Every week, the first step of your DFS homework should be to examine the opening Vegas odds on all the NFL games for that week. Through some fairly simple algebra, it is easy to derive a spreadsheet that predicts team totals for every game, allowing you to develop a rudimentary game script to help narrow down your weekly decisions. Once the appealing (and unappealing) games have been highlighted, it becomes easier to focus on those games to help build your core of players for that week; the caveat, however, is that the NFL is a dynamic league, and anything is subject to change from Tuesday to Sunday...so keep that in mind as the week progresses and always monitor player injuries, weather conditions, and potential roster moves. Let's take a look.
UPDATED FRIDAY, JANUARY 19th @ NOON (EST)
| Team | Opponent | Odds | Game Total | Team Total | Passing | Running | Team Defense |
| San Francisco | Green Bay | -9.5 | 50.5 | 30 | ««« | ««« | |
| Detroit | Tampa Bay | -6.5 | 49 | 27.75 | «« | «« | |
| Baltimore | Houston | -9 | 43.5 | 26.25 | «« | ««« | « |
| Buffalo | Kansas City | -2.5 | 45.5 | 24 | « | « | |
| Kansas City | Buffalo | 2.5 | 45.5 | 21.5 | |||
| Tampa Bay | Detroit | 6.5 | 49 | 21.25 | |||
| Green Bay | San Francisco | 9.5 | 50.5 | 20.5 | |||
| Houston | Baltimore | 9 | 43.5 | 17.25 |
SUMMARY
3-STARS
- Quarterback: Brock Purdy (49ers)
- Running Back: Christian McCaffrey (49ers), Gus Edwards (Ravens)
- Receivers: Deebo Samuel/Brandon Aiyuk/George Kittle (49ers)
- Defense: None
2-STARS
- Quarterback: Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Jared Goff (Lions)
- Running Back: David Montgomery/Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)
- Receivers: Zay Flowers/Odell Beckham Jr/Isaiah Likely (Ravens), Amon-Ra St. Brown/Jameson Williams/Sam LaPorta (Lions)
- Defense: None
1-STAR
- Quarterback: Josh Allen (Bills)
- Running Back: James Cook (Bills)
- Receivers: Stefon Diggs/Khalil Shakir/Dalton Kincaid (Bills)
- Defense: Ravens