NFL DFS picks for Eagles vs. Packers: Best DraftKings lineup for Friday night Brazil matchup

The NFL is continuing to expand its global reach, heading to Brazil to play the first-ever game in South America. Not only will the matchup between the Eagles and Packers take place on a different continent, but the game will be played on a non-traditional night for the NFL schedule. This NFC clash will take place on Friday night, providing fans with just one more night of NFL football during opening week.

If you're planning to construct a daily fantasy lineup for this Friday night showdown, look no further. The Sporting News team has been grinding and prepping for this matchup to help you predict the optimal picks, best sleepers, and top value picks for this matchup. 

Let's get right to our lineups for DraftKings and SuperDraft DFS showdown and single-game contests to help you put together some competitive lineups for Friday Night Football!

WEEK 1 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Eagles vs. Packers NFL DFS picks: Optimal DraftKings lineup

Before we get into our lineup and strategy, here are the key scoring settings for DraftKings Showdown contests: They're full-point PPR and they feature three-point bonuses for 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards, and 100 receiving yards. The Captain pick costs 1.5 times a player's original price, but he also gets his point total multiplied by 1.5.

Captain: Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers ($8,400)

In a game that features two high-end quarterbacks and other talented players across the board, we're going to have to differentiate our lineup to find success in large-field contests. Christian Watson is the perfect candidate to do so.

The biggest question with Watson has been his health, specifically his hamstring. The league actually spent millions of dollars in an effort to help players like Watson by studying the treatment and prevention of hamstring injuries. After spending time working with the doctors at the University of Wisconsin, Watson has addressed the muscular asymmetry in his legs and has not dealt with any issues this offseason.

When Watson has been on the field, he's been a highly valuable fantasy asset.

Christian Watson's career percentage of Green Bay's receiving volume when on the field:

Targets - 25.6% (18th among WRs)
Air yards - 44% (7th)

Red zone TGT - 39% (3rd)
End zone TGT - 50% (1st)

Plug that volume profile into a top offense over a full season, it's a Fantasy WR1.

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 5, 2024

WEEK 1 NFL: Power rankings | ATS picks | SU picks

Watson also stands to benefit from the potential absence of Romeo Doubs. Doubs has been limited in practice this week and is questionable for the Packers' opener with a hand injury. Coupled with a matchup against a secondary that ranked dead last in fantasy points allowed to receivers in 2023, this is a spot where Watson could explode in Week 1.

MORE: NFL Week 1 best bets and top props

FLEX: A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles ($11,000)

After making a budget-friendly choice as our Captain, we can afford to go after the most expensive player on the slate. There's a reason A.J. Brown has an $11,000 price tag; he's one of the most dominant wide receivers in the NFL.

Before the Eagles' offense sputtered out last season, it looked like A.J. Brown would be a legitimate contender for Offensive Player of the Year. Brown began the year on an absolute tear. Starting in Week 3, he went on a six-game stretch of hitting 125-plus receiving yards in each contest. With Kellen Moore taking over the offensive play-calling, Brown should get back on track to start the year.

WEEK 1 FANTASY FOOTBALL ADVICE
TNF Start/Sit | Buy Low/Sell High | Sleepers | Busts | Weather | Sunday Start/Sit

FLEX 2: Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers ($9,800)

With Christian Watson locked in as our captain, we have to round out the Packers stack with Jordan Love. Even though it makes the most sense structurally, Love is a strong pick on his own. Love took the league by storm last year in his first season taking over for Aaron Rodgers. Love got off to a rocky start, but he had the offense firing on all cylinders in the final two months of the season. In the final eight games of the year, Love cleared 22 DraftKings points six times.

If the Eagles' defense allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers last year, you'd likely assume that Philadelphia allowed plenty of fantasy points to quarterbacks last year. That assumption would be correct, they once again ranked 32nd in points allowed to QBs. Philadelphia did address the secondary this offseason, but it should remain a weak point of the defense early in the year.

WEEK 1 DFS LINEUP STRATEGY
TNF DFS Advice | Sleepers & Values

FLEX 3: Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers ($8,200)

Continuing to build with the Packers' offense, we've got the key component of their ground game, Josh Jacobs. The former rushing champ had a down year in 2023, but he'll be looking to bounce back in his new home.

From a season-long perspective, there had been some questions of Jacobs' value due to declining efficiency. Thankfully, we only care about his Week 1 outlook. His Green Bay debut is likely to feature an enormous workload. A.J. Dillon was recently placed on season-ending IR and rookie MarShawn Lloyd has dealt with hamstring issues throughout the preseason. This leaves the Packers with just Jacobs and former UDFA Emanuel Wilson in the backfield. Jacobs should see a steady dose of carries and targets all night long.

2024 NFL RANKINGS: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | Defense

FLEX 4: Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers ($6,400)

The Packers stack wraps up with one final piece in second-year receiver Jayden Reed. Following a rookie season highlighted by usage as a rusher and explosive plays, Reed drew comparisons to Deebo Samuel.

We shouldn't expect Samuel-level production out of Reed this week, but it's certainly a possibility against a vulnerable Philadelphia secondary. Expect Reed to have a handful of plays schemed up for him over the course of the night. If he is able to create a big play out of one of these looks, he'll be a tremendous value at cost.

FLEX 5: Dallas Goedert, TE, Philadelphia Eagles ($5,200)

The final piece of the puzzle is Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert. He has been dealing with an oblique injury in recent weeks but is expected to take the field on Friday night and operate as Philadelphia's go-to option at tight end.

Similar to A.J. Brown, the arrival of Kellen Moore should boost Goedert's fantasy value. In two years under Kellen Moore, Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz ranked 6th and 7th in targets and 5th and 9th in fantasy points per game. Goedert will be a valuable piece of this offense and will smash in this lineup if he finds the endzone.

Eagles vs. Packers NFL DFS picks: Optimal SuperDraft lineup

As we did all of last season, we're also featuring SuperDraft lineups in our single-game DFS contest columns. 

For those unfamiliar, SuperDraft's DFS scoring involves point multipliers as opposed to having your roster limited by a salary. Successful lineups typically feature a strong mix of consistent fantasy producers with 1x-1.6x boosts, as well as matchup-based value plays with larger multipliers. The scoring multiplier for each player is predetermined by SuperDraft. Users can roster any player in their lineup with no restrictions.

Here are the most notable scoring rules for SuperDraft NFL contests: Half-point PPR, four-point passing TDs, and two-point bonuses for 100 rushing yards, 100 receiving yards, and 300 passing yards. SuperDraft lineups feature no D/ST position. The "Champ" position adds an additional 50-percent boost to the selected player, while the SuperFlex positions are limited to the boost listed for each player. 

MORE SUPERDRAFT DFS: How to play SuperDraft

Given the lack of a salary cap restriction, this lineup will focus on the talent of two elite quarterbacks by stacking them up with their pass catchers. The Hurts-Brown duo offers one of the most lethal connections in the league and should provide plenty of fantasy points.

We're dipping back into the Packers passing attack once again, looking to target the back end of the Philadelphia defense. If Jordan Love can find his groove early in the year, this lineup will be in a spot to dominate SuperDraft contests.