The 2022 NFL regular season gets underway with a tremendous Week 1 matchup between the Bills and Rams on Thursday Night Football. The Bills saw their season end in dramatic fashion in an overtime loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round last year, while the Rams are looking to fight off the Super Bowl hangover that Super Bowl-winning teams get next season. This game has a ton of star power on both sides, which is great news for NFL DFS players putting together a FanDuel single-game lineup.
Here are the notable scoring settings for FanDuel single-game contests: The point total for the “MVP” is multiplied by 1.5, but he doesn’t cost any additional money like the “Captain” in DraftKings Showdown contests. FanDuel’s default scoring is half-point PPR and four-point passing TDsand there are no bonuses for 300-yard/100-yard games like on DraftKings.
MORE FD SINGLE GAME: How to win a FanDuel single-game contest
FanDuel Single Game DFS Picks: Bills vs. Rams Week 1 Thursday Night Football
$60,000 budget, need at least one player from each team
MVP (1.5x points): QB Josh Allen, Bills ($17,500)
With the Bills not having standout cornerback Tre’Davious White (knee) on the outside, the consensus choice for MVP would either be Matthew Stafford or Cooper Kupp. However, we are going to roll with Allen, who is the highest-priced player for the regular season opener. Allen had an outstanding 2021 season and was one of those QBs that you always wanted to have in your lineup. He averaged 26.02 fantasy points per game last season and had 14 games with 20 or more fantasy points (including the playoffs). Allen will have a tough task ahead of him, as the Rams’ defense is pretty good at all three levels. Los Angeles held quarterbacks to 16.3 FFPG last season (fourth-fewest points in the NFL). However, Allen has a nice core of skill players and can create out of the pocket, which should garner plenty of points in Week 1.
MORE TNF DFS: DraftKings Lineup
FLEX WR Stefon Diggs, Bills ($14,000)
If we are taking Allen as our MVP, it’s only right to select Diggs as one of the FLEX players. This is not a great matchup for Allen, who will likely be covered by All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. However, we know that will not deter Allen from looking towards his No. 1 receiver. Last season, Diggs averaged 12.93 FPPG and had 13 games with double-digit fantasy points (including the postseason). It’s hard to imagine Ramsey shutting down Diggs for the entire game as the Bills will find ways to open up the star receiver. If you are putting Diggs in your lineup, you are hoping he can score a TD or rack up the receptions and yards.
WEEK 1 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
FLEX WR Allen Robinson, Rams ($12,000)
There’s going to be so much attention on Kupp and Diggs that people might forget that the Rams also have a good No. 2 wide receivers in Robinson. Robinson should be able to feast on whoever the Bills are lining up to defend him (Dane Jackson or Taron Johnson) on Thursday night, and Van Jefferson’s knee injury should allow him to have a bigger role. The former Bears receiver is looking to make a statement after a disappointing 2021 season. Last season, the Bills’ defense only allowed 19.1 FPPG to wide receivers (the fewest in the NFL), but it’s hard to imagine them keeping the Rams’ wide receivers in check without White.
WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo
FLEX RB Darrell Henderson Jr., Rams ($9,000)
Henderson Jr. will back up Cam Akers in the Rams’ running game this season, but he’ll still be very involved. The former Memphis running back played well last season, averaging 11.95 FPPG and posting five-straight games to start the season with 14 or more fantasy points. The 25-year-old running back could be a nice, lower-owned pivot from Akers and Devin Singletary, as he could score just as easily.
WEEK 1 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
FLEX RB James Cook, Bills ($7,000)
Sticking at RB, we’re going to take a shot at Cook, who could see some extensive playing time this season and will be on the field on Thursday night. Singletary and Zack Moss haven’t done great jobs to establish themselves as No. 1 RBs in the Bills’ offense, which opens the door for Cook to take the reigns. Cook is a solid pass catcher out of the backfield and can beat 1-on-1 coverage. He also doesn’t need a ton of volume to be effective, as we saw in his last season at Georgia, so he should pay off his modest price.
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