Tonight the NFL season will get underway with the defending champion Patriots taking on the Steelers in primetime. Fantasy drafts should be over by now, but players without a season-long league, or even football junkies that need more action, will be hitting daily fantasy sites such as FanDuel and Draft Kings.
Fret not, football fans. We have the top 10 plays from this game. Use them all, or just some, but each of these players can contribute.
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10. Markus Wheaton, WR, Steelers (FanDuel/$5,700, Draft Kings/$3,800): Wheaton was not expected to be Pittsburgh's No. 2 wide receiver when these prices were set. Martavis Bryant's four-game suspension is a bummer for the purposes of actually watching the game, but it does give players an affordable guy to throw on their roster. New England's secondary has new faces so it's tough to predict what to expect, but the Steelers throw a ton, so Wheaton figures to see six to eight targets.
9. Heath Miller, TE, Steelers (FanDuel/$5,500, Draft Kings/$3,300):Miller is an unexciting option, but someone with a great chance to score a TD. Wheaton is a smallish receiver, and RB Le'Veon Bell is also suspended, leaving Ben Roethlisberger little choice but to go for his big TE in the red zone if Antonio Brown is blanketed.
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8. Danny Amendola, WR, Patriots (FanDuel/$5,600, Draft Kings/$3,700): Amendola is back from the dead in terms of fantasy relevance in Week 1. Beyond Julian Edelman, what receivers do the Patriots even have? At his best, Amendola is a target monster, and his worst enemy has always been health. Right now he's healthy, so why not give him a try?
7. James White, RB, Patriots (FanDuel/$6,200, Draft Kings/$3,700): White is listed as the third running back on the depth chart according to Rosterresource.com, but this time I'm deviating from their list. White was heavily hyped last year, and he put up stellar numbers as a lead back at Wisconsin. Brandon Bolden is more of a situational back, and it's hard to believe White can't get touches over veteran Dion Lewis. The decision to cut Jonas Gray was puzzling, but that means this staff has faith in one of these guys. I'm banking on that being Gray, who gets to run against a bad defense.
6. DeAngelo Williams, RB, Steelers (FanDuel/$7,600, Draft Kings/$5,100): Williams might induce a yawn or an eye roll, but he's really not that bad. Last season was not impressive, but in his prime he was consistently above five yards per carry, and in down seasons still around 4.3. His biggest issue was having to share the backfield with Jonathan Stewart, and at least for two weeks, he won't in Pittsburgh. The Pats' defense has undergone a lot of change so their middle-of-the-pack rankings from 2014 can't be applied here, but Williams should see a lot of work. 100 yards and a touchdown is not out of the question.
5. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Steelers (FanDuel/$8,600, Draft Kings/$7,300): Roethlisberger should be a high-end fantasy QB in 2015, but this week he doesn't appear to be a great value. Without two of his most explosive weapons, it's not hard to envision Big Ben throwing a ton, racking up yards, but struggling to find the end zone. There's nothing wrong with dialing up his number this week, but know you aren't getting a steal.
4. Tom Brady, QB, Patriots (FanDuel/$8,400, Draft Kings/$7,700): In FanDuel, Brady's price isn't exactly low, but he'll cost $200 less than Roethlisberger. Brady is missing Brandon LaFell, which is not even close to what Roethlisberger's working without. He is a much better play for this week, especially with the chip on his shoulder from being called a cheater since the AFC championship. Brady's production is always steady; it's a plus that he rarely throws interceptions, and he has the potential to carve up the Steelers' weak defense. I love Brady's potential output.
3. Julian Edelman, WR, Patriots (FanDuel/$7,700, Draft Kings/$6,600): We've harped on Pittsburgh's bad defense, so it makes sense that a target hound like Edelman would be high in the rankings. Edelman caught five or more passes in 11 of 16 games in 2014. He might have five in the first quarter against Pittsburgh. He's a no-brainer play.
2. Rob Gronkowski, TE, Patriots (FanDuel/$8,100, Draft Kings/$7,000): You want the best tight end in football? You pay for it. Gronk can't be called a "value," at these prices, but he's very unlikely to disappoint. Counting on touchdowns from him is fair; he should get at least one tonight. He had at least one touchdown in 10 of his 16 games last year.
1. Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers (FanDuel/$9,300, Draft Kings/$8,900): Like Gronk, Brown is high-priced because he delivers. He is unquestionably Roethlisberger's top target, he's always open, and is literally a lock for five catches and 50 yards as a floor. Darrelle Revis no longer wears a Pats jersey, so Brown will be roaming free, catching everything in sight. 10 receptions and a score is well within reach. He may even do better than one touchdown.
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