Week One Fantasy Football: Start ’em/Sit ’em
Week one of the NFL season is finally here, which means fantasy football is back! For the next six months, men and women of all ages will agonize over what players to play in their matchups. The first week of the season is always the toughest for fantasy football, as fantasy owners are unsure of how teams will perform in the new season. Here are some start em/sit em suggestions for week one.
Start ‘em
Philip Rivers, San Diego QB– Rivers can get you a decent amount of passing yards, but is turnover-prone, and the Lions defense that was top-10 last season in fantasy passing defense.
Jonathan Stewart, Carolina RB- With DeAngelo Williams gone, Kelvin Benjamin hurt and his health back at 100%, Stewart should see a decent amount of carries and yards against a poor Jacksonville defense.
Vincent Jackson, Tampa Bay WR- With Mike Evans battling injuries already, look for rookie quarterback Jameis Winston to target the 6’5’’ Jackson early and often against a weaker Tennessee defense.
Jason Witten, Dallas TE– The Cowboys tight end has five touchdowns in his last four games against the Giants, and should benefit from more targets thanks to the departure of DeMarco Murray.
Carolina Panthers D/ST- Pretty much any defense going up against the Jaguars should be a must-start in any league, especially one with Luke Kuechly in it. They should be able to snag an interception or two, as well as a few sacks for your team.
Nick Folk, New York Jets K– Going up against the Browns, Folk should see multiple opportunities for field goals, as the Jets offense isn’t quite good enough to get into the end zone a ton.
Sit ‘em
Jay Cutler, Chicago QB– Cutler has long been a model of inconsistency over the years, as he can never seem to be good for long. He also threw four picks and only 3 touchdowns in two games
Mark Ingram, New Orleans RB- Ingram has filled nicely into the Saints top running back role last season, but facing a tough Cardinals’ defense combined with Sean Payton’s spread-the-ball-around offense, he is unlikely to see more than 12-15 carries.
Darren Sproles, Philadelphia RB– Sproles is going to struggle to see touches behind DeMarco Murray and Ryan Matthews.
Anquan Boldin, San Francisco WR– Boldin is another year older, and having Kaepernick throwing to him could mean an inconsistent night.
Eric Decker, New York Jets WR– Decker had an up and down year in 2014-15 without Peyton Manning as his quarterback, and is now playing second fiddle to Brandon Marshall. A stingy Cleveland secondary should also scare owners away from playing Decker this week.
Roddy White, Atlanta WR- Roddy White will have a good season, thanks in large part to an overall better Falcons team. With that being said, he is coming off of an elbow procedure and is facing what should be an improved Eagles secondary. Throw in Julio Jones being the top target for quarterback Matt Ryan and you’ve got enough reasons to sit White. Save him for week four against a soft Houston secondary.
Atlanta Falcons D/ST- The Atlanta defense was not great to begin with, and they are facing a Philadelphia offense that could explode for 30-40 points on Monday night.
