Welcome to our Daily Fantasy Football picks.
Each week, we’ll break down Sunday’s DFS leaderboard, highlighting our favorite picks, trackers and best values at each position.
Unlike traditional season-long fantasy football, DFS gives you a fresh start every week. There are no drafts, trades or claims to worry about. Instead, you build a new lineup for that week’s slate of games while staying under a certain salary cap.
On FanDuel, you’ll have $60,000 to fill out your lineup, with each player assigned a salary based on factors such as recent performance, matchup and expected production. The goal is to build the best lineup possible by finding the right mix of stars and value plays while staying under the cap.
Paying for one of the most expensive players on the board means you have less money to spend elsewhere, while landing a lower priced player can open up a lot of opportunities in the rest of your lineup.
From top players who are worth their hefty price tags to cheaper options who could exceed their paychecks, here are our favorite DFS plays for Sunday’s Week 1 slate.
All salaries and awards are via the FanDuel Fantasy App and are based on its $60,000 salary cap format.
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Central defender
Jared Goff is in a great spot to start the season. Goff is coming off his third straight season with at least 4,500 passing yards and leads the NFL with 13,768 passing yards over the last three seasons. The Lions quarterback has also thrown at least one pass in 23 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL.
According to Next Gen Stats, Goff threw 20 touchdown passes against single safeties in 2025, the most in the NFL. That’s especially evident in this matchup, as the Saints used the single top safety at the second-highest rate in the league last season (62.9%). It’s a favorable matchup to take advantage of Goff, and with new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing taking over, Detroit’s offense should have plenty of opportunities to put points on the board.
A shootout could take place in Detroit, and at just $7,800 on FanDuel, Goff offers great value as a DFS option this weekend.
One of the biggest hires of the offseason was the Los Angeles Chargers bringing in Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator. McDaniel is considered one of the league’s top offensive minds after his previous stops with the 49ers and Dolphins, where his offense ranked among the NFL’s best in multiple categories. Now, McDaniel gets to work with perhaps the most talented quarterback he’s had in Justin Herbert.
And what better way to start than at home against the Arizona Cardinals? Arizona had one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2025, allowing 28.7 points per game (29th) and 369.8 total yards per game (26th). The Cardinals were also vulnerable through the air, ranking 24th in passing yards allowed per game and surrendering 31 passing touchdowns, sixth most in the league.
While the Chargers enter as 9.5-point favorites, Arizona has enough offensive players to keep this game competitive and force Los Angeles to stay aggressive. That should limit concerns for the Chargers taking their foot off the gas and relying exclusively on the run late in the game.
Kyler Murray should thrive in Kevin O’Connell’s offensive system, especially with the likes of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison on the outside. He has also been excellent in the season opener throughout his career. In six career Week 1 starts, Murray has recorded 1,593 total yards (265.5 per game) and 14 total touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions.
Green Bay will be without defensive leader Micah Parsons, who will miss at least the first four games of the season as he continues to recover from a torn ACL. According to Next Gen Stats, the Packers’ sack rate dropped from 7.3% with Parsons on the field to just 3.7% with him off the field in 2025. Green Bay ranked in the top six in both scoring and total defense from Weeks 1-14, but dropped to the bottom eight in both categories from Week 15-1.
The Packers also lost defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley this offseason. While Jonathan Gannon is a proven defensive coach in his own right, it may take time for Green Bay’s defense to adjust to a new system, especially without Parsons on the field.
Running back
Saquon Barkley had a down year by his standards in 2025, especially compared to his historic 2024 season. After accumulating 2,283 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns in 2024, Barkley finished last season with 1,413 rushing yards and nine total touchdowns.
But 2026 could bring a comeback, and what better way to start than against the Washington Commanders? Washington’s defense was abysmal last season, allowing 2,411 rushing yards (141.8 YPG, 30th in the NFL), 4.78 yards per carry (27th) and 18 rushing touchdowns.
Barkley has also dominated this game since joining the Eagles. In four games against the Commanders since 2024 (three in the regular season and one in the playoffs), Barkley has rushed for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in all four.
Ashton Jeanty didn’t have the rookie season many expected, averaging just 3.67 yards per carry. However, many of those struggles can be attributed to the situation around him. Las Vegas was a disaster in 2025 and featured one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines. This should look much different in 2026.
The Raiders hired Klint Kubiak as head coach after he helped lead Seattle to a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator, while offensive line coach Rick Dennison brings a long history of overseeing successful rushing attacks. Las Vegas also made a big investment up front, signing Tyler Linderbaum to an $81 million contract to help transform its offensive line.
In 68 career regular season games as an offensive coordinator, Kubiak’s offense has rushed for 7,722 yards (113.6 per game) and 57 touchdowns while averaging 4.11 yards per carry. His teams have passed 100 yards in 38 of those 68 games (55.9%) and topped 150 yards 14 times. Kenneth Walker III also thrived in Kubiak’s system last season, especially on the field and throughout Seattle’s Super Bowl run.
Jeanty couldn’t have asked for a much better matchup to start his second season. Miami ranked 26th in rushing defense in 2025, allowing 132.4 yards per game and 4.80 yards per carry, the fourth-worst mark in the NFL. The Dolphins also surrendered 18 rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver
It was a rough 2025 season by Justin Jefferson’s standards, with many of his struggles stemming from instability at quarterback. Jefferson had three different quarterbacks throw him the ball all season and never seemed to find a consistent rhythm with any of them.
With Kyler Murray now under center, Jefferson should have a much more stable situation and could see a significant increase in production. He’s also historically been a nightmare for the Packers, especially in Week 1. In the 2022 season opener, the star receiver caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’ 23-7 victory.
After a disappointing 2025 season, expect Kevin O’Connell to make it a priority to start his superstar receiver early.
Chris Olave is coming off a monster 2025 campaign, and his production took off once Tyler Shough became the Saints’ starting quarterback. In Shough’s eight starts, Olave caught 48 passes on 73 targets for 660 yards (82.5 YPG, 13.8 YPR) and six touchdowns. In eight games started by Spencer Rattler, Olave had 52 catches for 503 yards (62.9 YPG, 9.7 YPR) and three touchdowns.
Now, Olave gets a Week 1 matchup against an already depleted Detroit secondary. Starting safeties Kerby Joseph (knee) and Brian Branch (Achilles) are both expected to miss the early part of the season, leaving the Lions without two key pieces of a secondary that struggled in 2025.
Detroit allowed 2,644 receiving yards (155.5 YPG, eighth-most in NFL) and 21 touchdowns (tied for second-most) to opposing wide receivers last season. With Shough under center and a favorable matchup against a short-handed Lions secondary, Olave is in a great spot to carry his late-season momentum into Week 1.
Tetairoa McMillan had an impressive rookie campaign, catching 70 passes for 1,014 yards and seven touchdowns. But his ceiling is even higher, and he should have plenty of room to grow in Year 2.
McMillan opens the season against a Chicago Bears secondary that was vulnerable to big plays in 2025. The Bears allowed 61 completions of 20 yards (second most in the NFL) and 26 completions of 30 yards (second most). Chicago also surrendered 32 passing touchdowns (fifth-most) and 7.63 yards per pass attempt (fifth-most).
McMillan should also see a lot of Tyrique Stevenson, who was rated as one of the NFL’s worst cornerbacks last season, according to PFF. This is a matchup that Carolina should look to exploit throughout the game.
And if the Panthers find themselves playing from behind against Chicago’s explosive offense, McMillan could see even more opportunities in the passing game. Everything is fine that recipient no. 1 of Carolina to have a big Week 1.
Tight end
The tight end pool is very thin this week and, yes, Trey McBride comes at a high price, but it’s worth paying.
As mentioned earlier, this game is projected to be high-scoring, and with the Chargers favored by 9.5 points, the Cardinals could be playing from behind for most of the afternoon. This should lead to a tough game scenario for Arizona.
McBride thrived in those situations last season. When the Cardinals were trailing in 2025, he recorded 75 receptions on 99 targets for 753 yards and eight touchdowns. More than 60% of his receptions and nearly three-quarters of his touchdowns came while Arizona was playing from behind.
The Chargers also ranked 27th in DVOA against tight ends last season, making this an even more favorable matchup. The price is steep, but McBride is worth spending in Week 1.
PROTECTION
We are big believers in hitting the defense and looking for value at a cheap price.
On the surface, this choice seems difficult. The Bengals have had one of the NFL’s worst defenses over the past few seasons, and 2025 was no different. Cincinnati ranked 30th in scoring defense (28.9 PPG), 31st in total defense (380.9 YPG), last in rushing defense (147.1 YPG) and last in yards allowed per game (6.18).
But this is a new year and a completely revamped Bengals defense.
Cincinnati traded for three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Dexter Lawrence II, signed pass rushers Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen and added Bryan Cook, Kyle Dugger and Ja’Sir Taylor to the secondary. The Bengals also capitalized on the slide in pass rusher Cashius Howell and cornerback Tacario Davis.
At this price, we’re willing to take a chance on the improved unit against Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay had some turnover issues last season, committing 11 turnovers in nine games after Week 9.