On paper, the Jaguars, Falcons, and Panthers are facing favorable opponents in Week 1, all staring down foes who have struggled to defend the pass, which means we could see some gaudy receiving stat lines from all three squads.
Drake London is one of two established wide receivers in a position to thrive, while two others will appear in their first NFL game.
Below, we'll get into the top NFL DFS picks for Week 1, including four player picks for PrizePicks.
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Top Week 1 NFL DFS Picks
Click to read more about each of our Week 1 DFS picks.
- Jaguars WR Brian Thomas – 76.5 Receiving Yards
- Falcons WR Drake London – 76.5 Receiving Yards
- Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard – 14 Rush Attempts
- Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka – 57.5 Receiving Yards
- Texans WR Jayden Higgins – 15.5 Receiving Yards
Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. vs. Panthers Projection: 76.5 Receiving Yards
- Thomas is coming off a rookie season in which he caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.
- The former LSU standout had an average depth of target of 11.3 yards, which helped him average 14.7 yards per reception.
- Thomas had 18 receptions of at least 20 yards last season, which included 7 receptions of at least 40 yards.
- Defenders had a difficult time bringing Thomas down. His average of 6.6 yards after the catch ranked in the 88th percentile in the league among wide receivers.
- The Panthers allowed the tenth-most passing yards per game in the league last season.
Falcons WR Drake London vs. Buccaneers Projection: 76.5 Receiving Yards
- London set career highs in receptions (100), receiving yards (1,271), and touchdowns (9) last season.
- The Falcons’ rising star received 29.4% of the team’s targets and was targeted on 30.1% of his routes run.
- London averaged 99.9 air yards per game, which ranked in the 95th percentile in the league among wide receivers.
- Atlanta brings back largely the same wide receiver group as last season, meaning that Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud will remain the primary options behind London.
- Last season, the Buccaneers allowed the third-most receptions and the seventh-most receiving yards to wide receivers.
Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard vs. Jaguars Projection: 14 Rush Attempts
- Hubbard recorded 250 rush attempts over 15 games last season. That marked his second straight season with at least 238 rush attempts.
- The former fourth-round pick finished with at least 15 carries in ten of his 15 games.
- The Panthers are shorthanded at wide receiver after trading away Adam Thielen and placing Jalen Coker (quadriceps) on IR.
- Panthers quarterback Bryce Young attempted more than 30 passes in a game just four times last season.
- Carolina could attack the Jaguars on the ground, given that the Jaguars allowed the eighth-most rushing yards per game in the league last year.
Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka vs. Falcons – 57.5 Receiving Yards
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin (ankle) will miss at least the first month of the season.
- Last year, Godwin was targeted on 26.3% of his routes, so his absence will be significant.
- The Buccaneers selected Egbuka with the 19th pick in the 2025 Draft and he should serve as their No. 2 wide receiver behind Mike Evans while Godwin is out.
- The former Buckeye caught 81 of his 109 targets last season for 1,011 yards and 10 TDs.
- The Falcons allowed a 69.9% catch rate to wide receivers last year, which was the second-highest mark in the NFL.
Texans WR Jayden Higgins vs. Rams Projection: 15.5 Receiving Yards
- The Texans have high hopes for Higgins, who they selected with the 34th pick in the 2025 Draft.
- During his final season at Iowa State, Higgins caught 87 of 138 targets for 1,183 yards and 9 touchdowns.
- Texans WR Tank Dell is still recovering from a knee injury that will force him to miss the start of the season.
- Nico Collins is the clear top option at wide receiver for the Texans, but Higgins will battle with Christian Kirk for the No. 2 spot.
- RB Joe Mixon (foot) is sidelined to begin the year, leaving Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, and Woody Marks to fill the void for Houston. Chubb is the biggest name among the group, but he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry last season as he returned from a torn ACL and MCL.
- The Texans, who tied for the 11th-most pass attempts in the league last season, could be forced to rely even more on their passing attack, given the state of their running back room.
With multiple rookie wide receivers poised to plant their NFL DFS flag in Week 1, now is the time to build your NFL Lineup on PrizePicks. Just pick More or Less for at least two NFL player stat projections to build your Lineup on PrizePicks.
Check out the Playbook for more NFL DFS picks and analysis all the way through the season.
