It’s hard to know what a sleeper even is anymore when it comes to Fantasy Football, but, for the purposes of this article, we’ll use the term to mean an asset that’s likely to be undervalued heading into a given week. A player that’s going to be overlooked when it comes to ownership, yet one that has a reasonable path to make people regret that decision. Someone who might set your lineup apart from the pack in a GPP, if you will.
With that in mind, let’s go position-by-position for Week 1’s slate on DraftKings.
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QUARTERBACK
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets, $6,500
You only need to take a quick glance at the QB pricing list to know that Allen is not going to be many people’s choice at the position this Sunday. Not only is the sporadic third-year pivot the sixth-most expensive quarterback on the slate, but he has the exact same salary as Tom Brady ($6,500), who will be making his debut for the Buccaneers. Still, while Jets-Bills might have one of the lowest implied game totals of the day, most of that designation is due to projecting New York’s offensive ineptitude. Buffalo could actually score some points in this matchup and Allen — who averaged an impressive 0.55 DKFP per drop back last season — could be in the middle of it all. In fact, went you discount a Week 17 start, Allen’s exceeded 20.0 DKFP in five of his last seven contests. Add in Stefon Diggs ($6,400) and who knows how high the former first-round pick’s ceiling is in 2020?
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RUNNING BACK
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles at Washington, $6,300
If you feel like you missed all of the Sanders praise that was coming out of Eagles’ camp this summer, you didn’t. There wasn’t any. It honestly seems like a positive thing hasn’t been said about the sophomore RB since last season and, to make matters worse, Sanders enters Week 1 with a lower body issue that’s kept him limited at practice. Still, I’d be shocked if the 23-year-old didn’t suit up on Sunday and I’d be even more shocked if he was all that popular a play in DFS considering the circumstances. That, my friends, equates to a leverage opportunity. We know what Sanders can do as a bell cow in this league. Ironically, the best example of that came last season against Washington when the Penn State product registered 172 scrimmage yards and 38.2 DKFP on 25 touches in Week 15. Washington’s defense appears to be more stout in 2020, but I’ll definitely have some exposure to Sanders’ lofty ceiling this weekend.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Sanders will not travel with the team to Washington and will not play on Sunday.
WIDE RECEIVER
DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots, $6,000
I’m legitimately curious as to how the DFS community views Parker heading into Week 1’s matchup with the Patriots. While most people will remember the wideout’s heroics from the final weekend of the 2019 regular season — Parker burned New England with eight catches for 137 yards — they’ll also know that the Patriots limited opposing WRs better than any other team last year. On top of that, they’ll know Parker’s been dealing with a slight hamstring issue in camp. For me, the upside here is still too great to ignore. I’d expect the Dolphins to be pass-heavy as near-touchdown underdogs on the road. That could mean a ton of volume for Parker, especially with Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns having opted out of 2020. That’s a tempting script considering Parker was among the most efficient receivers in the NFL this past season. In fact, of the 17 WRs with at least 115 targets, Parker’s 3.42 PPR points per touch was best in the grouping.
TIGHT END
Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons vs. Seattle Seahawks, $4,300
The questions surrounding Hurst’s ownership in Week 1 are two-fold. First, we’ve never really had the opportunity to see what Hurst can do as an “every snap” type of offensive asset. Second, the tight end position really does feel deeper than its been in some time. How will a surplus of viable options effect the players in the $4K range? Truly, those are the only things keeping Hurst from being chalk, because his new situation in Atlanta and his matchup against Seattle are incredibly appealing. The Seahawks surrendered more targets (157) to opposing TEs last season than any other team in the NFC, while also conceding a massive 8.1 yards per pass attempt to the position. Hurst can really cement himself as a contributor in 2020 with a big performance on Sunday.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) 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 I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.