SportsLine DFS Optimizer reveals Week 1 NFL picks — SkimNews
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- Josh Allen is the most expensive quarterback on both DraftKings and FanDuel for Week 1, despite Buffalo facing Houston's top-ranked defense.
- Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson rank 1-2 at running back across both platforms, with Ja'Marr Chase and Amon-Ra St. Brown first and second at receiver.
- Brock Bowers tops DraftKings' tight end list while Trey McBride leads FanDuel's; Bowers (knee) is expected to sit Sunday.
- Travis Etienne is a top optimizer value pick at $5,900 on DraftKings and $6,800 on FanDuel, returning to Louisiana with the Saints to face Detroit after four years with the Jaguars and a 1,399-yard, 13-touchdown season.
- Garrett Wilson is a key optimizer target at $5,800 on DraftKings and $6,900 on FanDuel, coming off a knee injury that ended his 2025 season after seven games, with a Week 1 matchup against a Titans pass defense that allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wideouts last year.
- The SportsLine DFS Optimizer simulates every game 10,000 times using data from the SportsLine Advanced-Data Projection Model and DFS professional Mike McClure to identify top plays, floor and ceiling projections, and Vegas lines.
Why it matters: DFS contests hinge on salary-cap optimization, and the optimizer's flagged values — Etienne at $5,900 on DraftKings, Wilson at $5,800 — sit well below the consensus top-priced stars. For players building Week 1 lineups, identifying underpriced assets the market is missing is typically the difference between cashing and going home empty in tournaments.
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