DFS Tournament Game Breakdown 2020 Week 1

Quarterback

Matt Ryan, ATL

No team threw more passes per game last year than the Falcons at 42.8. In fact, no team even hit the 40 mark except for Atlanta. In Week 1, the Falcons face off against the Seattle Seahawks in a game with a 49-point total. Ryan gets to stay at home in his dome and is a two-point dog. This means Atlanta will stay competitive but have to pass to keep up. Ryan will be the first of many players in this game you'll read about.

Kyler Murray, ARI

If you're looking to pivot away from all of the popular games entirely, Kyler Murray is the guy. San Francisco is a difficult opponent for most passer...but not Murray. He was a top-five fantasy quarterback both times he faced them, throwing four touchdowns to zero interceptions. He also added 101 yards and a score on the ground. With DeAndre Hopkins leading his receiving room this time around, the sky is the limit for Murray this week and every other one.

Running Back

Chris Carson, SEA

One way to move off the ATL/SEA game is to play for an early lead from Seattle, created by Chris Carson touchdowns. Carson led Seattle with 39 red zone carries and finished 12th in the entire league despite missing Week 17. Pete Carroll loves to pound the rock once he gets a lead so early success from Carson will snowball into more opportunities throughout the game.

Jonathan Taylor, IND

Jonathan Taylor provides direct leverage on one of the chalkier receiver plays in Week 1, T.Y. Hilton. Taylor could end up as part of a backfield by committee so he's certainly not in play for cash. However, his combination of speed (4.39 Forty) and size (5'10" and 226 pounds) makes him an elite running back prospect. Going for 2,000 yards in three college seasons doesn't hurt either.

He has the talent to take over this backfield from Week 1 and his mauling offensive line is going to do everything necessary for him to hit home runs. Taylor over Hilton is a great bet to make in large tournaments.

Wide Receiver

Julio Jones, ATL

Julio Jones is going to be a popular play but he looks unlikely to garner the ownership that Calvin Ridley will and also makes a good pivot down from Michael Thomas. Jones leads all active receivers with an 11.9% rate of 150-yard games. A shootout with Seattle is the perfect scenario for him bumping that rate a little higher to start the year.

DeAndre Hopkins, ARI

Stacking is mandatory to take down a tournament with any more than a few hundred entrants. No one in the past two years has one the DraftKings Millionaire Maker without pairing their quarterback with an option from the same team. Most do it with multiple weapons.

That makes Hopkins a must-play if Murray is in your lineup. Kenyan Drake as a pass-catcher out of the backfield or even Christian Kirk are also highly recommended in Arizona stacks.

Defense

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle defense makes a lot of sense in Chris Carson teams that don't feature an Atlanta player. If Seattle gets an early lead, Ryan will be throwing frequently against Quinton Dunbar and Jamaal Adams. Winning weeks from defenses come from touchdowns and there's no better way to get one from a defense by trying to beat Adams. He scored twice with the Jets in 2019.
If you do want to stack this game, Adams' former team is a fine alternative. They're a road dog but they also face Josh Allen. Allen was top-10 in sacks and top-three in fumbles last year. Even defenses with a dearth of talent can get the better of Allen on occasion and the Jets only cost $2,100 on DraftKings.