FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!
Sadly, this will be the most exciting part of the Season for Cleveland Browns fans 🙁
I’m allowed to say this, because I’m one of them *shoots self*
Week 1 is finally here. Enough talk about the air pressure of the footballs,
its time to get to work! We’ve got a ton of great plays this weekend.
Below, you will see the handful of players that I’ll be focusing
all of my attention on this weekend.
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers (vs. Chicago Bears)
Not much to say here, Rodgers is the best Quarterback in the league. The loss of Jordy Nelson will hurt him a little, but, not enough for us to worry about, he should throw for close to 300 yards and 2 or 3 touchdowns. I have two concerns that are preventing me from labeling Rodgers as my #1 Overall QB of the day; (1) because of the Jordy Nelson injury, the Packers decide to run the ball more early and often, and (2) would be the Packers getting an early lead, and feeding Eddie Lacy in the 2nd half.
Matt Ryan (vs. Chicago Bears)
I’m honestly shocked that nobody is talking about Matt Ryan in Week 1. In my opinion he’s got the best matchup of any QB this weekend and I’ve got him listed as my #1 QB regardless of price this week. Over the last 2 years, only one QB (Drew Brees) has completed more passes than Matt Ryan. The Falcons are a pass first Offense, Playing at home, in a game with the highest O/U of the weekend. He checks all the boxes for me. The Eagles Offense runs more plays than any team in the league, and its not even close. This puts their Defense in some terrible situations as they hardly ever have any time to rest. Matt Ryan will pick them apart, at home in the Georgia Dome.
Tyrod Taylor: (vs. Indianapolis Colts)
Everyone’s favorite Cheap QB this week, as Taylor gets the starting job for Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills. Great price tag, for a Starting QB, and the Bills should be playing catch-up vs the Colts in the 2nd half so Taylor should get plenty of passing opportunities and he’ll probably add 40 or so rushing yards. While I don’t think he’s the “plug-and-play” value of the Day like some others do, I think he’s a nice pick to help you upgrade all of your other positions
Running Back
Eddie Lacy: $8,500 (vs. Chicago Bears)
As I said in the Aaron Rodgers, I’ve got a strange feeling that the Packers Offense might look slightly different Sunday vs the Bears. I know they have a high team total (2nd highest) and I know how great Aaron Rodgers is. I’ve just got this feeling that Eddie Lacy will be the featured player in the Packers Offense this Weekend. Against the Bears, the Packers probably wont have to put the pedal to the medal to get out of Chicago with a victory, and I think it will take a little time for Rodgers and his WR corps to adjust to life without Jordy Nelson.
Jonathan Stewart: $7,100 (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
The loss of Kelvin Benjamin for the year really hurts the Panthers Offense as a whole. Jonathan Stewart (if he can stay healthy) will be the #1 beneficiary from the loss of Benjamin. The Panthers will look to run the ball, early and often vs the Jaguars this weekend. Stewart should get close to 20 carries and should reach the end zone at least once.
Chris Ivory: $6,400 (vs. Cleveland Browns)
I don’t love Chris Ivory, as I feel like the Browns Run Defense (ranked 32nd last year) will be much improved with the addition of Danny Shelton and a few other veterans. However, I haven’t seen it yet, so I can only go by what I know, and what I know is that last year, the Browns simply could not stop the run to save their lives. Ivory makes a nice value play here, in what looks like a low scoring, ground and pound type game.
Wide Receiver
Julio Jones: $9,000 (vs. Philadelphia Eagles)
If Matt Ryan is my #1 QB, then his favorite target has to be my #1 WR, right? Julio Jones is a flat out stud and nobody has more upside than he does this weekend. I’ve already outlined some of the details surrounding the Eagles vs Falcons Monday Night Football game in the Ryan write up. You can go ahead and check all of the same boxes here for Julio Jones.
Dez Bryant: $8,700 (vs. New York Giants)
For some reason, Dez Bryant just loves to own the New York Giants. In 10 Career games vs the Giants, Dez Bryant has 52 rec, 818 yards and 6 touchdowns. With DeMarco Murray off to Philly, I feel like the Cowboys are going to rely on Dez even more so than they have during the past few Seasons.
Tight End
Martellus Bennett (vs Green Bay Packers)
With Alshon Jeffery nursing an injury (listed as questionable right now) the Bears are going to have to look other places for Offense this week if they are going to have any shot at keeping it close vs the Packers. Bennett is a great read zone target and should be able to get open vs a Packers Defense that isn’t the best at covering the tight end. Almost everyone will be on Greg Olsen, for some of the same reasons I mentioned in the Jonathan Stewart write up, but I feel like Bennett has just as much upside in this matchup.
Jimmy Graham (vs St Louis Rams)
Nobody is going to be playing Jimmy Graham this weekend. Mainly because nobody knows how the Seahawks are going to use him in their run heavy Offense. While I expect his targets to be way down from his New Orleans days, I still expect him to be a main cog in the Seahawks Offense. They wouldn’t trade a 1st round draft pick, just to bring him in as a decoy. He will be targeted in the red zone and he will still be the miss-match that he was for everyone in the NFC South.
Team Defense
Carolina Panthers (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
While the Jags aren’t “the same ole Jags” they are still a few years away. Blake Bortles is only in his 2nd year, and is still somewhat turnover prone. I think the Panthers veteran Defense will take care of business this weekend, and they will do their part in keeping this game low scoring.
New York Jets (vs. Cleveland Browns)
The Browns have pulled off the Trifecta for this weekend. They’ve got 1 player, 1 coach, and 1 front office person suspended this week (and beyond). The team is honestly as a complete disaster from the top down. Brian Hoyer, who won 7 games, and had the Browns sitting at 7-4 and 1st place in the AFC North last year, has been let go, and is now starting for a legit Playoff Contender in Houston. The Brown however, are left with Josh McCown and Johny Manziel. They have no legitimate threat on the Offensive side of the football. They will struggle to even get 1st downs vs a great Jets Defense. This could get ugly, fast.
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About the Author
CeeGee, has been an avid Season long fantasy player since the days of steno notebooks and weekly calls to the league commissioner to make lineup adjustments… Currently a Top 3% Grinder (according to RotoGrinders rankings) has been grinding Daily Fantasy Baseball since 2013… While a cash game player at heart, there have been Several Top 1% Tournament finishes in MLB, NBA and NFL since 2013
