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, thereby allowing you to develop a rudimentary game script to help narrow down your decisions for the week.
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.
[Blue font indicates games *not* on the DFS main slate.]
BYE WEEK: Kansas City, LA Rams, Miami, Minnesota
Three Stars
Quarterbacks
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
- Jared Goff (Lions)
Running Backs
- Derrick Henry (Ravens)
- David Montgomery/Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)
Receivers
- Zay Flowers/Rashod Bateman/Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely (Ravens)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown/Jameson Williams/Sam LaPorta (Lions)
Team Defense
- Texans
Two Stars
Quarterbacks
- Jordan Love (Packers)
- Kirk Cousins (Falcons)
Running Backs
- Josh Jacobs (Packers)
- Bijan Robinson (Falcons)
- Saquon Barkley (Eagles)
Receivers
- Jayden Reed/Dontayvion Wicks/Tucker Kraft (Packers)
- Drake London/Darnell Mooney/Ray-Ray McCloud III/Kyle Pitts (Falcons)
Team Defense
- Chargers
- Steelers
One Star
Quarterbacks
- Joe Burrow (Bengals)
- Jalen Hurts (Eagles)
- Brock Purdy (49'ers)
- Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
Running Backs
- Chase Brown/Zack Moss (Bengals)
- Jordan Mason (49'ers)
- Rico Dowdle (Cowboys)
Receivers
- Ja'Marr Chase/Tee Higgins/Mike Gesicki (Bengals)
- DeVonta Smith/Jahan Dotson/Dallas Goedert (Eagles)
- Deebo Samuel Sr./Brandon Aiyuk/George Kittle (49'ers)
- CeeDee Lamb/Jalen Tolbert/Jake Ferguson (Cowboys)
Team Defense
- Eagles
