Fantasy Football: Week 1 players to avoid in FanDuel and DraftKings
By Mike Dente
With Week 1 of the Fantasy Football season underway, be sure to avoid these players in DFS play on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
NFL Spin Zone is the place to be for all of your DFS and Fantasy Football needs. If you haven’t already checked out my piece on Week 1 DraftKings and FanDuel advice, you can do so by clicking here.
Everyone is always looking for the weekly breakout players and sleepers but just as important are the players to avoid. One bad pick can cripple your daily fantasy roster.
Here are some guys to flat out stay away from in DFS play in Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season.
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins ($6,400 DK/$8,100 FD) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
In two matchups against the Eagles last season, Cousins scored a mediocre 17.3 and 16 fantasy points. In the other 14 regular season games, he averaged just over 19 points per game. The Philadelphia defense proved to be stingy against the pass, allowing just 15.2 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
To make matters worse, the Washington first-team offense failed to establish any kind of rhythm during the preseason. Cousins is a good fantasy option this year, but temper expectations in week one as he looks to build chemistry with his new No. 1 receiver, Terrelle Pryor.
Matthew Stafford ($6,100 DK/$7,600 FD) vs. Arizona Cardinals
In DFS you are always looking for the upside and home run plays, which is why you need to avoid Matthew Stafford this week. He faces a Cardinals defense that gave up 20+ points to the quarterback position in just three games last season. An alternative to Stafford happens to be on the opposite sideline. Carson Palmer is $100 cheaper in DraftKings and Detroit’s defense was bottom three against the pass in 2016.
Running Backs
Le’Veon Bell ($9,800 DK/$9,300 FD) at Cleveland Browns
I know Le’Veon Bell is a stud and you are probably thinking that I am a little crazy for suggesting to avoid him, but there are a few things to consider. First off, Bell is the most expensive player of all positions (DraftKings). That will force you to spend less and take more risks to fill out the rest of your roster. Furthermore, the All-Pro running back will likely be owned by a high percentage of people. If he doesn’t produce 20 or more points you will already have an advantage over everyone that spent big bucks on him.
If by chance he falls flat and puts up an unusual 12 points or less, then you will be laughing to the bank. Unlikely though, right? Well, keep in mind that Bell held out for all of camp and the preseason, so he may not be in football shape quite yet.
Ty Montgomery ($5,800 DK/$6,600 FD) vs. Seattle Seahawks
Anyone who follows me on Twitter knows that I am not a Ty Montgomery fan. The converted wide receiver to running back only has one career game with 10 or more carries. Not an ideal amount of touches for someone you’re relying on in any fantasy format. In addition to that, he is also facing one of the top defenses in the NFL. The Seahawks were third best against the run a year ago, conceding just 19 points per game to the running back position group.
Wide Receivers
T.Y. Hilton ($6,900 DK/$8,000 FD) at Los Angeles Rams
T.Y. Hilton’s value sees a massive drop with Andrew Luck ruled out for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the Rams. The speedy wide receiver averages nearly five catches per game with Luck in the line up, compared to less than four receptions per game without Luck. I know what you’re thinking, “that’s just a one catch difference”, and you are right. However, Hilton also sees a 17 yards per game decrease and a 22 percent TD rate drop off when missing his star quarterback.
More from Fantasy Football
- 5 rookies to target for your Fantasy Football drafts In 2023
- Fantasy football mock draft: A high-risk, high-reward lineup in 2023
- Fantasy Football: Undervalued, sleeper RBs to target in drafts in 2023
- Which NFL rookies will have the most receiving yards in 2023?
- Fantasy Football: winners and losers from 2023 NFL Draft
Jordy Nelson ($7,600 DK/$7,700 FD) vs. Seattle Seahawks
I like to get a little bold sometimes as you can probably tell with my Bell selection earlier. Jordy Nelson is another stud that I would avoid in daily fantasy. His price simply is too much for a guy facing one of the top secondaries in the league. The Green Bay receiver did score two touchdowns when these teams faced each other last year, but his 41 yards receiving indicate that he could be touchdown dependent in this matchup. Not something you should be relying on when you can get a much safer option at similar price points for Week 1.
Tight Ends
Eric Ebron ($3,600 DK/$5,500 FD) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Despite scoring just one touchdown last season, Eric Ebron is one of my favorite sleepers heading into 2017. The loss of Anquan Boldin could open up some red zone targets and improve that low touchdown total. Having said that, his success will have to wait because the Cardinals are coming to town in week one and they were not too kind to opposing tight ends last year.
Arizona allowed a league best 6.3 fantasy points per game to the tight end position and should continue that dominance with many of the same parts in place on the defensive side of the ball.
Martellus Bennett ($4,100 DK/$5,700 FD) vs. Seattle Seahawks
Bennett showed signs of being a top tight end in New England, yet he was virtually non-existent at times as well. The 30-year old will replace Jared Cook nicely in Green Bay, but fantasy owners should temper their expectations. The Packers have not had a tight end finish top 10 in fantasy production (PPR) since Jermichael Finley did it in 2011. Bennett faces a strong Seattle defense that routinely shut down opposing tight ends in 2016, giving up just 9.4 points per game (fourth best).
Defense/Special Teams
Seattle Seahawks ($2,900 DK/$4,500 FD) at Green Bay Packers
Here I am putting the Seahawks defense in my “players to avoid” list after practically talking them up the entire article. Look, their defense is top-notch, but so is Aaron Rodgers. The Hawks should be able to make things difficult for the Green Bay receivers, but at the end of the day, turnovers will be hard to come by. Rodgers has thrown just 20 interceptions over the past three seasons. To put that in perspective, that is almost one for every three games.
Jacksonville Jaguars ($3,700 DK/$4,100 FD) at Houston Texans
The Jags defense ranked 21st in fantasy points in standard ESPN leagues. They have talent on that side of the ball, but there is nothing that justifies spending that much on them in DFS, especially in DraftKings. Look for some of the better matchups, such as the LA Rams, Pittsburgh, Houston or Buffalo.