The last week has felt like a blur, but we are now officially through Week 1 of the 2024 season. The football made for great television as always, from Kansas City winning by the skin of their teeth on Thursday, all the way until a dominant Monday Night Football performance from the 49ers.
I am very happy with my Week 1 QB/WR Stacks, as three of my four pairings connected for touchdowns. Hopefully, we can replicate that again this week, and I am very optimistic given the information we’ve learned after a full slate of games. Below are my favorite QB/WR duos for Sunday’s main slate.
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4. Joe Burrow ($6,300)/ Ja’Marr Chase ($7,800), Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs
Saying that the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t get off to the best start this season would be an understatement. The Patriots beat the Bengals, 16-10 and it was certainly the upset of the weekend. Joe Burrow did not look great in the game, but he was missing Tee Higgins, while Chase hauled in all six of his targets for 62 yards. I am certainly not ready to throw in the towel with this team, and they should be much improved when the quarterback and receivers all get some continuity together again.
The Bengals may lose again, but I like this matchup for Burrow and Chase to bounce back. Kansas City gave up the fifth most passing yards in Week 1, to a primarily run-heavy Ravens offense. Joe Burrow is heading back to Burrowhead, and I expect him and his favorite receiver to remind everyone how good they can be.
3. Baker Mayfield ($5,900)/ Mike Evans ($7,500), Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
These two were my second favorite duo in Week 1, and here they are back in the top four again for Week 2. Despite finishing second in fantasy points for all quarterbacks in Week 1 (29.66 FPTS), Mayfield is listed as the 12th most expensive quarterback on the main slate for Week 2. Yes, the Commanders’ defense is awful, but Baker absolutely dominated them on Sunday. He completed 80% of his passes, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were to his favorite receiver Mike Evans, who hauled in five of his six targets for 61 yards and those two scores. Evans practically lives in the endzone, and I don’t see anything changing on Sunday against the Lions.
This game is a rematch of the NFC Divisional round matchup from last season, where the Lions won 31-23. In that game, Mayfield threw for a ton of yards, finishing 26-of-41 for 349 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. Evans had an explosive game against the Lions, finishing with a team-high eight catches, 147 yards and a touchdown. The Lions don’t look like they’ve improved much against the pass, giving up the second most passing yards in Week 1 against Matthew Stafford and the Rams (304). I expect Mayfield and Evans to deliver once again and hopefully connect in the endzone for the third time this season.
2. Dak Prescott ($6,700)/ Ceedee Lamb ($8,800), New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys
Both of these teams won in blowout fashion in Week 1, but the Cowboys did it against supposedly much better opposition in the Browns. Winning in Cleveland hasn’t been easy in recent years, but the Cowboys sure made it look that way on Sunday. They were firing on all cylinders, cruising to a 33-17 win. Their passing game wasn’t even necessary for a large portion of this game with such a big lead. That being said, Prescott still threw for 179 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions against a very good defense.
Prescott and Lamb didn’t have their best game, only connecting on five of 10 targets for 61 yards. There is still much room for improvement, but the amount of targets in a game where they didn’t throw it that much is a great sign. Only seven players in the NFL finished Week 1 with more than 10 targets. I expect Prescott and Lamb to continue to improve their connection for the home opener on Sunday, although it will not be handed to them against a Saints defense that took care of business in Week 1.
1. Matthew Stafford ($6,000)/Cooper Kupp ($7,600), Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals
These two are by far my favorite duo for this Sunday’s slate, and the best part is they are both priced reasonably, considering the floor/ceiling combo. Kupp finished Week 1 with a mouthwatering 21 targets, the most in the league by a country mile. In second place, there were four players who all received 12 targets. Since Sunday night, the other star Rams WR Puka Nacua has been placed on the IR, which further clears the way for Stafford to keep going to the well in Cooper Kupp.
Stafford threw for the second most passing yards in the opening week, while Kupp hauled in 14 of his targets for 110 yards, which was the eighth most. These two have another favorable matchup this week against the Cardinals, who gave up the ninth most passing yards on opening weekend. The volume, production and matchup are all there to make these two my favorite QB/WR stack for Week 2.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is ciarandoyle77) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
