DraftKings Reignmakers NFL Team Diary & Slate Breakdown: Week 1

Today marks the official return of the NFL, and with it, the second season of DraftKings Reignmakers NFL. There's been a tremendous surge of enthusiasm for the game, with more than 100,000 entries in the free-to-play contest. If you've been following my previous content this week, I sincerely appreciate your support.

This article brings together all my earlier discussions with a comprehensive slate breakdown, a glimpse into my portfolio strategy for the week, and a forward-looking perspective. Planning and preparing a portfolio is pivotal for success in this game.

Portfolio Recap & Strategy for Week 1

After DraftKings announced that there would be a future utility for cards, I made the decision to minimize selling in my portfolio and instead focus on building my 2023 collection through my 2022 collection. My 2022 collection is robust, with over 1,500 NFT cards, including many of the best players. Fortunately, this season, and for all of you as well, we don't have to invest as much thought or time into creating those 2022 lineups because the lineup optimizer from Lucky Trader streamlines the lineup-building process significantly.

However, for strategic reasons, it's important to note that in the first few weeks, the prize packs or packs awarded as prizes are typically loaded with valuable cards. So, for Week 1, I decided to enter four of my 11 Deep Roster ELITE lineups into the prize packs, as well as half of my RARE tier lineups.

Unfortunately, I missed the memo on the 2022 contests being in Deep Roster format. Consequently, I had an interesting experience over the past couple of weeks buying back all of my kickers and defenses. I can assure you that I won't be making that mistake again during this off-season.

Interested in seeing what makes up my 1500+ NFT card collection? Check it out here! 

I capitalized on the crafting and burning recipes during the offseason, and I successfully obtained some 2023 cards that were quite usable. Among these cards was Josh Jacobs, a standout player. My collection also featured several other solid players, including George Pickens, Najee Harris, Kenneth Walker, and more. However, Jacobs was one of the top-projected players for Week 1.

In the lead-up to the season, I decided to undergo a bit of a collection turnover. I sold many of my cards and focused on building a single ELITE lineup for this week. Additionally, I took advantage of the optimizer's capabilities to create numerous rare and core lineups.

I constructed a primary lineup centered around Josh Jacobs with the intention of using it for the first two weeks of the season, barring any injuries. In terms of my quarterback-wide receiver combination, I opted for Trevor Lawrence and Calvin Ridley. Lawrence, who played for one of the best offenses last year, is now entering his third year in the NFL and aims to establish himself among the top 5 quarterbacks this season. Pairing him with the talented Ridley, who had to sit out the entirety of last year, might just be the missing element that propels Jacksonville into strong playoff contention.

We've got three pieces of the puzzle in place, with two more to go. One strategy that worked exceptionally well for me last year was investing in a substantial number of Amon-Ra St. Brown editions before his value skyrocketed, making him the second most expensive wide receiver in the game. So, I'm on the lookout for similar opportunities this year, and one name that's emerging as a candidate is Jahan Dotson. He's still priced well below $400 at the ELITE level and offers the potential for significant growth if he delivers in terms of production. Now, the final piece of the puzzle revolves around finding a top-tier player with a high ceiling who isn't as costly as Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase. That led me to Christian McCaffrey!

Now that we've discussed the core of my strategy for the 2022 cards and my ELITE lineup for the week, let's dive into a slate breakdown and explore a few other targets for the lower tiers. In these lower tiers, the focus will be on quantity rather than quality.

Week 1 Slate Breakdown

Thirteen games await us here in Week 1 of the classic slate, providing a ton of eligible players. Rather than go through them all or go game by game thought I'd provide just a couple of important statistics, list some of the key injuries and statuses we are monitoring for the week, as well as a corresponding target for each injury, and end with a couple of additional targets for the slate so let's dig in.

Game Info

• Top Projected Game Over/Under: Miami vs. LAC 50.5
• Lowest Projected Game: Arizona vs. Washington 38.5
• Top Projected Team: Los Angeles Chargers (27)
• Lowest Projected Team: Arizona Cardinals (15.5)

Key Injuries/Statues

• Cooper Kupp- Out (Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell)
• Jerry Jeudy- Out (Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims)
• Mark Andrews- Out (Isiah Likely)
• Rhamondre Stevenson- Questionable (None for 2023 cards—Zeek Elliot is without an edition)
• DJ Chark- Out & Adam Thielen Questionable- (Jonathan Mingo)

Top Targets: (2 from each skill position QB, RB & WR)

• Anthony Richardson (QB-IND)
• Sam Howell (QB-WAS)
• Javonte Williams (RB-DEN)
• Deon Jackson (RB-IND)
• George Pickens (WR-PIT)
• Chris Godwin (WR-TB)

There you have it! Good luck to everyone this week with your Reignmakers Week 1 Lineup! Be sure to check out our entire suite of Premium Tools including our Portfolio Lineup Optimizer by clicking here!