Week 1 NFL DFS Salaries on DraftKings: First Look

DraftKings Week 1 NFL DFS salaries were released Friday, which means most of us should have just taken the rest of the day off as we build lineups that won’t actually play for more than a month. But this marks the official kickoff of the 2022 NFL DFS season, and it’s a big day for all of us.

Here are my initial reactions to the pricing and some players to keep an eye on throughout the preseason. 

DraftKings Week 1 NFL Salaries

Best Week 1 QB on DraftKings

Daniel Jones ($5,000)

The value that stood out immediately to me was Daniel Jones priced at only $5,000. Jones played in 11 games last year. By midseason he was on the field with a rotating cast of players coming back from or going out with injuries. His numbers at the start of the 2021 season with a healthy cast of characters were very good — he put up 22, 29, 16 and 30 DraftKings points in those games. They were not against cupcakes either as Denver, New Orleans and Washington are all above-average defenses. Very few quarterbacks can put up six points per $1,000 of cost and Jones has a higher probability of doing that than anyone else in his price range.

Best Week 1 RB on DraftKings

Najee Harris ($6,400)

Najee Harris has been a hot name in the fantasy football community leading up to the season. He is firmly in that second tier of running back options behind Jonathon Taylor, Austin Ekeler and Christian McCaffrey at the top of most season-long drafts. He is a workhorse who saw 319 carries and 96 targets in 2021 and led all backs with 980 snaps. He went over 20 DraftKings points eight times last season and over 30 twice. Anything over 20 at only $6,400 keeps you on pace to cash in most tournaments, and the 30-point games could win it for you. Harris is below the fold on page one of the running backs for DraftKings on a desktop. That is just disrespectful to a guy with his dual-threat ability.

Kenneth Gainwell ($4,600)

You have to monitor the situation in Philadelphia between Kenneth Gainwell and Miles Sanders. Reports are coming out about Gainwell taking more and more snaps with the first team. Yes, it is still early, but Gainwell is a receiving threat and someone who could end up with an even bigger role than anticipated. We still have the preseason to see how this works itself out, but I would rather play him than a guy like Marlon Mack in the same price range if you need a cheap RB option. 

Best Week 1 WR on DraftKings

Tyreek Hill ($6,800)

Tyreek Hill made offseason comments about being set free in the Miami offense in 2022. If 134 catches, 1,524 yards and 12 touchdowns were the numbers a caged Hill put up in Kansas City, what will he do now that he is out of the cage? Hill was an $8,000 receiver all of 2021 on DK. You can argue a discount from that price was warranted in a new situation, but the adjustment for the uncertainty was excessive.

Kadarius Toney ($4,100)

This price range features two guys I love in Kadarius Toney and Jakobi Meyers. The reason I love them both is target potential. It’s tough to find guys in the $4K range who have double-digit target ceilings. Meyers saw at least eight targets in more than half of his games last year. Toney had some injuries that hampered him last year, but from the time he burst on the scene he also saw nine or more in over half his games to end 2021. Toney did not catch a single touchdown pass in 2021, but he did still have a 30-fantasy-point ceiling game. At his price, a touchdown along with the usual production from his typical 9-plus-target games would make him one of the best value plays on the board. 

Best Week 1 TE on DraftKings

Travis Kelce ($6,600)

Travis Kelce is one of the best values on the board in Week 1. DraftKings lowers the floor for the TE position to attempt to smooth out the difference in usage between the typical tight end and players at the other positions. The unexpected consequence is that it also depresses the price for those unicorns who do produce numbers on par with your typical WR or RB options. Kelce averaged 2 more fantasy points per game than anyone else in his price range. A two-TE lineup construction makes a lot of sense If you can find another TE option that you like in Week 1 for NFL DFS. You can use Kelce in your flex confidently since he is underpriced relative to options at other positions.