Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season is finally here and we’re here with the NFL DFS Week 1 D/ST Coach to look at the DFS defenses and special teams that can break the slate. And with the new NFL kickoff rules taking effect, we should expect scores to potentially go up for our NFL DFS D/ST picks.

We’ll look at personnel and coaching changes, as well as Vegas odds and the overall matchups to help you find the top D/STs for our NFL DFS Week 1 lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 1 D/ST Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

This is Week 1, so pricing is a bit soft across the board. This is typically a week where you don’t need to relegate yourself to the cheap D/ST’s. There is value elsewhere across the board to comfortably live in the top-tier or mid-range.

With that said, we get a heavy slate featuring a dozen games for Week 1. Seven of these games feature an implied total of 42 points or less. That’s probably where we’ll find most of the options in the NFL DFS Week 1 D/ST Coach.

One thing we do have going for us? There are some great offenses not on this slate. The Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens play Thursday night. 24 hours later, we’ll see the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles play in Brazil. And the Sunday and Monday primetime games feature the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Top Tier Picks For Week 1

Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $3,800 | FanDuel: $4,800

There’s a reason why the Bengals made Jon Impemba’s NFL DFS Week 1 Playbook in addition to the NFL DFS Week 1 D/ST Coach. They jump off the page as arguably the safest play on the slate given the home matchup against the New England Patriots. The Bengals are favored by 8.5 points and the implied game total is sitting at 40.5 points. 

The Patriots named Jacoby Brissett the Week 1 starter ahead of Drake Maye. Even though new head coach Jerod Mayo is on record saying Maye outplayed Brissett in the preseason. Moreover, Brissett appeared to be injured in his final preseason appearance. 

He was tackled awkwardly and landed on his shoulder, but he’s apparently good enough to go for this game. Let’s not forget, the Patriots may have one of the worst offensive lines in the game and they don’t have many big-name weapons on the roster. The Bengals offer up a pretty decent floor for this game and they will certainly be popular.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DraftKings: $3,500 | FanDuel: $4,900

This one is obviously a bit risky especially if you’re a Jayden Daniels truther. This is a home game for Tampa Bay and they are favored by three points. Similar to the Bengals write-up, we are attacking a weak offensive line. 

It’s not as if the Commanders didn’t address their offensive line issues. They did bring in Nick Allegretti and Tyler Biadasz as free agents. But Bobby Johnson comes over as the new offensive line coach for the Commanders and he coached up one of the worst offensive lines in league history last year while with the New York Giants.

Jayden Daniels has talent and he’s explosive. But there’s some uncertainty as to who will garner targets behind Terry McLaurin in Week 1 and I don’t anticipate Ben Sinnott having a notable role just yet at tight end. Overall, I just see Vita Vea having a field day against the offensive line. If the Bucs falter it’s simply because Jayden Daniels runs wild.

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Mid-Tier Picks For Week 1

Chicago Bears - DraftKings: $3,400 | FanDuel: $4,000

This isn’t a play I’m proud of recommending as I am rather bullish on the Tennessee Titans offense. But the Bears defense made some interesting personnel moves and there’s certainly upside here. There is some line movement in favor of the Titans, but the Bears are still four-point favorites at home. The Bears offense ranked third in the NFL in time of possession last year and now we all project them to be even better in 2024. 

Hopefully they aren’t overly efficient with the ball and scoring quickly. But overall, on the defensive side, what’s not to like? This unit looked much better once they acquired Montez Sweat and they signed Kevin Byard and Jonathan Owens in free agency. Additionally, they locked up Jaylon Johnson in the offseason and just less than two weeks ago they acquired Darrell Taylor from the Seattle Seahawks.

I am aware the Titans are a team potentially on the upswing. They brought in a new head coach, signed Calvin Ridley to give Will Levis an additional weapon and the running back duo of Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears is noteworthy as well. But the Bears are playing at home and could make some serious noise in Week 1 with their new look on defense.

Cleveland Browns - DraftKings: $3,100 | FanDuel: $4,100

Fortune favors the bold, isn’t that what they say? If I had to guess, most will go for the easy layup and pivot to the Los Angeles Charges in this range. I’m not afraid to roster the Cleveland Browns in tournaments even if they are playing the Dallas Cowboys.

CeeDee Lamb didn’t get a true “full” camp in because of his holdout. But ultimately he got his money and yet the Cowboys are getting thrown to the wolves in Week 1. The Browns put up a dud against the Houston Texans in the playoffs last year. But a new year means new beginnings. They got off to a hot start last year allowing a total of just 20 points to the Bengals, Steelers and Titans over their first three games in 2023.

Moreover, the Browns are tough to run on and the Cowboys do have a bit of an ambiguous backfield with Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle manning the carries this season. Evening Brandin Cooks has been limited with a knee issue the last couple weeks.

I’ll take the path less traveled and target the Browns in tournament contests and chase the ceiling performance. The Cowboys have an implied team total of about 19 points, which won’t happen most weeks. But for Week 1, I like this discount on arguably the best NFL DFS defense in the league.

 

 

 

NFL DFS D/ST Value Picks For Week 1

Carolina Panthers - DraftKings: $2,400 | FanDuel: $3,200

The value tier is tough to read this week. Truthfully, the Panthers are the only team I’m willing to pay down for and that’s simply because of the match-up. Are they on the road? Yes. Is this a bad defense? Absolutely! But I’m of the mindset the Saints might be a bottom five offense this year.

And in keeping with the theme of targeting defenses against weak offensive lines, well they don’t get much worse than New Orleans. It wasn’t too long ago we saw the Saints boast one of the best trench units in the league, but that time has come and gone.

Derek Carr doesn’t inspire much fear in opposing defenses. Are there weapons on offense? Absolutely, Chris Olave is one of the best receivers in the game at creating separation. But the Panthers offense should be better than last year and help keep their defense off the field. When they do appear against Carr and Co. I’m expecting a little pressure and possibly a turnover or two.

NFL DFS D/ST Fades For Week 1

New Orleans Saints - DraftKings: $3,700 | FanDuel: $4,700

Let’s take a look at the other defense in this NFC South matchup, shall we? I could’ve taken the easy route and listed the New England Patriots as a fade, but I’m not grasping at the low-hanging fruit for Week 1. My niece even knows to fade the Pats and she started kindergarten this week.

The Saints may not be a trendy fade, but this isn’t the same Carolina Panthers offense from a year ago. Was Bryce Young awful? Yes. Do we all look back on the trades the Panthers made over the last couple years and easily see that they were fleeced over and over? Also, yes.

But Dave Canales comes over from Tampa Bay to take on the duty of turning this organization around. The Panthers made a concentrated effort to get their young quarterback some weapons. They drafted Jonathan Brooks who will miss the first four games, but they also acquired Diontae Johnson who should see plenty of targets across the middle from Young. 

They also beefed up the offensive line with two of the bigger interior additions with Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt signing as free agents. The Saints have a good defense but if I’m paying up for a D/ST I’d feel better going for the Bengals because the Saints feel a bit like a trap.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 1 D/ST Play Of The Week

Houston Texans - DraftKings: $2,700 | FanDuel: $3,900

This may be a bit unconventional especially because the Texans are favored by just a field goal and the implied total is around 48.5 points. But this is just an outstanding defense with great players. We know how good the Houston offense is, but the defense can put on some clinics as well.

I’m not suggesting we go to the Texans for cash games, but there’s appeal in tournaments. Nobody is going to really want to play Houston because of the matchup against Anthony Richardson, Jonathan Taylor and the rest of the Indianapolis Colts. Richardson, for all the upside he has, is still a bit inexperienced. There’s a hilarious stat making its rounds on social media that Richardson only has 17 starts since high school.

But there were also those reports in camp about the poor accuracy and the Cincinnati Bengals basically bullying him in the preseason. That’s all true. The kid isn’t very accurate but can still beat anyone on the ground. But what if that just isn’t the case and he’s a bit rusty coming back from injury?

I still believe in Anthony Richardson. And he has great weapons at his disposal. But Will Anderson Jr. is a beast coming off the edge and the Texans also added Danielle Hunter in free agency. Add in some other solid pieces in the secondary and this is a group that touts a high ceiling.

From Week 16 and on through the playoffs, the Texans’ D/ST collected five touchdowns in as many games. That is the kind of ceiling I’m looking for when identifying the NFL DFS Week 1 D/ST Play of the Week. It’s risky and projecting touchdowns for a D/ST is nearly impossible, but this group has the talent for a few spike weeks.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 1 Defense/Special Teams Projections

In closing, it should be mentioned that this position should be the absolute last piece of the puzzle. A pick six can flip the outlook on its head for any team. We don’t really “build around” D/ST’s for our Week 1 contests on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Build out your lineups, stacks and one-off plays. Don’t sacrifice the integrity of a build you really like simply by fitting in a D/ST that requires more of your budget. This is a position of variance that requires a bit of luck.