Ladies and gentlemen, it’s finally here! Week 1 of the NFL season begins on Thursday and now we get to shift our mindset from seasonal fantasy football to the NFL daily fantasy landscape. Instead of preseason fantasy football rankings, we now get to look at NFL weekly projections and rankings to help solidify our NFL DFS lineups. Here in the Week 1 NFL DFS WR Coach, we’ll hit on some of the game’s best wide receivers to anchor the position in your daily fantasy football lineups. However, the NFL DFS value plays at WR are where you can really set your lineups apart from others. With some high game totals, we’ll look at some options for top NFL DFS stacks as well as one-off plays to consider. Check out the latest NFL odds and implied team totals before setting those NFL daily fantasy lineups. Be sure to use the rest of our NFL DFS lineup tools as well. Without further ado, let’s dive into the NFL DFS top picks, value plays, dart throws, and fades at the wide receiver position for your Week 1 NFL DFS lineups.

Be sure to check out the rest of the NFL DFS Coaches and DFS Watch List throughout the week!

| DFS Watch List (Wed) | QB Coach (Tue) | RB Coach (Wed) | WR Coach (Wed) | TE Coach (Thu)| D/ST Coach (Thu) | NFL DFS Playbook | NFL DFS Dartboard |

 

NFL DFS WR Top Plays

Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals

Brown is going to be heavily rostered in all formats, and rightfully so, because he’s in an absolute smash spot. He’s the top receiving option on a pass-happy team playing in a game featuring two of the faster-paced teams with an over/under that is pushing the mid-50s. The connection between Brown and Kyler Murray dates back to their college days, and Brown is talented enough to beat this Kansas City secondary. Again, he’ll be very popular, but the upside at this price point is too good to ignore.

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

The Steelers allowed 18 receiving touchdowns to wideouts last season and in two games against Pittsburgh last season, Chase put up seven grabs on eight targets for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Chase has slate-breaking upside and he’s the team’s most dynamic weapon with the football in his hands. If the Bengals try to protect Burrow a bit after missing some time in camp, short passes to Chase could be in store, and his prowess after the catch could lead to some big plays. Chase averaged eight yards after the catch per reception last season. The Bengals will want to come out and hang a big number on the scoreboard against their divisional foe and prove that last year’s run was no fluke.

A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

I love the narrative of a guy, particularly a receiver, playing his first game with his new team. Reports out of Eagles camp have been nothing short of exceptional in regards to the rapport between Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. If Hurts’ accuracy has in fact improved, he should feast on a Detroit secondary that will be picked on all year. Jeff Okudah and Armani Oruwariye have yet to show it in the NFL and, per Sharp Football Stats, the Lions were tied for the third-highest average explosive pass rate last season. Brown is a big, physical receiver who can make contested catches and with the football in his hands, he’s an absolute menace to bring down.

NFL DFS WR Mid-Price Plays

Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

Williams went for 119 yards and a touchdown in the second matchup against Vegas last year. He now comes into the year healthy and primed to ascend into this team’s alpha WR1. The “X” receiver thrives in the Chargers' offensive system and since Williams doesn’t travel much into the slot, he shouldn’t see Vegas’ highest graded corner (Nate Hobbs) much in coverage. Anthony Averett and Rock Ya-Sin don’t stand a chance against Williams, who will start his 2022 season in a big way.

Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders

Darren Waller has been banged up a bit this preseason and with Josh McDaniels at the helm of the Raiders, Renfrow should flourish in the slot. Renfrow is coming off a career season where he caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine scores. With Waller’s slow start to the season, Renfrow should be in an excellent spot in this matchup. The line on this game is into the 50’s and Bryce Callahan, while albeit still a solid corner, is coming off a down year and is my preferred corner to target on this Chargers squad.

Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars

Washington’s defense in terms of covering receivers from a fantasy perspective got better as the year went on, but they still allowed 19 receiving scores and the fifth-most receiving yards to the position last season. The Jaguars received a bit of heat this offseason for what they paid Kirk, so it’s only right that they come out and let him flourish in a big way. The Commanders bled fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks and with Trevor Lawrence primed to take a big step forward in his second year, Kirk figures to play a prominent role in this offense. His run after the catch prowess could eat this Washington defense alive. Kirk's price point is incredibly affordable and garners cash game consideration.

 

NFL DFS WR Value Plays

Kadarius Toney, New York Giants 

Someone has to catch the ball for the Giants, right? Why not Toney? The Titans allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to wide receivers last season and their lone addition to the secondary via the NFL Draft was Roger McCreary. The pass rush also took a hit with the Harold Landry injury. If Daniel Jones figures things out under the tutelage of Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka, Toney figures to be the one to benefit most. He’s going to be popular, especially on DraftKings, but that price point is exceptional.

Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers 

The hype this preseason for Doubs has been there and if Aaron Rodgers wants the rookie on the field, he’ll be out on the field – you better believe that! Allen Lazard may not play and he may be limited if he does. That opens the door for more snaps for Doubs. No team allowed more receiving yards to wideouts last season than the Vikings and while there’s been some preseason hype around this secondary, this is a largely underwhelming pass defense to begin the season. If you are feeling really frisky, Sammy Watkins is a known Week 1 darling.

NFL DFS WR Dart Throw

Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs

I know the team added JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency this offseason, but the Chiefs drafted Moore in the second round and he figures to be involved. This is going to be a high-scoring game, and Moore’s prowess against zone coverage in college should play quite nicely on Sunday if Arizona decides to play two safeties high and zone underneath to limit the big plays for the Chiefs. Moore will destroy zone coverage and he has great ball skills to make the tough catches to move the chains. When everyone zigs to Smith-Schuster and/or Valdes-Scantling, zag to Moore at an incredibly reduced price point.

NFL DFS WR Fades

Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans

This one hurts, given my Texans fandom, but Indy has a good secondary and Davis Mills didn’t look great against Indy last season. Mills was far better at home last year, but Stephon Gilmore could very well shadow Cooks this week. That isn’t an ideal matchup to target at Cooks’ price point, especially on FanDuel. Why pay for Cooks at $6,600 on FanDuel when Mike Williams, arguably my favorite play of the week, is the same price? If Cooks can escape Gilmore by moving into the slot, he sees Kenny Moore, who is very good at his craft, too. I love Cooks just as much as the next guy, but this isn’t the most ideal spot to deploy him in DFS.

 

NFL DFS Tools

DFS Player Projections | NFL DFS Lineup Generator | NFL DFS Draft Percentage Forecaster

Fantasy Alarm is the home of all things Fantasy Sports. Bringing you the best Fantasy Football content all year long. Be sure to also check out the best fantasy promo codes on offer today!