4 FanDuel NFL DFS Value Picks for Week 1

Finding value is a key part of NFL DFS on FanDuel. We need to identify the low-salary players who have the potential to pay huge dividends, which allows you to play studs elsewhere in your lineup.

As always, we're looking at players on the main slate, which kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published. We'll reference our NFL DFS projections.

NFL DFS Value Plays for Week 1

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

FanDuel Salary: $7,000

Though Trevor Lawrence is coming off a pair of down seasons, there's room for optimism heading into Year 5. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a new offensive system in place under Liam Coen, and the team allocated serious draft capital in acquiring Travis Hunter to pair alongside Brian Thomas Jr. out wide.

Lawrence and the Jags have the right matchup to get off on the right foot, too. Jacksonville is set to host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and there aren't many better matchups for opposing offenses.

Last season, the Panthers were dead-last in adjusted defense and permitted the highest offensive success rate in the NFL. They allowed the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks while ranking bottom 10 in completion percentage allowed and defensive sack rate. Across 17 games, the opposing quarterback scored at least 20 FanDuel points (FDP) eight times.

Carolina enters the season with PFF's 30th-ranked secondary, giving Lawrence a nice floor for production at a low salary. That lines up with his median NFL DFS projection of 17.7 FDP. At salary, T-Law is the best point-per-dollar value (2.53x) among quarterbacks.

But Jacksonville's defense also stinks, and that's where Lawrence's upside comes in. Despite their ugly marks against quarterbacks, Carolina faced the lowest pass rate in the NFL. If the Panthers can push the Jags and keep Jacksonville in passing situations, Lawrence's upside could truly be unlocked.

TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

FanDuel Salary: $4,700

Enjoy this TreVeyon Henderson salary while you can; it's unlikely to stay this low after his Week 1 role comes to fruition.

Henderson -- the New England Patriots Round 2 pick this offseason -- was a preseason darling. After amassing nearly 4,000 yards on the ground (and another 850 through the air) across four seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes, the do-it-all back made his presence felt early in his first professional training camp. Though he didn't see a ton of in-game run, he made the most of his opportunities. The rookie housed a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown on his first play and finished the preseason with eight touches, 50 scrimmage yards, four 1st downs, and another touchdown on offense.

Now, his strong camp won't necessarily equate to a heavy workload early in his NFL career. The Pats still have Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson listed ahead of him on their unofficial depth chart, after all.

But that's not uncommon for rookies. It requires a bit of faith in Josh McDaniels and Mike Vrabel, but it's hard to imagine New England not giving their back of the future a primary role in his NFL debut.

With the Pats favored by 2.5 against a Las Vegas Raiders defense with defensive line and linebacker units ranked outside the top 20 by PFF entering the season, Henderson has a high enough ceiling to warrant rostering him at a sub-$5,000 salary.

Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts

FanDuel Salary: $5,200

There are several strong WR values on FanDuel's Week 1 NFL DFS main slate, but Josh Downs at $5,200 takes the cake for me. Downs is coming off an impressive, albeit inconsistent, 2024 season which saw him finish as top-12 receiver three separate times.

Now, Downs some lows. But in the 14 games he played over half of the Indianapolis Colts' snaps, Downs averaged 10.4 FDP alongside a 25.6% target share. He was targeted on 31.1% of routes -- second at the position behind only Puka Nacua and Malik Nabers.

Granted, Downs' Week 1 quarterback (Daniel Jones) was not the one to feed him all those looks last season. But his target per route rate was strong with Anthony Richardson (28.1%) and Joe Flacco (33.3%). He cleared 2.30 yards per route run with both quarterbacks under center.

That should give us some confidence in his ability to command targets with Daniel Jones -- someone who fed primary slot Wan'Dale Robinson a 25.8% target share during their 10 games together in 2024. He peppered Nabers with a target on 37.8% of his route run, helping the rookie average 13.6 FDP.

Josh Downs isn't Malik Nabers -- though earned the 11th-best PFF receiving grade among qualified wideouts last season. Though Daniel Jones doesn't appear to be a major improvement for the passing game, he's at least featured viable fantasy options in the past. Against the Miami Dolphins' 29th-ranked secondary, Josh Downs is a solid value play in DFS this week.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

FanDuel Salary: $5,200

My early Week 1 lineups have tended to gravitate toward the NFL DFS studs at tight end, but Tucker Kraft has served as my go-to salary saver at the position.

Like most of the non-elite names at tight end, Tucker Kraft endured his fair share of up-and-downs last season. But the ups were really, really good. The third-year tight end finished as a top-12 weekly option four times, and we saw his role grow as the season went on. Kraft had the third highest target share on the team from Week 4 onward, and he led the Green Bay Packers with 5 receptions in their Wild Card loss.

The former Round 3 pick ran a route on 92% of their dropbacks in that playoff loss, and he was on the field for all seven of their red zone plays. For the season, his 21.1% red zone target rate with Jordan Love under center led the team. Kraft's 78.5% route participation with Love would've ranked fifth among all tight ends.

That's the kind of usage we're looking for from value tight ends. Alongside a healthy 25-point implied from the Packers, Tucker Kraft makes for a solid salary-saver in FanDuel NFL DFS contests.

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Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.