Here’s the NFL daily fantasy football lineup to play in week one

It’s week one for daily fantasy football! Here’s the lineup to play if you want a good shot at winning on Sunday, September 8th.

It’s here, y’all. It’s game time.  Week one is here, and there are so many games and players to choose from in the first slate of daily fantasy football. It’s time to wade through the slate and find our guys.

My emphasis is primarily cash games, with an eye on getting into the money in tournaments. These plays are primarily valued for their high floors and low risk, although some of them have a chance to go off for big games. Some more GPP-friendly plays can be found listed under “other options.”

I always play my own lineups. I will be playing this lineup, among others featuring a lot of the same players, on Sunday. This lineup is optimized for DraftKings salary in the 15-game Sunday-Monday slate, but FanDuel prices are listed as well. Don’t bet what you can’t afford to lose.

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Let’s do this.

QB | Carson Wentz, Philadelphia | DraftKings: $5,700, FanDuel: $7,600

Wentz leads a potent passing attack for the league’s biggest favorite (-10) at home against a secondary that’s just okay. Philadelphia boasts one of the deepest receiving groups in the league, and they’ll be facing a team that simply lacks the depth to keep up. This is a very safe pick, lots of upside with a high floor for a middling price, especially on DraftKings.

Other options: Nick Foles (Jacksonville, $5,300, $6,500) continues to be undervalued despite proving himself time and again. In Sunday’s game featuring the highest total (51.5) and a matchup with one of the league’s lowest-ranked pass defenses from a year ago in Jacksonville, there’s value to be had. The Lions have pass-catchers in spades for Matthew Stafford (Detroit, $5,400, $6,600) and they’re going up against a Cardinals defense that’s missing its two best corners. Stafford tends to exceed fantasy expectations and is priced pretty low, especially on FanDuel. Lamar Jackson (Baltimore, $6,000, $7,400) is super chalky this week, and for good reason. The Dolphins gave up almost 400 rushing yards to quarterbacks in 2018, which means Jackson’s run-heavy style gives him a high floor.

RB | Chris Carson, Seattle | DK: $5,700, FD: $6,600

The Seahawks want to get Carson more involved in the passing game, and he’s pretty firmly entrenched as their starter in a game against a bad Bengals defense. Low salary, high floor. Should show up in a lot of lineups.

RB | Dalvin Cook, Minnesota | $6,000, $7,400

Cook is the feature back for the Vikings in a game that could be a shootout in the dome. The Falcons gave up more catches to running backs than any other team last season, and with Stefon Diggs hobbled, Cook should get a lot of tick and a lot of touches.

Other options: If you’re playing a DraftKings slate that includes Monday night, Alvin Kamara (New Orleans, $8,500) is at the Superdome in a game with the week’s highest total and no Mark Ingram taking carries. Speaking of Mark Ingram (Baltimore, $5,100, $6,600), he’s going to be getting the lion’s share of carries in a game his team should be winning against a team that doesn’t defend the run well. I’m playing him in the FLEX with this lineup. Kerryon Johnson (Detroit, $5,800, $7,000) could get 20 or more touches against Arizona’s lousy defense.

WR | Adam Thielen, Minnesota | $6,800, $7,400

Thielen is going to be overplayed on Sunday, but in cash games, he should be a consistent play, especially if Stefon Diggs can’t go. The Atlanta-Minnesota game promises to be high-scoring, and Thielen has proven time and again that he’s a high-floor, high-ceiling receiver.

WR | Mike Thomas, New Orleans | $8,000

If you’re playing the full weekend slate, Thomas is the best receiver in the game with the highest total. Almost-guaranteed numbers for that high salary.

WR | Dante Pettis, San Francisco | $5,400, $6,500

Pettis had a rough preseason, but he’s starting in a high-total game, he’s healthy, and the Buccaneers have the worst secondary in the league, according to PFF.

Other options: Jameis Winston likes throwing to Curtis Godwin (Tampa Bay, $6,200, $6,900), and if Mike Evans misses Sunday’s contest, Godwin’s got great upside in a high-total game against a poor secondary. DJ Moore (Carolina, $5,500, $6,200) has a tough matchup with whichever corner he draws against the Rams, but Cam Newton‘s got to throw to someone and Moore is probably his best option.

The low total might scare some away, but there’s a chance for a healthy John Brown (Buffalo, $4,300, $5,500) to have a big game. He’s catching passes from Josh Allen, who now has a full season behind him in the offense, and he’s going up against one the league’s worst pass defenses in the Jets. He’s a big-play guy, maybe worth a flier, especially in tournaments. Nick Foles likes Dede Westbrook (Jacksonville, $4,800, $5,900) and Kansas City gives up a lot of points to pass-catchers, making a good stack option. Stacking Marvin Jones (Detroit, $4,800, $6,100) with Stafford might be a sneaky tournament play as well.

TE | Hunter Henry, LA Chargers | $3,900, $6,100

It’s time. The Colts gave up more catches to tight ends than any other team in 2018, and Henry appears poised to be the true number one for Philip Rivers, who has always loved throwing to tight ends.

Other options: If the money’s there, paying up for Travis Kelce (Kansas City, $7,100, $7,800) might be a great call. He’s the best tight end in football and should be targeted a lot in a high-scoring matchup with Jacksonville. There just isn’t a lot of depth at the position this week. There are concerns over whether or not the Giants’ offense is good enough to get Evan Engram (NY Giants, $4,800, $6,400) his looks, but they don’t really have many other options with Golden Tate suspended in a game they’ll probably be chasing. His value likely goes up later in the season when Daniel Jones takes over at quarterback.

DST | Browns | $3,400, $4,300

The Browns added Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson and Morgan Burnett this offseason to a defense that ranked second in takeaways a season ago and they face a Titans team that finished in the bottom quarter of the league in offensive yards and will be without suspended tackle Taylor Lewan in a matchup described as “the worst trench mismatch in week one.”

Other options: If you’re willing to pay up, the Ravens ($3,800, $5,000) are facing a Dolphins team that just traded away two of its best offensive players, Kenny Stills and Laremy Tunsil. If you’re looking strictly for value, the over/under (38) and spread (6.5) for this game for the Dolphins ($2,100, $3,000) against Baltimore imply only 22.5 points for the Ravens. At this price, any production is gravy for a defense.

The NFL Sunday slate begins at 1:00 on NBC and FOX.