Sit em. Start em – Week One
Start em
Matthew Stafford – Stafford was going late in some later redrafts so some of you may be debating whether or not to start him this week vs the Chargers. With a stronger run game to support him, a second year Ebron and a healthy Megatron, Stafford should be looked at as a top tier QB1 week to week.
Eddie Royal – With Alshon Jeffery banged up and Kevin White sidelined and Marquess Wilson hobbled, Eddie Royal should be deployed in all lineups including DFS this week. The Bears square off against the Packers this week which means the Bears should be forced to air it out to keep up with the Packers despite the injuries at wideout on both teams. Royal is a WR3 with WR2 upside.
Allen Robinson – Robinson possesses tantalizing upside this season as Blake Bortles settles in for his sophomore campaign. Early drafters were able to nab Robinson as a WR4 but he should be viewed as a WR3 with WR2 upside week to week especially in PPR leagues. Start Robinson in all leagues possible.
Tevin Coleman – Coleman has ascended to the starter in Atlanta and safe to view as an RB2 going forward most weeks. Coleman was handpicked by Kyle Shanahan and is perfectly suited for his system. Coleman now has a chance to be the top rookie running back due to being a week one starter and a very running back friendly offense where he will operate on all three downs.
Chris Johnson – Chris Johnson is shaping up as a sneaky play in deeper leagues. We are not taking the DFS plunge just yet but Johnson offers flex value upside this week. Johnson proved he has some juice left in the tank and will be running behind a solid line with the best offense around him he has ever seen. Ellington is the starter here but Johnson should be fantasy relevant even as a timeshare back. Roll with Johnson vs the Saints as the Cards look to keep Drew Brees off the field.
Vernon Davis – An absolute steal on draft day Vernon Davis will push for TE1 numbers on a weekly basis in what promises to be a more tight end friendly offense. Davis should see more space in the middle of the field with a credible deep threat in Torrey Smith now on the squad to create space.
Sit em
Cam Newton – As much as I love Cam and believe in his ability to post QB1 numbers on any given week due to his elite running ability one has to believe that a Jaguars team with multiple weeks to prepare will refuse to beat on the ground by Cam leaving him to lean on names like Jerricho Cotchery, Ted Ginn and rookie Devin Funchess behind TE1 Greg Olsen; not exactly a recipe for fantasy success vis a vis the other 12 plus options with higher floors this week. This is week one and chances are you did not draft Cam to start anyways so leave him on your bench, do not try to get cute week one even with the tasty on paper’ matchup.
Kamar Aiken – With Breshad Perriman sidelined Aiken is slated to start but is not a recommended play outside the deepest of leagues, and by deep I mean 18+ teams or 300 player deep with an over abundance of starting spots. Aiken will likely rotate snaps with Brown and the Ravens have been talking up Crockett Gilmore and we all know how much Flacco loves to target his tight ends. Add to that Justin Forsett and Javorius Allen being terrific pass catching running backs and Aiken shapes up as a boom or bust play with a waiver wire floor.
Dwayne Bowe – Dwayne Bowe has talent and is regarded as the 1a or 1b for the Browns but we are advising a prove it approach with Bowe until further notice. Luckily you did not draft him to start anyways so one should not languish too much with leaving him on the bench. Someone will emerge here with at least flex2 relevance so keep both Bowe and Hawkins on your radar.
Joseph Randle – While someone is going to emerge from this backfield with RB2 value after establishing themselves as the lead back week one still leaves much uncertainty due to the fact that Randle is not the most talented back in this backfield. Your ADP investment may mean he is one of your top two backs depending on when you drafted but we still suggest looking very hard elsewhere until this backfield mess that screams RBBC gets sorted out. Randle is a RB3 with RB2 upside and a flex2 floor.
Devonta Freeman – Many have Freeman pegged as a RB3 type this week but you want to look at him as more an RB4/RB5 due to his low floor this week. Freeman was one of the most exciting runners of the 2014 class but Coleman who has already ascended to starter is a perfect fit for this system and is the superior running back. Keep Freeman on fantasy benches in all but the deepest of leagues.
