Every week, the first step of your DFS homework should be to examine the opening Vegas odds on all the NFL games for that week. Through some fairly simple algebra, it is easy to derive a spreadsheet that predicts team totals for every game, thereby allowing you to develop a rudimentary gamescript to help narrow down your decisions for the week. Once the appealing (and unappealing) games have been highlighted, it becomes easier to focus upon those games to help build your core of players for that week; the caveat, however, is that the NFL is a dynamic league and anything is subject to change from Tuesday to Sunday...so keep that in mind as the week progresses and always monitor player injuries, weather conditions, and potential roster moves. Let's take a look.
| Team | Opponent | Away | Game Total | Team Total | Running | Pass | Team Defense |
| New England | Oakland | -6.5 | 54.5 | 30.5 | +++ | +++ | |
| New Orleans | Washington | -8 | 51 | 29.5 | +++ | +++ | |
| Kansas City | NY Giants | -10.5 | 46 | 28.25 | +++ | ++ | ++ |
| Philadelphia | Dallas | -4.5 | 48.5 | 26.5 | ++ | ++ | |
| Pittsburgh | Tennessee | -7 | 44.5 | 25.75 | ++ | + | + |
| Minnesota | LA Rams | -2.5 | 46 | 24.25 | + | + | |
| LA Chargers | Buffalo | -4.5 | 43.5 | 24 | + | + | + |
| Oakland | New England | 6.5 | 54.5 | 24 | + | + | |
| Seattle | Atlanta | -2.5 | 45 | 23.75 | |||
| Jacksonville | Cleveland | -7.5 | 37 | 22.25 | +++ | ||
| Detroit | Chicago | -3 | 41 | 22 | + | ||
| Dallas | Philadelphia | 4.5 | 48.5 | 22 | |||
| LA Rams | Minnesota | 2.5 | 46 | 21.75 | |||
| Washington | New Orleans | 8 | 51 | 21.5 | |||
| Atlanta | Seattle | 2.5 | 45 | 21.25 | |||
| Denver | Cincinnati | -3 | 39 | 21 | ++ | ||
| Miami | Tampa Bay | 0 | 41.5 | 20.75 | |||
| Tampa Bay | Miami | 0 | 41.5 | 20.75 | |||
| Baltimore | Green Bay | -2 | 38 | 20 | ++ | ||
| Houston | Arizona | -1 | 38.5 | 19.75 | + | ||
| Chicago | Detroit | 3 | 42 | 19.5 | |||
| Arizona | Houston | 1 | 38.5 | 18.75 | + | ||
| Tennessee | Pittsburgh | 7 | 44.5 | 18.75 | |||
| Buffalo | LA Chargers | 4.5 | 41 | 18.25 | |||
| Cincinnati | Denver | 3 | 39 | 18 | |||
| Green Bay | Baltimore | 2 | 38 | 18 | |||
| NY Giants | Kansas City | 10.5 | 46 | 17.75 | |||
| Cleveland | Jacksonville | 7.5 | 37 | 14.75 |
SUMMARY
3-STARS
- Quarterback: Tom Brady (Patriots), Drew Brees (Saints),
- Running Back: Dion Lewis/James White/Rex Burkhead (Patriots), Mark Ingram/Alvin Kamara (Saints), Kareem Hunt (Chiefs)
- Receivers: Brandin Cooks/Danny Amendola/Rob Gronkowski (Patriots), Michael Thomas/Willie Snead/Ted Ginn Jr/Coby Fleener (Saints)
- Defense: Jaguars
2-STARS
- Quarterback: Alex Smith (Chiefs), Carson Wentz (Eagles)
- Running Back: Jay Ajayi/Corey Clement (Eagles), LeVeon Bell (Steelers)
- Receivers: Tyreek Hill/Demarcus Robinson/Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Alshon Jeffery/Nelson Agholor/Zach Ertz (Eagles)
- Defense: Chiefs, Ravens, Broncos
1-STAR
- Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers), Case Keenum (Vikings), Philip Rivers (Chargers), Derek Carr (Raiders)
- Running Back: Latavius Murray/Jerick McKinnon (Vikings), Melvin Gordon (Chargers), Marshawn Lynch (Raiders)
- Receivers: Antonio Brown/JuJu Smith-Schuster/Martavis Bryant (Steelers), Stefon Diggs/Adam Thielen/Kyle Rudolph (Vikings), Tyrell Williams/Travis Benjamin/Keenan Allen/Hunter Henry (Chargers), Amari Cooper/Michael Crabtree/Jared Cook (Raiders)
- Defense: Chargers, Steelers, Texans, Lions, Cardinals
