Green Bay

Week 1 of the NFL season continues with a bang as the Green Bay Packers face off against the Philadelphia Eagles at the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil. In this article, I’ll share my top DFS showdown picks and strategies for DraftKings and FanDuel, helping you build winning lineups.

For a deeper dive into general showdown rules, make sure to check out David Jones’s “Daily Fantasy Football Showdown: Strategy for Building Winning Lineups” article. It’s essential reading for anyone crafting MME lineups, as player salary and team dynamics can impact each game’s approach.

Link: https://windailysports.com/daily-fantasy-football-showdown-strategy/

Note on Quarterbacks:

I will not write up the quarterbacks because the wide receiver and tight end section tend to cover the matchups. The QB rankings are at the bottom of the article. 

Green Bay Packers

Running Back

In 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles were one of the better teams against the run. They ranked top 10 in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. They did, however, surrender 19.8 DK points per game to the position as a whole.

The Green Bay Packers are entering this game without their top two RBs from last season. Aaron Jones was lost to division rival Minnesota, and AJ Dillon is out for the season because of a neck injury. In their place is newly acquired Josh Jacobs. The former Raider is coming off of a quad injury that saw him miss the final four games of the season. With an inexperienced backup, Jacobs should see a heavy workload to start off the season. With Jacobs being no stranger to having a workload, having played at least 63% of snaps every game last season, he is very much in play on Friday.

Jacobs’ backup for Friday looks to be rookie MarShawn Lloyd. Lloyd isn’t a RB that will blow anyone away, but he is a solid back. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry during his three-year CFB career, including averaging 7.1 his final year at USC. He is dealing with a hamstring injury that has limited his ability to practice, so I would not go heavy on Lloyd for showdowns. The RB3 for GB is Emanuel Wilson, who is in his second year in the league. I don’t want Wilson to see much of the field, if any, unless one of the two backs ahead of him has to leave the game.

Tier 1: Josh Jacobs

Tier 2: MarShawn Lloyd 

Wide Receiver

The Eagles were not the best against pass last season. They gave up the second-most receiving yards and touchdowns to opposing teams. They also gave up 45.8 fantasy points per game to wide receivers, which was the most by any team last season.

Green Bay has three WRs that can make or break this slate. The WR that has the potential to cause the most damage to this Eagles secondary is Jayden Reed. Reed had a solid rookie season, finishing with 64 receptions for 793 yards and eight touchdowns. Reed should matchup against rookie Quinyon Mitchell, who was the Eagles 1st round pick from Toledo. The second WR that can cause some damage to the Eagle secondary is Christian Watson. During the offseason, Watson worked with the University of Wisconsin to help find ways to prevent hamstring injuries, and he has said it will help him avoid the injuries he has dealt with in his career. While I like him for Friday’s showdown, I prefer Reed because Watson should see a lot of Darius Slay lined up in front of him.

I mentioned Green Bay had three WRs that can make or break a slate. The third player I was referring to is Romeo Doubs. Doubs had a solid sophomore campaign, filling in as the WR2, with Watson missing half the season. I like Doubs this season, but I am hesitant to use him on Friday because he is dealing with a hand injury. He is a player I will use only if I am playing a lot of entries.

Tier 1: Jayden Reed, Christian Watson

Tier 2: Romeo Doubts, Dontayvion Wicks

Punts:

Tight End

The Eagles gave up the tenth most receptions to TEs last season. But they did manage to prevent TEs from having big gains on those receptions, as they ranked 20th in yards given up to TEs. They gave up 12.5 points to TE’s, which was 15th most in the NFL.

The Packers have two TEs who averaged over 38 snaps per game. My favorite of the two is Luke Musgrave. Musgrave, despite missing six games last season still had more targets than Tucker Kraft. In his 13 appearances last season (including playoffs), he averaged four targets with a season high of eight targets. He should draw Reed Blakenship in coverage, who is solid in coverage, but the lack of speed can free up some space for Musgrave.

I wouldn’t force Tucker Kraft into any lineups, but his DK price of $2800 can be helpful when building with some of the bigger names on the slate. Despite being the backup, Kraft still averaged 38 snaps last season, which gives him more opportunities to have some targets.

Tier 1: Luke Musgrave

Tier 2: Tucker Kraft

Punt/Fadeable:

Philadelphia Eagles

Running Back

The Packers are a good team to attack with running backs. Last season they gave up 22.6 DK to running backs, which was the 13th most in the NFL.

The Eagles added a great running back in the offseason, Saquon Barkley. Barkley is the clear number one back and might be the only running back I use from the Eagles on Friday. Barkley does it all; he can run (5K+ career rushing yards) and he can catch (2K+ receiving yards). I was a bit skeptical about him joining Philadelphia because of the famous push that has hurt Sanders and Swift in the past. But according to people who follow the team closer than me, the push should see a decrease in usage. That bodes well for Barkley, who will have opportunities to score against the Packers if the Eagles get closer to the end zone.

The other two running backs on the Eagles are Gainwell and Shipley. Both are punt plays because I can’t see them taking too much work away from Barkley. Gainwell has a better understanding of the offense since he has been with the team since 2021, but I like punting Shipley. I have watched a lot of Shipley the past few years since I started writing the CFB article, and I think he can succeed in the NFL.

Tier 1: Saquon Barkley 

Tier 2: Will Shipley (Punt Play)

Wide Receiver

The Packers did a good job last season preventing big fantasy games from opposing wide receivers. They gave up 32.6 DK which was the 22nd most in the league.

The Eagles have a real argument to have the best WR duo in all of football. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are two of the better WRs and are going to cause a lot of problems for secondaries all season. For this showdown, I am giving the edge to Smith. The 2K savings in his price is a nice bonus for being able to use one of the better wideouts. Smith is coming off of an 81 reception, 1066 yards, and seven touchdown season. Smith should draw Eric Stokes from the Packers, who has experience covering Smith as they played twice while in college. While I like Stokes, injuries have kept him from reaching his potential, and I can’t see him being able to keep up with Smith.

AJ Brown might be a better Eagle receiver, but he should draw the attention of the Packers top CB, Jaire Alexander. This will be a great matchup to watch the entire time. Despite having the tough matchup, Brown is still very much in play, as he should get the better of Alexander at times.

Tier 1: DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown

Tier 2: Jahan Dotson

Tight End

The Green Bay Packers gave up the 18th most DK points (11.8) to opposing tight ends. They gave up the 5th least receptions to tight ends, but they did allow tight ends to average 12.1 yards per catch.

On the Eagles, there is only one tight end I really want any exposure on my team, and that’s Goedert. Goedert played in at least 77% of snaps in all but one game last season. With his high number of snaps played, Goedert was able to average six targets per game. Like I said, he is the only Eagle tight end I am looking at, and in terms of pass catchers, I would put him behind their two stud WRs.
Tier 1: Dallas Goedert

FanDuel MVP and DraftKings CPT Picks—FNF Showdown 

I want a high-usage player at MVP on FanDuel like a quarterback or a workhorse running back. You need the highest-scoring player, not the best value. The salaries do not change from flex to MVP on FanDuel, so the value at the MVP is not a priority. Take the points up top. 

On DraftKings, you look for the best “value” in the mid to high price range. 

FanDuel

DraftKings

Flex Rankings Tier 1:

• Jordan Love
• Saquon Barkley
• Jalen Hurts
• DeVonta Smith
• Jayden Reed
• Josh Jacobs
• Dallas Goedert
• Christian Watson
• Romeo Doubs
• Luke Musgrave

Flex Rankings Tier 2: (Don’t play more than 1 Tier 2 or Tier 3 guys)

• Tucker Kraft
• Jake Elliot
• Brayden Narveson
• Dontayvion Wicks
• Jahan Dotson
• MarShawn Lloyd
• Eagles D
• Packers D

Punts/Fadeable: (Don’t play. More than 1 Tier 2 or Tier 3 guys)

• Will Shipley
• Kenneth Gainwell
• Emmanuel Wilson

Best Rules for the slate:

• Play at least one QB
• Play one of GB’s WRs if you have Love
• Play at least one of Brown or Smith if you have Hurts
• Play one of Barkley or Hurts
• Both Kickers are in play

Favorite prop for the game: Saquon Barkley Over 16.5 Receiving Yards (-106 FD)