And just like that, the 2026 NFL season is in full-swing. Week 1 is here and we cannot be more excited about NFL Week 1 DFS. After a grueling offseason and through countless fantasy football drafts, we’ve finally arrived at the Sunday main slate for DFS and we’re ready to share some NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups. Fantasy Alarm is about cashing lineups, winning GPP tournaments and making millionaires, so it’s time to put the finishing touches on your lineups before everything locks at 1pm ET. 

 

 

NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineup Preview

At this point, you should have read through all of our DFS content and watched all of the videos. If you haven't, there's still time. Be sure to start with the DFS Playbook and then take a look through all of the DFS coaches. If there’s still time and you want to get more granular, you certainly can. Just hit the NFL menus and you’re covered. Now, about these NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups; this should be your last stop in your research before finalizing your own lineups. 

We genuinely do not want you to come here and think, “Hey, I’ll just use these NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups as my own,” and think you’re going to be successful. Sure, you’ll probably find green if you’re playing the right cash games and avoid the lineup trains, but every knowledgeable DFS player will tell you, you take a lot of swings in GPP tournaments and that means you can lose more weeks than you win. One week can set you straight, monetarily, but if I miss three-straight weeks, I’m not going to freak out. I don’t want you to get frustrated because you took a short-cut and can’t handle the swings. 

Get the work done, build yourself a lineup and then come back here to my NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups to see if maybe there are some tweaks or changes to make. Sometimes there are changes and sometimes there aren't. Just like winning a fantasy football championship, there's more than one way to build a lineup and take down a contest! 

Just a few notes here about the lineups below...

The NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups for cash games were built from only players found in the DFS Playbook. Unless I have specifically indicated otherwise, these are the guys who offer a higher floor and will help you cash in your Double-Ups and 50/50s. Beware the lineup trains. If you were here last year, we tried fighting through, but there were times when it was nearly impossible. We are going to start looking at 10-person contests where the top three cash and uses those NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups over there. 

For GPP contests, particularly the large-field ones, you need to find alternative routes to the cash line. My NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups for tournaments will utilize players from both the Playbook and the Dart Board to fill in the gaps, but my primary focus is on finding some lower-owned stacks that make sense based on expected game flow and other news. 

Another thing you might see in the NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups for GPP contests -- there may find a name I haven't written about in the Playbook, but maybe spoke about during the week on the Fantasy Alarm Show or even on the Fantasy Alarm Sunday Gameday Show on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio. Or perhaps a player who was mentioned in one of the position coaches. I will always try to keep everyone updated, especially if it is going to change how I construct my NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups. But we don’t want you think we're trying to hide anything from you. That’s why we tell you to read everything, especially if we link to it. The only time, and I mean the only time you will see a player in a GPP lineup who hasn't been discussed is if we are using a stack and need a player from the other team coming back. There are times where necessary correlation supersedes all.

Again, these NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups are meant to serve as examples for you; a sounding board, as I said. They are not meant for you to plug in as your own. You should be creating your own lineups using all the information we provide you throughout the week and then coming here to my NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups to see if there is anything you may have missed or simply for an alternative perspective.

NFL Week 1 Sunday Morning Notes

Despite suffering from back spasms Saturday, Cooper Rush is expected to start for the Falcons on Sunday.

Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) is not on the final injury report and will play in Week 1 against the Dolphins.

Cowboys place RB Malik Davis (hip) on injured reserve

Bears elevated WR Kaden Davis for Week 1 against the Panthers (Rome Odunze listed as questionable).

Ravens WR Zay Flowers (hamstring) was removed from the injury report and will play in Week 1 against the Colts.

Jaguars WR Jakobi Meyers (thumb) is not on the final injury report and will play in Week 1 against the Browns.

Weather Report for Sunday, 9/13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals – A 30% chance of rain during this game with hot and humid conditions otherwise.

Cleveland Browns at Jacksonville Jaguars – 50% chance of thunderstorms throughout. Will be hot and humid, with temperatures in the 90’s. 

Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers – 30% chance of rain showers but otherwise calm and nice. 

Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers – Small chance of rain showers later on in the afternoon. Warm conditions with temps in the upper-80’s and humidity.

 

 

NFL Week 1 GPP Stacks 

Friendly reminder -- when stacking in a GPP tournament lineup, I typically run someone back from the opposing team. One-sided games can either turn to a running back seeing higher-than-usual volume or maybe even the back-ups start to play. For a stack to really pop, the other team needs to punch back to keep the game competitive and run up the score.

Chalk Stacks (Expect High Ownership):

Detroit Lions: Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs or Sam LaPorta

Los Angeles Chargers: Justin Herbert, Ladd McConkey, Omarion Hampton or Quentin Johnston

New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough, Chris Olave, Juwan Johnson or Devaughn Vele

Cincinnati Bengals: Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins or Chase Brown

Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson, Zey Flowers, Mark Andrews or Ja’Kobi Lane 

Possible Lower-Owned Stacks:

Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, Parker Washington, Brian Thoma Jr. or Jakobi Meyers

Minnesota Vikings: Kyler Murray, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison or Jauan Jennings

Green Bay Packers: Jordan Love, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden or Jayden Reed

Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert or Saquon Barkley

Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker or Chuba Hubbard

Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones, Tyler Warren, Alec Pierce or Josh Downs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Baker Mayfield, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka or Kenneth Gainwell

Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland or D’Andre Swift

Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Kayshon Boutte or Dalton Schultz

Dart Throw Stacks:

Miami Dolphins: Malik Willis, De’Von Achane, Malik Washington or Greg Dulcich

Pittsburgh Steelers: Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman or Jaylen Warren

Las Vegas Raiders: Kirk Cousins, Tre Tucker, Michael Mayer or Jalen Nailor

Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, Wan’Dale Robinson, Carnell Tate or Gunnar Helm

Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen, DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir or Dalton Kincaid

Arizona Cardinals: Jacoby Brissett, Trey McBride, Michael Wilson or Marvin Harrison

New York Jets: Geno Smith, Garrett Wilson, Adonai Mitchell or Mason Taylor

Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs or Rachaad White

Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson, Harold Fannin, KC Concepcion or Jerry Jeudy

Atlanta Falcons: Cooper Rush, Drake London, Kyle Pitts or Bijan Robinson

 

 

Top Picks for Week 1 at DraftKings

As you look through these NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups, you’ll notice some players actually make all of my lineups. Maybe three or four typically, who I build around. They are my foundation. For my NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups on Draft Kings, my lineups begin with:

Top Picks for Week 1 at FanDuel

My NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups for FanDuel contests are built in the same fashion as those on DraftKings. I start with my foundation and build up from there. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering it’s only Week 1, but my FanDuel lineups are starting with:

Most of the time the foundation will probably be the same, but considering the nuances between half-point and full-point scoring, you’ll notice that my flex on DraftKings is typically a receiver or tight end, while on FanDuel, it’s usually a running back.

Now here are my NFL DFS Week 1 Example Lineups:

**EXAMPLE LINEUPS WILL POST AT 12PM ET**

Pos Player Team Opponent Salary
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