Week 1 fantasy football is underway, with Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady getting off to a fantastic start on Thursday Night Football. A vast majority of players are in action, and decisions need to be made. Reggie Bush will see time on passing downs and don’t be surprised if former Aussie football star Jarryd Hayne gets some touches as well (eventually).
Sam Bradford, QB The Eagles vs. Falcons matchup has the highest over/under, according to Vegas. Ryan Tannehill might target the former Packer from time to time when points are necessary. As more and more people care about their teams first and foremost and not the local club, cynicism grows. But two things are in favor of the Jackets’ signal caller: he’s cheap (compared to the other top quarterbacks) and he’s a huge part of their option offense. DeAngelo Hall and Chris Culliver can be play makers, but they can also give up big plays. Hunches, stray data points of questionable provenance, and plain old luck – the standard tools of gamblers everywhere – may trump knowledge and skill, allowing casual fans to triumph over the nerdiest of stat junkies, which can make the game resemble gambling. The Browns defense gave up the most rushing yards last season. He’s a pass-catching machine who has recorded at least 44 receptions in each of his seven seasons in the league – last year, he had a whopping 102 catches for 808 yards, a ridiculous figure for a running back. I was going to make my weekly National Football League picks for the paper based on which teams don’t have a known domestic abuser on the roster, but as the organizer pointed out, I’d have to abstain every week. While there are some efficiency concerns with Adams, the highly thought of sophomore is in too good of a situation to pass up for $4,400 on DraftKings Week 1.
Terrelle Pryor, WR CLE (1% owned): Don’t look for an immediate impact, but down the road Pryor could get red zone targets and carries as a Wildcat quarterback.
John Brown, Cardinals (vs. Saints) – Brown has been a trendy sleeper pick throughout the offseason, and his average draft position continued to creep up as the season closed in. Daily games allow users to start new each day without a season-long commitment or the organization of an entire league.
Lacy will probably be one of the priciest running backs on the market Week 1, but for good reason.
Jason Witten, TE An overlooked commodity in fantasy football, Witten’s ADP dropped into double-digit rounds this year.
Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks: Lockett flashed his big-play potential this preseason on both special teams and offense, bagging a pair of return touchdowns and a lengthy receiving score. Montgomery, a rookie out of Stanford, will be the fastest player on the field whenever he lines up. Expect him to look Walker’s way frequently, with PPR value being that much higher. The Chiefs-Texans matchup has the second-lowest over/under for the opening week.
Former Broncos receiver Eddie Royal is now with the Chicago Bears.
Dion Lewis, RB, New England Patriots: Let’s head back to the Steelers-Patriots matchup for a moment and look at Lewis. He impressed in limited opportunities in Seattle, however, and that came after a collegiate career in which he averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 69.8 yards per game at Texas A&M. He was outstanding in his college football debut last week as he dropped 351 yards and 3 touchdowns on Virginia.
He looked up at me, blue eyes wide and curious.
No Todd Gurley means more work for Mason. Yay! Even without Kam Chancellor, it will still be tough sledding. The league set-up resembles the Traditional league but an additional starting RB/WR swing position is added and the scoring system matches the standard except for ranges for the kicking and defensive statistics.
Sammy Watkins, WR Watkins will get to face Vontae Davis for most of Sunday’s game. 100 yards and a touchdown is not out of the question. With an inaccurate quarterback in Tyrod Taylor, it’s hard to find confidence in Watkins for this one.