Football is finally back and we have a great storyline in week 1. The Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith this offseason after finishing 7-10 in the third consecutive year. As fate would have it the Steelers hired him as their offensive coordinator and his first game as a Steelers assistant coach brings him back to face the team that just fired him.
Unlike the coaching carousel in Atlanta, the Steelers have had consistency in their head coach position. Mike Tomlin heads into his eighteenth season as the Steelers head coach and looks to add to his streak of never having a losing record at the end of the year.
Both teams have added new quarterbacks that look different than last season. Will the new-look Atlanta Falcons get the new regime off to a great start with a win or will Arthur Smith play spoiler in his new role with Pittsburgh and prove to Atlanta he shouldn’t have been fired?
Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers DFS Start ‘Ems
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Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons ( DraftKings $14,400K, FanDuel $15,500K)
Cousins just signed a huge contract with Atlanta this offseason and looks to come out and make a statement with his first performance as a Falcon. Cousins was on a record-setting pace last season before suffering a season-ending injury. If the Falcons’ offensive line can hold up against the relentless pass rush of the Steelers you can look for cousins to have a big debut for Atlanta.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons (DraftKings $11,100K, FanDuel, $11K)
Kyle Pitts looks to make a statement with new quarterback Kirk Cousins in the season opener. After his record-setting rookie season, Pitts has failed to have another 1,000-yard season since. It has been an emphasis this offseason since Cousins arrived in Atlanta, on getting the ball to the athletic tight end. The Steelers’ defense figures have their eyes on stopping Bijan Robinson and Drake London which bodes well for Pitts to possibly go unaccounted for and have some big plays.
Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers ( DraftKings $12K, FanDuel $11,500K)
New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has led the league in rushing every season going back to his days as the OC for the Titans. While Jaylen Warren figures to play a part in the game plan as well, Harris looks to get a big workload against the Falcons. Smith was criticized in Atlanta for underutilizing his playmakers, so look for Smith to call on Najee a lot to try and stick it to his former team.
Atlanta Falcons vs Pittsburgh Steelers DFS Sit ‘Ems
Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers ( DraftKings $13,500K, FanDuel $14,500K)
Wilson is looking to prove to the naysayers that he is still a star quarterback in the NFL. After having a rough season in Denver under Sean Payton he finds himself in Pittsburgh. Arthur Smith uses a run-heavy offensive scheme which figures to limit Wilson’s upside in this game and with Justin Fields behind him figuring to get a few plays as well, there is more value elsewhere for his price in DFS.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons ( DraftKings $8,400K, FanDuel $7,500K)
Mooney is new to the Falcons and the offensive scheme for Zac Robinson. After spending his first four seasons with the Bears, he looks for a fresh start in Atlanta. Cousins is likely going to have to spread the ball around to find success against the Steelers’ defense.
While money should be on the field for most offensive snaps, there will be an emphasis put on getting the ball to all the first-round skill players on offense. This would give Mooney less of a shot at the big plays.
Tyler Allgier, RB, Atlanta Falcons ( DraftKings $7,800K, FanDuel $9,500K)
Allgier proved what he was capable of two seasons ago when he rushed for 1,000 yards. Despite his stellar rookie season, the Falcons still drafted Bijan Robinson in the first round the following year. It is yet to be seen how the new coaching staff is going to approach the running back carries between the two, Allgier shouldn’t be started until we have an idea of how many carries per game we can expect from him.
Total Apex Lock of The Game
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Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (DraftKings $16,200K, FanDuel $16K)
Bijan is one of the highest-ranked running backs heading into the season and for good reason. He looks to have a stellar sophomore season under this new Falcons coaching staff. It’s yet to be seen how the touches will be split between Robinson and backfield mate Tyler Allgier but it’s safe to assume new head coach Raheem Morris is going to learn from the mistakes of his predecessor and give Robinson a large workload this season.
Total Apex Fade of The Game
Pat Friermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers ( DraftKings $9,600K, FanDuel $9K)
The Steelers starting tight end is coming off of a down season. Add to that the offensive coaching changes this offseason and it doesn’t bode well for Friermuth to begin the season. Pittsburgh has a talented tight end room and they added to it this offseason. Arthur Smith likes to use multiple tight ends and make sure they all touch the ball which means a downturn in workload for Friermuth.
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