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: Cleveland, Green Bay, Las Vegas, Seattle
Three Stars
Quarterbacks
- Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
- Brock Purdy (49ers)
Running Backs
- Derrick Henry (Ravens)
- Christian McCaffrey (49ers)
Receivers
- Zay Flowers/Rashod Bateman/Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely (Ravens)
- Deebo Samuel Sr./Jauan Jennings/George Kittle (49ers)
Team Defense
- Chargers
Two Stars
Quarterbacks
- Matthew Stafford (Rams)
- Jared Goff (Lions)
- Sam Darnold (Vikings)
Running Backs
- Kyren Williams (Rams)
- Jahmyr Gibbs/David Montgomery (Lions)
- Aaron Jones (Vikings)
- Kareem Hunt (Chiefs)
- Saquon Barkley (Eagles)
Receivers
- Cooper Kupp/Puka Nacua/Colby Parkinson (Rams)
- Amon-Ra St. Brown/Kalif Raymond/Sam LaPorta (Lions)
- Justin Jefferson/Jordan Addison/T.J. Hockenson (Vikings)
Team Defense
- Bears
- Chiefs
One Star
Quarterbacks
- Josh Allen (Bills)
- Patrick Mahomes II (Chiefs)
- Kirk Cousins (Falcons)
- Jalen Hurts (Eagles)
Running Backs
- James Cook (Bills)
- Bijan Robinson (Falcons)
Receivers
- Amari Cooper/Keon Coleman/Khalil Shakir/Dalton Schultz (Bills)
- Xavier Worthy/Justin Watson/DeAndre Hopkins/Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
- Drake London/Darnell Mooney/Kyle Pitts (Falcons)
- A.J. Brown/DeVonta Smith/Grant Calcaterra (Eagles)
Team Defense
- Eagles
- Giants
