Vanek's Views: DraftKings NFL DFS Picks for Week 1

by Jordan Vanek (vanekjordan)

Created Sep 8, 2026

Last Updated 2026-09-09 20:08:54 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

Using his experience as a former scout and staff member at Central Florida under Josh Heupel, Jordan Vanek takes an in-depth look at the upcoming NFL DFS main slate on DraftKings for Week 1. A 2025 Fantasy Sports Writers Association award winner, Jordan’s deep dive into the best stacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends is a must-read before you start building your lineups.

The NFL season is finally here, and we can stop worrying about practice reports and preseason highlights. Week 1 is one of the best DFS slates of the year because you can make a case for just about anyone. We don’t know what’s great yet, but more importantly, we don’t know what’s bad.

Last year’s Week 1 was a perfect example. 7 QBs scored over 25 DK points, 10 WRs scored over 20 DK points, 6 RBs topped 20 DK points, and 2 TEs scored over 15 DK points – and those numbers drop when looking strictly at the Sunday slate. Geno Smith outscored Matthew Stafford, Dylan Sampson outscored Jahmyr Gibbs, and Kayshon Boutte outscored Ja’Marr Chase. Week 1 is going to surprise us somewhere.

Our NFL DFS projections will be important for adjusting to injury news and seeing where pOWN% settles throughout the week. Ownership won’t be as significant to me on this main slate, but identifying extreme chalk can uncover some great leverage spots, especially on the early-only and afternoon slates.

NFL DFS DraftKings Picks: Top Stacks, RBs, WRs, & TEs for Week 1

Game Stacks

Justin Herbert ($6,100, QB, Los Angeles Chargers)

Ladd McConkey ($5,900, WR, Los Angeles Chargers) and/or Quentin Johnston ($4,700, WR, Los Angeles Chargers)

Michael Wilson ($5,300, WR, Arizona Cardinals) or Marvin Harrison Jr. ($5,000, WR, Arizona Cardinals)

There are a few game environments I want to double-stack, and this is one of them. I think new Chargers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel will put on a show against a weak Cardinals secondary. The heavy personnel groupings with a fullback and two TEs should force the Cardinals into its base defense, and that’s when I expect McDaniel to attack over the top.

A bring-back isn’t necessary for DFS success, but Harrison and Wilson stand out to me. Wilson is my preference, but I’m fine getting to Harrison as well. I expect the Cardinals to continue producing in garbage time, and the Chargers lost a special defensive mind this offseason. Wilson sets up for the higher-floor game, while Harrison should get opportunities downfield that he’ll need to convert.

Tyler Shough ($5,600, QB, New Orleans Saints)

Chris Olave ($6,700, WR, New Orleans Saints)

Juwan Johnson ($3,700, TE, New Orleans Saints)

Jahmyr Gibbs ($8,000, RB, Detroit Lions)

Amon-Ra St. Brown ($7,500, WR, Detroit Lions)

I will not play many full game stacks on this slate, but this one has some appeal. The Saints aren’t afraid to play with pace, and the Lions aren’t afraid to try to score 50 points. The Lions play a 4-3 defense at a high rate and trust their safeties and linebackers to hold up in coverage. That should allow Olave to work one-on-one and Johnson to see matchups against linebackers. Both are in plus matchups and capable of putting up big numbers.

I’d prefer to mini-stack this game with Olave or Johnson alongside Gibbs, but I see the appeal with Shough as well.

I’m also not afraid to play multiple Lions because they can easily score 30-35 points here. Gibbs and St. Brown are my favorite ways to attack it because both have great matchups. The Saints lost Demario Davis as the leader of their defense, and I don’t believe the new unit can hold up against the run. In the slot, Quincy Riley isn’t a matchup that scares me away from St. Brown.

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