Week 1 so far has gotten off to a blazing start with two great games in Philly and Brazil, with both games coming down to the wire. However, the DFS slate for the quarterback position has been interesting to start with Justin Herbert having the best fantasy performance of the four quarterbacks thus far. Now we’re just over 24 hours away from the full NFL Week 1 slate that will complete the first full week of NFL Football, other than the Bears and Vikings on Monday night. So with that being said, let’s look at my DFS picks for Week 1’s Sunday Slate for the Quarterback position.
Lock of the Week
Joe Burrow vs Cleveland ($6,800 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel)
Burrow is coming off a great season, as he was hot late. Although the Browns’ defense is underrated, especially with their secondary led by Denzel Ward, Joe Burrow has historically had great performances against Cleveland in the past. And Burrow still has Chase and Higgins. Expect fireworks from the Cincy to start the season, led by Burrow.
Quarterback Starts of the Week
Bo Nix ($6,300 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel)
Bo Nix is an intriguing start for DFS, as Sean Peyton wants to be balanced, but the Tennessee Titans are probably one of the worst rosters currently in the league at the moment, and Bo Nix’s weapons are talented enough to exploit the weaknesses of the Titans’ defense. I think Nix is a great budget option at the position for the Sunday slate this week for DFS. Expect Nix to be among the higher scorers of the week.
Baker Mayfield ($6,600 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel)
Mayfield last year against Atlanta was sensational as he had 23.4 and 22.3 fantasy points in both matchups, according to Fantasy Data last season. However, the Falcons have made some improvements on their defense, especially the edge rushers. The secondary is still a weak spot on the back end, and Mike Evans and rookie Emeka Egbuka are going to feast against this secondary, making it easy for Mayfield on Sunday.
Quarterback Sits of the Week
Jayden Daniels ($7,000 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel)
This may come back to bite me, but I’m sitting Jayden Daniels this week against a really underrated Giants defense that I believe will cause trouble for Washington this week at times. The newly revamped offensive line for the Commanders is going to be tested by this talented defensive line that the Giants have led by Dexter Lawrence. Plus, at the budget on both platforms, there are better options at the quarterback position than Daniels with easier matchups.
Jared Goff ($6,500 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel)
The Green Bay Packers’ defense has just gotten to another level with the acquisition of Micah Parsons. And I still don’t know about the Lions offense without Ben Johnson and what it’s going to look like. Plus, the offensive line suffered a downgrade with the retirement of Ragnow in the offseason. So this is a cautious approach for Goff, so I would wait a couple of weeks to see what the Lions look like before playing Goff in DFS at the quarterback position.
Fade of The Week
Matthew Stafford ($5,900 DraftKings, $7,100 FanDuel)
The bad back and this young, hungry Texans defense are my two primary reasons why Stafford is my fade this week for the opening week of the 2025 season. I think Stafford is going to have a strong year with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams as his top two targets, but this Texans secondary is probably one of the strongest units in the league on paper right now. So yeah, pass on Stafford in fantasy this week, unfortunately, but the ability is there for Stafford down the road, probably.
