At long last, the 2024 NFL regular season is here, and we can begin building NFL DFS lineups with players who will actually play full games, unlike in the preseason! I’m here to bring you my favorite wide receivers on DraftKings’ and FanDuel’s main slate in this NFL DFS Week 1 WR Coach. 

 

 

 

From the top priced receivers to the value wide receivers and everything in between, we got your Week 1 daily fantasy football lineups covered! This NFL DFS Week 1 WR Coach piece even has a couple of bold predictions at wide receiver, too!

NFL DFS Week 1 WR Coach For FanDuel & DraftKings Fantasy

While we have some notable teams and names off the board for the Week 1 main slate, we are still at no shortage of star power at the wide receiver position, led by Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson. There are a couple of games with shootout potential, and we will certainly be looking at some plays from each of those contests.

I will likely have at least one of the top tier players at the position in my Week 1 DFS lineups, but there’s a ton of mid-priced players that I really like this week, including some mispriced WR1’s for their respective teams.  In terms of value at the position, some of my favorite plays overall are featured there, so be sure to check that out if you need some budget-friendly wide receivers for your Week 1 DFS lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings. Without delay, here are my picks in this week’s NFL DFS Week 1 WR Coach.

 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Top Tier Picks For Week 1

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins - DraftKings: $8,700 | FanDuel: $9,600

To be honest, there isn’t much to say about Hill and making a case for using him in DFS. Hill is one of, if not the most explosive receiver in the league, and this Miami-Jacksonville contest has the highest game total on the slate. The Jacksonville secondary is not very good, and I can see them being one of the teams we pick against quite often in 2024. 

Tyson Campbell got a big contract this offseason, but he allowed eight touchdowns and a 127.4 passer rating when targeted last season, per Pro Football Focus. The 30-year old Ronald Darby will also see some Hill, and that doesn’t bode well for him either. His thumb injury is a non-issue, and you can roll him out there with extreme confidence in your Week 1 lineups.

Nico Collins, Houston Texans - DraftKings: $7,000 | FanDuel: $7,100

Collins destroyed zone coverage last season, and he’ll face an Indy team that ran it at one of the highest rates last season. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that he carved them up last season.

  • Week 2: 7 receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown
  • Week 18: 9 receptions for 195 yards and one touchdown

The Texans have one of the higher implied totals on the slate, and with him being the most expensive of the three Houston receivers, I expect some people to look to either Stefon Diggs or Tank Dell in an effort to save some money. Don’t be afraid to pay up for Collins this week in your Week 1 NFL DFS lineups.

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings - DraftKings: $8,400 | FanDuel: $9,000

We all can agree that Justin Jefferson is QB proof, right? It’s a steep price tag for a wideout with Sam Darnold throwing him the ball, but Kevin O’Connell has been statistically friendly for quarterbacks with less talent than Darnold. Jefferson is the focal point of the offense, and will be treated as such. 

Shane Bowen comes over as the Giants’ defensive coordinator after a couple of seasons in Tennessee, which gives some insight into the coverage they’ll deploy. The Titans played quite a bit of Cover 4 last season, and back in 2022, Jefferson was top 15 at the position in terms of fantasy points per route run against Cover 4 coverage, per Fantasy Points.

 

 

 

NFL DFS WR Mid-Tier Picks For NFL Week 1

Malik Nabers, New York Giants - DraftKings: $5,900 | FanDuel: $6,300

Daniel Jones is going to have to throw it to someone, and Nabers has the makings of an alpha receiver who commands the ball. Brian Daboll is going to call plays, and hopefully that he understands Daniel Jones’ limitations but also understands that getting the football to Malik Nabers is of paramount importance to this offense. 

I like the Vikings to score a bit against New York in this one, forcing New York to throw it more than they probably would want to otherwise. I’m not afraid to spend on a rookie in their NFL regular season debut, especially one with the measurables Nabers possesses, and his expected role in this offense.

Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders - DraftKings: $5,600 | FanDuel: $6,200

The Bucs allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers last year, not to mention the fourth-most receiving yards to the position. The team didn’t do anything notable at the cornerback position, meaning McLaurin will get to feast on Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum on the outside all afternoon long! 

McLaurin will have the best quarterback he’s had in recent memory delivering him the football, and this is one of those games that is more intriguing from a daily fantasy standpoint than its line of 43.5 points may indicate at first glance.

Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DraftKings: $5,800 | FanDuel: $5,600

Godwin is back in the slot and that’s all I need to know to lock him in my Week 1 daily fantasy football lineups. He’s incredibly affordable, and it’s a good matchup against the rookie Mike Sainristil in the slot and the rest of the Washington secondary that returns multiple pieces from a unit that allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to receivers in 2023. 

While he didn’t get into the slot as often last season, when he did go into the slot, he posted a healthy 2.11 yards per route run and 13.6 yards per reception, per Pro Football Focus. Mike Evans is in a great spot here, too, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve found myself going elsewhere at the top of the WR board.

Diontae Johnson, Carolina Panthers - DraftKings: $5,300 | FanDuel: $5,600

I don’t know what to make of the Carolina offense overall, but the one thing I do know is that Johnson is going to command a sizable target share. It’s not the best matchup overall, but volume fixes everything, and I expect plenty of it in this contest against the Saints. 

Yes, it’s one of the lower point totals on the board, but if Dave Canales can maximize Bryce Young, Johnson is going to be a PPR delight on a weekly basis. He may not have the overall ceiling of other WR1’s around the league, but the price point is solid this week, especially with DraftKings’ PPR scoring setup.

 

 

 

NFL Week 1 DFS WR Value Picks

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks - DraftKings: $4,900 | FanDuel: $5,200

All aboard the JSN hype train! He looked solid in the preseason, and in the new offensive scheme in Seattle, Smith-Njigba should be used in a far more lucrative manner for fantasy purposes. Smith’s 6.4 aDOT and 1.32 yards per route run numbers last year left a lot to be desired, but in the preseason, albeit a small sample size, he posted a 10.3 aDOT and 2.37 yards per route run, per Pro Football Focus!

The numbers may not hold there for the entire season, but Smith-Njigba is capable of winning at multiple levels, and he’s got a solid matchup out of the slot against Denver.

Brian Thomas, Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars - DraftKings: $4,700 | FanDuel: $5,100

Brian Thomas boasts impressive measurables and will play the downfield role in this Jacksonville offense. Think shades of Calvin Ridley from last season… As mentioned earlier in the article, this game has the highest total on the slate, and Thomas’ blend of size and speed could wreak havoc on this Miami secondary. 

If we can take anything away from the preseason, he did take about one-third of his snaps from the slot, so Jacksonville may be inclined to move him around the formation, even with Christian Kirk, a noted slot man, being in the mix. If you are stacking this game, Thomas is a must play for you, as his weekly upside is considerable.

Darnell Mooney, Atlanta Falcons - DraftKings: $4,200 | FanDuel: $4,800

With Kirk Cousins under center, many will look to Drake London, but for a very, very cheap price, Darnell Mooney has my eye this week. Mooney is a far better receiver than his numbers from Chicago may indicate, but he does have a 1,000-yard season under his belt (2021). 

He’s the WR2 on this team, and Atlanta can move him around the formation to get him into advantageous spots. My exposure to him overall won’t be overly high, but I like the player, and it doesn’t take much to provide a positive ROI.

Josh Reynolds, Denver Broncos - DraftKings: $4,200 | FanDuel: $4,800

ADDED 9/8: Reynolds is going to serve as the WR2 for the Broncos, at least in terms of snaps, and with some of the Denver speedsters clearing things out downfield, Reynolds can win in the short passing game. Also, it just so happens that the short game is a staple in a Sean Payton offense, and Bo Nix should be able to deliver Reynolds the football. Especially on DraftKings with the PPR format, Reynolds doesn't need to do terribly much to give us a quality ROI at his very cheap price point. He doesn't carry a massive ceiling, but he doesn't necessarily need to at a sub-4K price.

Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati Bengals - DraftKings: $3,000 | FanDuel: $3,000

ADDED 9/8: There are a ton of question marks at wide receiver for the Bengals today, but regardless, Iosivas' snaps in the slot should be unimpacted. New England has some talent in the secondary, and this could get ugly if both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins do not play. If that is the case, however, Iosivas should see a decent number of targets, more than enough to give us a quality return on investment. He could be a “free square” for all intents and purposes, and in cash games, with many trying to clear up space for other top receivers, Iosivas could be pretty high owned. In fact, per our projected ownership numbers, he's likely to be the most commonly rostered wideout in the Week 1 main slate.

 

 

NFL DFS WR Fades For Week 1

Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts - DraftKings: $6,800 | FanDuel: $6,500

I expect Indy to have more success on the ground against Houston, and they may want to try to slow things down to keep C.J. Stroud and Co. off the field. While Houston still has Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter to help against the run, question marks at defensive tackle and the absence of Christian Harris will hurt the Houston run defense. 

Houston has two good corners on the outside in Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter, and he doesn’t travel into the slot all that much. There’s more explosive players with higher upside at a similar price as Pittman.

NFL Week 1 WR Play Of The Week

Keenan Allen, Chicago Bears - DraftKings: $6,900 | FanDuel: $6,700

With Allen primarily residing in the slot more often than not, he’ll get away from L’Jarius Sneed, who is Tennessee’s best cover corner. Allen will see Roger McCreary in the slot, who allowed the 12th-most yards in coverage last season, including the seventh-most yards after the catch and a 90.2 percent passer rating when targeted, per Pro Football Focus. 

Everyone was trashing Allen for being a little thicker or more husky during the preseason, but Allen is still one of the best slot receivers in the league, and Caleb Williams is under center for the Bears, sparking some life in this passing attack. While the price point is more palatable on FanDuel compared to DraftKings, Allen makes for a high upside contrarian play, especially as Chicago figures to have more success through the air than on the ground.

 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 1 WR Bold Predictions (Main Slate)

Check out the NFL DFS Week 1 projections table below to help build your NFL DFS Week 1 lineups. Be sure to also check out not just the NFL DFS Week 1 WR Coach, but the rest of our NFL DFS Coaches, Watch List and NFL DFS Playbook as you build those winning daily fantasy football lineups for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season.