This article is part of our DFS NFL series.
Welcome to Week 1! The NFL season is back and in this debut article, I'm going to highlight 10 key targets every week that I expect to be rostered by less than 10 percent of the field. For those of you that want to try your hands in the DraftKings Millionaire Maker, FanDuel's Sunday Million or one of the many other big contests, large field GPPs require you to be contrarian and having a few players rostered by less than 10 percent of the field on your team is a great way to gain leverage on the competition.
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore ($7,300 DK, $8,500 FD)
Jackson is a great pivot off the QBs in his salary range that should all be rostered much higher (excluding Aaron Rodgers) and in a matchup against the Joe Flacco led Jets, I expect the Ravens to have plenty of red zone opportunities. Jackson's rushing ability (50+ yards in 9-of-11 games last year) makes him an excellent fantasy option, and he may be relied on more heavily in that area with J.K. Dobbins questionable to play.
Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati ($6,400 DK, $7,700 FD)
Surprisingly, Burrow hasn't been as highly touted as you might expect for a QB that is coming off leading his team to a Super Bowl appearance in his second year. That may be in part to an emergency appendectomy in July but all signs point to him being at full strength for the opener. This is a good matchup at home as a touchdown favorite over a Steelers squad with no notable cornerbacks to stop Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans ($7,600 DK, $8,500 FD)
Sometimes even the biggest names aren't rostered at a high clip, and that's expected to be the case this week for Kamara – even against the lowly Falcons. With the Saints a sizeable favorite, Kamara should see a healthy dosage of carries and targets, and he makes for a nice pivot off the highest priced RBs. Even without Drew Brees last season, Kamara still managed 100+ yards in 8-of-13 games.
J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington ($5,100 DK, $5,200 FD)
McKissic has been a valuable fantasy option in PPR formats, averaging over 4.5 catches per game in his two seasons under the Ron Rivera led Commanders. With Brian Robinson out for at least the first month of the season, McKissic's role in the offense should remain unchanged. He has a good ceiling for this salary range with seven 15+ point games over his last 14.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston ($4,800 DK, $5,400 FD)
While Pierce has received his share of hype from the season-long fantasy community, a matchup against a solid Colts front-seven in a game which the Texans are projected for less than 20 points should be enough to keep his roster percentage within reason. Spending down at RB continues to be a great way to construct your lineup in large GPPs, and Pierce has the biggest upside among RBs under $5k as he looks to carry the momentum from an impressive camp and preseason into Week 1.
Keenan Allen, WR, LA Chargers ($7,000 DK, $7,400 FD)
A matchup between the Chargers and Raiders brings in the second highest over/under on the slate but Allen isn't expected to be highly rostered. While many fantasy players expect Mike Williams to continue to improve on his solid 2021 campaign, the veteran Allen is still the WR1 in this offense and has averaged 10 targets per game with Herbert under center.
Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami ($6,400 DK, $6,800 FD)
There will probably be some back and forth going on this year between which of Waddle and Tyreek Hill will have a ceiling game, but leaning toward the cheaper Waddle against a weaker corner while being lower rostered is the way I lean this week. Coming off an exceptional rookie season in which he caught over 100 passes, he's undervalued in fantasy circles and this is a good matchup at home against a Patriots defense than is much weaker than usual.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore ($5,300 DK, $6,100 FD)
Bateman was one of my favorite targets in season-long leagues, and I don't think we will see him in this salary range for very long. A first-round pick of the Ravens last year, Bateman is more than capable to fill the WR1 role and Baltimore was confident enough that they traded Marquise Brown to Arizona. Pairing him up with Jackson could pay off a big way in GPPs this week.
Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas ($5,400 DK, $7,000 FD)
Waller will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2021 campaign in which he missed five of the final six games and had just a pair of touchdowns. The season opener should be a great place to start as this is one of just two games on the slate with an over/under in the 50s. He comes in fully healthy after dealing with a hamstring injury during the preseason.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit ($4,900 DK, $5,700 FD)
I expect a lot of people will pay up for Kelce or Pitts this week or just look to spend down, which should leave Hockenson overlooked by many. Had he been able to stay healthy last year, he was on pace for over 85 catches and had at least eight receptions in four of his first eight games last season. A home matchup against an Eagles squad that's main weakness is its linebacking crew should be a good way for him to start 2022.
