NFL Preseason Week 1 DFS: Mendoza Debuts, Altmyer Leads
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Week 1 of the 2026 NFL preseason opens Thursday at 6 p.m. ET as a multi-game slate — the first NFL DFS opportunity in nearly six months — with every game carrying an over/under of at least 37.5 total points.
- Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick, makes his professional debut in the Raiders vs. Cardinals matchup, which carries the slate's highest over/under at 40.5 points.
- Carson Beck, Arizona's third-round rookie quarterback, is out with a rib injury and will not play in the Cardinals' preseason opener.
- Lions QB Luke Altmyer, an undrafted rookie out of Illinois, is positioned to lead the Thursday slate in snaps after Teddy Bridgewater's abrupt retirement left Detroit thin behind starter Jared Goff (who won't play Thursday).
- Texans RB Noah Whittington (5'8", undrafted) headlines the DFS strategy after leading the Big Ten with 6.4 yards per carry last season, with two Texans RBs injured and most starters expected to rest.
- DraftKings prices every player on the Thursday slate at a uniform $5,500, while FanDuel lists them at $6,000, removing salary-cap differentiation and forcing DFS players to win on player-pool selection alone.
Why it matters: With every player priced identically at $5,500 on DraftKings, the usual salary-cap leverage disappears, making player-pool selection the only differentiator. The Mendoza debut and Bridgewater retirement create the two clearest value spots, but a six-month DFS hiatus leaves no historical baseline to calibrate against.
Ask SkimNews
