Week 1 NFL DFS Stacks for DraftKings, FanDuel - Top Daily Fantasy Football Picks Include Nico Collins, DK Metcalf, C.J. Stroud, Joe Mixon, Geno Smith, more

The 2024 NFL season is here, finally! Welcome everyone to our Week 1 of NFL DFS stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel. The first week of the football season is always exciting, yet also a bit tricky when figuring out which teams will do what in this first week.

This article will focus on Sunday's 1 PM main slate, which features 12 games on DraftKings and 13 on FanDuel. Chalky stacks will undoubtedly be Jacksonville at Miami and Arizona at the Bills. These will be high-scoring games with spreads of less than seven. Let's dig in and see who else we can use! 

I'll be here all season to talk stacks and strategy (@winesportstalk on Twitter/X). Here are my favorite game stacks for the NFL DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel, which kicks off at 1:00 PM EST on Sunday, September 8. 

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

• C.J. Stroud (DK $7.5K, FD $8.5K)
• Nico Collins (DK $7.0K, FD $7.1K)
• Joe Mixon (DK $6.6K, FD $7.3K) or Stefon Diggs (DK $6.7K, FD $6.8K)

Can C.J. Stroud avoid the dreaded sophomore slump? My confidence is high, given his weapons and who he'll be throwing to in Lucas Oil Stadium. The Texans are currently favored at -2.5 with an over/under of 48.5. The field will match Stroud with Diggs, so pivoting to Collins (I mean, is it really a pivot? I digress...) will be one way to keep ownership slightly lower.

Nico Collins. Every 2023 reception of 20+ yards. Get absolutely electrified this fine Friday morning.

⚡️Football in less than a week⚡️ pic.twitter.com/s8P2OXAGi6

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 30, 2024

Joe Mixon has a new home in Texas, and I expect him to be an additional target for Stroud. Mixon caught 7.2 catches per game last season, averaging 22.1 receiving yards per game with three receiving touchdowns. Rushing? We know all about that: he averaged 61 yards per game with nine rushing touchdowns.

Want to be even more different? Run it back with Jonathan Taylor instead of Michael Pittman Jr. In last year's game against the Texans, Taylor had 30 carries for 188 yards and a touchdown, with two receptions for eight yards.

Bring-back options:

• Michael Pittman Jr. (DK $6.8K, FD $6.5K)
• Jonathan Taylor (DK $7.8K, FD $8.6K)

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— Scott (@scottd923) September 25, 2023

Cincinnati Bengals vs. New England Patriots

• Joe Burrow (DK $6.5K, FD $8.4K)
• Ja'Marr Chase (DK $7.8K, FD $9.1K)
• Tee Higgins (DK $6.1K, FD or $6.8K) or Zack Moss (DK $5.8K, FD $6.9K)

Burrow was close to being a cheat code last year, and even then, the Bengals stacks with Burrow at QB were always lower-owned. Why? I have no idea. They will again be low-owned this weekend due to Ja'Marr Chase missing most of the pre-season and the perception that he'll be rusty (news flash: he won't be.)

Chase is an elite pass-catcher, and he and Burrow have a chemistry that won't be affected by Chase's time away from training camp. Zack Moss is another target if you want to be even more different from your Bengals stack. He has a fresh start with Cincinnati, and with Burrow throwing to RBs three-to-six times per game, he'll have opportunities to score some points at low ownership.

With Tee Higgins now doubtful, consider the ultra-cheap Andre Iosivas ($3k on DK, $4.3k on FD) and if you want to get crazy, you can role with Chase Brown ($5k on DK, $5.4k on FD) over Zack Moss, too.

Demario Douglas caught 49 passes last year for 561 yards but did not score a touchdown. This is expected to change this year as he will be starting the year with Jacoby Brissett.

They developed good chemistry during training camp, and after Douglas returned to camp and had full-contact practices, Brissett sang his praises. I'm excited to see how this tandem does in their opening game against the Bengals.

Bring-back options:

• Demario Douglas (DK $4.8K, FD $4K)
• Rhamondre Stevenson (DK $5.9K, FD $6.2K)

Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos

• Geno Smith (DK $5.5K, FD $7K)
• DK Metcalf (DK $6.2K, FD $6.9K)
• Kenneth Walker III (DK $6.1K, FD $7.4K) or Jaxon Smith-Njigba (DK $4.9K, FD $5.2K)

This could be considered a GPP stack as it will be low-owned and not a sexy game. I expect it to be an afterthought. Also, it's at 4 PM. Many DFS players avoid these games as they love to see their 1 PM stacks at the top of their contest (and hope they stay there!).

The Seahawks are favored to win at home by six points, and the over/under is 42. Denver's rookie quarterback, Bo Nix, has generated a lot of excitement, and I can see DFSers lining up to add him to their stacks, thinking that he will have lower ownership and surprise everyone.

While that might happen, I'm more inclined to stick with Geno Smith, who last year had a passer rating of 92.1 with 3,624 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.

What you see is Geno Smith and DK Metcalf playing BIG BOY BALL. What I see is Geno Smith and new Seahawks OC Ryan Grub cooking up 7 course meals all year with all the offensive weapons they have. Buckle up 12s it should be a fun ride this year #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/4qDbj9WlfY

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) August 25, 2024

Bring-back options:

• Courtland Sutton (DK $6.5K, FD $8.4K)
• Javonte Williams (DK $5.6K, FD $5.5K)

Denver's Courtland Sutton and Nix were named captains for the 2024 season. These two could be a force in the coming year and will be looking to make their mark against Seattle's pass defense, which allowed 233 yards per game last season.

Good luck in your contests this week, RotoBallers, and don't be afraid to be different with those GPP lineups!

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