4 FanDuel NFL Studs to Target in Week 1

Hitting on high-salary players is the first step to having success in NFL DFS on FanDuel.

These players take up the biggest chunk of your salary cap, and they need to deliver quality performances for your lineup to reach its ceiling.

With some help from our NFL DFS projections, here are four studs to target on this week's main slate, which starts at 1 p.m. ET.

All betting odds come from the NFL odds at FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NFL DFS Studs to Target for Week 1

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

FanDuel Salary: ($9,200)

With Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson all off the main slate in Week 1, Josh Allen is the clear top DFS option at quarterback. Our NFL DFS projections project Allen for 24.3 FanDuel points, nearly four more than the next-closest QB.

Allen has a strong matchup at home against the Arizona Cardinals to open the season. Last year, Arizona allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and were bottom 10 in EPA per dropback, passing success rate, and scramble rate allowed.

There are questions about the Buffalo Bills' pass catchers, but this Cardinals secondary is one Buffalo shouldn't have many issues with. They enter 2024 with PFF's 32nd-ranked secondary unit and are 31st in schedule-adjusted pass defense, per numberFire.

But even if the Cardinals manage to mitigate Allen's effectiveness through the air, he could deliver on his position-leading salary on the ground. Arizona allowed the seventh-most rushing yards over expectation per carry to quarterbacks in 2023, while Allen was second among quarterbacks with 2.1 red zone rush attempts per game.

Allen could have multiple chances to punch in a rushing touchdown considering Buffalo is tied for the main slate's highest implied total (27.5). He tied for second in the NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns last season, scoring on the ground in 12 of 17 games. Allen has -125 odds to score a touchdown on Sunday.

Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams

FanDuel Salary: ($7,800)

There isn't a clear top back for Week 1's main slate, though Bijan Robinson ($8,800) has a compelling argument. Still, Kyren Williams' 2023 usage is awfully hard to ignore considering his palatable $7,800 salary in the week's premier game environment.

Sunday night's Los Angeles Rams-Detroit Lions matchup -- now featured on the main Sunday slate thanks to FanDuel's new DFS rule changes -- has the slate's highest over/under (52.5). While the Rams are 3.5-point underdogs, they still have a healthy 24.0 implied total that's seventh on the slate.

That nudged Williams near the top of my season-long Week 1 rankings and makes him worth considering in DFS lineups.

Last season, Kyren averaged 19.2 FanDuel points per game (second to only Christian McCaffrey). He led all running backs in snap rate (82.3%) and was fed a staggering 26.4 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) per game. Williams was second among all running backs in scrimmage yards per game (108.8) and led the NFL in red zone rush attempts per game (4.4).

It's fair to question whether Sean McVay will feed Williams as many touches in 2023, especially after they drafted Blake Corum in Round 3 of this off-season's draft. But McVay has reiterated that Williams will lead the backfield again in 2024, and it's hard to argue with his effectiveness last season. Kyren tied McCaffrey for the NFL lead in rushing success rate (47.1%) in 2023, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

In Week 1, Williams draws a Lions defense that surrendered the fewest FanDuel points to running backs in 2023. They held him to 70 yards on 14 total touches in last year's Wild Card matchup, but there's still plenty to like in what's expected to be a high-scoring Week 1 affair. Kyren's volume doesn't grow on trees, especially at his salary.

Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

FanDuel Salary: ($9,600)

Tyreek Hill boasts the main slate's highest salary in Week 1, coming in $300 more than the next-closest player. But we know what we're getting with Hill, and his opening matchup makes him well worth a hefty investment.

Last season, Hill was tied for the most FanDuel points per game (19.9) among wide receivers, and he led all wideouts in scrimmage yards per game (113.4) and yards per route run (3.98). He was second in target share (32.7%), third in air yard share (44.3%), and seventh in red zone target share (35.7%).

There's a real argument that he's the best wide receiver in the NFL, and his Week 1 matchup is tantalizing.

Hill and the Miami Dolphins have the slate's third-highest implied total (26.0) in a home date with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jacksonville was middle of the pack against receivers last season, but they did give up the fifth-most touchdowns to opposing wideouts. The Jags enter 2024 with PFF's 29th-ranked secondary.

Hill caught 13 touchdowns in 2023, scoring in 11 of 16 games. He has -115 odds to score a touchdown in Week 1.

On top of that, Hill cracked 100 yards eight times last season. That's now worth an additional three FanDuel points under the new DFS scoring.

Our NFL DFS projections project Hill for 6.9 receptions, 95.9 yards, and 17.7 FanDuel points. He is our highest-projected receiver by nearly 2.5 points.

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills

FanDuel Salary: ($6,800)

If you're looking to allocate a large chunk of your salary toward tight end this week, Dalton Kincaid is the guy to target.

Kincaid is coming off an encouraging rookie season that saw him take off over the second half of the year. From Week 7 onward, Kincaid ranked 10th among tight ends with 8.5 FanDuel points per game. He saw a 20.5% target share and ran a route on 72.8% of Josh Allen's drop backs during that stretch, culminating in 49.3 yards per game.

Granted, those aren't earth-shattering marks, but they were stellar for a rookie tight end.

But Kincaid enters 2024 as the presumed top pass-catcher for this Bills offense. Buffalo had the second-most vacated targets, according to The Fantasy Footballers, so there's plenty of volume up for grabs early on.

That could come Kincaid's way as early as Week 1 given his matchup. The Cardinals surrendered the second-most FanDuel points per target and ninth most yards per route run to tight ends last season. They head into 2024 with the worst secondary and linebacker unit in the NFL, according to PFF.

We project Kincaid for 11.3 FanDuel points this week, second among tight ends.

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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.