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Welcome back RotoBallers! The NFL season kicks off this week and we have a wonderful salary cap contest for you over at OwnersBox!
This week's free RotoBaller contest has a whopping $100,000 cash prize pool - it's completely free to enter with code DREW9
In case you're not yet familiar, OwnersBox is a fantastic new weekly fantasy sports platform that offers plenty of game setups to fulfill your desire to draft throughout the season. And the big one that we're focusing on right now: SuperFlex salary cap contests!
In this article, I will be providing you with my weekly fantasy football lineup picks on OwnersBox for this $100K contest which runs Week 1 of the NFL season on Sunday, September 12th. This contest is a SuperFlex contest, which means you have the option of playing two quarterbacks. Read my picks below, and then join us in this tournament as we battle it out for the cash prizes!
$100K Contest for Week 1!
OwnersBox is hooking up RotoBaller readers to celebrate the launch of their new salary-cap style contests, so be sure to take advantage of these promo offers!
- Join this week's freeroll on OwnersBox - the contest is completely free to enter with code DREW9, and there's a $100,000 cash guaranteed prize pool. You can also enter up to 10 lineups at $10 per lineup if you want more chances to win.
- The winner also gets a free year of RotoBaller's Premium Pass ($350 value)
- All new users who make a deposit get up to a $500 deposit match bonus and a free RotoBaller premium pass. Whoa!
You can enter up until Sunday, September 12th at 1 pm ET.
OwnersBox Quarterback Picks
On OwnersBox, you have the option of starting two quarterbacks as this is a Superflex contest.
Matt Ryan, ATL ($7,800) - vs PHI
I love the idea of stacking Matt Ryan and one of Calvin Ridley, Kyle Pitts, or Russell Gage. We'll talk more about one of those dudes in a bit, but first, we have to talk about why I want Matt Ryan in my lineup.
Philadelphia did better than you might think against quarterbacks last year, but part of that was six games against the NFC East. The defense struggled down the stretch, at one point allowing Andy Dalton to throw for 377 yards and three touchdowns. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns against them as well.
This year, the Eagles secondary is shaky. Sure, Darius Slay and Steven Nelson look good on paper, but things are thin beyond that. And even Nelson might be shaky, as he allowed seven touchdowns in Pittsburgh last season, with quarterbacks having a 97.0 rating when targeting him.
Ryan Tannehill, TEN ($6,800) - vs. ARI
I really like the pricing on Tannehill this week. Assuming he's available -- he is on the COVID-19 list right now, but we also have over a week before football starts -- then I like Tannehill against Arizona. Not only does Tannehill get a second weapon in Julio Jones to complement rising star A.J. Brown, but he faces a Cardinals defense that allowed 19.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks last year. That's actually pretty middle-of-the-road overall, but they also had some easy games on the schedule last year, playing against such illustrious names as Dwayne Haskins, Joe Flacco, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, and C.J. Beathard.
Arizona let Tua throw for 248. They let Russ throw for 388 and three scores, though they picked him off three times. Good QBs could take advantage against this team. I expect Tannehill to do that.
OwnersBox Running Back Picks
James Robinson, MIN ($5,800) - at HOU
One of the most interesting thing about Week 1 DFS contests is that most sites want to get them posted as soon as possible, which means the salaries don't account for injuries that happen in the preseason.
That's why you can get James Robinson against Houston's makeshift defense for just $5,800, as the pricing reflected that Travis Etienne was originally going to get a lot of the snaps in this game. But with Etienne out, Robinson should see nearly all of the work for this Jaguars team.
Houston looks different defensively than they did last year, but one thing remains the same: I don't have a lot of high hopes for their ability to make stops.
Last season, Robinson was held in check in his first game against Houston, but rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown the second time these teams faced.
OwnersBox Wide Receiver Picks
Russell Gage, ATL ($4,100) - vs. PHI
As I mentioned above, I like stacking Matt Ryan with one of his pass-catchers. The argument for that player being Calvin Ridley or Kyle Pitts is a pretty obvious argument, so let's look at a sleeper instead: Russell Gage.
The Falcons traded away Julio Jones this offseason and aside from drafting the rookie Pitts, there wasn't really a notable change to the roster when it came to weapons for Ryan. That's going to shift Gage up into a full time role.
Gage showed some real promise last year, with 72 receptions for 786 yards and four touchdowns. That was with a 68 percent snap share, a number I'd expect to go up in 2021.
Parris Campbell, IND ($4,000) - vs. SEA
Love the salary here for Campbell, who is really nice sleeper option. With TY Hilton out, Campbell should start beside Zach Pascal and Michael Pittman Jr. when the Colts go three wide.
Seattle allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts last season. Things obviously can change over an offseason, but I like the idea of taking a dart throw at Campbell, as that $4,000 salary gives you a ton of flexibility. At least one Colts receiver should post big numbers in this meeting, so why not take a swing on it being Campbell at his cost?
Sample Lineup
Here's a lineup I built using some of the players from this article:
Now, I built this lineup awhile back, so obviously Breshad Perriman is out now, because the Lions cut him and I'm not sure what his new role with the Bears will look like. DO NOT COPY MY LINEUP BECAUSE YOU WILL LOSE.
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