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.
Updated on Friday, 1/12 at 5 PM (EST)
| Team | Opponent | Away | Game Total | Team Total | Running | Pass | Team Defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New England | Tennessee | -13.5 | 48 | 30.75 | +++ | +++ | ++ |
| Minnesota | New Orleans | -5 | 46.5 | 25.75 | + | + | |
| Pittsburgh | Jacksonville | -7 | 41 | 24 | ++ | + | ++ |
| Atlanta | Philadelphia | -2.5 | 41 | 21.75 | |||
| New Orleans | Minnesota | 5 | 46.5 | 20.75 | |||
| Philadelphia | Atlanta | 2.5 | 41 | 19.25 | |||
| Tennessee | New England | 13.5 | 48 | 17.25 | |||
| Jacksonville | Pittsburgh | 7 | 41 | 17 |
SUMMARY
3-STARS
- Quarterback: Tom Brady (Patriots)
- Running Back: Dion Lewis/James White (Patriots)
- Receivers: Brandin Cooks/Chris Hogan/Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)
- Defense: None
2-STARS
- Quarterback: None
- Running Back: LeVeon Bell (Steelers)
- Receivers: None
- Defense: Steelers, Patriots
1-STAR
- Quarterback: Case Keenum (Vikings), Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
- Running Back: Latavius Murray/Jerick McKinnon (Vikings)
- Receivers: Stefon Diggs/Adam Thielen/Kyle Rudolph (Vikings), Antonio Brown/JuJu Smith-Schuster/Martavis Bryant (Steelers)
- Defense: None