Week 1 of the 2021 NFL season has arrived and Sunday’s NFL DFS slate is loaded with big names making returns from injuries. Christian McCaffrey is looking to put last year’s injury-riddled season behind him as his Panthers host rookie Zach Wilson and the Jets at 1 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, in the late window at 4:25 p.m. ET, Saquon Barkley will see his first competitive action in a year as his Giants welcome the Broncos into town. Teams will be as healthy as they’ll be all season in Week 1, so there’s no shortage of top NFL daily Fantasy picks come Sunday.
Carolina is moving to its third quarterback in as many years, but can McCaffrey’s production remain consistent as he rejoins NFL DFS lineups? And should Barkley factor into your NFL DFS strategy as he goes up against a Broncos’ defense that will welcome back Von Miller? Before locking in any NFL DFS picks for Week 1 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to check out the NFL DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy football picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a predictive data engineer and pro DFS player with almost $2 million in career winnings. He uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every snap of NFL action in every game, taking factors such as matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account. This allows him to find the best DFS values that he shares only with members at SportsLine.
In Cowboys vs. Buccaneers on Thursday, McClure had Bucs receiver Antonio Brown as one of his top NFL DFS picks for both FanDuel and DraftKings: The result: Brown piled up five catches for 121 yards and a touchdown, leading to huge returns on both sites. Anybody who had him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, McClure has turned his attention to Week 1 and locked in his top daily Fantasy football picks for Sunday. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NFL DFS picks for Week 1
One of McClure’s top NFL DFS picks for Week 1 is Packers receiver Davante Adams at $8,300 on DraftKings and $8,600 on FanDuel. Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite target posted his first All-Pro season last year with 115 catches for 1,374 yards and an NFL-leading 18 receiving touchdowns. Including the 2020 NFL postseason, Adams has 18 touchdowns over his last 13 games played.
Adams was injured for last season’s game versus the Saints but his replacement, Allen Lazard, had 146 yards and a score in his absence. Adams is clearly more talented and should feast off a Saints’ secondary that lost veteran Patrick Robinson to a surprising retirement just three weeks ago.
Part of McClure’s optimal NFL DFS strategy also includes rostering Vikings running back Dalvin Cook ($9,100 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel), who had over 1,900 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns last season. He gets a tremendous matchup against the Bengals in Week 1 as Cincinnati ranked 29th in rushing defense last season.
Cook has overcome injuries that plagued his first two NFL seasons as he’s turned into one of the most consistent running backs since 2019. He’s averaged over 127 yards per game over that span with 30 touchdowns in 28 games. He is as dependable as any back in the league and had either 100 scrimmage yards or a touchdown in 13 of 14 games last year.
How to set NFL DFS lineups for Week 1
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers in Week 1. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
So who is Mike McClure putting in his optimal NFL DFS lineups for Week 1? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NFL DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a daily Fantasy expert with nearly $2M in winnings, and find out.
