NFL 2026 DFS First Look AT DraftKings Main Slate For Week 1

The NFL season is here, and this article provides an early look at DraftKings DFS GPP strategy for Week 1. It details DraftKings' PPR scoring, including bonuses for yardage milestones, and the 9-player roster setup. Key strategies involve managing bankroll, monitoring line movements, and targeting high-total games (48+ points) and teams with high implied scores (27+ points). The article examines team-specific tendencies, like the Baltimore Ravens' new coaching staff, and the Philadelphia Eagles' receiver shifts, and the Buccaneers without Mike Evans. It also suggests contrarian plays.

It’s early, but is it really? The NFL season is here, friends. You are either getting ready for your fantasy football season-long draft, thinking that maybe you should do a best ball draft (they are in full swing), or thinking of how you are going to parlay your way into winning a futures bet or hitting it big in DFS.

This is a first look at the main slate for week one on DraftKings. Next week we will talk about how you are going to prepare for your season-long drafts or the DraftKings cash games, but for now, let's talk about the DraftKings main slate.

This is not only a first look but a refresher on how we can attack the DFS GPP.

Of course, the first thing we need to know in any game is the scoring system. This simple fact cannot be stressed enough!

DraftKings is based on PPR and bonuses, which sets it apart from FanDuel and Yahoo’s DFS platforms.

There are 9 roster spots that need to be filled, with the ceiling for your spending being $50,000 or less.

This is about GPP or tournament contests. So chalk is not our friend. And this being the first week, the sharks will be circling because of the number of new players that will be entering the tournaments.

You are going to be playing against so many people. Which brings us to an important part of the game: manage your bankroll. Yes, everyone wants to win the Milli Maker, and yes, it could be you, but just in case it’s not you in the first week, manage your bankroll for the long haul!

Here are the realities: it’s week one! There are new faces on the field. There are new coaches calling plays.

We’ve been through three weeks of preseason games and still are unsure of what is going to transpire. It’s week one; get weird.

Because this is such an early forecast, we want to keep a close eye on line movements. A sharp movement one way or another will help us determine who Vegas thinks has made improvements or lost some steam.

Ideally, we want to stack games with a predicted total of 48 points or more. So far, this is three games.

Two of the games are being played indoors. One of the teams will be playing under a new coaching regime, and one team has a quarterback coming back from a substantial injury (albeit with a new contract).

The rule of thumb is that when the team total is 27 or more points, you want to target their offensive players.

This is game one of a new season. Preseason isn’t much help. So, all that we have to go on is the offensive tendencies of last year, offensive losses, and acquisitions of the teams. It’s not much, but it’s something.

When last seen together on the field in 2024, Slater was Pro Football Focus’ second-highest-graded tackle and ranked 10th amongst all linemen in run block win rate. Alt ranked seventh in pass block win rate and 14th in run block win rate among 80 qualified tackles.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: T15th in passing attempts per game 32.8; last three games average dropped to 30.7, and averaged 32.3 passing attempts on the road.

QB, Baker Mayfield: seventh in passing attempts (543), sixth in deep ball attempts (4.1/g), seventh in passing touchdowns, 26 (4.8% rate), and 10th in interceptable passes with 15 (0.9%). Mayfield averaged 3.24 rushing attempts per game, was 33rd in designed runs (0.12), but he was ninth in scrambles per game with 2.47.

WR1, Emeka Egbuka: was ninth among wide receivers in targets with 124 and second in deep targets averaging 1.6/g. He was on the field for a 79.3% snap share, finishing the season 20th in receiving yards and finished the season with six total touchdowns.

Slot, Chris Godwin: Last season, Godwin was returning from injury. He played in only nine games.

The Buccaneers averaged 27.8 rushing attempts per game and 114.5 rushing yards per game. The rushing attack was led by Bucky Irving, who only played in 10 games and will be entering this season recovering from a shoulder injury.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals were second in passing attempts last season (37.6), with their last three games dipping 1.6 attempts per game. At home, they averaged 40.6 passing attempts per game.

QB, Joe Burrow: Burrow only played in eight games last season. He had 259 passing attempts and 17 passing touchdowns in those eight games.

WR1, Ja’Marr Chase: Chase played in 16 games last season. He led the league in targets (185), was fourth in receiving yards (88.3/g) and second in yards after catch (3.5 p/t). He finished the season with eight touchdowns.

WR2, Tee Higgins: Higgins played in 15 games last season. He was on the field for an 83.8% snap share, on the receiving end of 98 targets, and averaged 56.4 receiving yards per game. Higgins finished with 11 total touchdowns.

The Bengals were 29th in rushing attempts (22.4/g) and 29th in rushing yards per game with 93.6. Their lead back, Chase Brown, had 232 rushing attempts, averaged 4.4 yards per carry, and finished the season with 1019 rushing yards. He also added 69 receptions on 88 targets for 4337 receiving yards. Brown also finished the season with 11 touchdowns.

New Orleans Saints: The Saints passed the ball on 59.53% of their plays. The total dropped to 55.78% when playing away from home. They were eighth in passing attempts per game with 34.8, with the total dropping to 30.4 attempts in away games.

QB, Tyler Shough: Shough earned the starting position in Week 8 of last season. From that point on, he averaged 216.7 passing yards per game, had 10 passing touchdowns and nine interceptable passes. Shough also was 12th among quarterbacks in carry share, averaging 4.09 carries per game, was 11th in designed runs per game, averaging 1.55, and added three rushing touchdowns.

WR1, Chris Olave: Olave played in 16 games, was fifth among wide receivers in targets with 156, while being on the field for a 73.6% snap share. He averaged 72.7 receiving yards per game and finished the season with nine total touchdowns.

The Saints have a revamped offense for head coach Kellen Moore to tinker with, including adding running back Travis Etienne, drafting rookie receiver Jordan Tyson and acquiring veteran tight end Noah Fant.

Detroit Lions: The Lions will be playing with a new offensive coordinator, Drew Petzing presumably calling plays after head coach Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties from then-offensive coordinator John Morton in Week 10 of last season.

Last season, the Lions finished 10th in passing attempts per game, with 34.2, and had only a small increase when playing at home, with 34.8. They were, however, third in passing yards per game, averaging 254.2 and increased again by almost a first down at home, averaging 263.8 passing yards per game.

QB, Jared Goff: While much is made of Goff’s home versus away splits, the difference last year was nominal, where the most glaring difference is his passing yards average.

WR1, Amon-Ra 8.3 per game while being on the field for 86.2% snap share. St. Brown was fifth among receivers in receiving yards, averaging 82.4 a game, third in yards after catch with 3.3p/t, fourth in receptions, and finished with 11 touchdowns.

WR2. Jameson Williams: Williams saw an uptick in production when Campbell took over play calling. In totality, he finished with 101 targets and 65 receptions while being on the field for a 91.3% snap share. Williams averaged 65.7 receiving yards per game, was 10th in yards after catch with 433 total yards, and had seven touchdowns.

WR2, Isaac TeSlaa: TeSlaa is best known last season for his six touchdowns coming on only a 39.9% snap share and a 43.8% target share. TeSlaa finished with an astonishing 37.5% touchdown rate.

The Lions averaged 120.1 rushing yards last season. When playing at home, the average went up to 134.4. Now they have traded away David Montgomery to the Houston Texans; Jahmyr Gibbs is a “bell-cow” back in Detroit. Last season with Montgomery there, Gibbs averaged 14.3 carries per game, was fourth in red zone touches (64), and seventh in rushing yards per game (71.9). He was also targeted 94 times, or 5.5 targets per game, and averaged 36.2 receiving yards on his way to collecting 18 touchdowns.

The Petzing effect is real. Look for an uptick in tight end Sam Laporta’s production as well as emphasis on the run game.

Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens’ passing game was abysmal last season, in part due to quarterback Lamar Jackson’s persistent injuries. They finished last in passing attempts, averaging 24.3, a number that fell to 19.3 in their last three games and 22.4 in their away games.

QB, Lamar Jackson: Jackson spent most of last season injured. He did play in 13 games with 302 passing attempts, averaging 196.1 passing yards per game. He had 21 passing touchdowns and six interceptable passes, while passing for the third most yards per attempt (8.4).

While he had an 18.5% carry share, it resulted in an average of 5.15 carries per game with 2.00 designated runs. Jackson was 11th in scrambles (2.31 per game) and had only two rushing touchdowns while averaging 5.21 yards per carry.

Slot, Zay Flowers: Flowers had a 99.1% route participation rate, was eighth in yards after catch (458), and was on the receiving end of 118 targets and 86 receptions while averaging 71.2 receiving yards per game. He finished with six total touchdowns.

WR1 Rashod Bateman: Bateman was inept in 13 games. He had 39 targets, 19 receptions, 224 yards, and two touchdowns.

The Ravens acquired receivers Elijah Sarratt and Ja’Kobi Lane in the 2026 NFL Draft.

While the passing game suffered, the run game in Baltimore held its own. The Ravens were fifth in rushing attempts per game (29.8), a number that increased significantly in their last three games (37.3) and also saw an increase when playing away from home (30.9).

RB, Derrick Henry: Henry was fourth among all running backs in carries, averaging 18.1 per game, third in red zone touches (65), and had the second most rushing yards per game average (93.8). His 71% opportunity share landed him with 21 targets, 15 receptions, and 16 total touchdowns.

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are, to quote Winston Churchill, “...a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Their season last year was a tale of two halves. Their quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a torn right Achilles in December, while playing with a fractured fibula in his left leg. They paid receiver Alec Pierce a grip. Last season, he was responsible for 47 receptions on 84 targets for 1003 yards and six touchdowns, while letting Michael Pittman go to Pittsburgh with his 111 targets, 80 receptions, 784 yards, and seven touchdowns from last year.

After being on fire for the first 10 games (not counting Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers) of the season, running back Jonathan Taylor cooled considerably, posting only two games above 100 rushing yards and only three touchdowns in the last seven games.

If you believe in the Colts staff, there is an excellent contrarian play waiting to happen. Last season, the Ravens’ defense was the third worst against the pass, allowing an average of 247.9 passing yards per game, 316 in their last three games. (Fun fact: they were tied with the Colts defense, which allowed an average of 247.9 passing yards per game for the season).

Jones is reportedly good to go for Week 1; Pierce got paid, and second-year tight end Tyler Warren finished last season as TE4 with 112 targets, 76 receptions, 817 receiving yards, and four touchdowns.

Then there is another interesting play to be had. How much do you believe in Kellen Moore and the Saints? The Lions were meh against the pass (19th, allowing 218.2 passing yards per game and 240.3 when playing at home). The Saints are currently projected to be playing from behind, so the passing game should be in play. Stacking Shough with his two receivers and bringing it back with Gibbs is a thought.

Now we have to scheme and wait for the ownership numbers to come out. But hey, we are just getting started.