Williams: 7 NFL DFS Standouts for Week 1

It's that time.

We have entered September, and Week 1 of the NFL season kicks off within a week, so we need to start thinking about those core pieces for our daily fantasy football lineups.

Here are seven standouts I'm interested in as building blocks for the Week 1 NFL DFS main slate on FanDuel.

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert (LAC) - $8,100

Justin Herbert will likely be the highest-rostered QB for the Sunday main slate, and rightfully so. The matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins comes in with the highest over/under on the slate with a line of 50.5.

A year ago, Herbert had nearly 700 passing attempts and surpassed 4,700 passing yards while dealing with multiple injuries to his ribs and shoulder.

This year, he teams up with a new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, who spent the past four seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. In those four seasons, Moore's Cowboys ranked in the top six in points scored three times.

This Chargers offense is going to be fun and explosive, and I'm betting it starts in Week 1.

Russell Wilson (DEN) - $7,300

There are many things to watch for in Week 1 of the season, but one thing that definitely intrigues me is which version of Russell Wilson we are going to get in 2023.

Wilson had arguably the worst season of his career statistically in 2023, but the (new) Denver Broncos regime seems to be all in investing over $80 million in the offensive line and not having much competition on the depth chart after him.

Can Sean Payton tap into the flashes of Wilson we saw at the end of 2022 when he produced 24-plus FanDuel points in three of the final four games?

Wilson gets a matchup versus the Las Vegas Raiders, who many believe could finish with the worst record this year. Their odds to do so are +1300 at FanDuel Sportsbook, sixth-shortest of any team.

Running Backs

Nick Chubb (CLE) - $8,400

If the Cleveland Browns are going to make it to the playoffs and beyond, I don't think it's going to be on the arm of Deshaun Watson -- it's going to be on the legs (and hands?) of Nick Chubb.

Chubb, the odds-on favorite to lead the league in rushing yards at +390, is one of my favorite plays on the entire Sunday main slate.

Now that Kareem Hunt is not on the Browns roster to eat into Chubb's workload, we could see a massive year both rushing and receiving. The notion that Chubb can't catch passes is kind of an empty statement when you look back at 2019 and see he reeled in 36 balls without Hunt around.

In Watson's first year, Chubb caught 27 passes. Chubb was the RB6 in PPR formats last year with Hunt taking up nearly 40% of the snap share.

The Cincinnati Bengals' defense was solid versus the run last year, but historically, Chubb has put up decent numbers against this team. He's gone for 24-plus FanDuel points in three out of five matchups since 2020.

Deon Jackson (IND) - $5,600

Sometimes NFL DFS gives us gifts that make life a lot easier when building lineups. Jonathan Taylor is opening the year on the PUP list, and his days as with the Indianapolis Colts look numbered.

Deon Jackson could end up being a lead back under $6K for our lineups. This is seemingly a "free square" if we can get word on Jackson's usage. His rushing prowess won't jump off the page as he only had four games in 2022 with double-digit carries, but his receiving work could lead to a big day versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Jackson had 10 catches for 79 yards to go along with 42 rushing yards and a touchdown a year ago versus the Jags. This will be the first game for a rookie QB Anthony Richardson, who is known more for his legs than his arm, but with the Colts as 4.5-point home underdogs, Jackson may fall into some extra opportunities.

Wide Receivers

D.K. Metcalf (SEA) - $7,700

While everyone is looking for pieces in Dolphins-Chargers to target, can I interest you in a piece from the third-highest total (47 O/U) on the Sunday main slate? D.K. Metcalf was the favorite target of Geno Smith a year ago, leading the team in targets, yards, red zone targets, and red zone touchdowns.

The Seattle Seahawks face a Los Angeles Rams defense that is a shell of itself with Jalen Ramsey gone to Miami, and Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba may help keep exposure to Metcalf down a bit more than it should be.

Courtland Sutton (DEN) - $5,900

A sub-$6K wide receiver who could potentially creep up close to double-digit targets is someone I'll always have interest in. Jerry Jeudy is dealing with a hamstring injury with his Week 1 status up in the air, and Tim Patrick is once again out for the season.

That leaves rookie Marvin Mims and a couple of former New Orleans Saints castoff wide receivers to compete with Sutton for targets from Wilson.

If Jeudy does end up playing in this game, he could still be limited with that hamstring injury. If Jeudy doesn't suit up, it's wheels up for Sutton who averages over 12 fantasy points per game when Jeudy isn't on the field.

Tight End

Dallas Goedert (PHI) - $6,400

I usually like to target tight ends who I can pair with the quarterback in my lineups, and while I'll have plenty of exposure, I will have Dallas Goedert as a staple at TE across all my lineups.

He comes in at TE4 for the main slate, and his salary is $800 lower than T.J. Hockenson's and $1,600 lower than Mark Andrews', making it much easier to plug into lineups.

In 2022, the New England Patriots' defense allowed the second-most touchdowns to the TE position (11). Goedert should benefit from the defense focusing on other Philadelphia Eagles playmakers, including D'Andre Swift.