $34), Drew Brees (NO, $36) or Andrew Luck (IND, $36). Those who plan to save at QB will likely do battle with the 'chalk du jour' option, Dak Prescott, at the bargain bin tag of 20 dollars. With a plethora of options this week, the Texans' sophomore signal-caller could serve as a nice low-percentage option. As we learned last season, to take down one of these big tournaments we need to find a spot or two in our lineups to differentiate. Giving six points, the Texans are one of the biggest favorites on the board in Week 1. The spread will probably move towards a full touchdown with all three of the Bears' cornerbacks (Brice Callahan, Kyle Fuller, Tracy Porter) uncertain for the Sunday tilt, though the latter two might be active since they started practicing again Monday. This presents a big opportunity for Osweiler and his WR corps to pick the Bears apart early, perhaps sending a few targets Lamar Miller's way as well. The main concern here would be if the game gets out of hand early and the Texans milk a big lead with the running game. Nevertheless, plenty of damage can be done early in this one. If you're looking for a smart contrarian GPP-winning play, stacking Osweiler with Hopkins and rookie Will Fuller could be a recipe for success.
Ryan Mathews (PHI, $19)
Mathews is priced reasonably enough to end up on at least 15 to 20 percent of GPP rosters but with Prescott saving cap for so many this week, Mathews may fall closer to the 10-15 percent range since tourney players will be able to load up on expensive RB studs like David Johnson (ARI, $32), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $24) and Todd Gurley (LA, $31) on Monday Night Football against the hapless 49ers. Mathews has a long injury history but looked great in limited carries last season and is now the Eagles' primary running back with DeMarco Murray now in Tennessee. Only Seahawks' Thomas Rawls averaged a higher YPC (yards per carry) than Mathews' 5.1 among backs with at least 100 carries. Mathews could have a field day in the season opener against an exploitable Browns' rush defense that allowed the third-most rushing yards per game (128.4) last year. It certainly doesn't hurt that the Eagles are at home and favored by four points.
Donte Moncrief (IND, $16)
Moncrief is a solid tournament (as well as cash game) option this Sunday in a game that is slated to be one of the three highest-scoring ones (50.5 projected total) on the slate. With cap not likely to be a huge issue this week, those who want exposure to the Colts' passing game may opt for T.Y. Hilton for only four bucks more. Glancing at average draft position (ADP) of season-long leagues this summer, Moncrief has been typically selected as the 24th WR off draft boards. Yet, he's priced in as just the 37th most expensive receiver in Yahoo daily games this week. Though we're just focusing on one weekend of action at a time, it's still a discrepancy worth noting. This game could very well be a shootout. If Lions' cornerback Darius Slay covers Hilton, that leaves unimpressive CB Nevin Lawson covering the shifty and speedy Moncrief. With so many great options at WR this week, it's easy to overthink things. Don't make that mistake here. Plug and play Moncrief with confidence.
Other Against-the-Grainers
QB: Kirk Cousins (WAS, $33)
RB: Duke Johnson (CLE, $15), Christine Michael (SEA, $10)
WR: Randall Cobb (GB, $20), Michael Floyd (ARI, $19), Corey Coleman (CLE, $18)
TE: Clive Walford (OAK, $12)
DEF: Green Bay Packers ($14)
CASH GAMES (H2H, 50/50s and DOUBLE UPS)
Quarterback
Dak Prescott (DAL, $20)
For those new to daily fantasy, let me present to you the term 'chalk'. Chalk plays are high upside players who the general public will typically own at a high percentage on a given slate. Sometimes riding along with the chalk can help us cash if we have other spots where we've strategically differentiated our rosters. Chalk can be deceiving. Chalk lets us down early and often. What makes chalk more tolerable is if the price is so low, you can just go with the flow and look to differentiate elsewhere. This week and this week only, feel free to call the Cowboys rookie QB, Dak PresChalk.
Prescott was expected to be the Tony Romo insurance plan where the deductible kicked in almost immediately. The player salaries here at Y! were listed well before Romo went down, hence the minimum price ($20). Prescott had an immaculate string of preseason performances. He threw five touchdown passes with no interceptions, completed 78 percent of his passes and ran for two rushing touchdowns for good measure. The hype train has long since left the station, evoking comparisons to Russell Wilson as underappreciated late-round draft picks who are dual threat QBs with great field vision. Prescott could fall flat on his face in the season opener against the Giants, yet still provide value because he is dirt cheap. Starting your squad with Prescott opens up incredible opportunities with cap space where you can roster the big three WRs (Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones) if you save at other positions like RB and TE. And though Brown, Beckham and Julio are all likely the three highest consensus ranked WRs for Week 1, it's much more likely those three are not the optimal trio for the three WR spots. In fact, it is much more likely this week that one of them has a big game, another barely earns value and the third leaves with a hammy in the second quarter. Prescott doesn't have to set Week 1 on fire to out-earn his price tag. So now that you and likely everyone else are matching points with Prescott, you'll have to find other ways to build unique lineups based around him. Don't forget that it's not necessary to build a team at the exact salary cap maximum, especially in large field tournaments. With cap less of an issue this week, we can build teams that fall a few bucks short of the $200 budget but can still be competitive and, most important of all, unique.
Running Backs
Lamar Miller (HOU, $28)
This could well be the cheapest price we will see on the new Texan running back this season. Miller made his way over from a Dolphins team that didn't effectively feature him and happened to rank dead last in 2015 in team rush attempts. Now he lands on a team that led the league in rush attempts last season. Again, that's last season and we can't assume history repeats itself this year, but it's still a great situation for a shifty 25-year-old with fresh legs. Miller is one of the fastest backs in the league and he can contribute in the passing game as well – a nice bonus when you get a half-point for every reception. Getting down to brass tacks, Miller is my No. 1 ranked back for Week 1. I would expect the Texans to pound the Bears early on and if the game somehow stays close, hey, even better for us Millerites as he should be involved as a pass-catcher throughout the game. I haven't even touched on his ability to break some tackles for a 65-yard run at any time. Miller flashed some of his patented speed and nose for the end zone in a five-game stretch starting Week 5 of last season, in which he scored seven times and amassed double-digit Yahoo fantasy points in each of those five games. Looking right above his price point, you see a handful of solid backs with good matchups that we simply can't argue against. All are great options. But if I could only pick one spot in a cash game for my RB1, I'm starting here with Miller in his Texans debut.
Spencer Ware (KC, $12)
One player's closing door is another's window of opportunity. In the case of Andy Reid's Chiefs, there's a door with a big crack left open, the one Jamaal Charles is going to step through when he's all-systems-go following his slow recovery from last season's ACL tear. That's not to take anything away from Ware, who is shooting up season-long draft boards for good reason. If Charles called it quits today, Ware would ball for the Chiefs. If that was the case, it wouldn't be shocking to see him rank among the top five backs this season in rush attempts and rushing yards. Charles will be back though, just probably not in Week 1. Ware wasn't just good in his limited carries last year, he was great. Per PFF (ProFootballFocus), he led all backs who had at least 70 carries with 0.70 fantasy points per opportunity. He was terrific at gaining yards after contact and making defenders miss tackles. For the purposes of our discussion, the main point is a simple one. Ware is cheap (that 12 dollar tag) and, with Charles questionable for the tilt, will get all the work one could want in a season-opening divisional grind out. You can out-think yourself and pivot elsewhere in cash games, but you do so at the peril of your own pocketbook.
Wide Receivers
Julio Jones (ATL, $35)
Okay, these are becoming full write-ups and you just want me to get to the point, so I'll do that here. Among the Big Three (Brown, Beckham, Jones), if I had to choose one this week, it would be the Falcons' wideout. First off, he is the least popular of the three if you're gauging by season-long ADP and just by sheer name recognition, but only by a smidge. Most picking between the trio will likely start their rosters with Brown or OBJ. Moreover, Jones had a slight scare with an ankle injury in a preseason game a few weeks ago. It isn't serious at all, but will at least be in the back of most people's minds. Finally, Jones loves to face his division rival Buccaneers. He combined for 255 yards on 20 receptions against them last season and 280 yards on 17 receptions in 2013. Past performance isn't always an indicator of future success, though. A shift in defensive personnel or perhaps even more double-teaming will be part of the Bucs' defensive recipe. The Falcons did acquire Mohamed Sanu who, although he's far from 'Roddy White in his prime' territory, is still someone secondaries will have to take note off. So fire up Julio and watch him work his magic.
Amari Cooper (OAK, $23)
For those playing daily fantasy for their first season, here's another quick glossary term: pivot. It means to move away from a player you previously had in your lineup for a similarly priced player. Cooper is someone I expect many daily fantasy veterans to pivot off of. After all, Cooper's name will be clicked without second-guessing. He's the high-upside featured receiver on an improving offense facing last season's worst pass defense in a game with the highest projected total (51). Sure, we don't all want to be stuck on a boat with the masses when it sinks, and I get that. Yes, Cooper lacked his fair share of red zone targets his rookie year. Yes, Michael Crabtree was the more consistent target for Derek Carr. But the tide begins to turn starting with this Week 1 tilt with the Saints. I don't anticipate the Saints' defense to be worse than last year's (is that even possible?) and there are so many great wideouts in this price range, many of whom I can't argue against. But for a cash game where you're looking to simply beat out 50 percent of the field, Cooper on Sunday sounds like a prettay, prettay good way to go.
Marvin Jones (DET, $17)
Speaking of chalk, Mr. Jones is receiving lots of love in the Twittersphere and among writers this season given his role in the offense, specifically as a near-automatic lineup insertion based on the Lions-Colts high projected point total (currently at 50.5). Jones is receiver 1B to Golden Tate's 1A, but many of my colleagues expect Jones to out-produce Tate in 2016. It may also appear that Jones has a better nose for the red zone if you glance back at his 10-TD season from 2013. But, note that four of those came in a 49-9 blowout against the Jets in a late-October tilt where literally nobody was covering him. Anyways, back to this week – I list Jones here because I think it's a good spot to potentially pivot on in tournaments. Moncrief, Corey Coleman and Monday Night booster DeSean Jackson are all similarly-priced alternatives who could outscore Jones in Week 1. The former Bengal could easily be a season-long stud in Jim Bob Cooter's offense this season, but the hype train is carrying him to unprecedented levels and that includes DFS ownership early on.
Tight End
Jared Cook (GB, $10)
Cook's stock has risen quickly over the last couple of weeks as Packer fans and fantasy players have been patiently waiting for the first Green Bay fantasy-worthy tight end in the DFS era. Jermichael Finley had a couple of decent seasons but barely missed the rise of daily fantasy. Cook is a big-bodied (6-foot-5, 254 lbs.) red zone target for magic maker Aaron Rodgers and is deceptively fast (he ran a 4.49 forty back in the day) for a guy his size. It would be more helpful for those of us rostering Cook in Week 1 if Jordy Nelson was on a snap count against the Jaguars, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Cook did not find the end zone last season but scored eight touchdowns in the two seasons prior and had a couple of two-touchdown outings. It's a clean slate for Cook, whose career 57 percent receptions-per-target rate could see a bump with a top-notch QB like Rodgers at the helm. A 48-point projected total makes this game one to target. You'll likely be going with the masses here, but the price is nice and Cook is worth a shot.
Defense/Special Teams
Seattle Seahawks ($15)
DST's will typically range between 10 and 18 smackers each week. It is also one of the most unpredictable positions from week to week because often much of a D/ST unit's fantasy points are derived from return or defensive touchdowns. Such was the case two seasons ago when the Philadelphia Eagles amassed 11 defensive touchdowns, nearly double the amount of any other team. Last season, the Seahawks were only a viable DFS option in eight of their 17 games. In fact, they strangely alternated between fantasy studs and fantasy duds every week from Week 1 through Week 7, hitting double-digit FP (fantasy points) in those odd weeks. Looking at all of our options for Week 1, they have the highest floor and possibly the most upside. They will likely be the most popular selection in Survivor games given that they are the biggest Week 1 favorites (-10.5 as of Tuesday). They are much more effective at home and, if they get a big lead and force Dolphins' QB Ryan Tannehill to chuck it, may force some turnovers. Remember, we're not looking to predict pick-sixes or return TDs (even though Tyler Lockett is something special). Target defenses from teams that are favored, playing at home and facing average to below average signal-callers. Good luck to you all this week, and welcome back football!
Honorable Mentions
QB: Derek Carr (OAK, $33)
RB: Todd Gurley (STL, $31), Ezekiel Elliott (DAL, $24)
WR: Brandin Cooks (NO, $24), DeAndre Hopkins (HOU, $34), DeSean Jackson (WAS, $19)
TE: Coby Fleener (NO, $19)
DEF: Philadelphia Eagles ($12)
