High Price

Ben Roethlisberger, PIT- Yes, Big Ben on the road over the past few seasons has been far from inspiring but in Week 1 he will get to face a Browns defense that no longer has CB Joe Haden after he was surprisingly cut last week AND more importantly is the fact the Roethlisberger will have all his weapons at his disposal with Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant all slated to suit up.

Tom Brady, NE- The defending Super Bowl champions will open the season on Thursday night against the Chiefs.  While KC certainly boasts a tough defense, it’s a defense that Brady has faced on more than one occasion and has had success in doing so.  New receiver Brandin Cooks will be making his regular season debut with the team and Brady will have a healthy Rob Gronkowski to begin the game.  While the loss of Julian Edelman is certainly a tough blow, Brady has shown chemistry with the likes of Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Malcolm Mitchell who are all capable contributors as shown during New England’s historic Super Bowl comeback against the Falcons.

Middle Tier

Marcus Mariota, TEN- Mariota was a popular pick for a breakout season and he will find himself at home with a solid matchup against the Raiders in Week 1.  The Raiders defense last season allowed the sixth most fantasy points to opposing QB’s last season.  This season the Titans invested in getting Mariota some additional pass catchers by signing Eric Decker and drafting receiver Corey Davis to go along with last year’s leading receivers Rishard Matthews and tight end Delanie Walker.

Derek Carr, OAK- Opposite of Mariota in Week 1 is Derek Carr and while Oakland beginning the season on the road against a Titans defense that should be improved from last season the fact remains that Oakland boasts one of the league’s top receiving duo in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree.  The Raiders also added tight end Jared Cook in the offseason to add to his receiving group.  The Titans allowed the third most DFS point to opposing QB’s last season and Carr is certainly good enough to put that defense to the test.

Value Play

Sam Bradford, MIN- Bradford was pretty solid in his debut seasons with the Vikings, completing 71.6-percent of his passes for 3,877 yards and 20 touchdowns.  In Week 1 the Vikings will open their new stadium against the Saints.  The Saints defense has really struggled against the pass over the past few seasons and have especially struggled when playing on the road.  Bradford, while not an explosive playmaker, has the weapons in Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and Kyle Rudolph to attack this Saints defense through the air and put up some DFS points along the way.

Eli Manning, NYG- The Giants will open the season on the road against the Cowboys which should be a very tough division matchup.  Manning’s top target in Odel Beckham is currently listed as questionable for Week 1 with an injured shoulder which would certainly damper Manning’s fantasy value however, unlike past seasons Eli has a legitimate No.2 receiver in Brandon Marshall while Sterling Shepard is a very capable No.3 receiver should Beckham suit up.  The Cowboys allowed the fifth most DFS points to opposing QB’s last season and IF Beckham plays then I would expect to see a lot of Eli Manning lineups come Sunday.