Chiefs vs. Texans promises to get the 2020 NFL season underway with a lot of points on Thursday Night Football. Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson will lead the way, so they're right at the top of our FanDuel single-game picks for Kansas City against Houston. You can get your DFS fix right away on the opening night of the season with our lineup advice right here.
Remember, FanDuel's single-game offering is different than DraftKings' Showdown contests. There's no salary multiplier for the "MVP" spot on FanDuel, even though it still gets 1.5x points. So it's never worth paying too far down in that spot - you want to nail the highest-points scorer in the game.
MORE TEXANS-CHIEFS: DK Showdown picks | Start-sit | Betting guide | MKF top props
FanDuel Thursday Night Football Picks: Chiefs vs. Texans
MVP (1.5x points): Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs ($16,500)
Mahomes will certainly be the most popular MVP selection for this game, and for good reason. The Chiefs are favored, and he has as much upside as any player in the NFL. It's not worth overthinking this spot -- lock Mahomes in like most of your competitors will and then beat them with your other four selections.
MORE: How to win FanDuel single-game contests
FLEX: QB Deshaun Watson, Texans ($15,000)
It's never a bad idea to have both quarterbacks in any of these single-game contests, especially when they're as good as Mahomes and Watson. The Chiefs allowed QBs to score 17 FD points per game last year, and Watson should have no problem hitting the 20-mark and more.
WEEK 1 DFS CASH LINEUPS:
Yahoo | DraftKings | FanDuel
FLEX: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Chiefs ($12,000)
A rookie RB in his NFL debut? When he's explosive, a pass-catcher, and in KC's offense, the answer is yes. The Texans allowed the sixth-most FD points per game to running backs in 2019, so CEH should get his pro career off to a good start and help us have a part in potentially every Chiefs touchdown.
WEEK 1 DFS TOURNAMENT LINEUPS:
Yahoo | DraftKings | FanDuel
FLEX: RB David Johnson, Texans ($11,500)
I'll admit I don't like Johnson much for this whole season, but Week 1 is as healthy as he'll ever be and he's also a solid pass-catcher. What I like most about these first four players is that the high majority of offensive touchdowns in this game (and you can't play the defenses on FD) will come from this quartet. With touchdowns making up such a big part of fantasy scoring, we shouldn't fall too far behind due to other scores.
WEEK 1 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
FLEX: TE Jordan Akins, Texans ($5,000)
Akins has gotten some preseason buzz as a possible red-zone target for Watson. Among all the other minimum-priced options, that gives him so appeal.
WEEK 1 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker