Each week, this article will be looking at players outside the top-12 at their respective position that can help you win your weekly contests in daily fantasy. Some weeks will be running back and wide receiver centric, while others will focus on quarterbacks and tight ends if the matchups go that way.
With no preseason and a significant lack of training camp-related injuries, we are lucky enough to have a full slate of players to choose from this week. This article will focus on the main slate over at DraftKings but will include the FanDuel prices for the fantasy managers that play on that site.
COVID-19 is going to throw some wrenches into the daily fantasy machine this year. Make sure always to check your lineups before they lock, and feel free to reach out on twitter with questions. Good luck in Week 1.
Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB – SF vs. ARI ($5,800 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel)
Garoppolo isn’t inside the top-15 quarterbacks on DraftKings this week, but should easily beat that mark in Week 1. Jimmy G takes on an Arizona Cardinals unit that he completely torched last season. In two games versus his division rival, Garoppolo was 62 for 82 for 741 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions as he put up two of his three best daily fantasy performances of the season. The 28-year-old accomplished all of this without his favorite target, tight end George Kittle. The Cardinals also ranked second-worst in the league last season, after allowing 281.9 passing yards per game. Start Garoppolo with confidence to kick off the 2020 season.
Derek Carr, QB – LV @ CAR ($5,900 DK, $7,100 FD)
Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders make their 2020 debut on the road against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. The Panthers used every single draft pick they had this year on the defensive side of the ball, but that didn’t stop Pro Football Focus ranking their secondary 31st in the league heading into the season. Carr was given the keys to a new car over the offseason with the additions of Henry Ruggs III and Bryan Edwards while still retaining his favorite targets in Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs, and Hunter Renfrow. Carr has thrown for 4,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and will look to make it three in a row with a good start on Sunday.
Running Backs
Marlon Mack, RB – IND @ JAX ($5,300 DK, $6,100 FD)
Everyone has, rightfully, fallen in love with Jonathon Taylor over the summer as the hot new thing in Indianapolis, but that doesn’t mean daily players should forget about Mack. Over the last two seasons, the running back has averaged 999.5 yards and 8.5 touchdowns while carrying the ball 17 times a game. The Colts aren’t just going to toss him aside to make way for the rookie.
Mack received at least 14 touches in 11 games last season and produced over 16 fantasy points in seven of them. Two of those 11 games came against his opponent this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he gave fantasy managers 186 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. A lot of people will be on Taylor this week, but being the contrarian and taking Mack in a likely blowout scenario will give your team the edge it needs during Sunday’s main slate.
Boston Scott, RB – PHI @ WAS ($4,800 DK, $4,700 FD)
Cheaper By The Dozen is an article about DFS, but Scott should be on the radar for those managers that also play in season-long formats. Miles Sanders is recovering from a lower-body issue that saw him sit out the majority of training camp and has the Philadelphia Eagles staff admitting they could limit his snaps in the season opener against the Washington Football Team.
That paves the way for Scott to blow his current price tag out of the water. In his final four games of the regular season, Scott received at least six targets in every game and caught 92 percent of them on his way to a massive finish in Week 17. In that matchup against the New York Giants, Scott carried the ball 19 times and caught four passes for 84 yards on top of finding the endzone three times. He made a lot of fantasy players wealthy that day and Week 1 could be a repeat performance if he steps into the lead role as Sanders works his way back from that injury.
Wide Receivers
Jamison Crowder, WR – NYJ @BUF ($5,200 DK, $6,000 FD)
Crowder scored 20-plus fantasy points in four games last season. Two of those games came against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills’ secondary is one of the best in the league, but if there is one place to attack them, it’s the slot. Crowder had 22 catches on 27 targets for 165 yards and one touchdown across his two games versus Buffalo last season and seems primed to have a repeat performance in Week 1. The 27-year-old is in his second year with the Jets and led the team in catches and targets last season. Rookie Denzel Mims popped up on the injury report on Friday, and if he sits, the targets will continue to be funneled towards Crowder.
DeSean Jackson, WR – PHI @ WAS ($4,900 DK, $5,700 FD)
If daily players are looking for a value play and a lock simultaneously, then look no further than Jackson in Week 1. Over the past two seasons, Jackson has averaged 6.5 catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns in his first game of the season. Not impressed yet? He has played Washington twice to begin his season, and he averages 7.5 catches for 129 yards and 1.5 touchdowns. How is this not the most dominant receiver in NFL history? Well, it’s because he can’t stay healthy. Luckily for fantasy managers, it’s Week 1, and Jackson hasn’t had an opportunity to pick up an injury. The track record is too robust to ignore, and the 33-year-old is a couple of boom plays away from dominating tournaments this week.
Tight Ends
Jack Doyle, TE – IND @ JAX ($3,600 DK, $5,300 FD)
There are two things I know heading into the Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars game on Sunday. One, the Philip Rivers loves throwing to his tight ends, and two, the Jaguars defense is atrocious. This recommendation only happens on DraftKings, where Doyle’s price is $3,600. Jacksonville ranked 18th versus tight ends last season, but that was when they had some elite talent on that side of the ball, and Doyle had Eric Ebron to compete with for targets. Ebron has gone to Pittsburgh, and Mo Alie-Cox is his only competition at the position for targets. Rivers has thrown to the tight end on 22.6 percent of his passes since he took over as a starter in 2006. That is well above the NFL average, and Doyle should benefit mightily.
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