We only have to look back at the last few seasons to see standout Week 1 performances from star quarterbacks. Last year, both Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers tossed four touchdowns in their openers, while the year before saw Lamar Jackson throw for five scores. They surely rewarded daily Fantasy football players who slotted them into NFL DFS lineups, and everyone will be searching for the quarterback who makes a Week 1 splash in 2021.
Maybe a dual-threat quarterback like Josh Allen or Kyler Murray will come away as one of Sunday’s top NFL DFS picks since each racks up yards through the air and on the ground. Maybe Jimmy Garoppolo or Andy Dalton surprises us with a standout Week 1 performance from the NFL DFS player pool, thus quieting talk of a quarterback change. Before locking in any NFL DFS picks for Week 1 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy football picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a predictive data engineer and pro DFS player with almost $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action in every game, 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.
In Cowboys vs. Buccaneers on Thursday, McClure had Bucs receiver Antonio Brown as one of his top NFL DFS picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings: The result: Brown piled up five catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, leading to huge returns on both sites. Anybody who had him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to Week 1 and locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks for Sunday. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Week 1
One of McClure’s top NFL DFS picks for Week 1 is Saints receiver Marquez Callaway ($3,400 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel). The second-year player was the Saints’ No. 4 receiver for much of last year, but shined when given a starter’s share of snaps. In Week 7 against Carolina, Callaway posted 75 yards on eight receptions, showing a glimpse of what he could do as a starting receiver.
Callaway enters Week 1 as the Saints’ No. 1 wideout with Michael Thomas out. He ascended the depth chart thanks to a spectacular preseason in which he developed chemistry with quarterback Jameis Winston. Callaway ranked third in the league with 165 receiving yards and led the preseason with two receiving touchdowns. With the Saints expected to be trailing for much of Week 1, Callaway should receive plenty of targets as New Orleans attempts to keep up on the scoreboard with Green Bay.
Part of McClure’s optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes rostering Vikings running back Dalvin Cook ($9,100 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel), who had over 1,900 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns last season. The Vikings open up the season against a Cincinnati team that has been out of sorts since head coach Zac Taylor took over in 2019. Defensively, the Bengals were one of the NFL’s worst units in allowing second-level and open-field rushing yards.
Conversely, Minnesota had one of the best rushing offenses in those categories last year and will be led by Cook’s powerful running style. Cook had the second-most carries in the NFL for ten yards or more, so Sunday’s matchup presents another opportunity to rack up yards in bunches. Cook is always a sound bet to get production every week, but McClure believes that this matchup is as good as it gets for him.
How to set NFL DFS lineups for Week 1
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers in Week 1. 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 here.
So who is Mike McClure putting in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Week 1? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a daily Fantasy expert with nearly $2M in winnings, and find out.