Thank god the preseason is over. It’s fun for the first series of the first game, and after that it’s like eating stale Doritos. You’ll keep eating them to finish the bag, but they don’t taste very good. Good news for everyone, we’re about to open a fresh bag. It’s Week 1 baby, time for the real show.
You have your lineup set, but you’re still a little iffy on a starting spot, aren’t you? Should you really want to start Toby Gerhart? Sure he’s the lead back, but does he have what it takes? Everyone’s been talking about how good of a fantasy season Tony Romo is bound to have, but you’re still a little unsure. That’s why I’m here. To tell you who to start. Here you go.
Quarterbacks
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears
If you have Cutler as your quarterback, you more than likely went with the (very wise) draft day strategy on waiting for a quarterback. Cutler gets the Buffalo Bills Week 1 at home. This is a very interesting matchup for the Bears offense. They have a ton of weapons, Matt Forte, Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery and Santonio Holmes.
But on the flip side, the Bills have someone to counter like Stephon Gilmore, Nickell Robey or Aaron Williams. In the end however, Cutler and the Bears should have the upper hand. With the loss of Kiko Alonso, the Bills linebackers are a huge liability in coverage. If they can’t get a pass-rush going, it could be a long day for their secondary.
Shaun Hill, St. Louis Rams
When Sam Bradford went down for the year, again, Rams fans probably thought they had even less of the small chance they had to have a winning season this year. Then they, and everyone else, realized that Hill is just as good as Bradford, if not maybe better.
Hill has passed for an average of 275 yards in his last five starts, and he does take shots down the field. Receivers like Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt along with running back Zac Stacy should be able to easily do work against the Vikings. Hill isn’t that big of a season-long fantasy asset, but this matchup is nice. In a deep two-QB league, or especially on a DFS site like Fanduel, Hill could be a great play Sunday.
Geno Smith, New York Jets
Listen, this is total boom-or-bust here. This is the farthest thing from a guarantee, like a Jay Cutler play is. But, Geno has shown a lot of flash. And he faces the silver and black on Sunday. The Raiders had one of the worst passing defenses, and gave up the third-most fantasy points to quarterbacks a season ago.
Sure, the Raiders got Justin Tuck and Khalil Mack to rush the passer. But, they can’t cover Eric Decker, and neither can either of their corners. The Jets’ speed on offense with Geno at the helm, and Chris Johnson in the backfield will be too much for the Raaaaaaaiders.
Running backs
Chris Johnson, New York Jets
All that stuff that I just talked about with Geno against the Raiders? Yeah, copy and paste that here. The silver and black’s defense is still pretty bad. As bad as they were against the pass, they were just as bad against the run. Johnson goes up against the team who allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2013, and the Jets do have a solid offensive line. For the most part, Johnson’s new nickname should be CJ?K, because who really knows with him anymore. But, this is one of the few games people will remember him as CJ2K.
Frank Gore/ Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
A lot of people went with the “handcuff” strategy this year, and this was the most popular scenario to do that. Chances are, you already have Gore starting but you’re weary about it. Other chances are, if you don’t have Gore, but you have Hyde, he’s not starting in your lineup just yet. NEWSFLASH! Start them if you have them. The Cowboys defense blows.
They allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs in 2013, and they (somehow) got worse in the offseason. Gore more so should be started here in fantasy leagues, but Hyde is a huge upside and cheap play on DFS sites.
Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots
Squish the fish. That’s exactly what Ridley has done against the Dolphins. He has eight touchdowns in the last two seasons against Miami, and don’t expect him to slow down any time soon. The Dolphins certainly can’t stop him, but he himself can. It’s a fresh season, but it still feels as if he’s in Bill B’s doghouse.
If Ridley can keep the ball off the ground, and in the endzone, he can finally be a consistent fantasy back. When he fumbles, he pisses off Bill B, and gets less carries. Less carries means less points. Ridley should be fine against the Phins though, as they are 5-1 the last three years against the fish.
Wide Receivers
Marques Colston, New Orleans Saints
Everyone expects this game to be a shootout. Even Vegas, who has the over/under for this game at 51.5, the third highest of any week one game. If that’s the case, Colston could have a huge day. Especially against the Falcons, where he’s averaged over eight targets per game the last three years. As you could guess by the over/under, Atlanta’s defense isn’t all that. Throw in the fact that the Brees-Colston connection is one of the best in the game since 2006, with 63 total touchdowns, Colston could be a great play at WR2 or your FLEX.
Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos
Now, I haven’t been as high on Sanders as most people in Colorado have been. Pun intended. But, with Wes Welker being suspended for four games and Eric Decker in New York, Sanders is going to get a lot of targets and chances to perform. The Colts aren’t anything special on defense, ranking in the middle of the pack in fantasy points to opposing wideouts last season. But, (there’s always a but), if you want to succeed against Peyton Manning, you need to get pressure in and around his face. With Robert Mathis out, that won’t happen. Sanders is a incredibly solid WR2.
Riley Cooper, Philadelphia Eagles
The only game that Vegas expects to be more of a shootout than New Orleans/Atlanta? Jaguars at the Eagles. Cooper is much like Geno smith, in the boom-or-bust aspect. Some weeks he’ll put up 110 yards and two scores. The next, he’ll scavenge to hit 50 yards total like he did in 2013. One thing is certain though, with DeSean Jackson gone, and Jeremy Maclin’s health seemingly always in the air, Cooper is Nick Foles’ favorite target.
Tight Ends
Ladarius Green/ Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
It’s tough to pick one-or-the-other here. Both should be in for a good game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals must think they get a paycheck every Monday morning to give up fantasy points to opposing tight ends on Sundays. That’s because they did it more than anyone in the league last season. They gave up 17 touchdowns to tight ends in 2013, 17! Take out Darryl Washington and they could give up even more with their awful linebacking core. Relying on someone like Kevin Minter to cover anyone? Yikes.
Scott Chandler, Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills 6-foot 7-inch tight end LOVES September. He loves is more than Johnny Manziel loves talking on fake money phones in Las Vegas. Since 2011, he’s had 9 touchdowns in the ninth month of the year. That’s good for 64% of his total career touchdowns.
He faces the Chicago Bears on Sunday, who still don’t have Brian Urlacher or anyone really playing linebacker to cover Chandler. He has proven to be E.J. Manuel’s security blanket, being the team's leading receiver last year. So he should get some nice points against a defense who gave up the eight-most fantasy points to tight ends in 2013.
Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
My buddy over at ProjectRoto has me googly-eyes over this guy in fantasy. Kelce will be the number one tight end in KC, don’t let Anthony Fasano fool you. Kelce has shown in the preseason that he is a very viable tight end option. His first week as an NFL-er, is against the Titans who were pretty bad against opposing tight ends last season, like top-10 bad. Kelce could be this season’s Julius Thomas, but obviously not as good. Considering the whole: He’s not playing on a historically amazing offense, thing. But you get the idea.